Business Plan: 2018 – 19/20

Delivery Area: Service Delivery

Service Area: Arts and Culture

Author: Nickola Moore

Manager:

Reporting to:

Date:

Version Draft 0.0 – Confidential

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Contents 1. Introduction an Purpose……………………………………………………………………………………………………….12. Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….43. Why does the council invest in Arts and Culture……………………………………………………………………74. Overview of Main Business Units………………………………………………………………………………………….85. Business Unit Details…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….9

5.1 Professional programming……………………………………………………………………………………………..85.2 Professional artists development…………………………………………………………………………………..95.3 Start-up provision for emerging creative businesses…………………………………………………….115.4 Community and commercial Hire…………………………………………………………………………………115.5 Schools engagement programme………………………………………………………………………………….125.6 Arts development programme………………………………………………………………………………………135.7 Festival programme………………………………………………………………………………………………………145.8 Café/Bars and events programme………………………………………………………………………………..14

6. Audiences and Participation………………………………………………………………………………………………..157. Fundraising……………..…………………………………………………………………………………………..……………..188. Stakeholders………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……..199. Competitor analysis…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2010. Operations and logistics………………………………………………………………………………………………………2211. Our people…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2212. Our Processes……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2313. Arts and Culture Strategy and The Point and The Berry Theatre new business model………2414. Appendices

1. Action Log2. Position statements

Health and SafetyEquality and DiversitySafeguardingAccess InformationBusiness Continuity

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1. Introduction and purpose

The purpose of the Arts and Culture Business Plan (ACBP) 2018/19 is to drive the Vision for Arts and Culture serving Eastleigh Borough over the next 18 months. Its goal is to enable the Council to maintain its enviable reputation whilst introducing and improving income opportunities and delivering ongoing efficiencies.

The scope of this Business plan is the work delivered at both venues in the Borough, The Point in Eastleigh town centre and The Berry Theatre in the south of the borough, in Hedge End. It takes into account work emanating from the programmes of both venues. It does not include all other aspects of Arts, Culture or Creative Industries taking place within the Borough, although synergies undoubtedly exist and will be developed as Business Plans evolve.

It is essential that consideration of the longer term strategic priorities and aims of the wider Arts and Culture provision throughout Eastleigh Borough are made. Whilst outside the scope of this business plan, the insight gathered for the delivery of the ACBP will be integral for informing future strategy.

The ambition for this plan is to maintain artistic excellence whilst understanding the financial impact of individual product lines and exploiting revenue options to their full potential.

The Arts and Culture Business plan contributes to the Eastleigh Borough Council vision of leading and supporting the Borough and its communities: Developing a strong and sustainable economy that supports improved standards of living for residents; promoting thriving and healthy communities; and maintaining an attractive and sustainable environment that builds pride and that resident’s value.

The Arts and Culture Service Vision is:

1. To position Eastleigh as a cultural destination, locally, regionally and nationally; To be part of the regional arts ecology, presenting excellence in the arts within a range of high quality programming, festivals, events and activities that offer balance between commercial, accessible and more innovative work.

We will know we have achieved success when we are consistently reaching targets set within the timeframe of this business plan including those for programme development, income generation and occupancy levels.

2. To engage with and inspire the local community, ensuring cultural prosperity and health and wellbeing opportunities for all.

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We will know we have achieved success when we have committed partnership working with EBC colleagues, external organisations and the wider community. This will enable a relevant, impactful and informed health and wellbeing programme of participation in line with corporate priorities which are recognised for best practice.

3. To support, nurture and inspire the next generation of nationally significant artists working in dance, theatre, circus and outdoor arts.

We will know we have achieved success when we have developed a more sustainable funding mix to ensure the development of this nationally recognised programme of best practice.

4. To build resilience around the arts and culture offer, stabilising and diversifying the funding position through the continued development of a mixed-income model.

We will know we have achieved success when we have delivered against the performance measures in this Business plan related to new, contributed and earned income.

The strategic objectives of the Arts and Culture Business plan

Healthy communitiesTarget investment and programmes of activity towards tackling obesity, inactivity, ageing, disability and mental wellbeing. Measuring the effect and impact of the Arts and Cultural provision utilising social and financially based metrics in contributing to a thriving community.

Prosperous placeTarget investment and programmes of activity where both venues and borough wide projects serve to significantly contribute to Eastleigh as a vibrant, active, attractive place to live, work and spend leisure time. Measuring the effect and impact through customer numbers and satisfaction, economic metrics, and partnership working.

A Green BoroughTarget investment to support sustainable effective planning. Maintenance and delivery of quality art and cultural venues, events and activities. Measuring the effect and impact through environmental metrics within our Environmental Policy and Action Plan 2018 - 2021.

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2. Executive Summary

Current Position

With changes in staffing structures and key personnel in recent years there have been pressures on the programming, funding opportunities and costs at both The Point and The Berry. This combination has led to financial pressures for the Council for 2017/18 and the current year – 2018/19.

The financial position has been regularly reported to both Management Team and Members and action plans have been developed to manage the current service provision, more effectively manage costs and to drive up income potential. The Action Log (Appendix 1) details actions already underway and those that are planned in the immediate future to ensure that the financial position is improved in a planned and sustainable manner.

