obtaining a special venue licence
the challenge:
A premises licence was needed at the state of the art
contemporary art centre, Nottingham Contemporary prior to building
works being completed, in a building which was in a saturation
zone. The licence had to give freedom for a wide range of
entertainers to perform at the venue and also to enable
exhibitions, live art, educational activities, conferences,
catering and merchandising to be available.
our approach:
We set out to distinguish the building from other licensable
premises and to disprove the presumption that a licence could not
be granted due to it being in the saturation zone. We
attended round-table meetings with the Police Licensing Officer to
negotiate and agree reasonable conditions for the licence so that
it could be secured without a hearing. We also came up with
innovative language to ensure that the conditions of performance
were less restrictive, dealing with particular concerns over
nudity.
the result:
A licence was granted that did not restrict the creative freedom of
the performers and without attending a hearing. This
benefited the business through reduced costs for obtaining the
licence and broadened the appeal of the venue to a wider audience,
generating increased opportunities for revenue.