£1m conference and learning centre to be built by spring

A NEW £1m conference and learning centre is coming to West Cumbria’s Whitehaven harbourside in 2017.

The Beacon Museum is developing facility which will provide exciting opportunities for high quality event hosting at the venue, near the Sellafied nuclear site, NuGen’s potential Mooreside nuclear site and Britain’s Energy Coast at Westlakes Science and Technology Park.
   
Expected to open in spring, the ground floor area of the Beacon’s new facility will accommodate up to 30 people and will provide a distinctive environment for events, featuring an iconic curved glass wall allowing for unrivalled views of Whitehaven’s historic harbor.
 
The second floor provides a similarly dynamic space, and the team at the Beacon Museum are currently developing future possibilities to incorporate a virtual reality resource that will make this conference and learning centre a unique proposition for both businesses and schools.

The VR could potentially serve as an educational resource for science, technology, engineering and maths subjects and beyond, with The Beacon Museum seeking to partner with local educators in unlocking new future-ready skills.

Alan Irwin, business development manager at The Beacon said: “This facility will be a first for Whitehaven and we hope it will lead the way for museums in the North of England to develop their business presence in events management.

“Logistically, all events and conferences will be looked after by our dedicated venue team from start to finish, ensuring a seamless experience and high standard of service is a given within a truly special environment.”

All events will have the facility for catering, with in both house and external catering options available.

The conference and learning centre will be fitted with high speed wi-fi and multimedia presentation facilities.  

This will be complimented by exclusive onsite parking facilities and coach parking will be available on arrangement.