Council grants late licence for EICC

Edinburgh's International Conference Centre will be able to offer delegates alcohol until 3am after the council granted a request for a late licence.

The EICC has been granted a late licence

The EICC, which is owned by the city council, applied for the late license after previously being hit with requests from delegates to offer the service.

The late licence will only be available for pre-booked and pre-ticketed events, excluding the festival. The licence will be extended from 1am until 3am. An agent, speaking on behalf of the Morrison Street venue, said: “This is not about us opening the doors and letting the hoardes in. The type of events we are talking about here is corporate events and pre-booked functions. We are not talking about 5,000 people streaming onto the streets of Edinburgh at 3am.”

Les Florence, from the EICC, said it would not be a money-maker for the venue as there would be “as many staff as those in the bar”.

He added: “When clients request a late licence, we have to try and meet those requests or they will go elsewhere. It’s not a financial thing for us, it’s just to meet clients’ requests.”