Kent-based retail destination Bluewater officially opened its 5,200sqm exhibition space, Glow, today (30 November) with a VIP event and the Spirit of Christmas.
 
An official opening ceremony was held in the VIP gallery overlooking the exhibition hall and was attended by local councillors and dignitaries, Lend Lease partners and media. Simultaneously, Glow opened the doors to the Spirit of Christmas consumer show, which is being held across both the ground and upper halls. 
 
In his welcome speech, Lend Lease Europe CEO Dan Labbad described Glow as Bluewater’s most significant expansion since opening in 1999.
 
“We’re bringing a fresh perspective to retail asset management and we’re confident this will be the new model for the industry,” he said. “Glow provides consumers with additional reasons to visit and extend their visit at Bluewater through experiential events and shows.”
 
To mark the venue’s debut, Labbad launched the new Bluewater Host Bureau, a recruitment agency that will train and provide temporary promotional staff to organisers running exhibitions and events at Glow. The initiative is aimed at creating job opportunities for 16 to 24-year olds from the local community and will be provided by the Bluewater events team.
 
Glow venue director Rebecca Cardozo told EN 60 people had undergone training in the lead-up to the venue launch and will be available to event organisers as promotional and customer-facing staff. Bluewater expects to train 300 individuals annually.
 
To date, 18 events have been confirmed at Glow. Cardozo revealed the latest agreement inked this week is with new event organiser Emotion for a Best of British Show next year. This will coincide with Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
 
“We are creating something new here at Glow Bluewater and a new breed of venue,” Cardozo continued. “We have built a space alongside a place people already come to and we believe this gives organisers the opportunity to be creative and experiment with new types of events.”
 
CEO of Bluewater’s founding exhibition partner Clarion Events Simon Kimble also spoke at the VIP launch and described Glow as a new breed of venue. Clarion has committed to running a series of exhibitions and events in the new space including Spirit of Christmas followed by the Fine Festive Fair and Christmas in New York. The organiser will also launch its first bridal show Wedding Week next February.
 
“As an exhibition, event and conference organiser, our business is about creating great experiences that bring communities together to enjoy with their heads or their hearts,” Kimble told the audience. “Glow is one of the first examples of a venue on this scale worldwide where you have a venue built on top of an existing experience.
 
“We believe this link between what Bluewater does and what we do as event organisers is synergistic.”
 
Local Dartford councillor Jeremy Kite welcomed the new events offering from Bluewater on behalf of the local community and labelled Lend Lease’s events venue investment as “enlightened commerce”.
 
“I commend Lend Lease for looking ahead once again… I can only describe Bluewater’s position as a force of nature in our community,” he added.
 
Glow took 18 months to complete and cost Lend Lease £60m. The venue has a 3,100sqm biodiverse green roof and a 30,000 litre rainwater harvester to provide 30 per cent of the venue’s total water consumption.
 
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