This business plan considers not only the current position, but is also forward looking for the next 4 years. The Action Log (Appendix 1) is multi-facetted and its financial impacts cannot be fully quantified until further work is carried out and the programme of change develops. However the below table estimates how the budgets will be impacted by the forthcoming improvements which will lead to the generation and implementation of a new business model based on the solid foundation of what we are doing well. This will include sector research into best practice. A costed action plan will be generated for implementation from April 2019

Actual (£000's) Forecast (£000's) 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Net Expenditure 1,251 954 942 942 842 800 750 639 Net Budget 1,164 1,174 639 639 639 639 639 639 (Over)/Underspend (87) 220 (303) (303) (203) (161) (111) 0

As can be seen from the table above, the net budgeted cost to the Council of the Arts and Culture service in 2017/18 was £1,174,000. The forecast cost for 2018/19 is £942,000. Although this represents a deficit against the budget for 2018/19 there is a real saving year on year of £232,000 (19.8%). The Business table above shows how the Council’s subsidy to the Arts and Culture Service will be decreasing over the coming years.

During previous months and the upcoming financial year there has and will continue to be a significant amount of work undertaken to fully understand the full business cost of each service and function (product line) provided. This will guide us in understanding the best

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route forward for the service, balancing the community and commercial need and adding detailed figures to each of the proposals below.

This plan takes consideration of the reducing, competitive funding landscape and pressure from the loss of a £50k grant from Hampshire County Council for dance participation and talent development over the next 2/3 years. The focus is on a more sustainable, modified Business as Usual (BAU) model developing mixed earned income opportunities, setting robust contributed income targets and seeking efficiencies. Whilst it is a consolidation of the current service delivery model, it should be clearly understood that there is a requirement to develop a new, sustainable business focused on robust financial management.

The Arts are a significant part of the wider culture and leisure offer available and enjoyed by the residents of Eastleigh Borough. Circa 101k people attended or participated in arts activities and events in 2017 a rise from 88k in 2016. This 12.7% increase is encouraging for the service as the national percentage rise in attendance was 9.1% in 2017 and regionally the figure was 6.8% However, although this represents success with total participation the business investigation of the service shows that this is not equating to commercial business success.

The Arts and Culture service has an income funding mix of Earned Income, Contributed Income and Council Investment.

The business plan outlines key growth areas for both earned and contributed income, including the creation and implementation of a targeted fundraising plan and resource to deliver it. The ACBP focuses on a number of areas that will underpin the move to a more commercially focussed and structured service. The key elements of this are;

a) Planning, delivering, reviewing and seeking innovative ways of developing revenue opportunities leading to the development of a revised and restructured Business model.

b) A comprehensive fundraising strategy incorporating but not exclusively the need to look at funding applications, sponsorship, donations, retail opportunities, corporate events and a new membership programme.

c) A new focus on professional programming balanced with commercial productions across both the Point and the Berry and a review of the pricing policy.

d) Developing the events programme to seek new audiences and create an offer other than the core artistic programme.

e) A full review of the café and catering offer.f) An increase in our hire fees and changes to contracts in line with EBC fees and

charges g) Exploration of Co-commissioning opportunities enabling the service to benefit from

royalties. h) Exploiting income from office space and room bookings.

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Detailed activity in relation to the above is contained in Appendix 1 ‘The Action Log’.

In addition to the above, it must be noted that as a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) for Arts Council England, The Point attracts significant funding of £125k per year over 4 years. This also enables it to bid for funding not available to non-NPO organisations. Work has commenced to review activity aligned to this funding, to ensure a better balance between the delivery of the artistic element and the costs apportioned to it.

Additionally there are a number of areas that have been identified to review Business efficiencies, including new and improved processes potential joint working across services. Operational examples include;

Work the Facilities team to deliver revised housekeeping, cleaning and site officer roles

Review of the facilities budget and a Council- wide project to develop a room booking process that will benefit several services.

Changes to our working practices and contracts for our casual staff as part of a wider comprehensive review of the staff structure

A new website will be developed enabling the service to have an industry- standard sales channel. A new digital plan will ensure we utilise digital platforms in line with industry and customer trends. A new Audience Development plan will be delivered to help us grow our customer base with a focus on our local communities, children and families. We will also develop our business intelligence with regular data analysis and reporting. This will lead to better decision making around programming, events and community arts development and education activities.

Where investment is needed to develop and implement measures in support of the above, a costed business case will be developed, in accordance with the Council’s standard protocols.

There will be a requirement to gain clarity on the governance and accountability for the Berry Theatre to ensure targeted programmes going forward.

Benchmarking will take place to measure success. Relationships with similar regional and national service providers will be developed and an awareness of relevant Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and arts sector specific research will be a requirement in order to obtain invaluable insight and data.

New partnership working will be vital for the delivery of this plan and we will work to develop stakeholder relationships and become embedded into the fabric of the regional cultural ecology, leading to mutually beneficial partnerships including joint funding and collaborative service provision.

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The delivery of the outcome measures contained within the Action Log (Appendix 1) will be underpinned by the production of performance data, enabling progress to be closely monitored. The detail of these will be finalised once the outcomes have been agreed.

