Agenda item

Requests for the use of the City Hall and the Provision of Hospitality

Meeting of Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, Friday, 16th December, 2016 9.30 am (Item 8f)

Minutes:

The Committee adopted the recommendations for the requests for the use of the City Hall and the provision of hospitality as set out below:

Appendix

Organisation/ Body	Event/Date - Number of Delegates/Guests	Request	Comments	Recommendation
The Drascombe Association	Celebration of the Golden Anniversary of the Drascombe Lugger 25th March, 2017 Approximately 60 attending	The use of the City Hall and the provision of hospitality in the form of a drinks reception	This event will celebrate the work of the Association while acknowledging the nautical heritage of the City. This is the first time the event has been held outside Great Britain and delegates will be shown the many sights and places of interest within the City. This event would contribute to the Council’s Key Themes of ‘City Leadership – Strong, Fair, Together’ and ‘Better Opportunities for Success Across the City’	The use of the City Hall and the provision of hospitality in the form of a pre-dinner drinks reception Approximate cost £300
Tennis Ulster Branch Ireland	Belfast City ITF Junior Tournament 2017 Celebratory Event 23rd July, 2017 Approximately 205 attending	The use of the City Hall	The Ulster Branch of Tennis Ireland recently received a grant from the Council’s Development Department to provide hospitality in the City Hall. This event will celebrate the achievements of their junior members throughout the past year and promote Belfast regionally and internationally in terms of sport and tourism. Approximately 130 athletes and their families will be travelling from across Europe and the USA and will be staying in accommodation within the city for up to 6 nights. This event will contribute to the Council’s Key Themes of ‘City leadership – Strong, Fair, Together’, Better Care for Belfast’s Environment’, Better Opportunities for Success Across the City’ and ‘Better Support for People and Communities’.	The use of the City Hall
Ulster Journals Limited	Ulster Tatler Dinner and Awards 2017 14th September, 2017 Approximately 360 attending	The use of the City Hall and the provision of hospitality in the form of a drinks reception	This event aims to highlight and recognise those individuals who have excelled in their chosen field. The awards ceremony will recognise and acknowledge those individuals who have demonstrated significant achievement in categories such as Business Man/ Woman of the Year, Arts Personality of the Year and Hotelier/Publican of the Year. The event will also pay tribute to an individual by way of the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ previous receipients have been Michael Longley, Barry McGuigan, Dame Mary Peters, Sir James Galway, Brian Friel, Phil Coulter, Gloria Hunniford and Terri Hooley. This event would contribute to the Council’s Key Themes of ‘City Leadership – Strong, Fair, Together’ and ‘Better opportunities for success across the city’.	The use of the City Hall and the provision of hospitality in the form of wine and soft drinks Approximate cost £500
Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry	The Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry Annual Lunch 16th June, 2017 Approximately 400 attending	The use of the City Hall.	The Annual Lunch aims to provide a networking opportunity in order to encourage investment and business development opportunities for Belfast and beyond. The event, which will include representatives from both Local and Central Government, also seeks to facilitate discussion on economic and social regeneration. This event would contribute to the Council’s Key Theme of ‘City Leadership – Strong, Fair, Together’ and ‘Better opportunities for success across the city’.	The use of the City Hall.
Belfast Pride	Launch of Pride 2017 and Awards Presentation 28th July, 2017 Approximately 350 attending	The use of the City Hall and the provision of hospitality in the form of a drinks reception	This event will be the first official event of 2017 Belfast Pride Festival. The Festival will promote awareness of the arts, cultural heritage, history and experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered communities in Belfast and advance equality by offering a diverse and inclusive Festival open to all citizens of Belfast. This event would contribute to the Council’s Key Themes of ‘City Leadership, Strong, Fair and Together’ and ‘Better support for people and communities’.	The use of the City Hall and the provision of hospitality in the form of a drinks reception Approximate cost £500
Northern Ireland Children’s Enterprise	Celebration of Volunteers 13th April, 2017 Approximately 70 attending	The use of the City Hall	This event will highlight and celebrate the work of the volunteers and the benefits gained over the years through the organisation’s many community relations programmes. This event would contribute to the Council’s Key Themes of ‘City Leadership, Strong, Fair and Together’ and ‘Better support for people and communities’ and in addition would contribute to the Council’s thematic area of Children and Young People and in addition would contribute to the Council’s thematic area of Children and Young People.	The use of the City Hall

The Committee approved, in principle, also a late application which had been submitted by An Droichead for use of the City Hall for a 25th Anniversary dinner on the basis that it meets criteria.

Supporting documents: