Titanic Exhibition Centre prepared to impress
The Titanic Exhibition Centre (TEC) will be Belfast’s largest dedicated exhibition venue and one of the biggest on the island when it opens its doors this autumn.
A 6,000 square metre temporary building on the Queen’s Road, this ultra-modern venue will sit adjacent to the now world-famous Titanic Studios – a stunning addition to the city’s most exciting district.
The facility will be NI’s premier venue to stage major public exhibitions and trade shows, and opens with two high-profile events already on the books – IFEX and the spectacular 20th anniversary outing of The Wedding Journal Show.
IFEX is Northern Ireland’s largest food, drink and hospitality expo.
Event organisers Fresh Montgomery confirmed the huge expo will take place at the brand new Titanic Exhibition Centre next March.
A biennial event, that’s amongst the longest running trade events in Europe, IFEX will move its three-day expo to the newly-unveiled centre from March 8 to 10 next year.
It was previously held at the King’s Hall in Balmoral.
As one of the key events for the food, drink, retail and hospitality sectors, IFEX has traditionally attracted 5,000 plus visitors and over 100 exhibitors to the event, including the biggest names in foodservice and food manufacturing, such as Stephen’s Catering, Henderson’s Foodservice and Lynas Foods.
“IFEX attracts both exhibitors and visitors from across Ireland to the event, and for us, it was imperative that Northern Ireland’s flagship food & hospitality expo had a home in the city centre,” commented Toby Wand, managing director of Fresh Montgomery.
He added: “We worked with the NIEO (Northern Ireland Event Organisers) and Titanic Quarter Ltd to pledge our commitment to a new venue and are thrilled that the industry’s combined efforts has resulted in us moving forward with a 6,000 square metres exhibition centre.
Plans are already underway for a permanent, purpose-built TEC, on a par with facilities such as Glasgow’s Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre (SECC) and Dublin’s RDS and Conference Centre, which regularly host major international events.
David Gavaghan, Titanic Quarter’s CEO, said: “With strong initial interest already secured, including provisional bookings, we believe this is an opportune time to develop a new space in central Belfast that will allow the city to market itself as a destination for local and international consumer, lifestyle and trade events.”
The centre will complement the quarter’s rich architectural achievements, which include the Titanic Belfast, the Odyssey and Waterfront Hall, helping drive hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city.
Total usable exhibition space in the TEC will amount to 5,000 square metres, which will accommodate exhibitions with 20,000 visitors and 300 exhibitors.
Ireland’s biggest wedding exhibition, the Wedding Journal Show, will take place at the centre from September 18 to 20. Organised by Penton Exhibitions, it will be an incredible launch for the TEC, as it hosts thousands of the most inspirational wedding ideas, live showcases, catwalk events, and demonstrations of the latest and greatest in marital flair.
Wynn Penton, director of The Wedding Journal Show said she was “delighted” to be confirmed as the first event to be held there.
“This new city centre venue is great news for our exhibitors and visitors alike and we anticipate a real boost in visitor numbers as brides-to-be come along to check out the new venue as well as see what our exhibitors have to offer for weddings in 2015 and beyond,” she said.
