A major Edinburgh venue which is also one of the biggest in Scotland has announced extension plans designed to increase its profitability, reports the Scotsman.
The Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) is to get a new auditorium capable of seating 1,600 delegates, while the event venue's banqueting capacity is to be more than doubled from a 900-person seating capacity to 2,000. The expansion carries a price tag of £80 million and is expected to double the EICC's annual revenue to £90 million, an increase which would bring enormous benefits to the wider economy.
Hans Rissman, chief executive of the EICC, told the paper: "The extension is absolutely crucial for us to attract the really big conferences as they all require more exhibition and banqueting space than we can currently offer."
In addition to the extra meeting space, a new atrium will be built to give the entrance more of a visual impact.
The Evening Express recently reported that Scottish Enterprise, the body which is providing much of the funding for the EICC extension, will not be allocating money to the Aberdeen Exhibition Centre.
