8:56am Thursday 9th September 2010
By Andy Richardson
DURHAM County Cricket Club has agreed a deal that aims to put its conferencing and hospitality facilities on a par with the finest venues in the country.
The reigning county champions have formed a joint venture to manage their catering, corporate hospitality and associated services at Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground (ICG), at Chester-le- Street.
The deal with Elior UK, that trades under the Avenance and Azure brands, is another important staging post in the development of the stadium as a world-class sports venue.
Durham has ambitious plans for the next five years that include a gateway building, conferencing and banqueting facilities, increasing seating capacity to 20,000, and a 150-bedroom hotel.
The two parties will each own 50 per cent of the company due to be launched on October 1.
The company is expected to have a turnover of between £7m and £10m Durham County Cricket Club chief executive David Harker said: “It was essential that we could guarantee the quality and brand development at Emirates Durham ICG. We looked to venues renowned for the high standard of their offering, such as the Oval and Twickenham, which have formed joint ventures with their catering management partners.
“We considered taking the operation in-house, but this arrangement was preferable as it’s a halfway house that allows us to exert boardroom influence over key decisions, but does not detract from our core business.
“As we seek to attract further investment in the development of the venue, it is essential that we work with like-minded partners that are equally committed to deliver a high-quality, welcoming service.”
Emirates Durham ICG attracts about 150,000 visitors a the year. Mr Harker said he hopes to announce the next phase of the stadium development early next year.
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