Five things you need to know today
Council to hear about EICC finances
The Finance & Resources Committee meets this morning at the City Chambers and will consider the report on the favourable Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) financial position. In 2023 75,788 delegates attended events at the EICC in an upturn which did not start out well at the beginning of the year. The company has forward bookings for events which are expected to have £134.1 million of economic benefit in Edinburgh.
The arms length company reports a trading surplus of £2.536 million in the year to 31 December 2023. After adjustments for depreciation and other accounting allowances the profit before tax is £1.663 million. The audited accounts show a post tax profit of £1.347 million. This profit includes a £150,000 cost to EICC of running the Edinburgh Convention Bureau during the year 2023.
The subsidiary company EICC Hotels reported a loss of £142,514 in the accounts. Although construction of the Haymarket hotel began in summer 2022, it stalled when the contractor, Sir Robert McAlpine, pulled out, citing soaring construction industry costs, and in September development partners M&G announced they were to “seek a settlement” – in other words leave the project – after the council’s finance committee refused to make changes to the contract around Latent Defects Insurance (LDI).
In EICC board minutes dated 13 August, Mr Dallas said: “…a relatively minor point in relation to an LDI policy was potentially going to prevent the building of the hotel which could, once stable, generate £35million turnover per year.”
He added that the EICC had contractual obligations to Hyatt and that failure to deliver the four star hotel could result in the hotel conglomerate suing for damages which could run to £2 million a year.
The need for capital investment in the EICC to keep it in good condition will require around £25 million over the next ten years, but the Haymarket Hotel which was to be the source of such funds has now “fallen away” according to council officers and the money will have to come from elsewhere – although its “operating surpluses may not be enough to fully fund the capital expenditure”.
A report on the hotel project will be considered on the B Agenda – in private – today. Councillors will be told that it might be possible to copy the project on a new site – but without the expertise of Marshall Dallas as Chief Executive and his background in hotels, it is unclear how that will unfold except that “Negoitations with the hotel developer around the close of the Haymarket hotel project will continue”.
The Chief Executive of the EICC announced his resignation last November and is due to leave his post in May.
Projection event at The Causey
The Causey is a project to realign the roadways and pavements at East Crosscauseway to create an improved environment for ask road users. This event will celebrate the space on a March evening with light projections on the surrounding buildings.
EIFF is recruiting – but be quick!
There are job opportunities at the Edinburgh International Film Festival – but the deadline is 14 March (tomorrow!).
Jobs available include a position as Programme Coordinator, Office & Admin Coordinator, and Publications Coordinator.
Five films to see at HippFest
The 15th edition of HippFest takes place Wednesday 19 – Sunday 23 March 2025 at the Hippodrome in Bo’ness and online, with selected events available to view online on-demand within a 48-hour viewing window after the in-person screenings.
Festival-goers can get a taste of what’s to come with HippFest’s pre-Festival presentations which are broadcast on the Falkirk Leisure & Culture YouTube channel.
Tickets are on sale now for the full programme, as well as the HippFest Festival and Weekend Pass.
With Reindeer and Sled in Inka Länta’s Winterland (Med ackja och ren i Inka Läntas vinterland – 1926) 19:30 Wednesday 19 March
Sweeping shots of sledding through snow covered forests sit alongside the everyday domestic rituals of the indigenous people of Sweden in this historic story-documentary. The feature-length earliest example of Sámi life captured on film, ‘With Reindeer and Sled’ follows Inka Länta and family as they strive to subsist the harsh winter months.
HippFest welcomes Sámi musicians Hildá Länsman, Tuomas Norvio and Lávre Johan Eira, along with Swedish composer, cellist and bass guitarist Svante Henryson for the UK premiere of their new score, fresh from the Tromsø International Film Festival.
