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Royal Horticultural Halls (RHH) will close two of its halls for six weeks during the summer in order to carry out a £1.2m redevelopment. The Lawrence Hall and the Conference Centre will undergo extensive upgrades. The Lawrence Hall windows will be fitted with a new acoustic roller blind system to aid the venue’s sound quality and blackout capabilities. Both of the spaces will receive new lighting systems and a complete refurbishment. The venue’s third space, Lindley Hall, will receive minor redevelopments but will remain open. Work is scheduled to begin at the end of July. Managing director René Dee said: “Only one client has had to move its event. Traditionally it’s a quiet period and we would normally close during August anyhow to allow for annual maintenance and staff holidays. “The work will allow us to widen our offer in case business within one sector falls away. Lawrence Hall is traditionally an exhibition hall but increasingly it is used for product launches and conferences. The work will make us more attractive as a one-stop shop.” As part of the redevelopment the venue will also expand its equipment stock by adding products such as staging materials and partitioning. Last month RHH organised and hosted the Westminster Collection’s inaugural showcase event. All 14 venue members of the marketing consortium attended on 2 March. Around 400 potential attendees pre-registered, which converted to 380 visitors on the day (unaudited). “I don’t see us as competing with other shows as we’re promoting the Westminster Collection brand within Westminster,” added Dee, one of the Westminster Collection’s founding members. “Our show is so much more focused than others. The event does exactly what it says it will.” The showcase is set to become a biannual event with the next outing scheduled at RHH for October.