The Context
Cahoots NI is a Belfast- based theatre company producing boldly innovative work for children and their families, at home and across the world.
The Junction Retail & Leisure Park is the go-to retail and leisure destination in Northern Ireland. Alongside over 30 retailers, they offer a wide range of places to eat and drink, activities for the kids and a 10-screen Omniplex cinema.
2020 was an extremely challenging year for The Junction with lockdowns preventing many units from trading. In the lead up to Christmas they wanted to achieve several objectives:
to drive footfall to the complex responsibly, boosting brand awareness of the centre’s retail, food and beverage offering and ultimately maximising sales opportunities
to give something back to their loyal customers, by delivering an experiential activation to keep the magic of Christmas alive, despite uncertain times
to support the local arts sector: having previously booked performers from Young at Art and Belfast’s Community Circus School for onsite activations and events, the centre wanted to really give something back to a sector and give performers a space to showcase their work
The Solution
A&BNI made the introduction between The Junction and Cahoots NI and stepped in to support both partners, via Investment Programme match-funding, to facilitate an innovative community engagement extravaganza.
Due to the COVID pandemic, none of the usual Christmas entertainment offer was possible, and The Junction wanted to bring some festive fun to their local customers who had loyally supported the businesses operating within the park.
The partners joined together to deliver ‘Elves got Talent’, a COVID-safe event for delivery as a ‘drive in’ experience for shoppers and families using the Junction Retail and Leisure Park during the Christmas period.
To help retail conversion, a bespoke voucher booklet was produced for every car. 250 vouchers were redeemed, and retail sales during the three-day run, saw the biggest increases on last year during December. Tenants’ sales grew by +8.4% compared to the same trading period the previous year.
The last Saturday before Christmas presented the strongest results with a +39% increase in daily sales.
All nine shows sold out with over a total of 610 vehicles in attendance. The immensely positive feedback from audience members demonstrates that this partnership achieved what it set out to do – bring some Christmas joy to families across Northern Ireland.
The partnership and match-funding support from Arts & Business NI enabled Cahoots NI to recruit a total of 15 cast and crew members, many of whom may not have been in full time employment due to the ongoing pandemic. By working collaboratively with Cahoots NI, The Junction was able to demonstrate its support of both the arts sector and the talented people working within it.
The partners agreed to charge a small booking fee of £10 per vehicle and donated the funds raised to NI Children’s Hospice. As a result of all performances selling out, a total of £6.7K was raised for NI Children’s Hospice.
“Cahoots NI were flexible in their approach, and certainly exceeded everyone’s expectations in creating an incredibly bespoke, authentic and high standard production. Customers were blown away by the fast-paced, festive entertainment delivered at ‘Elves Got Talent’. The entire process was great fun, and it has kindled new relationships, which The Junction hopes to develop in the future. This project would not have been possible without the match support provided by Arts & Business Northern Ireland’s Investment Programme and this joined-up funding approach allowed us to create a truly fabulous pantomime experience, set against the backdrop of a difficult year with the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Chris Flynn, Centre Director, The Junction Retail & Leisure Park
“Cahoots NI had a wonderful experience collaborating on Elves got Talent. Despite the challenging circumstances we faced, we used a targeted approach to set and meet realistic deadlines and had a clear line of communication with the team who were helpful, positive and knowledgeable. The on-site team at The Junction were invaluable in making the drive-in production (a first for us) run so smoothly for the audience members. I believe we were definitely successful in achieving our goal of spreading some Christmas cheer for families in NI at an otherwise challenging time. We are grateful to the team at The Junction for their enthusiasm and investment in this project and look forward to future collaborations with them."
Emma Wilson, Creative Engagement Manager, Cahoots NI
