Michael Harris-Wakelam Email & Phone Number

Leicester, England, United Kingdom

Leicester, United Kingdom

Providing the creative & commercial direction for The Y Theatre & Bar, leading the team and all aspects of Events Management. Overseeing the efficient and safe operation of the Theatre & Events sites, management of all relevant administrative and financial systems and procedures. Acting as an ambassador for the venue and supporting the development and delivery of the venues marketing strategy. Developing seasonal programmes for the theatre and taking overall responsibility for the theatre hire programme.Playing an active role in the regional & local arts infrastructure and Senior Management Team of The Y.Developing the staff team to increase their knowledge of the business as a whole, the mission for the theatre and events and their skills to provide a high quality commercial operation and customer service within a complex organisation and multi-faceted buildings

Melton Mowbray

Coordinate and develop the Theatre to ensure financial viability, community presence and regional and national credibility, whilst also managing the commercial room hire activity at the Melton Campus of Brooksby Melton College.Management, mentoring and development of the Theatre Technicians including their workflow and resources planning. Recruitment and retention of Front of House Volunteers ensuring sufficient cover for the Theatre requirements, and that the Front of House Volunteers were fully trained and aware of their professional responsibilities in giving the best possible customer experience. Produced appropriate staffing rotas for theatre shows and weekend support staff to cover commercial activity.Set and achieve budget targets for commercial Theatre and commercial room hire revenue, and to re-forecast these as the business required. Negotiate with visiting companies to achieve the best possible pricing and calibre of shows in line with the demographic and colleges priorities. Deal with all aspects of theatre bookings from initial enquiries to financial reconciliations. Responsibility for marketing of shows and facilities and all aspects of ticket sales.Ensuring legal compliance and adherence to policies and procedures, and where applicable redrafting or creating these. Reported to Melton Leisure Services board on performance targets and programming updates.

Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire

Coordination of Melton Theatre's programme of events and shows, marketing of these events and associated admin and financial duties relating to these shows and events.Daily tasks included but were not limited to: in person and telephone sales of tickets and other services for Melton Theatre; supporting the Brooksby Melton College customer services/reception team where necessary; cashing up/reconciliation of daily transactions and reporting appropriately; dealing with customer enquiries from members of the public.Frequent tasks included setting up and listing of all shows and events hosted at the theatre on to our ticketing system and website; billing and contracting of shows; assessing and monitoring sales patterns and forecasting possible sales outcomes; negotiations on best deals for visiting productions; liaising with visiting companies; establishing costs for staffing of events and shows; agreeing financial targets and budgets and reporting to the finance team; offering advice to the wider organisation on events and ticketing matters.In this role, I was also required to report to the Melton Leisure Services board annually on the theatre's progress against KPI's and any possible commercial opportunities I had identified for the next 12 months. This annual report contained key data and reportable items as requested, drawn from our CRM and ticketing system. I was also an ambassador for the theatre and the wider evening economy of Melton Mowbray, in my position on the Melton Promotions partnership board.

Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire

In this role, I had responsibility as the duty manager for the building. I was required to liaise with the Front of House volunteer teams and ensure that any specific instructions for the production were passed on. I had direct supervision of a theatre assistant and responsibility for reconciliation of any money taken on the shift. In the event of a first aid incident, I was the first point of call for both performers, crew for the show and members of the public. I also held responsibility for any evacuations due to the fire alarm being sounded.

Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire

Whilst in this role, I instigated and oversaw a full modernisation of our box office and ticketing system. The existing system did not allow for sales 24/7 and was not an online specific system, lacking integration with our newly implemented website. Our needs as a business were changing due to an increase in usage both internally from the college and externally with an increase in commercial users. The needs of the visiting companies meant that we needed to achieve both of these key targets in order to continue to attract commercial users to the theatre.I also wrote a report to the Melton Leisure Services board on the potential commercial opportunities of introducing box office splits and guaranteed fees for negotiations in order to continue to further our commercial programme of shows and events. A combination of the success of the above two projects lead to my promotion to my role of Theatre Coordinator.Regular duties in this role included but were not limited to: administration and promotion of all theatre shows; daily counter sales and telephone bookings for Melton Theatre; operation and management of the college switchboard phone system; receiving of general enquiries from member's of the public and responding appropriately; supporting other departments of the college as necessary.

Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire

Whilst in this role, I introduced a more formal hire process for community hirers and commercial users. The introduction of policies and procedures to improve workflow and compliance with legislation including a booking request form and a written contract for each booking being taken.Another key task was taking control of all listings for the theatre on external agencies and listings websites. This was to coincide with the launch of our own new website for the theatre. I created a series of guidance notes for all members of staff to maintain external listings and also for how to update the new website.I was also given control of the Melton Theatre social media channels whilst in this role. These were under utilised, with just 50 likes on Facebook despite being 2 years old and just 400 followers on the Twitter account. I also introduced a series of other feedback methods for customers to interact with the business such as a TripAdvisor listing. I am pleased to say that I organically grew the Facebook and Twitter feeds to 753 likes and 1978 followers in the past 2 years, and was able to really engage with our audience and gain great insight into what the customer wanted.Daily tasks included but were not limited to: supporting the Resource Planning Coordinator in administration of the theatre; liaising with theatre stakeholders; supporting the customer services/reception team for Brooksby Melton College.

Leicester, United Kingdom

My main responsibilities consisted of controlling and managing the bookings of rooms and the theatre space within the building. This involved me responding to clients booking enquiries often in face-to-face meetings or email correspondence. I was also tasked with the control of requested supplies for events and the office. As part of my internship, I lead a project, based around the resident’s inclusion in The Y. This incorporated National Poetry Day and The Big Draw.

Foundation Degree, Fine/Studio Arts, General, Pass

Final Major Project: Typography & Digital Media

Gcse'S & A Levels, Fine Art, Business Studies, Ict, C, B, C

7 GCSE Passes including Grade A in English Language, Grade B in Mathematics, Business Studies and ICT. BTEC First Diploma in Art.