Features
A Palace For The People
“I don’t want to be known as the No. 1 music venue. I want to be known as the No. 1 entertainment venue,” said Lucy Fenner, commercial director of Alexandra Palace , one of London’s landmark venues.
It was built in 1873 as The Peoples’ Palace, and it’s Fenner’s job to make sure it lives up to its original name. A glance at the venue’s calendar suggests that she’s succeeding. In 2015, Alexandra Palace (or “Ally Pally”) hosted 180 events, including 31 nights of music attracting nearly 300,000 music fans who came to see high-profile acts like four sold-out nights with Florence + the Machine, three with Ben Howard, and two with the
The intimate feel of the venue (Fenner: “10,000 people in Ally Pally’s concert hall doesn’t feel like 10,000 people”) could be one of the reasons Florence + the Machine chose it over bigger arenas. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s an all-standing venue. After all, “artists want to be near their audience. They want them to be able to dance. It’s key.” Concertgoers entering the venue step into the so-called Festival Village where they can enjoy a variety of quality street food, drinks and sweets.
“That’s put on by Ally Pally, not the promoter,” Fenner points out.
That means that it’s open on any given concert night. Since Fenner took on her role more than 10 years ago, her team has not only worked on improving the customer experience but also the back-of-house experience.
“The promoter is not just shoved into a little room in the back. We have comfortable dressing rooms and a backstage bar area. You’ve also got a cinema screen and a DJ booth. The promoter’s and artist’s guests can chill down there too. Relationships are key, not just with your customer, but also your promoter.”
Even though people say it’s all about the inner values, Fenner and her team are increasingly utilizing the Palace’s outdoor space, in particular when it comes to promoting own events. These include the annual Fireworks Festival, beer and food festivals, a Mutoid Waste Parade, exhibitions (The Knitting & Stitching Show is visited by 40,000 textile and craft lovers), car shows, silent disco in the woods, open-air cinema and “Big Fish, Little Fish,” a rave for parents and their kids.
The monthly Street Food & Craft Beer Festival, which attracts about 20,000 people, offers local bands and DJs a stage, or three stages to be specific.
The July edition also featured a giant water slide, which went down the slopes surrounding the Palace. Most of these events are free. Soon there will be even more opportunities to put on events.
“We’ve just embarked on a £26 million restoration project. We have an old Victorian Theatre on site, which we are going to restore. It will be a 1,300-capacity venue. Alongside that, we will be opening up the BBC studios. We’re the birthplace of television, and customers will be able to experience this history.” The BBC leased the eastern part of the building in 1935, and the first public television transmissions were made in 1936. Until 1956, Alexandra Palace was its main broadcast centre.
The East court, currently the ice rink entrance (there’s an ice rink too), will also be refurbished. Works are expected to be completed in April 2018. Alexandra Palace is also offering educational programs for children of different age groups. They can visit the Palace, engage in activities on its grounds and learn something about its history and how it’s operated. In total 50 people work at Ally Pally, and to Fenner, they make the whole experience worthwhile.
One of her personal highlights was last year’s Fireworks Festival, an in-house event for which her crew sold out 50,000 tickets. “I was so proud for how far we came as a team. We delivered it ourselves from beginning to end. I was helping load the bonfire that night. I don’t just sit in my office, I’m in the mix of everything. We do it together, and I really love it.”