Flora Kerrigan – Rediscovering a Film Pioneer 17:30 Thu 20 March
Discover the darkly comedic and idiosyncratic world of Irish animator Flora Kerrigan with a remarkable collection of silent animation and live-action shorts shot on 8mm film in the 1960s. Recently rediscovered through the Women in Focus Film Archives project, Kerrigan’s animations offer a surreal playfulness that belie the painstaking meticulousness of their production.
Kerrigan’s work will be presented with a newly commissioned accompaniment by Irish avant-garde free-improvisational pianist, Paul G. Smyth in partnership with the Irish Film Institute. Smyth pulls double duty in the programme, accompanying The Near Shore: A Scottish and Irish Cine-Concert Thursday 20 March.
What the Water Remembers – The Dark Mirror 20:00 Sat 22 March
HippFest’s co-commission with Flatpack Festival takes audiences to the banks of the canal, weaving a mythological tale inspired by the rich recorded history and transnational culture of Britain’s waterways. Developed by multi-media artist Moira Salt, the new moving image will be accompanied by a score from folktronica duo Tommy Perman (ex-FOUND member) and Andrew Wasylyk (multiple SAY award-nominee and Idlewild member).
Earlier in the festival, audiences are invited to discover the historical significance of the Forth and Clyde Canal to the region with a Rosebank Distillery Tour, 10:00 Thu 20 March. Enjoy a guided tour of the newly restored Rosebank Distillery with tutored tasting of Glengoyne and Tamdhu single malt whiskies at an exclusive HippFest-only price.
New Found Sound 10:00 Sunday 23 March
From brand new films, to the next generation of silent film accompanists, New Found Sound invites young musicians from Falkirk district schools to compose, arrange and perform new scores for Scottish archive shorts. This year’s playful compilation is a far from sleepy Sunday morning comedy, with shorts and animations that are bound to tickle your fancy – expect hijacks and high jinks!
Smouldering Fires 17:00 Sunday 23 March
A century before Nicole Kidman appeared in Babygirl (2024), Pauline Frederick plays the female executive in love with a younger employee in this intelligent and remarkably modern workplace romance. Beautifully shot and with an awareness of sexual double-standards, this film is timeless and poignant.
Inspired by the screening, HippFest will host a Bath Bombs and Beauty Creams Workshop at Bo’ness Library, 14:00 Sun 23 March. The hands-on session will reveal simple skin-care beauty secrets to awaken your inner radiance. The workshop will be led by Ian Nicolson from Larbert’s multi-purpose arts centre, D2 Creative Centre.
Edinburgh Open Workshop on 29 March
Edinburgh Open Workshop (EOW) – Making for Everyone invites budding makers of all ages on Saturday 29 March. Children, young people and parents from across the city are invited to sample everything that EOW has to offer – learning new skills and creating arts and crafts to take home.
Hand carve a set of wooden tea lights, test your metal in a welding workshop, build a wooden planter from scratch, sew a tote bag or make a personalised balance board using the CNC machine. And for mini-makers, there will be opportunities to build a birdhouse or build a dinosaur at drop-in sessions throughout the day.
DIY, upcycling and home-decor enthusiasts will be able to take advantage of a Free Cycle event where surplus fabrics, props, wood and paint will be available to take home.
EOW Director, Natasha Lee Walsh, said: “Following on from the success of our first Family Day last year, we are delighted to be running it again, with even more opportunities for young people and their parents to try something new and see what making is all about.
“We will shortly launch a new Community Outreach Programme and look forward to building on days like this to offer a varied choice of activities and events that will encourage social interaction, build confidence and provide community makers with DIY and upcycling skills that promote sustainability.”
More details are on the website – Family Day – Making for all Ages! — Edinburgh Open Workshop EOW advise booking workshops online in advance, although some spaces may be available on the day. There will also be a choice of drop-in sessions throughout the day.
- When: Saturday 29 March, 11am – 4pm
- Where: 35-41 Assembly Street, Leith, EH6 7BQ
- Tickets: Entry is free. See website for workshop and drop-in session prices
- www.edinburghopenworkshop.co.uk