Sheffield International Venues (SIV) has been chosen to help develop two North Yorkshire conference venues, Scarborough Spa and Whitby Pavilion.
SIV already runs 19 venues in Sheffield, including Sheffield City Hall, Ponds Forge International Sports Centre and Don Valley Stadium.
Both coastal venues are currently owned and managed by Scarborough Borough Council which has been looking to place the management of the two venues with a private operator since last year.
Subject to contracts being formalised, SIV will enter into a 10-year agreement with Scarborough Borough Council to run the two venues and the Scarborough Spa Cliff Lift on a 50/50 profit share basis, with the partnership expected to begin formally this October.
SIV has pledged to invest £700,000 in refurbishing the two venues and will protect council staff jobs previously under threat.
Located at Scarborough’s South Bay, The Spa, the subject of a recent £6.5m refurbishment, features the Grand Hall, which seats over 1,400 and hosts live entertainment and large conferences; a 530-seat Victorian Spa Theatre, home to shows; and The Spa Ocean Room used for dances, conferences and banqueting.
The Pavilion is situated on Whitby’s West Cliff and boasts an atmospheric Victorian interior, combined with the modern dance and concert hall.
SIV won the contract after beating off competition from six other companies following a tender process.
SIV Chief Executive Steve Brailey said: “We are excited to work with Scarborough Borough Council to develop a partnership to operate these two well known facilities.
“We are confident that this new partnership will help deliver a premium experience for the visitor and a quality service that will provide differentiation from other attractions in the area.”
Scarborough Borough Council’s Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Tourism and Culture, Cllr David Chance, said: “SIV’s selection by Full Council follows a rigorous, year-long market testing and procurement process in which they were the stand out candidate.
“By being part of a wider family of venues and with SIV’s specialist expertise and input in areas such as marketing, we believe we can develop the two venues in many more ways, which will be good for users and stakeholders and good for tourism and the wider economy.
“I appreciate how precious the Spa and Pavilion are to residents?but I firmly believe this represents an exciting new dawn which will greatly enhance both venues.”
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