St James prepares to take centre stage post-lockdown
This year was gearing up to be a record-breaking one at St James, Guernsey’s unique concert and assembly hall. But then Covid-19 struck.
‘The virus has reshaped the way the business community meets,’ said Jon Bisson, executive director.
‘After a successful 2019, 2020 was looking good.
‘We’d managed to bring the commercial side in with comedy events, live events and turned a [financial] corner.’
The venue has two main types of clientele, according to Mr Bisson: entertainment and ‘long- term supporters’. Some groups are not necessarily commercial but rather charity-based.
After the initial shock of closing due to the coronavirus pandemic, and with the easing of restrictions, the venue has managed to start upgrading its systems, lighting and decor.
It gets a small grant from the States each year but is run as a charity and the success of the commercial side is important.
‘We’ve taken advantage of the stop in business to reposition ourselves as the cultural hub of Guernsey, and hope that when we reopen, people’s appetites will be refreshed,’ said Mr Bisson.
Social-distancing measures will be possible at St James due to the size of the hall and the stage and plans are being discussed to potentially open for a few nights a week as a dinner and entertainment venue.
‘James Ferguson from Cooked is taking over the cafe and increasing its size, offering lunches and takeaways, as well as opening it in the evenings,’ said Mr Bisson.
He praised the government for how it reached out to businesses during the crisis. ‘It’s been refreshing,’ he said.
‘If the exit is managed carefully, we can come out of it in a strong way.’
Predicting that there will be fewer smaller business meetings at St James in the future, Mr Bisson said he expected there to be more bigger events, which would ‘make them seem more special’.
