Edmiston House - Events not selling out

[DMM84]

I’ve run live music and events venues all over the world for over 20 years. It is an absolute money pit. I’ve hosted St Vincent, Billie Eilish, the Killers, The Blackeyed peas etc same size venue…. World class bar. Didn’t make any money. 4 million revenue p/a after five years break even on the books, not including the build costs. It will haemorrhage money. I feel like I can speak to this. I guarantee it will be a net drain on the clubs finances…. FOREVER.

NEH isn't a Live music event place only though. It literally has near 50,000 people in and around its premises every second week on matchdays, sometimes twice or three times in a week where it is full of punters. It has a museum and store fans can attend pre or post dinner at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant or even just attending lunch/dinner/breakfast/tours at Ibrox.

If the places you ran had that sort of footfall every week I doubt it would have taken your venues so long to break even.

 

[AchtungBaby]

I don't really know what "big name" acts people are expecting at a 800 people capacity venue.

"NEH is shite, how come Rangers couldn't even get Taylor Swift to play there. Incompetents. Waste of money. For that price we could have had 3 Sam Lammers'." etc

 

[EckP]

If artists aren't selling out it probably tells you it was the right size. Selling out means they should have booked a bigger venue.

That's certainly one way of looking at it

 

[MagneticFields]

Sub-1000 capacity is never going to attract the biggest names. It's on par with King Tuts in terms of the audience size.

it's twice the size of King Tuts.

 

[Robert Marshall]

Firstly, NEH is used by families so The Louden is not an option for those type of customers.

Secondly, RFC will benefit financially from both NEH & G51 and are not in competition. G51 will be more of a threat to The Louden (TL) if it does not allow children in. However, I’m sure TL will cope!

Thirdly, stop being a miserable pain in the backside

NEH on matchdays was for somewhere for kids to go to, the Sports bar will, IMO, be for adults only.
I have said for years that I'm a great believer in the American System where all the Bars and Restaurants are in the same area and everyone migrates to that area.
The Louden offers a different experience from what the Club will offer.
Far from seeing the Sports bar and NEH as a threat, I see it as an advantage to The Louden
I think eventually places in the town will be affected as the fans realise there are more places at Ibrox to have a drink before the game and will come over earlier to save the rush on the Subway

 

[Gibby926]

NEH on matchdays was for somewhere for kids to go to, the Sports bar will, IMO, be for adults only.
I have said for years that I'm a great believer in the American System where all the Bars and Restaurants are in the same area and everyone migrates to that area.
The Louden offers a different experience from what the Club will offer.
Far from seeing the Sports bar and NEH as a threat, I see it as an advantage to The Louden
I think eventually places in the town will be affected as the fans realise there are more places at Ibrox to have a drink before the game and will come over earlier to save the rush on the Subway

This is the bigger picture. With venues like NEH, G51 and yours, that corner of Ibrox is being turned into an attraction to draw people in. On game days you draw people in earlier, keep them later so spreading out the crowds. On non match days you can attract people like a social gathering area.

 

[Flying Fullback]

Sub-1000 capacity is never going to attract the biggest names. It's on par with King Tuts in terms of the audience size.

It's double the size of King Tuts. Think it's quite a good size to have its own niche place in the market. Great for bands that are too big for King Tuts, Nice N Sleazy etc, but not big enough for the 02 Academy or Barrowlands. Only real competitors are Garage & SWG3. The latter is a good venue, but a total pain in the hole to get to & there are rumours it may lose its license.

Agree with your basic point though, the capacity wasn't aimed at attracting big name artists

 

[Robert Marshall]

One idea is doing seated next time, though that would put price up by a fiver. However we think it would reduce the crowd noise.

Thoughts?

