Work has begun on 2,500 person capacity wildlife park event venue

Hex Events Venue, a multi-purpose events space, to be located at Yorkshire Wildlife Park Resort, (YWPR) Doncaster, will be able to hold up to 2,500 people over its ground floor and mezzanine when operational.

So far, groundwork, foundations, the steel frame, roof purlins and services to the site have been completed.

YWPR is experienced in hosting large scale events, including outdoor concerts, theatre shows, weddings and conferences, but the resort explains its new venue will help further grow this part of the business.

Construction of the site has paused as YWPR seeks an experienced operator to input into the final design and configuration of the space.

The resort currently bring in approximately 850,000 annual visitors and has an annual turnover of more than £20m.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park first opened in 2009 and underwent a significant expansion in 2018 when it acquired an additional 150 acres.

It now covers 440 acres of land, including 104 hotel rooms, 15 retail units, restaurants, coffee shops, conference facilities, and the Hex Events Venue.

Real estate services company, Savills, has been appointed by Wild Group Ltd, the owners of Yorkshire Wildlife Park Resort (YWPR), to source a third party operator for the new venue.

Simon Foster, director in the Savills Tourism, Leisure, and Events consultancy team, said: “Yorkshire Wildlife Park Resort is offering a great opportunity for a third-party to operate a new events venue at an established destination.

“Savills is excited to work with YWPR to help them find a suitable operator for the new venue.”

YWPR CEO, John Minion, added: “We already attract a considerable footfall  to the resort, but this is also an opportunity to build new audiences too, especially with the planned reopening of South Yorkshire Airport City next year.”