Riding the storm!
Theatre shows have played
a huge part in the continued success of Cromer Pier in Norfolk on the east coast
“Piers offer traditional family entertainment,”
he states. “The majority of piers are very similar to ours with slots and arcades and interestingly during the past couple of weeks we’ve heard that many holidaymakers are saying they’ve not been to the seaside since they were a child so the ‘staycation’ is definitely still prevalent, which will benefit piers too. Paignton Pier is up 30 per cent on visitor numbers so far this year, for example,” (at the beginning of May). With more and more leisure activities to choose from, as
well as other modern day “pulls” on people’s disposable income, piers have much to compete with. Operators therefore face some real challenges when it comes to competing successfully.
ourselves the centre of everything that goes on in the town and local area. There is lots going on too, so it’s about being involved and making sure the pier is at the centre of events that are being held, such as a Folk Festival, a New Year’s Day fireworks display and a Royal Wedding party which attracted TV and radio coverage. We have ISDN installed so the media were able to broadcast successfully.” “There’s an awful lot more competition these days,”
concurs Bollom. “We used to be the only thing open on a Sunday for example so it’s a different ball game now. We have to learn to compete and up our game in providing a facility that’s different to everything else at a price that’s going to attract people. We’ve always had to adapt and do something different and it’s important we don’t lose sight of this. “Piers aren’t museums. They are meant to
evolve and give different offerings. Successful ones have been the ones that have done that. Look at Grand Pier (Weston-super-Mare) with its banqueting, wedding and corporate event facilities. These are state of the art.” Indeed, Grand Pier owner Kerry Michael
Cromer Pier “We have to work with our unique values as mentioned
and take advantage of these,” comments Hall. “For some it’s about including amusement activities. For us it’s about building on the draw of the theatre as our main attraction. This is open all but two days of the year, and we also have a bar and shop. It’s about making it more appealing. Even on a cold February day the pier can be an appealing place to be. “To achieve this we are doing more shows than ever in
the pier’s history and appealing to as wide an audience as possible by extending the appeal of the theatre. We’ve gradually built things up and in particular in recent years have got involved in the local community and now make
40 InterPark May-June 2011
notes that piers offer a unique experience to promenade over the water which in itself attracts visitors, but “once there it is our job to ensure we provide the correct activities and services they enjoy.” And Kevin Scott, operations director at Cuerden Leisure, which owns Six Piers Ltd., agrees with Bollom’s comments on evolving.
“It is important to evolve,” he says. “Originally piers were
used for promenading which doesn’t help to make them a viable proposition. A lot of visitors to the piers come back regularly but they appreciate the changes which keep them fresh.” Mitchell believes piers need to be “quaint or small” or
a destination like Grand Pier, while Strong points to the unique “walking on water” experience, adding that some visitors will like the “razzmatazz” of amusement arcades on piers and some won’t. “For some it (a pier visit) is a quiet time for relaxation
and meditation,” she says, while Brighton Palace Pier’s Anne Martin believes that to compete, piers must continue to invest in attractions that capture the public’s imagination.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72