Board Members Chairman: Mark Smith Anthony Brown Simon Frost Chris Gilder Cllr. Terry Hall Nick Leach Jacquie Shaw Honorary Alderman Robin Sparshatt Vice Admiral David Steel MBE

Executive Chief Executive Officer Andy Grays Head of Operations Sharon Hammond Head of Marketing Marelize de Beurs Head of Technical and Support Services Nick Coles Head of Finance Chris Giles

Mark Smith Chairman This year we have begun to make some real progress on our journey to significantly improve the customer experience for people visiting our venue. By careful financial management, the team have been able to fund some important improvements to the inside of the building such as the re-decoration of what is now our Portsmouth Room. It has been fantastic to see that room coming into use, not least, as part of the recent amazing Portsmouth Festivities Ahoy! event. By working closely with our partners in Portsmouth City Council we have also completed the long awaited refurbishment of the external front steps. This enables us to open the first floor bronze doors creating an impressive new entrance to the building for our customers. We have many more plans to improve the fabric of our building going forward as soon as funds become available. Another key priority for the last year has been to develop our team and their ways of working to ensure we meet all of our customer`s expectation. This has involved new training, coaching and the recruitment of people who bring valuable customer service experience into the team. Our aim is no less than to ensure that every visit to our venue should be a truly special and memorable occasion. I am very proud to be the Chair of the Portsmouth Cultural Trust and to work with a strong Board in guiding the Guildhall to new levels of service and cultural development.

Andy Grays Chief Executive I was positively inspired the very first moment I walked into the Guildhall in the Spring of 2012 for my interview. The building sits at the heart of the city of Portsmouth, a monument to culture. It really is that grand. Thus there was a certain amount of trepidation. Whenever you manage a grand old building, especially one the size of this one, you know it comes with its own tradition, a host of memories and its own unique challenges. We want to create a building that is vibrant, exciting and represents all that is good about music and the arts. I am pleased to report that this year returned a small surplus albeit the Olympics badly affected our concert business for the whole of quarter one and part of quarter two. We made some key decisions which we hope results in a better run venue, with improved systems and a more commercial and cultural outlook. This included internal restructuring of all teams, we changed our IT support, we applied for charitable status and decided to ask Ticketmaster to manage all our ticketing. The year ahead looks particularly exciting. We continue to expand our cultural offer within the Guildhall. The new Zodiac Gallery opened in May this year and a new music exhibition, Access All Areas opens this August. I’m delighted that music promoters have shown renewed faith in the Guildhall and we expect to have more than 90 large scale concerts this year. We’ll focus on developing artistic partnerships with partners such as the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Portsmouth Music Hub and our new city wide Get Into Music Programme. We must also work towards creating a more sustainable venue, we therefore see the Guildhall as one of the regions best opportunities for a major conference and business centre.

219,000 visitors

this year

We are significantly improving the

customer experience

Who We Are

We are the Portsmouth Cultural Trust, a not for profit organisation, which commenced trading in Spring 2011. We have a twenty-five year lease for the Portsmouth Guildhall.

Our Vision To be recognised as one of this country’s leading music and entertainment venues .

2011-12 Our Priorities • To improve the programme, attracting quality artists and developing our

cultural offer. • To extend our reach to new audiences within Portsmouth and beyond. • To improve the quality of our service to all users. • To develop our people, unlocking their potential and developing our

leaders.

A Year in Review: Music and Comedy

The year featured 53 concerts, comedy and classical music events with 69,596 tickets sold. The first quarter of the year was badly affected by the Olympics, however by the autumn concert bookings were back to their pre-Olympic levels. We had the marvellous Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra continue their long standing association with the Guildhall in the Autumn. They started with Holst’s ‘The Planets’, covered the American songbook and featured Steven Isserlis playing Haydn. Their audiences at the Guildhall increased by 9%. We featured many excellent concerts throughout the year including local boys Level 42, the Scissor Sisters and Feeder. We also attracted some national publicity when Mumford and Sons having sold out in record time were victims of fake tickets being sold on various secondary ticketing websites. What was particularly pleasing was the quality of many of the performers, and the opportunity for us to feature many of the latest acts such as Paloma Faith, the aforementioned Mumford and Sons, Rizzle Kicks and Jake Bugg. As a new organisation we recognise the importance of our relationship with both the audience and the promoters. We are working hard on improving the customer experience at the venue, therefore opening new bar areas, creating a pre-show food offer and improving our ticketing. Promoters are crucial to our continued development. As one of the few independent music venues of our size in the south we must prove to them that we can help sell their events. Our comedy events featured this country’s best talent, Rhod Gilbert, Alan Davis, Jimmy Carr and Micky Flanagan.

