The future is bright . . . . the future is brewing
THE National Brewery Centre in Burton has said its ‘future looks bright’ after it was revealed that visitor numbers had doubled.
The Horninglow Street attraction reopened in a blaze of publicity in 2010 after being shut for nearly two years after then owner Molson Coors closed its doors in 2008.
Despite a host of changes by new owners Planning Solutions Ltd, including a holographic presentation, initial reaction from visitors was mixed as the centre suffered ‘teething problems’.
However, after being open for around 18 months, the centre now seems to be making an impact and beginning to establish itself as the number one place to visit in the home of brewing.
Exact figures were not available but visitors numbers for the whole of 2011 had doubled compared to its reopening year in 2010.
The centre has seen a jump in the number of specialist guided tours being booked — not only from people within the UK but also the international market with groups from Canada, Germany, France and, last week, China.
The Mail previously reported how the centre had been highlighted as one of Europe’s ‘must-see museums’ by the Los Angeles Times.
The monthly Firkin Comedy Club has now become well established there, booking out every month.
The installation of a marquee in January 2011 has seen a large increase in corporate, wedding and social function bookings.
It was revealed that the centre had already taken more wedding bookings for this year than for 2010 and 2011 put together.
A spokesman for the attraction said: “Despite all of these good signs, most satisfying are the very substantial numbers of post-visit emails we are now receiving from very satisfied customers.”
Future plans at the site will include a new monthly acoustic music club night in March, an Easter beer and food festival and a vintage festival in July.
