Lord Willis on 'lesson from history' on Harrogate Convention Centre's current troubles

A Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords after 13 years serving as MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Lord Willis warned that Harrogate was looking at a “complete return to 1990 and the then imminent total demise of the then Harrogate International Centre.”

It’s not a picture recognised by the convention centre’s current management or its owners Harrogate Borough Council which recently unveiled a new business strategy and multi-million pound redevelopment proposals in an effort to turn it around.

But Lord Willis argues there is still “an abject failure to recognise that the strength of Harrogate town centre, not to mention the hotels and restaurants is very much dependent on business tourism.”

Created a life peer in 2010 when he retired as MP, Lord Willis said the situation he had found on becoming leader of Harrogate Borough Council in 1990 was so bad, the outgoing administration” could hardly give it away.

Lord Willis said: “The key for me was getting the right board and management team together, having a clear focus on delivery and having a staff who were proud to say “I work at Harrogate International Centre!”

“Not once in my time as chair of the HIC did party politics ever enter the board room until 1999 when the current Administration returned to power and their first act was to remove me as chair.”

Lord Willis, who became an MP in 1997 when he famously beat Norman Lamont, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, said returning the conference centre to profit had resulted from enacting five major changes.

Turning the conference centre into a wholly-owned arms length company.

Bringing business brains onto the board.

Winning the support of large hotels.

Changing working practices at the conference centre.

Offering a vision of making it the most successful conference business in the UK.

But none of this comes as news to the present administration which says the structure of Harrogate Convention Centre today is the same as it was when Lord Willis chaired the board with industry professionals still key to the board’s decision-making.

And its current director, Paula Lorimer is bullish about the prospects for Harrogate Convention Centre and winning back lost conference business - even though it is closed until next March as it continues to serves the nation as an NHS Nightingale Hospital.

Ms Lorimer said: “The greats news is we now have certainty – we will reopen on 1st April 2021 and I am pleased to say the convention centre has filled its diary for the spring and summer months already with existing events, and others displaced from other destinations.”

After years of experience in Manchester’s conference sector, she is determined to reinvigorate the site with various phases of redevelopment adding up to £47 million in total.

But she said, Harrogate Convention Centre faced an array of challenges even Lord Willis had not had to face.

Ms Lorimer said: “The industry has changed quite a bit since the 80’s and 90’s and what was right then is unlikely to be what is required now.

“We now have a building that in many areas is 40 years old, I don’t care who you are, when a building gets that old it needs investment. Harrogate Convention Centre also now has many new competitors that have opened from 2008 alone, Belfast, Wales Liverpool, with a new centre opening in Gateshead in 2023.”

Harrogate Borough Council is already in discussions with the Government overcontributing to the cost of improving the venue in recognition of its role as an NHS Nightingale hospital.

And Ms Lorimer said Harrogate could weather this perfect storm and still emerge a winner.

She said: “I have been Director of HCC for 18 months now and the venue has faced some unprecedented difficulties during this time, which no one could have foreseen or avoided.

“We have worked as a team with many of the officers of Harrogate Borough Council to face these challenges together, work out a plan and deliver the best outcome for customers and the district.

“I am proud of our achievements so far and there are many more challenges ahead we will conquer together.

“I am not a political appointment, I am paid to run a successful operation that drives the maximum economic impact for the district and nothing else. Like most unexpected disasters, we have become stronger together to overcome adversity.”

What Lord Willis, Baron Willis of Knaresborough, says about Harrogate Convention Centre

Phil Willis was the Lib Dem leader of Harrogate Borough Council from 1990 to 1999 in the years before he became the town’s MP.

Now Lord Willis, he told the Harrogate Advertiser this week that the predicament facing Harrogate Convention Centre today was similar in some ways.

Lord Willis said: “The Lib Dems were swept to power in 1990 as a result of the failure of what was then called Harrogate International Conference Centre which then had revenue debts of more than £250k per annum and capital debts in excess of £24m. In short some £2 out of £3 collected on the rates were paying conference centre debt.”

“Our solution was to take it out of council hands, create a wholly-owned arms length company and bring in expert private sector board members to effectively lead the recovery.

“The new board asked two key questions – why should conferences and exhibitions come to Harrogate and who locally needed to be pulled on board to help change fortunes? This brought a buy-in from the large hotels who agreed to form the A Group booking delegates jointly.

Other changes followed swiftly – particularly a major change in working practices with a huge buy in from the staff.

“In many ways the rest was history. Within two years the conference centre was making a profit – while the deal to take Morrisons out of the basement and in exchange provide ready-made exhibition units was one example of a board and executive team supported by an innovate chief executive.”

Staggering rise in assaults on Harrogate police officers since lockdown began

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.