April-June BSO, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Three Belles, Russell Watson, Rhod Gilbert, Stewart Francis, British Pink Floyd July-September Royal Marines School of Music, Ultravox October-December BSO, Colin Fry, Kevin Bloody Wilson, Level 42, Scissor Sisters, David Essex, Lost Prophets, Motorhead, Feeder, Mumford and Sons, Chicago Blues Brothers, Alan Davis, Steve Vai, Rizzle Kicks, Jools Holland, The Overtones, The XX January – March Jimmy Carr, BSO, Children's Concert, Paloma Faith, Boogie Nights, Micky Flanagan, Bootleg Beatles, Rumours of Fleetwood Mac, Stereophonics, Jake Bugg

Audience numbers increased by 18%

New Creative Platforms

Creating new experiences is vitally important for a venue as prominent as the Guildhall. For many years its has been associated in the publics mind with concerts and civic events. In 2012-13 we explored what the venue might become. Could we open up our foyers and lounges to the public, were there other areas which might be put to better use for cultural activity, could we become more diverse and vital to the community of Portsmouth? Live Lounge Many artists appeal to smaller audiences. Live Lounge offered a traditional cabaret format, good inexpensive food in our restaurant plus a night of great music. We promoted a programme which featured high quality artists, with excellent reputations who are still working at the forefront of the music business. We kicked off the programme in October with chanteuse Barb Jungr, followed by the indomitable Ian Shaw who wowed the audience with his Edinburgh Fringe act. There then followed guitarist John Etheridge and 1980’s singer Mari Wilson. Creating New Galleries We reviewed our spaces and concluded that we could make much better use of many of our areas. One of our key priorities is to increase our engagement with audiences. To do this we realised we must go beyond the traditional offer that has been associated with the Guildhall. A visual arts and exhibition offer enables the Guildhall to reach out and engage with the public during the day. In the autumn we appointed Simon Poole as our resident curator, tasking him to develop partnerships with local, regional and national arts organisations and to set up the first of two new exhibition areas. By Spring the new Zodiac Gallery opened on the Guildhall’s first floor. New partnerships were created with the University of Portsmouth, the V & A Museum and the British Music Experience. The Zodiac Gallery launched with an excellent and posthumous exhibition by Storm Thorgerson.

A second major pilot project, Access All Areas, opens in the Summer of 2013. This new exhibition will explore the history and heritage of music within Portsmouth and beyond.

Community Engagement and Education

We continue to value the strength of our local and regional partnerships. In the year we applied to become a charity we recognised that it is vitally important for community groups to have better access to the Guildhall. The Guildhall’s development as a cultural centre depend upon striking a balance between all potential users of the building. Many of those working at the Guildhall sit on the boards and advisory groups of local projects and organisations. Rock Challenge: now a national dance competition for secondary school students, the UK arm started in Portsmouth. Thousands of young people take part every year with heats throughout the country and the finals every June in Portsmouth. Team building, dedication to a creative concept and a sense of achievement are just a few of the positive outcomes achieved. Portsmouth Music Hub: we are delighted to be a hub partner. As a Trust we want to work towards creating new and sustainable learning opportunities for young people. The Portsmouth Music Hub run by the Music Service have been trailblazers in drawing in a range of partners including schools and professional organisations with the core aim of the provision of music education for young people. We supported the Hub with access to space for concerts and participation in a series of networking events. In March’13 the annual hub conference for Portsmouth and Southampton was held at the Guildhall. Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra: as well as its concert season the BSO hosted a range of education and community events at the Guildhall. In January more than 100 local people of all ages participated in a Rusty Musicians day where amateur players spent a day working alongside members of the Orchestra culminating in a fantastic community performance. In March they hosted a free schools concert event, designed for primary school age. Every season concert also includes a free pre-concert talk at which up to 100 people attend. Portsmouth Schools Festival: now a regular week of concerts for local schools,, we work closely with the organising committee to ensure a successful week. Opportunities Fair: last November the Guildhall hosted an Opportunities Fair. Dozens of local organisations set up opportunities throughout the building enabling young people to gain some insight into future employment opportunities.