Your nights are popular with the fans, I saw it first hand in The Louden and the atmosphere was excellent as it felt like a group of pals talking about football.
I was wondering if it might be better to have your roadshow in different locations up and down the Country with about 150/200 capacity, Glasgow, East Coast, Larkhall, Falkirk etc. Venues that are easy to get to
it would be much easier to control the punters
Just an observation

 

[Robert Marshall]

This is the bigger picture. With venues like NEH, G51 and yours, that corner of Ibrox is being turned into an attraction to draw people in. On game days you draw people in earlier, keep them later so spreading out the crowds. On non match days you can attract people like a social gathering area.

Exactly my thoughts

 

[blue genes]

Surely that depends on scale and what else it can be used for though? A sub 1000 capacity venue that can be used by the owners for their own events and hospitality and selling beer and food on match days should be more profitable than a larger venue that's empty 95+% of the time. You can also factor in savings of not having to hire venues for things like AGMs and club events. And presumably it isn't just going to be used by bands? Could well be hired out for private events like H&H live shows or even corporate functions or weddings etc.

Don't get me started on the AGM - the Club were well warned that NEH wouldn't be big enough to host it, but they went ahead anyway (winged it) & lo and behold, a shambles ensued...

 

[deBoersHeader]

It's double the size of King Tuts. Think it's quite a good size to have its own niche place in the market. Great for bands that are too big for King Tuts, Nice N Sleazy etc, but not big enough for the 02 Academy or Barrowlands. Only real competitors are Garage & SWG3. The latter is a good venue, but a total pain in the hole to get to & there are rumours it may lose its license.

Agree with your basic point though, the capacity wasn't aimed at attracting big name artists

The majority of bands I listen to play venues like the Garage or SWG3 so I've been disappointed not to have had a gig at NEH yet.

I just hope they are putting it out there as much as they can.

 

[Papatango]

The majority of bands I listen to play venues like the Garage or SWG3 so I've been disappointed not to have had a gig at NEH yet.

I just hope they are putting it out there as much as they can.

Whether we like it or not bands choosing to play NEH would face hostility from you know who. No one wants to alienate their fan base so most will think carefully & probably avoid if another more venue is available. Just a sad fact of live in WOS.

 

[bullen an la]

That's certainly one way of looking at it

get more punk gigs on

 

[McCoist’sTinHat]

Coffee shop that's hardly open with 30 odd seats and a function suit that sells warm beer into paper cups .

How the standards have fallen

Mate, our transfer budget isn’t going to be made or broken by how many coffees we can sell at once.

It’s there as an amenity for those visiting the shop or museum.

The beer isn’t warm, stop lying. And the paper cups can be changed if we make enough noise.

‘How the standards have fallen’ - are you for real?!

 

[govanite]

Can the title be changed because any time I have been it’s been full every club in the land has an area like this and can the surrender monkeys get a day job .

 

[Mview83]

We were told £1m clear profit a year folks

 

[MagneticFields]

Whether we like it or not bands choosing to play NEH would face hostility from you know who. No one wants to alienate their fan base so most will think carefully & probably avoid if another more venue is available. Just a sad fact of live in WOS.

Bands very rarely choose the venues they play. It’s booking agents working in conjunction with promoters.

 

[McCoist’sTinHat]

Good luck trying to give someone a pint that was pre-poured

Every single music festival and the majority of gigs at arenas/stadiums have holding areas where there are 10-20 pints pre poured and ready to go.

They sit there for a couple of minutes max, but it takes away the pouring time wait for each punter.

Plus it’s coming in a paper cup, so it’s instantly flat because there’s no nice nucleated glass to keep it fizzy.

 

[Grant K]

Last years, restricted trading period, made a £30k profit! The club is not running events it is hiring out facilities, with event risk/ticket sales lying with the promoters. There appears to be a good mix of revenue streams to ensure a profitable entity. Time will tell!

 

[Professor Yaffle]

There's not much to get, part of our support will find fault with everything the club does whether merited or not.

Totally.

But many are sick of bungling, no communication, projects over running amd over budget and most of all a merry go round of managers and baffling signings wasting more cash they don't have on duds which equals limited success and people get angry at everything.

