Following the devastating fire at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate last month the whole of Harrogate, including Harrogate International Centre and Destination Harrogate (an association of the town’s 12 leading hotels) pulled together to ensure valuable event business remained in the town.
Harrogate International Centre’s, deputy director, Simon Kent, said: “After such a tragic fire, it was imperative for Harrogate to pull together as a community and for all pre-booked and planned events to go ahead. Event business is exceptionally important to Harrogate and our immediate focus was to ensure business as usual.”
Harrogate International Centre, along with Destination Harrogate venues was able to accommodate several of the events planned for the Majestic at no extra charge to the organisers, whilst both staff and customer accommodation was sourced across the rest of the town. Additional infrastructure was also put in place to ensure logistical needs and transfers were all met.
The Toymaster Exhibition operations director, Ian Edmunds said: “[HIC] helped turn the disastrous event of the 5th May at the Majestic into the resounding success that was Toymaster’s May Show… I fully understand and appreciate the difficulties and challenges our event must have presented you all with having booked it on the Monday and needing the carpet laid on the Friday, not the normal time scale I would expect anyone to adhere to. To say you were all a pleasure to deal with is a total understatement.”
Harrogate International Centre’s Simon Kent concludes: “Clearly our primary intention was to maintain the current business for Harrogate and ensure the additional revenue streams were maintained for our suppliers, partners and third parties across the town. However, to have such a resounding endorsement and subsequent confirmation that Toymaster will continue to support Harrogate really is the icing on the cake.”