10/01/13
More events to Glow at Bluewater events centre
Bluewater events venue
Glow will be hosting more attractions
by business editor Trevor Sturgess
Glow, Kent's biggest indoor venue, is set to offer a wider range
of events.
Around £500,000 could be invested this year in tweaking the
Bluewater showcase to offer more facilities and different
layouts.
The £60million building opened in November 2011, primarily to
host consumer shows.
In the first 12 months, more than 600,000 people flocked to the
venue for expos and entertainments such as the Winter
Wonderland and the BBC Good Food Show.
But demand from consumer show organisers
is not as strong as originally forecast.
New venue director Michael Watton (pictured left) believes
modifications are needed to better equip it to attract sport,
music, comedy, product launches, award presentations and
banqueting.
The recent boxing event at which James DeGale successfully
defended his European title - watched on television by
millions around the world - underlined the venue's suitability
for sport, triggering strong demand from promoters.
Glow's change in direction aims to appeal to a wider range of
people and interests, as well as boosting venue use and income.
Mr Watton said it needed "significant six-figure investment" as
well as time, commercial resource and physical changes to the
building.
"We have a plan in place to make changes that are necessary
because the kind of customers we're talking to are not consumer
shows, they're promoters of events, interested in selling tickets
and putting bums on seats."
But he insisted it was important to choose the right events,
especially ones that were profitable.
Greater use of Glow did not inevitably contribute to the bottom
line, and no venue in the world enjoyed 365 event days a year.
He said: "My view is we do more of the things that have worked
and fewer of the things that haven't."