Ever-changing needs of the market
As a direct response to an increasing number of ad-hoc enquiries, the packages and focus on this growing revenue stream helped the team increase film and photoshoot enquiries by more than 50% in 2020 (compared to 2019) despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jackie Boughton, Head of Business Events at the Barbican commented: “Although the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdowns have impacted our short-term meetings and event offering, we have continued to develop alternative revenue streams taking government guidelines on safety into account. Our filming and photoshoot offering was just coming to fruition when the first lockdown struck, meaning we were in the perfect place to expand it beyond simple ad-hoc responses to a full service, as soon as restrictions lifted. The whole team have worked hard to make this offering reality and I am delighted by the success they have seen in enquiry levels as well as the subsequent confirmed business and delivery.”
Clients using the Barbican for shoots have included pop-rock band The Vamps, singer and songwriter Becky Hill, and several high-profile fashion and beauty brands. The Barbican was also a key location in The One, a Netflix top 10 hit, released last week.
The increase in shoots is just one area Barbican Business Events has seen growth and diversification over the last 12 months. Others include weddings, training events and a full-service hybrid offering.