Graduations: every year thousands of students accompanied by their parents attend graduation ceremonies at the Guildhall. Whether they’ve successfully completed courses at Highbury College or the University of Portsmouth, the image of the student gowned and standing on the steps is one which resonates with many who know our venue. We’re grateful for the continued use of the Guildhall by Highbury College, the University of Portsmouth and all the many local institutions who carry out regular ceremonies and events.

Portsmouth Festivities: for many years the Festivities have taken place every June. We were delighted to run the box office for the first time on behalf of the Festivities and we are planning to be a more productive partner in future years.

Developing Audiences: we place a great emphasis on developing our audience. Why is this important for the Guildhall? Audiences develop an association with a venue, they learn to trust it for what it offers. Audiences are the lifeblood of any venue, they buy the tickets, experience the event and tell their friends and family. There are many people who might not think of visiting the Guildhall for many different reasons. Our work is to try to remove these barriers, to encourage a wide and diverse audience to support a wide range of events and activities. For example 653 people enjoyed our 6 Live Lounge cabaret events in the café. They enjoyed a very different style of entertainment to that normally seen. We will continue to explore arts for minority groups.

41,030 people

attended graduation ceremonies

Business Engagement & Commercial Success Financial sustainability is increasingly important for most cultural venues, whether they are institutions such as large as the National Theatre or local museums and theatres. The public purse has changed for good as has the relationship between funding agencies such as the Arts Council and Heritage Lottery. Developing opportunities for patronage and legacy is increasingly vital. The Guildhall is no different to any other building receiving a subsidy. We have an excellent relationship with Portsmouth City Council, we are custodians of this city’s most important building and our goal is to reduce the subsidy we receive over the next five years. Our biggest asset is the wonderful space the Guildhall offers through its lounges, meeting rooms, main auditorium, bars and café. We have started working on developing our commercial offer. The Guildhall can become one of the regions main conference and business centres, attracting a wide range of small, medium and large scale events. During the year we hosted a number of high profile dinners including the Old Worcester’s dinner in June with Princess Anne in attendance. In September we sponsored and hosted The News Health Awards, and in February we hosted and sponsored the annual Shaping Portsmouth conference attended by nearly 350 local and regional business people. Our clients already include BAE Systems and Affinion.

28 dinners, 157 events, 12 exhibitions,

13 large conferences

Our Future

Our People We value the hard work everyone puts into the Guildhall, from our people in the box office, the technicians, maintenance, the café team, administration, cleaners and all our casual people. In 2012-13 we formed Team Guildhall, a new operational team working across several areas including the bars, stewarding and general sales. The management have endured a tough and challenging year of change and restructuring, however we now believe everything is in place to help us towards future success. Our Building Not really ours alone; we share it with tenants who have rented out rooms to as well as Meridian Language School who now occupy part of the third floor. The building is also the home of the Lord Mayor and contains the Council Chamber. In 2011 the Portsmouth Cultural Trust undertook to change and improve the Guildhall in consultation with stakeholders and cultural partners. In 2014 we will embark upon a major fundraising drive to improve the city’s most important building. The Guildhall was reborn after the war having been fire damaged during it. We hope that many will join us in our vision to create one of this country’s most creative cultural hubs. A building where music can be enjoyed, heritage is featured and learning takes place, a building for the 21st Century.