3. Why does the Council invest in Arts and Culture

Arts matter because art is meant to move people either on an intellectual or emotional level. The Arts offer a unique space for self affirmation and reflection. They can be joyous and challenging and allow you to experience different ways of seeing and experiencing life. The purpose of art is to cause a reaction and with this purpose it can create a synergy of change; change in attitudes, perceptions and thoughts. Participation in the Arts is one of the best ways to gather individuals and build community bonds through shared experience.

Tackling social deprivation and Enabling healthier lifestyles and wellbeingThe Arts help tackle deprivation, they can be used to target specific communities encouraging people to become socially engaged as they participate in activity which exercises and stimulates the mind and body. They can also have a positive impact on those with specific health conditions including dementia. As highlighted in the Arts Council England (ACE) report ‘The value of Arts and Culture to people and society’, the Arts illuminate our inner lives and enrich our emotional lives. They enable the people of Eastleigh to celebrate, socialise, learn and debate. Arts provision in Eastleigh enables the improvement of subjective wellbeing, supports the reduction in loneliness, can alleviate depression and anxiety. We will work to ensure the Arts and Culture offer is accessible and supportive of our hard- to-reach communities working with cross sector partners to enable engagement.

Reinvigorate town and local centres & Enable the right skills and employment mixThe Arts and Culture service attracts visitors by developing a distinctive offer from the Venues, Events and Festival programmes, creating jobs and developing skills and talent. Significant work takes place in partnership at local, sub regional and national level to develop the reputation of The Point and profile of Eastleigh.

Developing Green infrastructure & minimise waste and maximise use of resources

The Arts and Culture service is committed to reducing impact on the environment and to promote sustainability across all our work. Targets will be set to monitor environmental performance and aim to actively reduce the carbon footprint of our venues and inspire visitors to do the same. Arts will be utilised to educate and inspire communities to live more sustainably. Staff are motivated to be mindful of ways to improve environmental performance in all working practices. This will be achieved by delivering our Environmental Policy and Action Plan 2018-21

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4. Overview of Main Business Units

There are 8 areas of Arts and Culture Provision delivered at and from The Point and The Berry Theatres.

The provision consists of 8 specific programmes:

Professional Performances Professional Artists development programme Start-up provision for emerging creative businesses Community and commercial hire programme Schools Engagement programme Arts Development programme offering accessible participation across the Borough Festival programme Café/Bars and Events Programme

The Point The Berry Theatre Directly owned and Managed by EBC Main Auditorium allowing 312/260

for theatre and film. 300 for conferences/events

125m2 creation space with adjacent accommodation for 11 artists with 24hr access

Studio theatre a allowing 50 for performance, rehearsal or conferences/events

A 10m x 8m dance studio accommodating 100 standing, 20 per class, theatre style 70, Cabaret 50

Foyer café/bar including box office area

Three dressing rooms; capacity = 30 each

Two meeting rooms – Irving room 20, conference room 40

12 individual workstations for start-up businesses

Owned by Hampshire CC and managed by EBC

Located on Wildern School site Main Auditorium allowing 306/276

for Theatre and Film. 300 for conference. orchestra pit

Foyer café/bar including box office area

Three dressing rooms; capacity = 15 each

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5. Business Unit details

5.1 Professional Programming

The Point and The Berry Theatre The average occupancy for professional performance audiences attendance across both venues has risen from 46% in 16/17 to 61% in 17/18, above the national occupancy figure of 51% in 2017 at venues of similar size. Programming is being reviewed across both Theatres to deliver a more commercially focussed programme.

The Point will develop a mixed and more diverse and varied approach to professional programming to include more profitable content, whilst ensuring industry reputation and artistic integrity is maintained. This attracts funding from grants, trusts and foundations. This is important in attracting new audiences and new demographics into the Theatre. On average 61 professional shows are programmed annually. There are inherent limitations due to a relatively small seating capacity, compared to other regional theatres together with ensuring affordable ticket pricing. Occupancy in 2017 was 55% compared to the national average of 51%. A previous decision not to programme for families and children has been reversed as data intelligence shows that there is limited direct competition with the Berry Theatre. This opens up a new audience segment and potential uplift in revenue potential.

The Berry has seen a 20% rise in ticket sales during 2017/18 and this profitable mainstream programme will continue. There are around 70 professional shows annually and the intention is to increase this number. Occupancy in 2017 was 68% well above the national average of 51%. In order to develop the programme, utilise the space to its optimum and seek to deliver an improved arts development offer, it is essential to establish governance and accountability for the venue.

The Cinema programme at both venues offers an alternative to commercial cinemas and presents a mix of second- run mainstream films and live steams working with RSC and NTLIVE. Film audiences have dropped from 19% 16/17 to 16% 17/18, although these figures have been recorded at the full auditorium capacity of 262 when the cinema target is a third of those seats i.e. 80-100. In future, projected and actual ticket sales will be monitored with greater contextual accuracy. Analysis of value and impact of the programme, coupled with constraints to the films available for show and the fact there is a commercial cinema in very close proximity, has led to the decision that the cinema programme at The Point has been reduced, focusing on distinctive and targeted programming that tackles isolation and mental

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health. The Berry cinema programme will be maintained with renewed marketing and performance monitoring.

