Evolving Security at Harrogate Convention Centre

Each year over 300,000 guests visit Harrogate Convention Centre. For almost two hundred years, the centre has been home to entertainment and corporate events and is still constantly evolving. Showsec have been providing security and crowd management services for five years and are delighted to be a part of the venue.

Over the last three-months of 2018, 94 events took place with 720 Showsec members of staff on hand to provide customer service and security for high profile political conferences to international musical performances and gaming festivals; within the breath-taking 1977 capacity auditorium, Royal Hall theatre, six exhibition halls and versatile studios.

Notable events include the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show, the largest textiles event in the north of England held annually at the centre and the 25th International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival. Filling the Royal Hall complex, the festival included film screenings, catering facilities and activities for guests to enjoy into the early hours.

Showsec also built their team and tested their cards at the Pokémon regional championships and continued to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year at the Harrogate Christmas & Gift exhibition which attracts almost 5,000 buyers every January.

As we prepare for 2019’s calendar of events, Showsec are delighted to continue working with Harrogate Convention Centre to deliver impeccable customer experience and a safe environment to all visitors. We especially look forward to being a part of Explore GB, VisitBritain’s flagship event, this May when over 200 international travel buyers from 30+ countries travel to Harrogate to do business.

Andrew Lane, Venues Manager at Harrogate Convention Centre, said: “We’ve built up a great relationship with Showsec and worked together closely with them during a challenging time for the event industry.

“Venues and their security teams throughout Europe and beyond have really had to up their game in recent years.

“It’s our job to ensure the public is safe, while keeping disruption to a minimum. I think that by working with Showsec, and with the understanding and cooperation of our visitors, we’ve got the balance right.

“But event security is constantly evolving, and we aim to stay ahead of any threat, no matter how small.”