Event Management Opportunity?!

Check it out! James Watt Dock LLP are offering Event Management organisations the opportunity to propose events and programmes within The Sugar Sheds. Could this be the beginning of The Sheds being utilised longer term as an events venue? This is what many, many people who had signed up to the campaign wanted to see.

Certainly, following the success of the venue at The Tall Ships, we're really glad to see the recognition of the space in this way. Hats off to RI for taking the time to explore other opportunities. I also don't think it is at all unfair or unreasonable to say that without so many peoples suggestions, interest and efforts and the subsequent national coverage of the Sugar Sheds campaign, the market might not have been getting tested in this way at all.

A lot of events management teams and promoters, local and national, got in contact with us in the weeks following the start of the campaign. I really hope some of them take the opportunity to explore their suggestions for The Sugar Sheds further. We'd certainly be interested in helping that happen in any way we can.

Critically though, we would continue to hope that there is also room for local investment, involvement and employment in the ongoing development of The Sugar Sheds...after all, the local community will be the lynchpin in the sustainability of the space in the longer term.

Recently, I had a "robust debate", with someone who was not convined by the notion of The Sugar Sheds as "a community space". His feeling was that we had enough community centres and "places for junkies and old folk to go to". As someone who has managed a community centre in my day job, I take a wee bit of exception to that...but I think I understand what he was piledriving at. Our notion was never that the sheds be turned into a big giant subsidised community centre, that isn't how we would define a community space; art galleries are community space, swimming pools, theatres, museums, playparks...and this is the sort of space we hope the Sugar Sheds will become, a place where people feel they can go safely to enjoy themselves, and that also provides a direct benefit to our community, whether that is through jobs or the activity that happens there.

We sent some outline suggestions to Riverside Inverclyde a few weeks ago around the community opportunities available (none of which would clash with the above development opportunity), and we are assured of a response soon.

So...still worth sticking in there for now on all fronts...

Sweet.