Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) and the Pavilion

Future looks bright for Bournemouth's Historic Theatre

THE business forecast looks bright at Bournemouth Pavilion as the Council decides to keep running it when restoration is complete.

Councillors today (Wednesday November 21 2007) voted in favour of the Listed Pavilion remaining a Council-run enterprise instead of an option to hand management responsibility to the Trevor Osborne Property Group.

The £13million restoration, which will bring the Pavilion back to its 1930s glory, is being funded by TOPG. The company is building a £46million leisure complex, including restaurants, rooftop gardens and a casino on adjacent land as an extension of the facilities on offer in the Pavilion.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Stephen MacLoughlin, said: “The Pavilion is one of Bournemouth’s most notable buildings and we are determined to keep it an in-house operation. The considerable investment from TOPG will make it a quality performance venue and the expertise of our management team will help bring in top-level family entertainment.”

Peter Gunn, Managing Director of the BIC and Pavilion, welcomed the decision to continue the in-house operation. He said: “The BIC and Pavilion operate extremely well together, promoting an extensive range of events across the two venues and benefiting from a coordinated management and ticketing approach.

“Recent improvements to the BIC have helped to drive a 36 per cent increase in income since 2004 and an 80,000 increase in ticket sales.

“Large conferences are being attracted back to the town and consumer satisfaction levels are currently at over 90 per cent. We are convinced that the major investment into the Pavilion will bring similar benefits to residents and visitors to Bournemouth.”

Speaking after the meeting Trevor Osborne of TOPG said: “Detailed discussions about programming and steps to maximise the public’s enjoyment of the theatre have led the council and ourselves to a shared conviction that the Council’s historic operating relationship with the theatre productions should continue into the future.

“Our role will be to restore the entire building so that it is even better than when it was opened in 1929. We’ll be working in partnership with the Council to achieve that result and to help the Council in its ambition to operate the theatre and ballroom as the best on the South Coast”.