Spurred on by the challenges of the past year, Liverpool’s commitment to becoming the most exciting city in the UK – both on-street and online – has never been stronger.
In a clear reflection of that intent, three of the city’s most iconic buildings have now joined forces to embrace a pioneering new booking system that will see their historic beauty become infinitely more accessible to both residents and visitors.
The platform chosen to power all of Liverpool Town Hall, St George’s Hall and Croxteth Hall’s bookings is the latest innovation from multi-award-winning venue, event and facilities software provider, OPTIMO.
The move comes at a critical time, with the council addressing the vital need to increase city revenue in a modern and progressive way. It will be a pivotal component in boosting both business tourism and the visitor economy, as Liverpool gets set to completely reopen to residents and visitors this summer (in line with Step 4 of the UK Government’s ‘Roadmap out of lockdown’).
The digital resource will streamline reservation activity for all three Halls, allowing bookings from organisations for corporate and commercial events – as well as bookings for weddings – to be made in a swift and efficient manner.
The migration to OPTIMO will result in an improved experience for prospective bookers, and will be a significant player in the resurgence of all three Halls, which, like many other venues up and down the country, have been closed for events due to numerous lockdown and tier restrictions.
This is the latest in a number of key developments for the civic buildings, with Croxteth Hall last year earmarking plans to carry out £650k worth of essential repairs and St George’s Hall successfully securing £250k in funding to create a new digital visitor attraction – the latter being another crucial component in the city’s mission to embrace new-age technology.
Pending building repairs and enhancements, future updates with regards to respective reopening dates will be announced via each of the Halls’ websites and social media channels. In the meantime, all booking enquires are being actively encouraged, with the City Halls team on hand to advise bookers once they have made their reservation online via the new OPTIMO booking system.
All event bookings for Liverpool Town Hall and St George’s Hall can now be made at https://eventscityhalls.liverpool.gov.uk, while bookings for Croxteth Hall will also be available via this address in the near future.
Head of Liverpool City Assets, Angie Redhead, said: “While the pandemic has undoubtedly hit all three of our City Halls hard, we have used our time during the enforced closure period to make some vital changes in how we operate, with future thinking very much at the core of our decision-making.
“The pioneering booking system solution provided to us by OPTIMO will mean that our team can now work in a more integrated manner, to ensure that nearly-weds, corporate and commercial organisations alike can enjoy special moments within each of our historic sites.
“The Halls have all played their part throughout the pandemic, helping out with services such as ‘Nightingale’ courts and mass testing centres. We can’t underestimate how important that is, but equally, we’re looking forward to getting back to what we do best; providing three amazing and unique venues for residents and visitors to enjoy.”
OPTIMO CEO, Shantha Ruban, said of the partnership: “It is a privilege and a pleasure to be working with such a forward-thinking team as the City Halls have. Their focus on the future is very closely aligned with our own and we’re excited to play a role in their ongoing success as the city begins to open back up.”
