Leeds United legend Allan Clarke performed the opening ceremony of the new Centenary Pavilion in front of an invited audience of almost 600 guests on November 10, 2010.
The glitzy official opening took place on Wednesday with Leeds United
chairman Ken Bates, Leeds United manager Simon Grayson, and Allan Clarke
among the guests. Welcome to Yorkshire CEO Gary Verity was also among the speakers.
The multi-million pound venue, which has already staged Harvey Nicholls
first out-of-store fashion show away from London, first opened its doors on
September 23, and has already staged a number of major exhibitions.
The new Centenary Pavilion, named after the club’s FA Cup win in 1972, can hold almost 3,000 visitors and seat over 1,200 people for dinner and is one of the biggest venues of its kind in Northern England.
Leeds United chairman Ken Bates said: “This is a magnificent venue.
Hopefully it will be important to Leeds and there will be spin-offs for the
rest of Yorkshire. We will be able to bring functions here that would be
held outside of the county.”
On seeing the venue for the first time since completion, Gary Verity said:
“It’s spectacular. It’s a great asset for the club, the city of Leeds and
the county of Yorkshire. What this particular venue brings to the party is
the scale and size of it. If you want to do a big event or a sit-down
dinner for a 1,000 people plus the choice of options in Yorkshire are
narrow, so in terms of being able to host and accommodate the prestigious
dinners this brings that to the party. This venue also has great access.”
Helen Briden Conference and Events Manager said: “This is a very proud time for us all here at Elland Road. The opening has given us an opportunity to
showcase our excellent facilities, food and service to the top Conference
and exhibition organisers in the UK. We have had excellent feedback from
the event and look forward to our guests hosting their events with us in
the future.
The Centenary Pavilion can also be divided into two suites, named
after two of the club’s heroes from that win against Arsenal, Clarke and
Mick Jones.
Clarke said: “I feel emotional and humbled. It is a magnificent venue for
the football club and the city. Football now is a business and this
facility will bring benefits off the field that are important to the club.”
The official opening featured performances from Tenors Unlimited, the Globe Girls, Jazz band Mr Swing, and 11-year-old comedian Jack Carroll, who suffers with cerebral palsy.
