'Big boost' for Wolverhampton since reopening of The Halls
The reopening of the old Civic Halls in Wolverhampton has already brought a 'big boost' to the city centre in terms of revenue and visitor numbers.
Helen Lees, the conference and events sales manager at the venue – now called The Halls – says interest in the venue has been huge and it will have a knock-on effect for other city centre venues such as the Mander Centre and Wolverhampton Art Gallery.
Speaking at a drop-in day at Wolverhampton Railway Station, she said that apart from good numbers visiting concerts since The Halls reopened in May, enquiries about the business conferencing rooms surrounding the main auditorium are 'constant.'
Helen, who joined the team for the reopening of the venue but previously worked at Wolverhampton Racecourse, was there along with members of Wolverhampton Business Improvement District (BID). Also present were representatives from the art gallery and the Mander Shopping Centre which is now operating at 78 per cent capacity, with a lot of new shops opening
Helen said: "There has been a nice variety of live concerts since The Halls reopened to the public, from Penn and Teller to Blur and McFly which saw really big numbers."
"I work on the business and marketing side of things and I can report enquiries about corporate or private events have been constant. When the halls were refurbished it was with a mind to boost the numbers of people visiting not just the venue but the city centre and with it the economy.
"We are working with colleagues at the council and other venues with a common goal, to bring people into the city and give them a variety of places to visit and events from which hopefully they will see how vibrant it is."
Cherry Shine, the managing director for BID said they were continuously working to deliver projects to improve the city centre and bring people in from outside.
She said: "Thousands of people already enjoyed the arts fest during the coronation weekend in May and Wolverhampton Pride in June – just two of the events we have put on already and with more to come this summer we are keen to work with our partners to bring people in the city and to also make it a safe and welcoming place to visit."
Ruth Stanway from Wolverhampton Art Gallery said there current exhibition – Wolverhampton: Punjabi Migration Experiences – had already been a great success with a week to run.
She said: "We are aiming to provide something for all with well over 20 exhibitions at the art gallery, Bantock House and other council run venues and with late opening on the last Friday of the month until 9pm people can visit us in conjunction with other places in the city."