5.2 Professional Artists development programme

The Creation Space The activity and running costs of the Creation Space are currently underpinned by substantial funding from Arts Council England as part of National Portfolio Organisation (ACE NPO) status. This ensures that investment in artists and new performing arts companies takes place and enables them to innovate, make new work for touring nationally/ internationally and take artistic risk. The commercial rate for the creation space is £3500 per week, inclusive of the on-site accommodation that sleeps up to 11 people. Artists can be resident from 1 week to 6 weeks and The Point is either credited as a co-commissioner or ‘supported by The Point’ features on all subsequent promotion and publicity. A revised income target for securing revenue from the Creation Space has been set for 19/20 and staff resource has been allocated. This target is included in the projected figures in the above table.

Professional start up and incubation for new arts businesses The Point’s artist development programmes support the next generation of nationally significant artists working in dance, theatre, circus and outdoor arts. ‘Based at The Point’ offers several programmes within the ACE NPO that provides opportunities for arts start-up companies. There is also significant funding in the region of £40k annually received from Hampshire County Council. This money is not guaranteed and the fund is highly likely to be come to an end in 20/21, creating additional financial pressures. It will be a priority for the team to review areas of the programme supported by HCC and secure additional funding or revising the programme, as appropriate.

Associate artists programme for 4 early career artists and companies. Since the programme started in 2010 The Point has supported 35 companies (140 artists) and levered in £1m funding for these companies which pays for the programme and is viewed as best practice in the industry.

@Home programme offering space and support for 4 established artists for four years. Supported by NPO

GradLab (funded by Hampshire County Council and The Linbury Trust) focuses on graduate retention in the region, working in partnership with Universities of Winchester and Chichester. This programme enables young graduates to make and tour their ‘first work’ with support to further develop as a business. A total of 13 graduates per year are taken on the scheme.

Open Space programme offering national and international companies the chance to immerse themselves in the Creation Space by undertaking 1 to 6 weekresidencies

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and make new work for touring. European Aerial Dance Festival is a 2 week annual festival attracting 80 worldwide participants. This is funded by a separate Arts Council grant.

Continuing Professional Development Professional development is delivered at The Point with a programme of 12-14 workshops and masterclasses for artists/teachers/professionals to encourage continued professional development, thereby strengthening the regional sector whilst maintaining and developing the workforce in the borough. This programme is funded by Hampshire County Council (coming to an end in 20/21) and participant income. The participants benefit from working with nationally recognised companies and artists.

5.3 Start-up provision and support for creative businesses

West Wing is a series of 16 shared designated work areas within The Point. Residents are able to rent multiple spaces allowing them access to an entire room. However, rooms are not private and have shared access. The West Wing has its own alarmed entrance and 24 hr access. Priority is given to creative businesses. Office rental is available for 2 ground floor office spaces. Each office is independent. Access is only available during The Point opening hours.

The management of the West Wing and Office rental currently works in isolation of the wider creative industry offer across the borough. A joined up approach to all available creative industry spaces is required. A review will take place with EBC colleagues and key stakeholders and include research into the best use of the space.

5.4 Community and commercial hire programme

Theatre Hire is available at certain times during the year for groups to rehearse and/or perform. Single day events to week long hires take place by local amateur companies who have a strong sense of community belonging to the space. Registered charities or community groups from within the Borough attract a discount of 30% (catering and equipment hire not included); all other hirers pay commercial rates. The majority of current business is local community hires. There are issues with managing expectations from Hirers, including ensuring contracts are adhered to, health and safety concerns, issues with the hours incurred for the Technical team as part of hires and an expectation that hire fees will not increase. A full review has taken place to address these issues and will make up part of the fees and charges report going to cabinet in November 2018

Meeting Room and Conference facilities are available at The Point. From January 2019, local charity One Community will use the Conference room whilst their building is being refurbished. An office on the first floor has been made available as an additional meeting

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room. There is currently no provision for permanent staff or catering facilities at The Berry; however once capacity has increased at The Point, options at The Berry will be explored. There is currently no provision to book these facilities online. A digital booking process would support the generation of further income from these facilities and a joint initiative around this will be initiated with other EBC colleagues including Wessex House and Country Parks.

Available spaces at The PointTheatre Style

Theatre Style

Boardroom Cabaret Standing

Conference room

6.75m x 6.75m 40 25 25 50

Studio theatre 9.5m x 9.5m 50 20 30 75Irving room 7.75m x 4.5m 25 12 - -Wilde Room 25 12Atrium 18m x 4m(to

5m)- - 30 100

Dance Studio 30 30 30 30Main Theatre 13.5m x 15.5m 318 - 110 350

5.5 Schools engagement programme

The Schools engagement programme is targeted specifically at schools within Eastleigh Borough. The team work with 12-14 schools each year and the programme includes theatre and dance. The work is specifically split to the corporate themes of Healthy Communities, active participation beneficial to the physical and mental wellbeing of young people and Prosperous Place, developing both an audience and young artists for the future. There is currently no service plan for education work and projects are not specifically curriculum focused. There is a requirement for an efficient funded, joined- up plan to be created with input from key stakeholders.

