In the warm afterglow of last week’s successful Royal Highland Show, the keyholders of the 280-acre Ingliston Showground at Edinburgh’s western boundary have unveiled their new strategy to transform the site into a year-round destination for events, conferences, exhibitions and live entertainment.
The sprawling Royal Highland Centre venue, which combines a variety of large permanent buildings on a fenced site with extensive hard standing, access roads and parkland, is operated by Highland Centre Ltd, the commercial arm of the Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland.
While remaining firmly rooted in the heritage and ongoing success of that annual four-day Royal Highland Show, the owners of the site recognise its potential to become a world-class events and entertainment campus.
Their new five-year strategy for the showground includes significant investment in infrastructure, customer experience, sustainability and commercial development, and a focus on expanding large-scale concerts, attracting new exhibitions and conferences, and developing ‘immersive cultural experiences’ that will bring visitors to the venue throughout the year.
The Royal Highland Centre does not embark on this calendar expansion from a standing start – it already hosts over 150 events each year, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors.
It is home to the Edinburgh Summer Sessions, with recent sell-out concerts of 30,000 people for Chappell Roan and Sam Fender. This summer’s programme will feature major acts including Biffy Clyro, Florence and the Machine, Lorde, The Cure, The Prodigy and Deftones.
But under the new strategy, the venue aims to build on its success by creating a more diversified and resilient business model that generates increased income to support RHASS’s charitable and agricultural objectives.
Beyond the initial five-year strategy, the longer-term ambition for the site includes the creation of a new boulevard connecting the venue to Edinburgh’s tram network, which terminates at the nearby Edinburgh airport.
This would close the transport gap between the Ingliston site and west Edinburgh, transforming the area into a destination where restaurants, bars, cafés, retail developments and hotels – some of which are already in development – can flourish.
Managing director of Royal Highland Centre, Mark Currie, said: “We are reimagining what Ingliston can be for Edinburgh and for Scotland.
“The Royal Highland Show will always remain at the heart of the site, but we now have an opportunity to create something much bigger – a destination that people visit throughout the year for music, culture, food, entertainment and unforgettable shared experiences.
“Over recent years, we have transformed the venue by significantly expanding both the scale and variety of events we host. Alongside welcoming some of the UK’s leading live music artists, we have strengthened our conference and exhibition portfolio and introduced a range of operational and commercial improvements across the business,” Currie reported.
“A key achievement has been establishing the venue as a vibrant, year-round destination while continuing to protect and celebrate the heritage and significance of the Royal Highland Show.
“At the same time, we have invested in raising standards, enhancing infrastructure and building stronger partnerships to support the venue’s long-term success.
“Our aspirations for the Royal Highland Centre are ambitious,” he continued. “We are working to establish the venue as one of the UK’s premier event campuses and a destination of choice for live entertainment, business events and large-scale cultural experiences.
“Edinburgh has a unique opportunity to further enhance its reputation as a world-class events city, and we see the Royal Highland Centre playing a central role in that growth.”
Supporting the new strategy is a strengthened governance structure introduced by RHASS, including the appointment of four experienced non-executive directors to the HCL Board – Roger Hooker, David Laing, Graeme Davies and Robin Miller, who bring extensive expertise spanning major events, venue operations, commercial growth, strategic development and visitor attractions.
Hooker, owner of Hooked On Events, said: “Few venues in the UK can match the Royal Highland Centre’s combination of space, accessibility and flexibility.
“The opportunity now is to build on those strengths and establish the venue as a year-round destination capable of attracting major national and international events.
“The foundations are already in place.”
