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INTERVIEW


The Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall


‘When I arrived I could see there were great opportunities with this unique venue’


While theatres are mainstays of the night-time economy,


they are not immune to change or the shifting demands of consumers. To that end, Robert was faced with a challenge to keep TRCH fresh, relevant and identifiable to the public. “When I arrived I could see there were great opportunities with this unique venue. Working with the team here, we’ve managed to turn a £1m deficit into a £500,000 profit. “Before I arrived, we were often referred to as a centre


and we’re not a centre, we’re a theatre so we fight to be recognised as the Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall, or TRCH. Generally we market the Theatre Royal and the Royal Concert Hall as a single entity. The two together creates something that is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s a lot more powerful. “That said, when the Theatre Royal turned 150, we made


a big thing about it so of course we recognise the distinction. It’s handy because one is a Victorian theatre over 150 years old and the other is a 35-year-old modern acoustically-perfect concert hall so in some ways they are chalk and cheese, which is why, I think, they work so well together.” While TRCH continues to thrive, so too does


Nottingham’s night-time economy. What’s clear is that as the sun goes down and the bright lights of city centres take over, an eco-system comes into effect that creates an environment conducive to business. It’s this eco-system that ultimately determines both the


vibrancy and success of the night-time economy, as Robert explains. “Ten years ago a study was produced which suggested


that TRCH’s contribution to the night-time economy in Nottingham was around £23m and that will certainly have gone up in recent years. “We have 600,000 people per year buying tickets and


through research we know how many of those people eat out before the show, and a lot of people do. If you go


anywhere around here, even on a Monday or Tuesday night, you’ll find a lot of people eating out. “It’s not all about giving though. We don’t give all these


people to the local restaurants. The restaurants need to be attractive and well run. There’s definitely a symbiotic relationship between us, restaurants, pubs and the like. That’s obviously good but from our perspective, naturally we want our customers spending money here with us. Those 70% or so of theatre-goers that eat out before seeing a show, we want them to be eating with us and that’s about us developing our offering and being attractive.” While the likes of theatres, cinemas, pubs, bars and


hotels are obvious bedfellows, formal collaborations between those in the night-time entertainment sector are often necessary to further develop offerings. “We work closely with other organisations. We have local


restaurants that are our partners and do deals with the tram network and sell tram tickets, for example. Partners are essential in getting the night-time economy to grow and we have found very willing partners. “I have always believed in working closely with other


people rather than subscribing to the view that your venue is an island somehow. It’s all interlinked and doing deals can give your audience more of a package; you make it easier for them. To grow the night-time economy you need to work together and collaborate. It is symbiosis on a massive scale. While the symbiotic nature of the night-time economy is


by no means exclusive to Nottingham, Robert does believe the city has something unique that adds to its success. “We need all the other venues, that’s the beauty of


Nottingham. The city has, which I think is very special, an ecosystem of venues that fits almost perfectly together. You have Nottingham Arena at one end, the Bodega at the other and in between you have almost every combination of venue and size that you could want, all in one city and all within easy reach. That’s why


business network June 2017 27


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