Arts Careers development is delivered at The Point via an annual one day careers event. This focuses on performing arts working with Hampshire based schools, Further Education and Higher Education establishments. In total there are 200 participants and there is a plan in place to grow this successful event, optimising income and improve participation

5.6 Arts Development programme offering accessible participation across the Borough

Youth Theatres

There is currently one youth theatre for each venue, engaging young people between the ages of 8 to 21yrs. The Berry Youth theatre has 70 members and the Point Youth theatre has

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91 members, 2 of which are receiving bursary places as part of the financially assisted places scheme. Both youth theatres run once a week on site at each venue. Each youth theatre performs 2 productions a year and the groups are artistically led, managed and delivered by core staff. There are opportunities to increase the numbers in the youth theatres and secure volunteer support to operate with increased efficiency.

Talent Development

Talent Development is primarily focused on contemporary Dance with clear progression pathways for aspiring young Dance artists to develop their skills and professionalism. There are 3 openly accessible Point Dance Companies total 60 participants across 3 age groups (8-11, 11-15, 15-18). Audition- based ORB Male Dance Company aims to engage young men into dance (total 20 participants). Hampshire Youth Dance Company (HYDC) is audition- based with a total 22 participant’s age 14+. It is funded by The Linbury Trust fund, with many going on to Conservatoire and HE training around the UK. The Point Dance Training Scheme offers 20 places for auditioned based training for aspiring younger dancers to develop technique in Ballet and Contemporary, with the ambition to offer a pathway to HYDC and further dance training. Next Step Dance Company offers 12 places in dance and performance training to young adults with learning disabilities, funded by Hampshire County Council providing development in dance skill alongside independent learning and life skills. The groups are managed by core staff and delivered by local freelance artists.

Alongside Dance, The Point has a ‘Gifted and Talented’ theatre opportunity Street to The Point (up to 14 participants) which is an arm of Point Youth Theatre. Empowering young people, it is run by the young people themselves and is audition based with a 7- month programme and outdoor touring in the summer months. All talent programmes offer professional training and performance opportunities with professional national and international visiting artists offering the very best of transformational experience

Dance Class Programme

Dance Classes take place in The Points Dance studio and are specifically focused on the corporate healthy community key target areas of obesity, social isolation, disability, physical inactivity and mental health. Ages of attendees range from 6mths to 80 yrs+. There are currently 20 weekly focused dance classes, with a total capacity of 355

Wellbeing classes take place weekly – Dance for Parkinsons, Barrefit and Yoga and meditation with a total participation capacity of 60. Alongside a yearly Health and Wellbeing day and quarterly Meditation Retreats. Retrospectif Dance Company for older adults (55yrs+) creates performance opportunities for older residences of the borough.

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Access classes take place on a weekly basis and across the school holidays for young people with disabilities and additional needs. Key targets are areas of social isolation, disability and mental health.

Community Arts Development The Arts Development Programme is delivered primarily through externally funded, time- limited projects that are directly aligned to the EBC strategic priorities and focus on specific geographic areas and/or tackle a particular social/health issue. They are delivered by the core team and external freelancers and include cultural and arts initiatives, including theatre projects, virtual museums, heritage trails, literary festivals and community participation projects. . Examples of these projects include annual community dance platforms Hothouse and DFuse, Integrate Dance Summer School for participants with and without learning disabilities and our open access Sunday Circus School. There are huge opportunities to grow this programme in partnership with EBC colleagues and external stakeholders

5.7 Festivals programme

Festivals are produced to deliver on the ‘Prosperous Place’ corporate theme and can play a significant role in place making and town centre regeneration. At present the Festival programme comprises;

Eastleigh Unwrapped, a one- day, outdoor festival attracting 6,098 attendees in 2018. The festival programme is funded as part of The Point’s ACE NPO agreement, with staffing and logistics allocated from the core budget.

Eastleigh Film Festival is a week-long festival attracting circa 900 people to screenings in unusual places, showcasing locations around the Borough in collaboration with local businesses. The contribution of both festivals needs to be clearly established in context of the wider events programme. Analysis of visitor feedback and economic indicators will take place and a plan for the development of the festival programme will be an action. Operationally, festivals work well within the event programme for Eastleigh Borough. However, there are opportunities to significantly improve and develop our relationships with key stakeholders including the BID, Swan Centre, other festival and event producers and local businesses.

5.8 Café and Bars and The Events Programme

The Point Café is an attractive area with seating for 50 and offers an accessible local meeting place. Refurbished in 2015, the café is currently running at a deficit and has done so for several years. It is open 10-2pm Monday, Saturday, offering light lunches, seasonal specials, home baked treats and speciality drinks. Options such as Gluten free, vegetarian and vegan choices are always available. There will be a focus in 18/19 Q3/Q4 to increase income and improve the deficit figure, whilst reviewing the whole catering offering and

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developing an options paper in Q4. This may include outsourcing, changing the use of the space; modifying the existing offer etc. This may involve an invest-to-save approach, supported by a business case. Following the completion of this work, revised income targets for 19/20 will be produced.

