A new report on Leisureland has called on the Salthill venue to become “more proactive” in securing major events and concerts.
The Leisureland Hall Report, by Holohan Leisure consultants, was commissioned by the board of Leisureland to look at the potential of Leisureland hall, give an appraisal of the current facilities, how to increase the use of the venue, and highlight where gaps in service exist.
The report noted the venue’s advantages of having the largest audience capacity in Galway, its low pricing policy, the fact that it is well known, and its accessible location and car parking facilities.
The report also cited a number of disadvantages, noting promoters’ perception of the venue as “a hall in a sports/community centre”, the quality and limitations of the production facilities, quality of artist accommodation, gaps in service package such as house security, a lack of a proactive sales approach to securing bookings, and the constraints of public sector policies and procedures.
The report said that if Leisureland “wishes to compete in the increasingly competitive venue environment, attract more event booking, and increase revenues, it will have to adopt a more commercial strategy and go out and ‘prospect’ for business”.
It recommend that Leisureland should focus on “improving the operations and more proactive sales and marketing of the venue”. It also recommends creating a separate website identity for the venue to distinguish it from the leisure and fitness events.
Fine Gael councillor Pádraig Conneely has called the report “a damning indictment” of the venue’s management.
“As a member of the board of Leisureland for the past six years I have been consistently critical of the Galway City Council’s management of the venue,” he said. “The report totally vindicates my stand and criticisms of the management style. Their lack of business acumen is clearly spelled out in the report.”
