Annual Report 2011 - Sydney Opera House

46A vibrant and sustainable siteimagination lives insideOUr PrecinctPerformances at Sydney Opera House have increased by 15% over the last10 years and 8.2 million people visit the site every year.overview > With over 8.2 million peoplevisiting every year, enhancing thediversity and quality of experiencesonsite remains an important goal forSydney Opera House. The precinct wasenlivened this year with Opera Kitchenopening in December 2010. This newfood and beverage outlet, hosting fiveof Australia’s best chefs and foodproducers, has been welcomed by patronsand critics, strengthening Sydney OperaHouse’s position as an internationaldining destination.Late night dining options also improvedwith Opera Bar expanding their menuand extending kitchen trading hours untilmidnight, and themed bars aligned withkey festivals proved popular with patrons.The SONY Lounge became a dynamicsocial hub for Vivid LIVE and VividSydney, while the GRAPHIC ‘pop-up’ barprovided another opportunity for patronsto enhance their festival experience.Overall, the expansion of food and beverageexperiences gave outlets solid growth,with a 23% increase in contributioncompared to 2009/10.A range of product bundling opportunitiesfor tourists were developed this year,combining tours with promotions andretail discounts. Two new products werelaunched at the Australian TourismExchange, held in Sydney for the firsttime in 12 years and attracting some320 tourism trade buyers from the USA,Europe, Asia and Australia. The Tour andTasting Plate from Opera Kitchen andA Taste of Opera were unveiled to anenthusiastic response.Contribution from Sydney Opera Houseretail stores grew by 7.5% this year, withproduct sales increasing by 3.1%. Twoleased retail outlets were closed this yearto make way for a new food and beverageoffering. With retail space onsite nowdedicated to product relating to SydneyOpera House programs and activities, theretail strategy is focusing on improvingstore presentation, linking with tourismand food and beverage offers, andrevitalising the product mix to develop thequality and number of products. This focuswill continue next year with an expandedproduct development strategy for storesonsite and in key offsite locations.Challenges > Tourism Market – The strongAustralian dollar, lacklustre westerneconomies and a series of natural disastershave impacted on travel to Australia frommost established markets. Overall guidedtour visitor numbers fell by 5.6% thisyear to 292,148 people, generating $3.0min contribution, a decrease of 5.1% onthe previous year. Promotion of SydneyOpera House as an integrated performingarts, tourism, food and beverage andretail precinct is central to maintainingengagement in view of these challengesin the market. Groundwork undertaken inprevious years is coming to fruition withgrowth in Eastern markets, such as Chinaand Japan providing protection from theworst of the tourism downturn this year.The Future > + Celebration of the10th Anniversary of both Guillaumeat Bennelong restaurant and OperaBar (2011/12). + Refurbishment ofthe Box Office Retail Store to provideimproved customer access and enhancedmerchandising capability (2011/12). + KidsTour launched in partnership with theHouse:Ed program (2011/12). + Researchreviewed for Tourism Visitor Analyticsand Directional Strategy (2011/12).