The Point Bar opens pre-show and during intervals, serving visitors with soft and alcoholic drinks and bar snacks. Pre-show dining is also available on selected shows. The Berry Bar opens pre-show and during the interval serving visitors with soft and alcoholic drinks and bar snacks. There are no permanent members of staff and no ability to prepare/cook food.

The Events Programme is a new strand of work, exploring commercial opportunities utilising the event management skills within the team. Whilst these events sit outside of the artistic programme they offer the same high standards of production, attracting visitors, potential new audiences and participants. A new community initiative for 2018 was the outdoor Summer Social, a 4 week programme beginning with Eastleigh Unwrapped and culminating with the Eastleigh Mela. The Summer Social featured live music, outdoor cinema, DJs, wellbeing events, workshops, bar and catering. Summer Social 2018 attracted new audiences of around 1000. The catering finances will be split into the following categories to enable improved monitoring: Daytime café, Conferencing, Bar: Professional, Bar: Hirers and Events ie Beer Festival, Mothers days, weddings etc.

6. Audiences and Participants

Our audience numbers are positive in most areas across service provision, however as the table below indicates, there are opportunities for occupancy growth in line with national averages. Film has been an area of concern with capacity targets set at 80 – 100, in line with comparable cinema provision. However audience figures are reported against full 300+ capacity of the auditorium, which results in them being skewed. However, audience figures are low and plans to address this involved ceasing the current mainstream film programme and focusing on health and wellbeing at the Point, maintaining programme at the Berry with reduced occupancy rate and extra marketing focus.

There are significant opportunities for growth in our Education and Community Arts provision by making customer insight integral to our decision making. We have recently started measuring data on our participants and baseline data will be generated in order to guide targets and reporting, establishing a better understanding of all our attendees across the whole service.

The Arts sector is heavily reliant on marketing and communications and there will be a shift in priority for this part of the service to better understand and promote to our existing and potential new customers.

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A new website will be delivered and will be the primary focus for sales and a new digital plan will be developed to ensure we are taking advantage of all online platforms to increase our reach.

Developing audiences and participation will be a key focus of the new Marketing Manager, using data and structured work flow to generate ambitious targets for the team. Additionally there is a PR skills gap in the team, an issue that will be addressed by the Marketing Manager.

The total Attendance figure across all 8 areas of the provision in 2017 was circa 101k up from 83k the previous year. This total is calculated using Participation numbers, Hirers, Theatre attendees, festival and events engagement and visitors to the café.

National occupancy averages for benchmarking.

National average % occupancy was 51% in 2017 for venues similar to ours, according to the UK Theatre Sales data and Headlines report 2017. The total across both venues has risen from 44% to 48% but it can be seen that the film programme is having a direct negative influence on occupancy rates.

Theatre Attendees for professional programme in detail

Whilst we have work to do in understanding all our visitors we have a clear understanding of our existing Theatre Attendees and new target markets for the professional theatre programme. The Arts service uses an Audience spectrum segmentation tool to gain understanding of theatre audiences. See https://www.theaudienceagency.org/audience-spectrum/profiles

Occupancy 16/17 17/18

Point Berry Both Point Berry Both

All shows and events 45% 42% 44% 47% 51% 48%Community Shows 67% 54% 62% 60% 55% 59%Professional Shows 54% 41% 46% 55% 68% 61%Film screenings 16% 23% 19% 14% 19% 16%Participation 48% 45% 53% 52% 57% 53%

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Theatre Attendees for Professional Programme 2017/18

The audience profile remains very much the same in 2017/18 as for 2016-17, except for a 2% increase in the Commuterland Culturebuffs – “affluent and professional consumers of culture” which represent 25% of our audiences. Reaching this group remains our biggest opportunity for theatre income as they represent the majority of cultural attendance in the South. They tend to be frequent attenders and potential donors and will pay for premium experiences. Motivations are multiple, ranging from social and self-improvement, to the pursuit of learning opportunities for older children.

Our largest segment is the Dormitory Dependables group which represent 30% of our audiences compared to 22% in the rest of Hampshire. This group is described as “suburban and small town interest in heritage activities and mainstream arts” and most of them show a preference for heritage activities alongside popular and more traditional mainstream arts. Many are thriving, well off mature couples or busy older families. Lifestage coupled with more limited access to an extensive cultural offer mean that culture is more an occasional treat or family or social outing than an integral part of their lifestyle.

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Our third most engaged group, representing 21% of our audience, is Trips & Treats: “Mainstream arts and popular culture influenced by children, family and friends.” While this group may not view arts and culture as a passion, they are reasonably culturally active, despite being particularly busy with a wide range of leisure interests. They tend to be comfortably off and living in the heart of suburbia, with a strong preference for mainstream arts and popular culture like musicals and familiar drama, mixed in with days out to museums and heritage sites. This group are led by their children’s interests and strongly influenced by friends and family.

7. Fundraising

Nationally, medium-sized arts organisations secured an average contribution income of 17% in 2016/17. NPO’s secured in the region of 37%, however, many NPO’s are trusts and charitable organisations and not direct Local Authority services. The Arts and Culture Service raised £229 000 in 17/18 as contributed income, representing circa 12.7% of turnover and so there is significant room for growth.

