Arts Management: Operational Planning - Report Example

Arts Management: Operational Planning Part I Introduction The hospitality and event management industry has many facets. This includes the sphere of operational planning. Operational planning in the hospitality and event management industry is a composite of various functions like contractual details as well as details for negotiations that will spear head the quality of events and other details that will be seen at the foreground. Financial details also form an important part of the operational planning sphere. In this context, the following report has been prepared in conjunction to the newly built ‘Theatre Royal’ in Reading, Berkshire. This venue is due to open on the 1st March 2009 and has been a highly costly project funded by an extensive number of sources. This organisation is a non profit organisation governed by a board of directors who represent key stakeholders who provide a significant amount of funding such as; the local authority, the Arts council, EU Social Development Fund, two national banks, and two charitable trusts who are concerned with groups of people that are socially excluded. This report will help in maximising the use of all facilities on offer within the Theatre such as the following: Main auditorium: 1000 capacity, with fixed raked seating & high specification stage, lighting & sound system with sprung floor. Studio: 150 capacity, used as raked seating & flat floor & can also be used as a workspace for small events or workshops. It also has a sprung floor and lighting systems. Cinema: 100 capacity, & film project equipment. Gallery: 12 x 12 meter (also attached to bar and cafe areas). Within this report I will be looking at many of the key factors that will be crucial in the process of planning this project. I will be looking at the following in detail: 1. The background, culture, demographics and the catchment within a 30mile radius of Reading town centre. 2. The key business competitors within the entertainment industry within the catchment of Reading. 3. The stakeholders such as; Local Arts groups, Universities, Colleges, and the current political party. 4. The economical and social factors that surrounding the town of Reading. These four key points will be discussed through a number of imperative sources such as the most recent government census 2001 that can be found over the internet as well as websites such as, upmystreet.com and mintell.com. This will then help to compile a detailed plan of strategic objectives that will then be used by the ‘Theatre Royal’. The various elements of operational planning have been discussed as part of the case study of Theatre Royal. It may be seen that the various aspects of operational planning have been tied together under the various headings as follows. Background Berkshire Sub-Region Context Map (refer to Appendix 1.0) shows Reading just to the west of the city of London. As you can see Reading is a prime location for any already existing or new organisations, as it has easy access to top motorways in the south west of England such as the M3 and M4 giving easy access to the M25. The location is also within 25 minutes drive from one of Europe’s largest trading estates fuelling many new jobs in southern England in the town of Slough. Reading is a very multicultural town consisting mainly of Christians (62.63%) however there are many others from a number of religious backgrounds such as Muslims (4.0%), Hindu’s(0.99%), and people who state themselves as having no religion (22.0%), (Refer to Appendix 1.1). The total population of Reading is 143,069 people and of these 129,900 people were born within Europe and 123,080 of these originated in the UK. The population sets in Reading consist of various ethnicities and age groups. Furthermore there are 6,196 people from Asia and 3,632 people from Africa. There are also small minority groups within the Reading area as only 5 people are from Western Europe (Luxembourg), 11 from Western Africa in Congo and 17 people from Oceania (for further statistics refer to Appendix 1.2). This proves the concern by charitable trusts as there are groups of people that can easily be socially excluded as they are a small minority. The operational planning aspects need to cater to the existence of ethnicity within the population of Reading. Demographics Reading has proven to be a cosmopolitan town with a high number of young adults aged 19 and over, middle aged people in their thirties and old age people. For example there are 3,051 people that are 20 year olds, 2,320 that are 37 year old and 3,749 people aged 75-79. On the other hand there are only 1,766 16 year olds and 17 people over the age of 100 (Refer to Appendix 1.3). Aging population The demographics of Reading also show that there is a large working population of 69.25% shown in Appendix 1.4. The figures also show that only 2.52% are unemployed in the area, whilst the rest are in education, retirement, permanently sick etc. According to statistics shown in Appendix 1.5 there are 111,594 people over the