Trade shows on the move
Redevelopment plans for the King’s Hall site in South Belfast are opening up a major new opportunity for event organisers in the Titanic Quarter.
The 6,000 square metre Titanic Exhibition Centre is due to open this autumn, subject to planning permission. Provisional bookings for trade and consumer shows include the Wedding Journal Show (18-20 September), Improve Your Home (10-11 October) and Holiday World (15-17 January 2016).
Titanic Quarter Ltd anticipates that the centre’s scale will “enable the city to attract new consumer, lifestyle and trade events as well as providing a home for large, well-established events.”
Meanwhile, the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society is planning to develop Balmoral Park, near Lisburn, as the “premier regional exhibition venue”. Balmoral Park has hosted the Balmoral Show since 2013 and is due to host the National Balmoral Championships for show-jumping between 19-22 July.
The society is seeking a long-term lease on the King’s Hall site which it has owned since 1894. The main building (built in 1933) will be retained and the RUAS’ property consultancy Colliers International is open to ideas for the future use of the area, which could potentially include healthcare facilities, hotel accommodation or new office developments.
