Around £1.5 million is set to be ploughed into improving conference and event facilities at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire to enhance it as a leading national venue.
Grandstand – Stoneleigh Events plans to make the investment in conference space and exhibition halls over the next 12 months to benefit the hundreds of thousands of visitors who attend events on the estate each year.
The organisation took over the event business management at Stoneleigh Park in January last year. It has now been joined on-site by its parent company, Grandstand Group, which has moved its headquarters from Hertfordshire.
Grandstand Group is an international event management specialist made up of corporate and consumer divisions which includes Grandstand – Stoneleigh Events. It also holds the management rights of the world-famous Horse of the Year Show.
The relocation and reorganisation within Grandstand Group, which employs about 50 full-time staff, is expected to create around a dozen new posts.
Helena Pettit, managing director of Grandstand – Stoneleigh Events, said: “It is great for all of the teams within Grandstand Group to be working together under the same roof at Stoneleigh Park as it will create further opportunities and allow for greater efficiency.
“We have been really pleased with how the management of the venue business at Stoneleigh Park has been going since we took over last year and now have plans to invest around £1.5 million in conference and event facilities.
“Stoneleigh Park is renowned for hosting large-scale agricultural and equestrian events and we want to enhance its high profile as an event venue within those sectors as well as the corporate market.
“It is one of the most versatile venues in the UK with over 21,000sqm of indoor exhibition space and 1,050 acres of outdoor space. It hosts 360 events a year, from small conferences to national shows which can attract up to 25,000 visitors.”
The Great British Shooting Show held this February attracted around 25,000 visitors and a similar number is expected for the return of The Pet Show in August. Your Horse Life is another flagship event which is likely to draw a crowd of around 19,000 in November.
Stoneleigh Park also hosts an array of trade fairs, festivals, and smaller specialist shows. Conferences, exhibitions, gala dinners and team-building days are among corporate events held on the estate.
Existing on-site facilities include a 58-bedroom hotel, catering services and free parking for over 30,000 cars. Colin Hooper, estates director at Stoneleigh Park, said: “We are delighted to welcome Grandstand Group and believe its presence will enhance Stoneleigh Park’s reputation as an event destination.
“The relocation of a national company here and the investment plans by Grandstand – Stoneleigh Events add to the revitalisation of Stoneleigh Park by LaSalle Investment Management which has pledged £50 million to transform it into a centre of agricultural excellence over the next 15 years.”
