Agenda and minutes

            Apologies were reported on behalf of Councillors Flynn and Bower.

            The Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, extended congratulations to Councillor Bower on the recent birth of her daughter.

            The minutes of the meeting of 15th September, 2025, were taken as read and signed as correct. It was reported that the minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 1st October, 2025.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Committee approved its schedule of meetings for 2026, as set out below:

·        Monday 19th January at 5.15 pm;

·        Monday 16th March at 5.15 pm;

·        Monday 15th June at 5.15 pm;

·        Monday 10th August at 5.15 pm; and

·        Monday 16th November at 5.15 pm.

            The Committee considered a request for the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC) Chief Executive, Sven Bossu, to present to the Committee on the convention centre industry and provide an independent view in relation to the International Convention Centre (ICC) Belfast.

            The Committee agreed to receive a presentation from the Chief Executive of the AIPC at its next meeting.

            The information contained in the report associated with the following item is restricted in accordance with Part 1 of Schedule 6 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014.

      Resolved – That the Committee agrees to exclude the members of the Press and public from the meeting during discussion of the item as, due to the nature of the items, there would be a disclosure of exempt information as described in Section 42(4) and Section 6 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014.

            The Members were also reminded that the content of ‘restricted’ reports and any discussion which took place during closed session must be treated as ‘confidential information’ and that no such information should be disclosed to the public as per Paragraph 4.15 of the Code of Conduct.

            The Committee considered a report which provided an update on Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall Ltd.’s (BWUH Ltd.) performance for Quarter 2, 2025/26, which covered the period 1st June to 30th September, 2025.

            The Chief Executive, BWUH Ltd., reported that Quarter 2 had been quiet, as expected, and provided a snapshot overview in relation to occupancy levels, events and delegates. He outlined the financial figures for Quarter 2, which included a breakdown of BWUH Ltd.’s overall actual income and expenditure against targets.

            He then presented the Committee with a business update, which included detail on BWUH Ltd.’s work in relation to:

·        Multi-year deals and site visits;

·        VIP memberships;

·        Commercial revenue;

·        Entertainment events;

·        Conferences;

·        Grassroots and legacy initiatives;

·        Local community engagement;

·        Sustainability;

·        Apprenticeships; and

·        Event curation.

            The Chief Executive also provided the Committee with an update in relation to the Oireachtas na Samhna 2025, which was recently held in the city across multiple venues including the Waterfront Hall, ICC Belfast and the Ulster Hall. He reported that the events held across the three venues were a huge success and highlighted the positive feedback received from attendees and the event organisers. The Chief Executive advised that the Oireachtas na Samhna would help prepare each of the venues for hosting events as part of the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026.

            During discussion, the Chief Executive and the Director of Finance, Risk, and Corporate Services, BWUH Ltd., answered a range of questions from the Members in relation to BWUH Ltd.’s financial performance for Quarter 2, community engagement and BWUH Ltd.’s preparation for the upcoming Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026.

            In response to Members’ questions in relation to targets, the Director of Finance, Risk, and Corporate Services, advised that the report contained updated targets for the period 2025/26 to 2029/30, following agreement of the Business Plan by the BWUH Ltd. Board. The Strategic Director of Place and Economy advised that further clarity would be provided in relation to conference and delegate targets for 2025/26.

            After discussion, the Committee noted the update provided on BWUH Ltd.’s performance for Quarter 2 of 2025/26.