Southwater Event Group celebrates growth in revenue

The Southwater Event Group, which owns Telford's International Centre, saw its turnover lift by two per cent to £14.9 million in the year to the end of March.

The group was boosted by a number of new events bringing visitors to Telford, although changes in the 'business mix' resulted in an overall 2.9 per cent decline in revenues for the venue.

Pre-tax profits for the group as a whole fell by 12 per cent to £1.55 million, but that included the exceptional impact of a business rates refund of £165,000 the previous year.

In a statement accompanying the newly-published accounts, the group said: "Continual investment in its people, services and facilities to meet the diverse marketplace demands are uppermost within the company strategy. Revenues from space hire increased by six per cent as demands grew from a combination of new business and repeat business across the broad cross-section of event types.

"However, changes in the business mix year on year resulted in a reduction of 2.9 per cent in revenues generated by the company's other revenue-generating departments."

Turnover in the group's hotels, including the International Hotel beside the conference venue and the Grays Hotel off Forge Gate, rose by 7.5 per cent thanks to a combination of greater occupancy of bedrooms and a slight increase in prices. The occupancy of all available rooms improved by 4.1 per cent during the period.

The International Centre is in the midst of a run of events this week, having hosted the National Poultry Show over the weekend, and with The Racing Pigeon Show, Flyer Live, and the UK's Professional Pole Championships heading to town on Saturday and Sunday.

It hosts the Shropshire Business Awards, as well as the Midlands Comic-Con event attracting sci-fi enthusiasts to the town each year. It is also the venue for the UK Dairy Day, a key event for the UK's farming industry.

The most recent addition to the roster is the British Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (B-APCO), an independent professional members association for professionals in the public safety industry. It will hold its two-day exhibition and conference at The International Centre on March 22 and 23, 2016, and it will be the first time the town has hosted the event.

Delighted

Chief operating officer Geoff Naldrett said: "We are delighted to be bringing our exhibition and conference to Telford, and we were very impressed with the venue and its facilities during our site tour.

"A venue is one thing though, but it's the people who work in it that make all the difference, and we received a fantastically warm welcome from the team on site, so we're looking forward to introducing our members to everyone at The International Centre."

Centre sales director Alison Griffin added: "This is a new event for The International Centre. It's clear that encouraging event organisers to visit and experience our venue, service and facilities is paying off."