age of 16 in the Reading area that can work. A large number of these people come under the social grading of AB (30,216) and C1 (35,151). However there are a smaller number of people from the social grading E (13,698). These statistics show that there are a high number of professionals in Reading which suggests the idea of a disposable income. This means that Reading will be a good area to put on theatre productions, because people will be able to afford luxuries and tend to spend more money on the Arts. This has positive implications as far as the interest of stakeholders is concerned as there are diverse options available in the operational planning sphere so as to make optimum use of the interest level in the arts. Yet, there needs to be a keen eye on legislations as far as the laws on what can and cannot be portrayed are concerned due to the fact that the play of authorities like the EU is highly visible in this case. Statistics from Appendix 1.6 show that there are a total number of 93,805 people as part of the working population in Reading. The total number of people under the age of 20 years old that work stands at 5,422. This indicates that the majority of the working population are middle aged as statistics show 25,365 people are 30-39 years and only 4,413 people are over the age of 50 years old. As touched on before the infrastructure within the catchment of Reading shows that there is easy motorway access from mainly the M3. There are good transport links from ‘great western trains’ running from central London towards the North, West and South of England. Buses and Coaches travel well into the heart of surrounding towns such as Oxford, High Wycombe, Swindon, Basingstoke, and Slough. Furthermore statistics from Appendix 1.2 ‘Country of birth’ and Appendix 1.3 ‘ Age’ show Reading has many minority groups that can easily be dismissed and risk facing social exclusion whether it be because of age or ethnicity. Culture It is important to recognise that Reading is already a key town to people with an interest to the arts as it has a number of art centres such as; art galleries and concert halls with a an already existing art scene. The town of Reading is mother to the notorious nationwide annul ‘Reading festival’ of live bands attracting people from across the country. In conjunction to this is the 2006 launch of the ‘Reading Fringe Festival’, which proved the hidden talent of many people from local arts organisations promoting themselves at a range of venues in the run-up to the Reading Festival. The use of various kinds of talents also comes from the fact that there is wide ethnic and cultural diversity in Reading. This again caters to holding the interest of the various age groups that make up the population in Reading. Also, it has positive implications as far as benefits for stakeholders are concerned. In addition Reading is also the home of Gen Con UK (Games convention), and Remix Reading (free culture project) focusing on ‘copyright and the local arts scene’. (Appendix 1.7) By looking at all of the above statistics from the Appendices you can see that Reading is a very multicultural area with a high percentage of working people. A significantly large number of those people are from various sectors of highly and well paid professional jobs indicating that many people will have some sort of a ‘disposable income’ which is already known to be spent within the arts and entertainment industry. It has also shown that the area of Reading is also excellent in terms of arts organisations as many people from the local community and foreigners are already attracted to the existing events creating a database of potential customers already. Competitor Activity Competition is an important part of the theatre sector in this area as there are a number of diverse activities in towns around it. A major part that contributes to competitor activity in the area is due to fact that there are diverse ethnicities in and around Reading. This has created ample scope for various kinds of theatrical performances that cater to diverse cultures and age groups. This has led the creation of various renowned theatres that enjoy wide patronage from various kinds of people, of various ages. A study of the demographics in and around Reading will also demonstrate that a major chunk of the population is made up of young people between 16 and 25 years of age. Being close to Oxfordshire, there is a demand for high standard theatre groups and other such activities due to the fact that the people around here are generally knowledgeable about any and every kind of craft and further, research is of paramount importance for most people in this age group as most of them are college students. Therefore, a study of the competitor activity revolves around the following two premises: Effective Visitor Management. Creation of interest through high performance standards. In this regard, Reading is surrounded by neighbouring towns that are home to already renowned theatres such as the Playhouse in Oxfordshire which is a listed Charity and The Wycombe Swan