If we were winning a load of the grumbling will stop (although some would find fault in winning the league )

 

[Robert Marshall]

Every single music festival and the majority of gigs at arenas/stadiums have holding areas where there are 10-20 pints pre poured and ready to go.

They sit there for a couple of minutes max, but it takes away the pouring time wait for each punter.

Plus it’s coming in a paper cup, so it’s instantly flat because there’s no nice nucleated glass to keep it fizzy.

IMO it would cause a lot of unnecessary grief

 

[TheCanonburyCaniggia]

A lot of these threads on here today point to one thing: a completely incompetent board making bad decisions where football seem to come secondary. Money that should have went to the team for success blown on various projects with what seems to be little to zero short term benefits.

 

[Buzz07]

There's not much to get, part of our support will find fault with everything the club does whether merited or not.

Reading some of these posts, it's as if some of our fans want this to fail.
The negativity from the same knowalls is to be expected.

 

[Blu_ultra]

NEH on matchdays was for somewhere for kids to go to, the Sports bar will, IMO, be for adults only.
I have said for years that I'm a great believer in the American System where all the Bars and Restaurants are in the same area and everyone migrates to that area.
The Louden offers a different experience from what the Club will offer.
Far from seeing the Sports bar and NEH as a threat, I see it as an advantage to The Louden
I think eventually places in the town will be affected as the fans realise there are more places at Ibrox to have a drink before the game and will come over earlier to save the rush on the Subway

This. The club are attempting to get more Bears on the footprint of the stadium for longer periods before and after games. That means everyone in the vicinity will benefit.

As supporters, we need to constantly have a critical eye, but we focus on the wrong things far too often in my opinion. NEH, is a great example of this. Complaining about the vessel your bevy comes in etc. Deary me. We have a shop, museum, cafe, event space, corporate offer and a new match day bar opening up. It’s very impressive - and I’ve heard other supporters saying the same thing. Other things like a female Celtic supporter I know attending an event at NEH. Spending her money that ultimately benefits Rangers. It’s not perfect, but some are complaining like it’s a bowling club because they don’t like everything that’s been done. Maybe other people want a different offer? Maybe not everyone thinks the same and the club need to appeal to a broader market? Some on this thread sound like grumpy old men.

 

[Jelle1880]

Reading some of these posts, it's as if some of our fans want this to fail.
The negativity from the same knowalls is to be expected.

There's no doubt that this is the case for some on here.

Some people are not happy unless they have something to be unhappy about, which is insane.

 

[Mview83]

Last years, restricted trading period, made a £30k profit! The club is not running events it is hiring out facilities, with event risk/ticket sales lying with the promoters. There appears to be a good mix of revenue streams to ensure a profitable entity. Time will tell!

£30k to £1m what a year the place is going to need to have

 

[Blu_ultra]

£30k to £1m what a year the place is going to need to have

Not necessarily. It’s not quite as clear as what’s been made out. For example, in the running costs, we need to factor in that we don’t have running costs for the old retail shop. Last year’s figures include 1 off operating costs and didn’t include a whole year of trading properly, including the museum now being opened. What about the increased trading from merchandise due to people being on the footprint? Add in - is it 100% about money? What about looking after the loyal fans with a facility they can be proud of? I think it’s brilliant.

 

[Blue Phoenix]

I don't really know what "big name" acts people are expecting at a 800 people capacity venue.

Kajagoogoo?

 

[Talktalk]

There's not much to get, part of our support will find fault with everything the club does whether merited or not.

The self loathing of our institution has always baffled me, imagine if we all agreed to disagree and March as one for the benefit of the team on the park , what a difference that would make

 

[Brookfield Bear]

Is NEH still showing the Scotland game tomorrow night? Did anybody go to the previous Scotland screenings?

It’s a bit of a shame that the next event listed isn’t until 30 August.

The website is a complete mess, it does help that there seems to be two similar sites; edmistonhouse.co.uk and ibroxconferenceandevents.co.uk

 

[Talktalk]

Kajagoogoo?

