Using Visit Britain’s definition of economic impact for events, Harrogate International Centre has achieved more than £92 million for the economy during the first six months of their 2010/2011 financial year.
HIC’s head of sales and marketing, Alison Griffin: “As the BVEP Manifesto and Britain for Events reports have highlighted, our industry has a substantial impact on local economies, bringing in far more than just the spend at venues and on-site. This figure represents just six months of work at HIC and clearly highlights our importance to Harrogate, the surrounding areas and to UK’s economy as a whole.”
During the period April 2010 to September 2010, HIC held 38 major events plus a plethora of smaller meetings and seminars. Just the major events were used to calculate the economic impact so the true figure is likely to be higher than the headline £92 million. July 2010 was the month with the highest economic impact - £31.7 million.
However, one immeasurable area these figures only hint at is the impact HIC is having on the knowledge economy, where HIC plays a huge role. As one of the UK’s largest venues, millions of people are educated each year through attendance at HIC events, adding to the UK and Global knowledge pool.
Alison continues: “These figures truly highlight the importance of events to our economy, there are hundreds of venues around the UK, clearly most are smaller with less events than HIC but still – each one brings something to the economy, injecting vitally needed funds at a time when dramatic cuts are being made in a whole range of sectors.”
“HIC is clearly one of Harrogate’s biggest economic drivers, impacting on everything from tourism and event providers to local shops and infrastructure. We are closely supported through all our work by the efforts of the town and residents, who ensure we remain a fashionable and friendly place to hold events.”
“HIC’s place at the heart of Britain’s knowledge economy can also be extrapolated from these figures. With so many events and so much education taking place within the Centre we are continually helping to improve and disseminate knowledge at a time when the most valuable commodities are information and understanding.”
