THE MOST anticipated development in the City this month was the completion of the Brighton Centre’s refurbishment programme, which began in 2010 when Brighton & Hove City Council approved a £1m investment in the venue.
Initial improvements included the replacement of more than 4,000 seats in Auditorium 1, the refurbishment of Auditorium 2, enhanced meeting facilities and the modernisation of existing interiors.
This beachfront venue, with a capacity of up to 5,000, is the largest purpose built conference and exhibition space in the south of England and has played host to a range of clients including TUC, the British Medical Association, Tesco and Microsoft.
In addition, the venue creates an economic impact to the City in the region of £47m based on conference delegate spend, and contributes to the success of a vast range of local business such as Hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, transport and retail outlets, as well as sustaining some 14,000 local jobs.
In July 2011 the final phase of the refurbishment programme got underway to improve the visual appearance of the front of the venue and included a new glazed front to the edge of the building demise. Meeting facilities were also enhanced, as well as the redesign and remodel of the restaurant, offering floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic, unrivalled views of the seafront.
All major projects throw up challenges and this project was no different. Within the first few weeks the discovery of a large hole under the original pavement at the front of the venue impacted on the structural integrity of the building’s undercroft and meant that the project surveyor and builders faced additional time constraints.
It is testament to the professionalism and dedication of the venue’s team that events continued to run within the building during this time and the venue remained operational throughout.
Last week, Thursday 5 January 2012, Bill Randall, Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council was joined by Geoffrey Bowden, Cabinet Member for Culture, Recreation and Tourism, to cut the ribbon outside the Brighton Centre, marking the opening of the refurbished venue.
The Brighton Centre acting general manager, Howard Barden, said: "With the completion of these works, we anticipate we will greatly enhance the delegate and visitor experience, keeping the venue competitive and relevant on both the national and international conference venues scene.”
Article courtesy of Love Brighton, the free weekly paper for Brighton and Hove.