They’re Too Shy to play a gig there nate

 

[Valley Bluenose]

Is NEH still showing the Scotland game tomorrow night? Did anybody go to the previous Scotland screenings?

It’s a bit of a shame that the next event listed isn’t until 30 August.

The website is a complete mess, it does help that there seems to be two similar sites; edmistonhouse.co.uk and ibroxconferenceandevents.co.uk

Were they ever showing Scotland games? Not sure there's the audience there for that tbh.

The Edmiston House website is the better one for what's going on:

Queue-it

edmistonhouse.co.uk

 

[VGM]

One idea is doing seated next time, though that would put price up by a fiver. However we think it would reduce the crowd noise.

Thoughts?

Heard this mentioned on the update the other day and it reminded me I didn’t reply to this.

Yes I’d be well up for that.

 

[watp85]

Is NEH still showing the Scotland game tomorrow night? Did anybody go to the previous Scotland screenings?

It’s a bit of a shame that the next event listed isn’t until 30 August.

The website is a complete mess, it does help that there seems to be two similar sites; edmistonhouse.co.uk and ibroxconferenceandevents.co.uk

Yeah it will be.

About 100 odd in for Wednesday.

I hope it's open on Tuesday for Green Day. Not seen it publicised or maybe I'm looking in the wrong area online.

 

[Blendz Bears]

If a band hires a venue but then fails to sell out that's a problem for the band not the venue. The club gets paid regardless. It's not Rangers trying to flog the tickets at discount prices, it's the event promoters.

Yes that's what my thoughts were we get paid regardless of ticket sales on a non club event. My only grip with NEH is that they could have made the bar bigger so the flow is much quicker. And matchday entertainment every time I've been in it starts at 2pm. Out with face painting the younger ones got bored waiting for broxi etc. Should have a flow of pre match entertainment from minute it opens. But that's my only personal opinion it might not be viable to do that though

 

[Brookfield Bear]

Were they ever showing Scotland games? Not sure there's the audience there for that tbh.

The Edmiston House website is the better one for what's going on:

Queue-it

edmistonhouse.co.uk

Aye, they were advertising the Scotland games and a poster above has been.

I think it is symbolic of the confusion on the website that we can’t even figure it out but it will be open and free entry.

We get emails from castore etc all the time, why not edmiston house?

 

[Valley Bluenose]

Is NEH still showing the Scotland game tomorrow night? Did anybody go to the previous Scotland screenings?

It’s a bit of a shame that the next event listed isn’t until 30 August.

The website is a complete mess, it does help that there seems to be two similar sites; edmistonhouse.co.uk and ibroxconferenceandevents.co.uk

I just caught up with this and you're right, they are showing Scotland games. I hadn't seen it advertised anywhere but just found this newspaper article. Every Scotland game plus semi-finals and final:

Free Euro 2024 fan zone announced in Glasgow ahead of Scotland vs Germany opener

While many fans are still scrambling around for somewhere to watch the huge opening clash, another venue has announced it will be showing every Scotland game free of charge

www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk

Isn't advertised on the website though.

 

[blue genes]

IMO it would cause a lot of unnecessary grief

I accept it might not be great, but who on earth wants to stand in a queue for half an hour for a pint, especially when you are having a "quick" post match pint before heading out for the evening.

 

[Barca Bear]

NEH on matchdays was for somewhere for kids to go to, the Sports bar will, IMO, be for adults only.
I have said for years that I'm a great believer in the American System where all the Bars and Restaurants are in the same area and everyone migrates to that area.
The Louden offers a different experience from what the Club will offer.
Far from seeing the Sports bar and NEH as a threat, I see it as an advantage to The Louden
I think eventually places in the town will be affected as the fans realise there are more places at Ibrox to have a drink before the game and will come over earlier to save the rush on the Subway

We drive to Ibrox.
On occasion, we would go in the Louden before/after.
Then the wee man got his season ticket so the occasion is now NEH which is ideal for us.