Wentworth Training is proud to have supported the Portsmouth Cultural Trust to develop management and leadership competencies to a level of industry best practise. - Nick Brooker, Managing Director, Wentworth Training

The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra has a long and proud association with Portsmouth Guildhall. Last season saw the BSO playing to more people than ever before and we are committed to bringing great music to Portsmouth audiences for many years to come. It is great to see the improvements that have already taken place at the Guildhall under the new stewardship of the Portsmouth Cultural Trust. - Dougie Scarfe, CEO

Avalon has a long standing relationship with Portsmouth Guildhall and has successfully worked together on numerous shows, ranging from regular comedy club nights to large scale touring shows. They are always a pleasure to deal with, very efficient and friendly and all of the acts very much enjoy the shows at the venue. - Imogen Thomas, Senior Booking Agent at Avalon Promotions.

Image of our team

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the many people we have had the pleasure of working with in 2013-14: Music Promoters: SJM, Kilimanjaro, ITB, Live Nation, PVC, Jon Conway, Metropolis, Mel Bush, CMP Entertainment, Eskimo 11, Nancy Skipper, Bootleg Beatles Comedy Promoters: Chambers Management, Phil McIntyre, Avalon, Comedy Store Management, Just for Laughs Classical Organisations Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Raymond Gubbay Community and Education Royal Marines Band, Portsmouth Music Hub, Rock Challenge, Portsmouth Festivities, Highbury College, University of Portsmouth, Open University, Milton Glee, Mayville School. Portsmouth City Council We are grateful for the continued support and funding from Portsmouth City Council. A big thank you to Stephen Baily and his team, Michelle Miller and Jon Bean at Asset Management Services, the portfolio holder Cllr Lee Hunt and the Leader of the Council, Gerald Vernon-Jackson. The City Council’s funding supports our galleries, our classical concerts, the public access to areas, the Lord Mayors floor, the Council Chamber, community projects, and reduced hire for schools concerts and many local not for profit organisations who use the main auditorium each year.

Our People Ziggy Adams, Oliver Ashman, Louie Austin, Tom Aylett, Leanne Baldwin, Kevin Blake, Nicola Bone, Kathleen Brown, Scott Brown, Sally Bufton, Mary Burton, Hannah Butcher, Lucy Carter, Tina Chambers, Corina Ciobanu, Ben Clabon, Bryony Clarke, Jazzmin Coles, Nick Coles, Karen Cray, Joyce Cross, Ricky Danks, Kate Deane, Marelize De Beurs, Graham DeVille, James Dhakal, Angela Dolby, Bonita Dowell, Darrell Drayton, Scott Drew, Joshua Early, Ashley Eddy, Tomas Ellins, Eldrin Furtado, Flora Furtado, Chloe Gilder, Chris Giles, Robina Gratton, Lorraine Hammer, Alexandra Hammond, Sharon Hammond, Darren Harris, Peter Haslam, Curtis Hill, Megan Hill, Garry Holgate, Chris Hulbert, Greg Husselby, Christina Jacobs, Daniel Johnson, Katherine Jones, David Kirkham, Clare Larvan, Craig Lutman, Laura Maciejewska, Jessica Mackay-Gill, Steven MacKenzie, Rachel Maryan, Michelle Masterton, Andy McFarlane, Karen McKarthy, Sean McSweeney, Beth Miller, Matt Millman, Richard Moran, Danielle Morgan, Sam Nutland, Alex Obertelli, Mark O'Leary, Elizabeth Onanuga, Dane Outen, Sharon Paddon, Jarrod Palmer, Craig Paterson, Beth Paterson, Katy Paterson, Gemma Pellegrino, Tasmin Pluckrose, David Powell, Caroline Powell, Tanya Powell, Damian Prewitt, Hayley Reay, Sean Ridley, Kayleigh Robb, Bradley Rowson, Diane Rudling, Marie Ruff, Jane Shearman, Stephen Shirley, Saffron Short, Mala Short, Kate Smith, Lesley Smith, Charlotte Smith, Sarah O’Shea, Shane Spears, Alice Stamp, Charlotte Stamp, Lisa Sutherland, Geoffrey Truran, Carole Underwood, Hannah Waller, James Wark, Adam West, Jack Whiteaway, Patrick Wratten, Antony Wright, Oliver Wright, and Jenny Wrigley.