Harrogate Convention Centre's major accolade is a 'fantastic testament' to the team says its delighted boss

The latest accolade for what is, perhaps, Harrogate’s most important venue is not be dismissed lightly.

Securing AIM accreditation shows Harrogate Convention Centre is committed to service excellence, quality, legal compliance and safety.

But it also acts as a guarantee to buyers, assuring confidence when choosing HCC.

Paula Lorimer, Director of Harrogate Convention Centre, said: "The AIM accreditation is a fantastic testament to the highly experienced and dedicated team at Harrogate Convention Centre and will give event buyers confidence that they are working with a venue operating at the highest standard.

“This will bring many benefits to Harrogate Convention Centre, including useful networking opportunities and a valuable industry benchmarking tool.

"The events sector is responsible for thousands of jobs and it is incredibly important to work together as an industry to continually improve the standards”

It’s a welcome piece of good news for a venue which continues to play a vital part in Harrogate’s conference trade, events sector and visitor economy – and the town centre as a whole.

A recent report by Visit Britain said Harrogate Convention Centre will boost the local economy by £31million during 2022/23.

But Harrogate Convention Centre suffered a setback earlier this year when Harrogate Borough Council failed in its £20million Levelling Up Fund bid as part of a hoped-for £49m redevelopment of the venue judged essential to retain its success in an ever more competitive field.

Ms Lorimer warned at the time that Harrogate would “wither on the vine” if its convention centre ever closed.

But joining the Meetings Industry Association (mia) – one of the fastest-growing associations in the conference, meetings and events sector – has given the HCC a major boost.

The mia facilitates meetings, debates and gatherings with some of the brightest minds in the industry to solve business problems, to encourage learning and to create valuable networking opportunities.

Kerrin MacPhie, Chief Executive of mia, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Harrogate Convention Centre as our latest member.”

Information: https://www.harrogateconventioncentre.co.uk