FEASIBILITY_STUDY , item 14. PDF 1 MB - Meetings, agendas and ...

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A feasibility study prepared for the Black Box TrustNovember 20113 Assessment of Need and DemandThis section assesses the demand for the Black Box and its future operation, taking intoaccount, current infrastructure and resources, audience figures and the arrival of the new MAC.The activities of the Black Box and its performance, in terms of attracting audiences and eventsas well as its relationship with existing infrastructure and resources are examined under thefollowing headings:Audience performanceAudience diversityLinks with local businessEngagement with Festivals and PromotersThe Metropolitan Arts Centre (The MAC)In addition to the performance of the Black Box, we also address, in overview, the economicenvironment in Northern Ireland and Belfast and outline some challenges that the venue mayface in the future.3.1 Setting the sceneThe year 2012 is cited as one of the biggest opportunities for tourism in Northern Ireland, with arange of events, celebrations, commemorations and projects coming on stream. The mostrelevant project in the context of this study is the completion of The MAC in April 2012. Otherhighlights include the opening of Titanic Belfast, the Giant‟s Causeway Visitor Centre, theOlympic & Paralympic Games 2012 Torch Relay, the Centenary of Titanic‟s Maiden Voyage, thearrival of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race to Derry~Londonderry and the 50 th BelfastFestival at Queens, all of which are envisaged to place Northern Ireland firmly on the globaltourism map.The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) „ni 2012: our time our place‟ emphasises the need tocapitalise on these opportunities in order to „drive visitor numbers‟ and „generate economicimpact‟. NITB expect the „7 Big Events‟ of 2012 to contribute to the targets of the Draft TourismStrategy 2010-2020 set out by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) to:“Increase tourism spend to £1 billion by 2020” and “Increase visitor numbers to 4.5million by 2020”NITB‟s estimates of the benefits potentially accrued, as a result of the 7 Big Events in 2012 overthe period to 2015, would account for approximately 14% and 18.5% of DETI‟s targets toincrease tourism spend and visitor numbers by 2020 respectively.The Draft Tourism Strategy 2010-2020 is accompanied by a detailed action plan that includestimescales for achievement. The action plan covers the period to 2013/14 and sets out keyareas of focus, one being „targeted marketing‟ which identifies immediate future priority marketsegments including:City Breaks – especially event led short breaks;14
A feasibility study prepared for the Black Box TrustNovember 2011Culture/experience seekers; andActivity/special interest breaks especially music, golf, angling, walking, gardens, cruisingand cycling.Following years of investment and planning, it appears that the developments in 2012 areintended to provide a platform for attracting new visitors and creating opportunities to marketNorthern Ireland to new audiences.The opening of The MAC in St. Anne‟s Square will play a significant role in attracting touristsinto the Cathedral Quarter in 2012. The cluster of hotels, restaurants, bars and existing arts andculture performance spaces such as the Black Box, Oh Yeah Music Centre and the CrescentArts Centre located in the area, will add to the overall 2012 offering and will also help inattracting the market priority market segments identified in the Draft Tourism Strategy‟s actionplan.3.2 The Black BoxThe Black Box venue comprises a „black box‟ room to house a range of artistic programmingincluding live music, theatre, literature, comedy, film, visual art, live art, circus and cabaret, withthe capacity to hold up to 240 guests. It also contains a „Green Room‟ which has the capacity tohold up to 60 guests. This space is used for small events and meetings such as poetry readingsand community group gatherings, but also acts as a „night time‟ café serving pizza slices anddrinks from Thursday to Saturday.Aims and objectives of the Black Box:“Increased access and participation is at the very centre of the Black Box Trust‟s work.We aim to take the theatre out of theatres, for example, to remove the intimidation peoplefeel, and place the arts experiences in a space which is social and relaxed.By presenting arts in a less formal way, we believe we can greatly increase access to thearts and build audiences for the future.”3.3 Audience performanceThe Black Box opened in April 2006, operating as a temporary performance space, to addressthe major gap in the physical, artistic and cultural infrastructure pending the completion of theMAC. This was on the basis that on opening, the MAC development would fulfil the cultural andinfrastructural needs of the Cathedral Quarter. However, the Black Box has become a verypopular venue for visitors and tourists and has provided a mid-scale home for festivals andevents in the city centre.3.3.1 A growing audienceWinning the Fate Award for „Best Newcomer‟ in 2007, the Black Box has attracted almost193,000 people to the variety of events and activities it offers throughout each year since itopened its doors. Figure 3.1 below shows the number of people who have attended the venueeach year.15
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