Serious’ Post

I've written today in the Evening Standard about the difficulty of securing sufficient capital investment for those of us in the performing arts sector who are required to manage important, beautiful, heritage buildings. The issues facing us at the Southbank Centre are big and urgent, but many other heritage performing arts venues are also struggling to keep their venues relevant and fit for purpose. Many of us operate in historically significant and iconic buildings. In our case, the Royal Festival Hall (just one of our venues) is a Grade One listed postmodern masterpiece. It's also the only remaining symbol of the 1951 Festival of Britain and it will be 75 years old in 2026. It hasn't received any capital investment since 2008 and it desperately needs attention. Those performing arts organisations funded by Arts Council England (like us) don't receive any funding for the upkeep of their buildings. The funds we do receive are solely for the production of our artistic programmes: the plays, concerts, gigs and events we present and produce. The first ever Chair of the Arts Council of Great Britain, John Maynard Keynes, made it clear that the body would never be able to afford to contribute to the arts sector’s capital needs on a regular basis. There has never been a consistent, reliable and sensible solution to the issue for performing arts venues that Maynard Keynes identified. We need a coherent investment plan that will help the Arts and Heritage sector across the UK. Many of us are very willing to match fund through fundraising any public funding we receive, so that we maximise the public pound in the sort of public/private partnerships that we're all very well equipped to deliver. We all care very much about the extraordinary buildings we look after and are united in wanting the very best for our heritage and arts sectors. Harnessed, this creative energy could help provide the solutions, if the Government would join us at the table to close the gap that John Maynard Keynes identified all those years ago. 

IN IT TO WIN IT

Nightlife Articles #40: Why Aren’t Clubs Recognised as ‘National Portfolio Organisations’ like Galleries, Museums and Theatres The time has come to question the outdated cultural hierarchy that places classical arts above contemporary ones. The contribution of clubs to our society is clear—they are hubs of creativity, diversity, and economic activity. Clubs or venues like Fabric, SubClub, Ministry of Sound, and Printworks deserve to be celebrated, protected, and funded in the same way that opera houses and theatres are. Let’s not wait until it’s too late to recognise their value. It’s time to give clubs the support they need to continue shaping the culture of tomorrow. https://buff.ly/3Uahfke

Nightlife Articles #40: Why Aren’t Clubs Recognised as ‘National Portfolio Organisations’ like Galleries, Museums and Theatres The time has come to question the outdated cultural hierarchy that places classical arts above contemporary ones. The contribution of clubs to our society is clear—they are hubs of creativity, diversity, and economic activity. Clubs or venues like Fabric, SubClub, Ministry of Sound, and Printworks deserve to be celebrated, protected, and funded in the same way that opera houses and theatres are. Let’s not wait until it’s too late to recognise their value. It’s time to give clubs the support they need to continue shaping the culture of tomorrow. https://buff.ly/3Uahfke

Nightlife Articles #40: Why Aren’t Clubs Recognised as ‘National Portfolio Organisations’ like Galleries, Museums and Theatres The time has come to question the outdated cultural hierarchy that places classical arts above contemporary ones. The contribution of clubs to our society is clear—they are hubs of creativity, diversity, and economic activity. Clubs or venues like Fabric, SubClub, Ministry of Sound, and Printworks deserve to be celebrated, protected, and funded in the same way that opera houses and theatres are. Let’s not wait until it’s too late to recognise their value. It’s time to give clubs the support they need to continue shaping the culture of tomorrow. https://buff.ly/3Uahfke

Here's just some of the advantages when considering a festival deployment with the n-gage.io software and customisable mobile app. ✅ Engagement can be high, as your audience has already proved their interest by downloading. ✅ Licensing an app and back office solution can be modest compared to percentage spend on social media and other direct marketing activity. ✅ Communication is direct, as push notifications come directly to an opted-in app user’s phone. We also facilitate opted-in email marketing too. ✅ An owned channel becomes a place that organisers can monetise by selling sponsorships and paid for content - with strong potential to neutralise spend. ✅ Use of our 'Capture Your Day' branded frames in-camera function, for sharing direct to social takes engagement viral. ✅ Collection of invaluable data insights, thanks to our geo-fencing analysis, heat maps and audience segmentation tools can be a game changer. ✅ A year-round personal medium for sharing latest news, and spin-off events with fans, without the need to cut through the noise of social channels. 

After Parties and Late Nights are a great event format that can really elevate a venue and connect with different audiences. Howie Schnee shares a ton of insights in this 15-minute interview all about After Parties. Some takeaways: 🥳 Target audiences that like to stay out late (probably not great for family events, but a great new use for a traditionally family-focused spaced. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium does a great job of this with their Late Nights at the Zoo). 🥳 Make it unique. Events are competitive. You can give yourself an edge by doing something unique. Go deeper for the fans or put a twist on something traditional. 🥳 Create partnerships. If booking talent isn't your strong suite, offer favorable terms to a local, well-connected promoter. 🥳 Support a cause the artist cares about. If you're piggy-backing off a big name performing nearby, consider supporting a cause they care about to improve relations with them and their fans. Howie dives into the details in the video below. Give Howie Schnee a follow too. He's often sharing great insights from his decades as a promoter.

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My experience with the folks behind #alphaonthedelta fits the plug below... the bottom line is that the election of Trump creates an especially complicated financial landscape where the trend is no longer obvious and thus wisdom is in high demand.

What role will data capture have in reducing regulatory pressure in real estate and transforming our retail spaces? What does the future of our cities look like, and what technology will we use to transform them? The ULI United Kingdom Annual Conference: "Orchestrating Urban Change" brought answers to these questions and much more this week on 30 April, tackling the micro- and macro-economic outlook of the UK and Europe as well as current trends shaping the urban built environment. Attend one of our upcoming annual conferences to gain unparalleled insights and network with hundreds of senior professionals from your region: ULI Spain: "Thrive on Change" | 8-9 May 2024 ULI Greece & Cyprus: "From Boomers to Gen Z: How is Real Estate Responding to Demographic Trends?" | 28 May 2024 ULI Netherlands: "Future-Proof Cities" | 29 May 2024