Agenda item

Interview with Natalie Price, General Manager of the Hazlitt Arts Centre.

Natalie Price, General Manager of the Hazlitt Arts Centre was invited to speak on item 9: Events Review - The Hazlitt Arts Centre.

Natalie Price informed the committee that the management of the Hazlitt Arts Centre was taken over by Parkwood Leisure on the 1^st October 2013. Once Parkwood Leisure started running the Hazlitt, Natalie Price established a Hazlitt User Group for organisations that used the Hazlitt Arts Centre. Not all Hazlitt users had chosen to get involved in this group, however.

Natalie Price explained to the committee that there were some initial problems with changes in procedures, for example around ticket sales. However, Natalie Price reassured the committee that she had sought one to one meetings with those users with concerns and subsequently taken steps to address the issues raised.

In response to a question from the committee, Natalie Price conveyed to the committee that there had been an increase in the amount of groups that used the Hazlitt. Examples included:

·  A new youth theatre group;

·  A yoga group;

·  A choir;

·  A writer’s group;

·  A dance group; and

·  A craft group.

Natalie Price summarised events that the Hazlitt were organising over the following few months. These included:

·  A collaboration with the Museum to show some of the collections in unusual places around the town. This would happen in collaboration with the youth theatre;

·  An A-Z of Englishness event for St George’s Day, which will be held in collaboration with the Town Team;

·  Proms in the Park; and

·  The youth theatre’s summer festival.

A member of the committee asked Natalie Price whether there had been any changes around ticket sales or increases in charges for the use of the Hazlitt Arts Centre since Parkwood had taken over. Natalie Price responded by conveying to the committee that there had not been any increase in charges, however there had been some changes to the way tickets were sold. The reason for this was that there needed to be greater transparency in the ticket selling process due to the new management contract. The contract stipulated that the council will get a profit share after a certain number of ticket sales; therefore it needed to be clear how many tickets had been sold. Additionally, the new ticket sales process would allow the Hazlitt to gather more marketing information in order to reach target markets better.

Natalie Price explained the new arrangements for selling tickets at the Hazlitt. The new arrangement was that the Hazlitt would sell all the tickets, with the Hazlitt keeping 10% commission, and would charge users £25 to print the tickets. However following consultation with users of the Hazlitt, the commission had been reduced to 5% and the tickets would be printed for free. The Hazlitt had also offered free publicity to users selling tickets through the Theatre.

After hearing Natalie Price’s evidence, the committee were reassured that the new ticket selling arrangements were contributing to a more professional approach to running the Arts Centre. The committee were also reassured that this professional approach would not be to the detriment of the community of voluntary groups that use the Hazlitt Arts Centre.

The committee asked Natalie Price whether she had considered using the Amphitheatre or Brenchley Gardens for putting on events. In response to this question, Natalie Price informed the committee that she had met with Jason Taylor, Parks and Leisure Manager, to discuss similar opportunities.

A member of the committee asked whether there was any beginning of the year event organisers meeting for organisations that put on events in the borough.

Natalie Price responded that to her knowledge there wasn’t such a meeting in existence. However if there was one then this would help with coordination of events and enable organisations to see where they could work together.

RESOLVED: That evidence given by Natalie Price in relation to the review topic be noted.