The Heath's events space energises Hydrogen Economy NW Expo

The Heath Business and Technical Park in Runcorn, Cheshire is proving to be an ideal place to host conferences, seminars and exhibitions in the North West.

Ideally situated between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester, and with superb road, rail and airport links, The Heath has a wide range of conferencing facilities from small meeting and interview rooms, a 120-seat tiered lecture theatre and an Events Suite that can accommodate up to 300 people.

In June The Heath was able to showcase the extent and flexibility of its events space when it was selected to host the ‘Delivering the Hydrogen Economy NW’ Expo. The event brought together key stakeholders from across the region to discuss how the North West is poised to deliver the UK’s first hydrogen economy which could deliver billions of pounds to the regional economy, driving inward investment and creating thousands of jobs.

The event attended by Steve Rotheram, Liverpool City Region Mayor, and Stephen Speed, Director of Energy Development at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, showcased the extensive range of hydrogen projects already happening in the region.

Around 250 people attended for a series of keynote speeches, to view a range of hydrogen fuelled vehicles on display and to meet some of the cutting-edge businesses working on innovative hydrogen energy programmes.

Tim Leather, Principal Business Development Officer of Halton Borough Council, said: ”Organising a major national hydrogen conference in a few short months was always going to be a challenge so it was critical that we firstly, identified a suitable venue and secondly, put together a professional event management team. The Heath Business and Technical Park scored highly on both counts.

“The venue had to be flexible. We required a large conference hall, exhibition space, a separate catering area and numerous other breakout rooms. We also needed a large area of hardstanding to hold a major exhibition of hydrogen powered vehicles and other hydrogen powered equipment. The venue also had to be well located, with respect to the rail and motorway network, and have ample free parking for delegates.

“Having met with the Conference Staff at The Heath we quickly identified the facility as the perfect venue for the event and invited the in-house team to attend event management planning meetings. Working with the in-house Conference Team proved invaluable. The Conference Team were endlessly helpful and ready to take on board any challenge thrown at them.

“For example, given the subject of the conference it was suggested that a ‘carbon neutral buffet’ would be appropriate. Within days the Catering Manger put together a menu that not only sourced most of its ingredients from local suppliers within a ten mile radius but excluded all single use plastics. The event itself was a huge success, not only ‘selling out’ but also attracting considerable TV and other media interest.

“Following the event we have received countless positive messages from delegates, many citing the venue as a key contributor to the success of the conference. In all likelihood we’ll run the event again next year only this time make it even bigger and better. Needless to say we’ve already selected the venue.”

In addition to the Lecture Theatre and Events Suite, The Heath has 17 meeting rooms and two day offices. It can provide space for small meetings, one-to-one interviews or larger gatherings in a variety of room layouts for specific requirements. There’s also free Wi-fi, access to audio visual equipment and bespoke catering. Visitors also have use of the business park’s popular café and restaurant facility.

The Heath’s Conference Services team is led by Tracy Whitlow, Conference Centre Manager, supported by two conference co-ordinators Joanne Burns and Claire Henry. Anthony Stonebanks, Catering Manager at The Heath, works closely with the team to ensure a range of tempting and creative menus are always available to meet customer requirements.

For more information go to: www.theheath.com

About The Heath
The Heath Business and Technical Park is a phenomenal regeneration success story. Formed in 2000, its owner and operator, SOG Ltd, has transformed a once single occupancy corporate facility into a thriving independent business park. The Heath now provides office and laboratory accommodation for more than 120 individual organisations, ranging from business services and IT specialists to those at the cutting edge of science, research and advanced manufacturing. Around 2,000 people are employed at the site. For further information, telephone 01928 515988 or visit www.theheath.com

For more information, please see:
www.theheath.com

PAUL SMITH ASSOCIATES
6th August 2019