In order to deliver the programme detailed in this plan, a specific focus on increasing fundraising is required. This will support financial resilience and improve the reach of the Arts and Culture service. A plan will be developed to attract unrestricted and restricted new funding, with a percentage of this income supporting the delivery of core activity.As with most arts and culture provision, it is essential to secure funding from a variety of sources. Past history has seen a focus on grants and trusts; this focus on speculative bids has had varied success and has not been specifically structured around business needs and strategic corporate priorities. There is a need to have a focused and well- managed approach to fundraising in all its forms delivered and coordinated through a specific post, that will not only benefit Arts and Culture, but will extend to other service areas.

Currently the majority of funding comes from limited sources including Arts Council England, The Linbury Trust and HCC. There is a defined amount of multi-year investment from our NPO status with ACE, which has to be applied for on a 2-3 year cycle, but all other grants are applied for annually and nationally. As Trusts are reducing the amount of funding available, there is a requirement for a robust fundraising plan to grow and diversify the funding portfolio.

There is no fixed formula for a sustainable fundraising but the approach will involve spreading risk to encompass a diverse mix of funding sources i.e. multiple trusts and foundations, private donors, membership scheme, sponsorship, fundraising by volunteers etc. There will be a focus on attracting confirmed funding across several years, ensuring the team has a greater confidence with income targets and reducing the reliance of speculative bids within the budget. All funding will include a percentage for core delivery of the service (i.e. unrestrictive income) and there will be ongoing benchmarking, as well as the creation and delivery of fundraising plan.

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To guide benchmarking, the ACE Private Investment in Culture Survey (2016) and ACE 2016-17 Annual Submission Headline Statistics will be used alongside benchmarking with regional Arts organisations.

The recent lack of focus on external funding has led to stagnation. A lack of funding secured for core delivery has directly impacted on the overhead recovery and led to reduced funding for developing health and wellbeing objectives and community engagement.

A small amount of historic project funding is still active but will come to an end in the next year. In 2017 fundraising income was c£250 000 with 8% (circa £20 000) allocated to the bottom line. Over the next 3 years the fundraising targets will be £350 000 to £400 000 within the region of 10% allocated to overhead recovery..

A new Fundraising Officer post will offer support and training across the Borough to all service areas. It will support and lead on cross- service fundraising bids, deliver training and roll out a fundraising toolkit to EBC staff and volunteers. The role will work in partnership particularly but not exclusively with Economic development, strategic and health and well- being colleagues.

There is limited fundraising experience and capacity in the existing team, with an ad hoc approach to bid writing not always related specifically to wider corporate aims. A focus of the new role will be to provide training on bid writing. An increase in activity in this area will support the health and wellbeing agenda, enabling further reach into our communities

8. Stakeholders

Stakeholder cultivation, engagement and management are critical for the delivery of the business plan. Currently stakeholder relationships are dealt with as part of BAU and not managed in order to reach full potential. As part of the delivery of the business plan stakeholder analysis will take place to establish indicators of success including specific funding, joint funding, joint commissioning, joint service delivery and benchmarking. Existing relationships will be developed and new relationships formed.

Existing stakeholders include;

Arts and Culture Staff, EBC, Councillors, Customers, Volunteers, Arts Council, Hampshire County Council, Hampshire Culture Trust, Regional and National Arts venues, local SME’s

Examples of new stakeholders will include;

Local employers of over 250 staff, local and regional arts agencies, arts trusts and organisations, high net individuals, national art centre networks and forums, potential grant and funding organisations, arts and health agencies.

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9. Competitor Analysis

We have two specific Arts venue competitors in the region but we are also working within the unprecedented challenging context of a rapidly evolving, digitally-aware society within which we need to participate. Electronic and digital technology has created an array of media on mobile platforms that competes with live performances, exhibitions and other traditional media. We need to take advantage and consider our digital strategies and plans through marketing, communications and programming.

We are also in a wider regional cultural ecology, where a number of arts organisations, groups and individuals are competing for limited funding and money from restricted budgets including schools. We need to ensure we are not duplicating or competing with our arts education and community arts programmes through partnership working where it makes sense to do so.

Other leisure pursuits provide competition including sports and leisure, the natural environment (including our own parks and outdoor areas), pubs and festivals. Not all of this is negative as local organisations and our own EBC services are potential stakeholders and partners.

Arts Venue Competition

There is an existing regional programming network for Artistic Directors and venue leaders to discuss upcoming programming, in order to mitigate some of the issues between competitive venues. There is a need to remain alert to changes in leadership, programming styles and new venues. It is essential to be competitive and shift focus as required.

