Boost for town as major shows return to Harrogate Convention Centre

New: Harrogate to get a second pop up shop for Christmas shopping season

A major public exhibition is returning to Harrogate tomorrow as the Northern Homebuilding and Renovating Show begins this weekend - and its open to the public.

The event on November 5-7 marks the return of four flagship shows in November, with Thought Bubble Comic-Con (13-14 Nov) followed by show stalwarts, The Knitting and Stitching Show, and Country Living Magazine Christmas Fair, at the end of the month.

Nick Noble, Show Director, said: ""We travel the UK with our series of shows, but for the North of England, Harrogate is for me the best destination. It has a good buzz about it.

"Everyone's spent so much time at home in the last 18 months and looked around and thought, what would I like to do to my home?

"Our show is all about fulfilling those dreams. You come to be inspired, educated, and informed.

"Our show covers building a million-pound home from scratch to someone putting in a new floor. Lockdown showed us how your home is your castle and how we want to invest in it.

"There's been an explosion of interest in smaller projects, like installing home offices or improving heating systems, as more people work from home, which can be a catalyst to bigger projects."

This popular event will feature around 60 specialist seminars and masterclasses over the three-day show.

The imminent arrival of the Northern Homebuilding and Renovating Show follows a successful summer for Harrogate Convention Centre after the venue reopened safely with the Home and Gift Buyers' Festival in July, a flagship government pilot show.

In a normal year, Harrogate Convention Centre hosts an estimated 150,000 conference and trade delegates with an economic impact of £35m on local hotels, B&Bs, bars, restaurants, and shops.

Paula Lorimer, Director at Harrogate Convention Centre, said: "We've had a packed programme of entertainment since reopening, which has had a fantastic response from audiences.

"However, it's the large exhibition and conference trade that brings significant economic benefit, so it's great to see such pillars in our live events calendar return this November.

"We're proud to add to the cultural richness of our district while supporting hotels, B&Bs, bars, and restaurants; we're committed to building our reputation as the North's go-to conference and exhibitions town."

Gemma Rio, Head of Destination Management at Harrogate Borough Council, said: "The return of these flagship shows underlines the huge assets Harrogate offers as an exceptional destination for large events in these times.

"A walking town, with enviable restaurants, cafes, bars, and shops, there's also plenty of open green spaces, fresh air, and easy access to Yorkshire countryside."

Northern Homebuilding and Renovating Show went online in 2020, but Nick said there's a huge appetite for live events evidenced at their recent London show.

Nick Noble, Show Director, said: "The beauty of our show is it is the one-stop for self-build and renovation; you can't find the variety of suppliers and type of product they do anywhere else under one roof, so it's an absolute must; for anyone serious about building or renovating."

Harrogate Convention Centre's Covid-secure approach includes sanitisation stations, covid signage, deep cleans throughout and upgraded electrical with air conditioning drawing fresh air from the outside so air is not recirculated. It's also installed new carpets in several event spaces and repainted the halls.

Paula Lorimer said: "We're very conscious that Covid has not gone away.

"We continue to work closely with professional event organisers, industry trade associations, and event suppliers to deliver best practices to ensure the safe return of live events to Harrogate since restrictions on large gatherings were lifted."

Nick Noble added: "At the moment, the government's line is we encourage you to do test certification at the entrances, with some venue's not insisting on this, but we are.

"With our halls, we have wider aisles, we made theatres bigger, with more sanitisation. We're going the extra mile to reassure people."

The Northern Homebuilding and Renovating Show runs November 5-7.

A 2-for-1 ticket offer is available online: visit Northern Homebuilding & Renovating Show - Harrogate Convention Centre

How Covid may hit Harrogate passengers' hopes of improvements to railway service