Local businesses are being invited to find out how they could help build Blackpool’s new conference centre at a special meet and greet event next Tuesday.



Builders, roofers, electricians, joiners and other local companies can find out more about the conference centre construction at a special event on Tuesday 20 June at 2pm in the Pavilion theatre at the Winter Gardens.

The meet and greet event will allow local companies to meet with the main contractor, McLaughlin and Harvey, to talk about potential opportunities for local suppliers and sub-contractors, with a view to employing local people in the build.

Work on the £25m conference centre is expected to start later this year, with a view to holding its first conference in 2019.

The £25m development will increase capacity at the Winter Gardens allowing it to host over 7,000 delegates at any one time and will include the flexibility for specialist exhibition spaces and break out rooms whilst vastly improving the connectivity of the current complex.

The development, to be built on the site of the former car park on Leopold Grove, has already been successful in a £2.9m funding bid to the Coastal Communities Fund and has been allocated funding from the Government’s Growth Deal 3, managed by the Lancashire Economic Partnership.

Cllr Gillian Campbell, Deputy Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “The new conference centre has the potential to propel Blackpool back in to the big time of major league conferencing and it will be a real game changer for the level of business tourists that we attract in the future.

“This is such a big project that we want the benefits to be felt throughout the town. That means not just local town centre businesses benefitting from the extra visitors, but local electricians and joiners getting involved with building the centre itself, creating local jobs and instilling some local pride.”

Christopher Collins, Director of McLaughlin and Harvey, added: “We are delighted to have been appointed to deliver this prestigious project which we believe will bring a significant benefit to Blackpool, both during the construction phase of the works and on completion.

“McLaughlin and Harvey pride themselves on delivering high quality buildings, which we are certain the new Conference and Exhibition Centre will be. We will be seeking to work with local suppliers and subcontractors on this project to support the local economy.”

Sub-contractors and suppliers for the following packages are being sought:

CFA piling
Groundworks
Structural steel
Façade – curtain walling/rainscreen cladding
Roofing
MEP
Lifts and escalators
Specialist – lighting/staging/AV
Asbestos removal/demolition/strip-out
Masonry/brick repairs
Scaffold
Composite upper floor slabs – metal deck and concrete
PCC/Steel staircases
Partitions and ceilings
Foldering/sliding partitions
Specialist joinery
FF&E/blinds/catering equipment/signage
WC cubicles/IPS/vanity units
Steel/timber doorsets/ironmongery/access control
Metalwork/balustrades
Floor screeds/plaster
Floor finishes – carpet/vinyl/tiling
Decorations
Fire paint/stops
Siteworks – landscaping/surfacing
Builders clean/sparkle clean
Any suppliers who want to find out more should email blackpool@mclh.co.uk by Friday 16 June at noon.