Winchester Theatre Royal is a proscenium arch receiving house with 450 seats in neighbouring Winchester, 8 miles north. Recently appointed Deryck Newland, who was artistic director and chief executive at Pavilion Dance South West has started to include contemporary dance and theatre programme which is in direct competition with ours. In early 2018 they embarked on a rebrand (including a new website) with award winning creative agency Marmalade on Toast, and research agency Marketing Sciences, which will position them to compete for our audiences more significantly. We have a strong brand at The Point and a national reputation for dance. Currently this is a USP but we will need to constantly review the programme and utilise our insight to ensure we are competitive with our programming. The competition we are in is evident from the below audience heat maps for the last year:

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The Nuffield Theatre in Southampton opened a second, brand new venue in the city centre, in Autumn 2017, and are currently developing a similar programme to The Point. In acquiring the new space there was a comprehensive rebrand and a new website – a single digital platform for both their venues. Competition is evident from the heat maps below:

Nuffield Southampton Theatres The Point and The Berry Theatre

The Point visitors’ location The Berry Theatre visitors’ location

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10. Operations and logistics

The Buildings

The Point is housed in some of Eastleigh’s most historic buildings. The original council offices were built in 1899 and in 1928, the western end of the building was modified and the town hall added with a main hall that seated up to 380 and had a high stage and proscenium arch. In November 1995 renovation work resulted in a new entrance, foyer/exhibition area, dance studio, catering/bar and toilets, initial work began on the main hall including acoustics. In November 1997, the professional 300 seat auditorium was created: work & improvements included: stage enlarged, lighting & sound systems, retractable seating, tech store & scene dock, dressing rooms, disabled access with integrated seating in the auditorium and accessible facilities for performers. In 2009 the UK’s first fully residential Creation Space was added and opened. A state-of-the-art double-height light filled rehearsal studio with accommodation attached, allowing artists 24 hour access to the rehearsal room. Four bedrooms house up to 11 artists, with the ground floor bedroom fully accessible.

Maintaining a historic building requires careful planning and management. The combination of old and new within one setting adds to the complexity.

New -build The Berry Theatre was opened in Hedge End 2011. Ongoing issues with flooding and related damage are still being addressed. Being on a school site means that there is a reliance on the school site team and its contractors.

The Point and The Berry Theatre work within Eastleigh Borough Council’s operating framework. This includes specialist core services such as HR, Finance and IT. The Operations team have worked to ensure that the buildings are compliant with new Health & Safety regulations and where necessary, have bought in additional skills from specialists from the Borough Council as well as commissioning external contractors when required.

The Theatre’s work closely with the wider Council Property Services and Facilities teams to ensure that both venues maintain an excellent standard of visitor experience. Work is taking place to centralise annual contracts in order to get best value for money and consistency of standard.

A weekly Tech Ops meeting reviews the previous weeks’ activity and plans the following week ensuring adequate set up and staffing is in place.

Operations across the service cover the following areas; Supplies and Services, Administration, Insurance and Property, marketing, they have been split appropriately across the units in this business plan.

11. Our People

The EBC Service Delivery unit is responsible for the delivery of the Arts and Culture service area. Arts and Culture currently consists of The Point and The Berry Theatres delivering 8 distinct Business units. Operational services of HR, Finance, IT are centralised within EBC.

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Marketing and Communications are managed within a matrix management process with staff based within The Point and managed centrally by EBC. Arts and Culture directly employs 20 core staff, 37 casual/freelance staff and has a current resource of 58 volunteers.

Work will be undertaken to review the structure, with a focus on the use of casual contracts and the recruitment of a Fundraising Officer (outlined in section 7 of the ACBP). There are efficiencies to be made, possible joint- service delivery and joined up working with external agencies. This work will take place during Q3/Q4 2018

Training requirements

The team are specialist in their areas and are required to attend specific associated training. In order to deliver the business plan, key areas of development are required to deliver a more commercial approach. These include developing business cases, bid writing, interpreting data, budgeting etc. A training plan will be developed for implementation in 2019

11. Our Processes

Processes will constantly come under review to ensure they are fit for purpose. For clarity the priorities are listed below and will help with developing an artistically excellent programme, service efficiencies and income generation.

A programming process to ensure the programme is based on good audience research & insight and has considered full cost implications, will guide the delivery of the commercial target for the business plan.

A Technical hire process will be generated to improve hire revenue from circa £500 to £2000 annually.

A room booking process will be developed with other EBC colleagues enabling customers to book spaces on line, improving internal logistics by making the process more efficient and less staff intensive

A monitoring and evaluation process will be established to centralise the collation of service metrics.

A process for generating and circulating insight reports will be created in order to encourage informed decision making

A process for delivering the business plan will be developed utilising communications through existing channels including 1+1’s, team briefings, management meetings and Arts and Culture senior team meetings plus the new EBC performance management processes to ensure accountability

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A process for the rota of staff and events will enable a coherent and manageable approach to timetabling the programme.

12. Arts and Culture Strategy and The Point and Berry Theatre new Business Model

Whilst a Culture and Creative Industries strategy exists it will be subject to review in 2019/20. The new strategy will establish the wider vision for the Arts and Culture across the Borough of Eastleigh inclusive of and beyond the work delivered from The Point and the Berry.

The Eastleigh Borough Council Public Art Strategy is due for a review in 2019, supported by staff within the Arts and Culture service

A new Business model for the Point and Berry Theatre will be developed incorporating stakeholder engagement and research into the sector in order to pursue increased income and reduced overheads.

13. Appendices

1. Action Log2. Position Statements

-Health and Safety-Equality and Diversity-Safeguarding-Access Information-Business Continuity