 

[AchtungBaby]

A lot of these threads on here today point to one thing: a completely incompetent board making bad decisions where football seem to come secondary. Money that should have went to the team for success blown on various projects with what seems to be little to zero short term benefits.

Very few businesses work based on short-term benefits. Like it or not, Rangers is a business. With very few sources of income in the league, it's sensible to invest some of the money in long term, sustainable income streams. NEH is a sensible, strategic asset for the club and the fans as they club look to maximise income from fans who have money to spend on matchday but spend it away from Ibrox. 15m now will pay back multiples of that investment over the long term.

 

[laudrup71]

As others on here have said - a bunch of events will be on a venue hire basis and we'll make a profit on these regardless of ticket sales. Our fee will ensure we get what we want and then it's down to the promoter running the even properly to make a profit after their costs are covered.

For events we run - They don't need to sell out to make a profit and even relatively poorly attended events will likely cover their costs thanks to bar takings.

I reckon NEH will be a long standing asset for us - it might not make as much as we projected initially, but I imagine it'll turn a profit without too much effort. Income streams are always good, even if they're slow burn it all counts.

 

[Grant K]

Very few businesses work based on short-term benefits. Like it or not, Rangers is a business. With very few sources of income in the league, it's sensible to invest some of the money in long term, sustainable income streams. NEH is a sensible, strategic asset for the club and the fans as they club look to maximise income from fans who have money to spend on matchday but spend it away from Ibrox. 15m now will pay back multiples of that investment over the long term.

Difficult to find fault in turning a rotting, non performing asset into a multi-income stream profit generating entity providing pleasure to fans through its different uses. Add to that the knock on effect of creating space for a further profit generating sports bar it appears the ground work has been laid for cash generative use of the surrounding area of the stadium for many years.

What’s not to like?

 

[govanite]

It was needed because a club like Accrington Stanley having a better match day experience was unacceptable people arriving just before kick off and doing one 20 mins from the end plain embarrassing.lets get younger generations in and this is the way to do it.

 

[orjan_persson]

Reading some of these posts, it's as if some of our fans want this to fail.
The negativity from the same knowalls is to be expected.

They'd be quite happy for aspects of the club to fail as long as they're proved correct.

 

[Nacho Novo]

Is NEH still showing the Scotland game tomorrow night? Did anybody go to the previous Scotland screenings?

It’s a bit of a shame that the next event listed isn’t until 30 August.

The website is a complete mess, it does help that there seems to be two similar sites; edmistonhouse.co.uk and ibroxconferenceandevents.co.uk

It looked absolutely packed for the Germany game!

 

[Gascoigne8]

said it already but the sheer lack of advertising is so poor

 

[GazzaG]

A lot of these threads on here today point to one thing: a completely incompetent board making bad decisions where football seem to come secondary. Money that should have went to the team for success blown on various projects with what seems to be little to zero short term benefits.

If you don't understand FFP that's not the boards fault.

 

[TheCanonburyCaniggia]

If you don't understand FFP that's not the boards fault.

So just spend for the sake of spending then. Your argument makes zero sense. Cos of FFP spend the money on EH. Sound.

 

[Gmcg95]

I just can’t see it ever working as a viable venue. Bands of note aren’t going to play there due to its limited capacity and transport options - it’s just out of the way.

I’ve been in a few times to buy something from the store/done the tour etc. and it’s fine for that but having also been in pre-game, it’s not been anything special and I’ll happily take a roll and sausage or pie in the Louden before getting what is actually less than a pint served in a plastic cup and having to order the likes of a pakora.

Top top it all, we’re now opening the G51 bar which will take money away from NEH - madness

NEH is rammed every home game, if anything G51 gets more fans in?

 

[Northampton_Loyalist]

So just spend for the sake of spending then. Your argument makes zero sense. Cos of FFP spend the money on EH. Sound.

Money spent on improvements to facilities do not count towards ffp, meaning we can leverage money to build them. Transfers do count towards ffp, so we have to keep spending within certain levels or face the same as Everton etc.