2015-09-15 Infrastructure and Services Committee Att 1 to Item 4 The J Business Plan 2015-18

Activity Mix Actions:
        Use entrepreneurial seed funding to generate cultural activity, including potential
         partnerships with cultural groups. Track and report outcomes from this activity to
         assess the potential for future growth.
        Review ticketing system to increase competitiveness
        Pursue kitchen hire to increase revenue
        Promote the venue to promoters and touring performers to increase venue hire for
         performances
        Identify under-utilised times and spaces and target venue hire promotion.



Utilisation
There are a number of methods to measure occupancy in cultural and community venues.
As a hybrid of both, The J needs to adapt these methods to recognise the unique
characteristics of the venue.

Performance venues

Performance venues traditionally measure occupancy in terms of days used per year,
irrespective of the number of hours used per day. This recognises the difficulty in using a
theatre style space back to back given the significant set-up and technical requirements.

The Australian Performing Arts Centres Association benchmarking suggests average
utilisation for the main theatre space in an Australian performing arts centre should be
around 70%. The J’s theatre is currently running at about 60% occupancy using the APACA
methodology, showing room for increase.

Community venues

Community halls and multi-purpose spaces traditionally measure occupancy in terms of
hours used. It is difficult to apply a benchmark to The J because some spaces are not able
to be used while others are in use, depending on the type of use. For example, while a
theatre performance is on, there is limited access to the Board Room and noise levels in
the upper foyer would be too high for an event that wasn’t associated with the activity in
the theatre.

Application at The J

Calculating potential availability at The J is complicated by the inter-relationship between
the spaces in the venue. For example:

        The upper foyer is usually not usable when the theatre is being used due to noise
         transfer
        The Boardroom is often unavailable when the theatre is being used due to
         congestion
        The kitchen is used as a kiosk for many events at The J and is therefore not
         available for hire at those times.



The J Business Plan 2015-2018                                                                 18