and the town Hall in High Wycombe. It has 40 staff members and 200 volunteers and is operated under lease and subsidy by the local council. The theatre displays many events such as, Classical & Opera, Comedy, Dance and Ballet, Jazz & Blues, Local Events, Music, Spoken Word, and Swan Dance to name a few. (Appendix 2.0 www.wycombeswan.co.uk) Therefore, it may be seen that the Theatre Royal will need to offer something new that will cater to diverse audiences to create a success story of its own, with an eye on effective visitor management. Visitor management is the major building block for this theatre as this process will help in identifying, classifying and retaining a strong visitor base through activity based on what is lacking in competitors and what visitors would like to see. The Progress Theatre in Reading is another local venue located nearby the University campus and consists of events such as musicals, Local events, Drama and Dance. It is registered as a charity with a 97 seat theatre and is self-funded and run in the voluntary sector. (Appendix 1.8 www.progresstheatre.co.uk) The Hexagon is a theatre in Reading and is a multi purpose venue with a range of events such as Rock, Pop, Comedy, Dance, and Classical Music and also consists of a cafe and bar. (Appendix 1.9 www.readingarts.com/the hexagon) The Sheldonian Theatre is a venue with 800-1000 capacity and is used mainly for major meetings and public ceremonies for the University. The theatre has now also become a leading venue for musical concerts and performance. In regards to other venues under the arts in the surrounding areas there are many more venues mainly consisting of Chapels and Cathedrals, however these venues often have a smaller capacity and host Choirs, concerts, charity events for poorer communities, or the Christian Ministry. These older venues are slightly more restricted in the events they have and do not often consist of cafe’s and bars that many new build have. (Appendix 1.7 www.oxfordplayhouse.com/tickets) These kinds of competitors do not do much for the population diversity in Reading and the Theatre Royal can take a page from their chapters in an endeavour towards providing a more wholesome programme as far as the ethnic diversity is concerned. This has positive implications in the arena of grabbing a major chunk of the competition. It is important for the Theatre Royal to effectively garner the support of diverse groups by providing something that will cater to the various ethnicities in the area as well as the diverse age groups. Stakeholders There are many key stakeholders and it is important to meet their needs and interests as some help to fund the project and other will show an interest in theatre. The main stakeholders will be the people or groups funding the project (see introduction), students and teachers from Reading University, and Reading Art College, local community, the current political party (Labour Government) and the staff the theatre will be obtaining. (www.reading.gov.uk) As discussed earlier, visitor management needs to be the key element in the operational planning process in the Theatre Royal. Apart from taking care of the competition, this area will help the stakeholders take stock of the various kinds of visitors and their needs. This will also give them an impetus to keep a closer eye on the various legislations that surround theatre groups. Stakeholder interest is a crucial factor that can make or break the degree of funds flow into an organisation. In the case of a theatre, the effects of profitable business will not be seen at the very onset, unlike a normal profit making or manufacturing organisation. Theatres need patronage and the maintenance of a strong visitor base. In this regard, the stakeholders can be allowed to have greater participation as far as choosing events and shows as well as plays are concerned, so as to ensure that they know what is going on and are assured about their interest in the theatre. Strategic management through regular meets and training programmes conducted at various institutions will also keep the funds flow in the positive. This will keep the interest levels of the stakeholders high. Financial Management Financial management is crucial for any and every organisation. This is especially important to remember when starting up a set up. Financial management at this stage helps in maintaining realistic forecasts and keeping a close eye on achievement of goals. There are various financial tools that can help in this process. In this case, apart from the various finacial tools that will cater to the operational planning process and stakeholder information, cash flow and funds flow statements are also important as this is not a traditional profit making organisation and it is important to take stock of situations in a timely manner through the use of smaller financial tools that will give the real picture. These are as follows: Balance sheets Income and Expenditure Statement Profit and Loss Statement Capital and Revenue Forecasts Cash Accounting Cash Flow and Funds Flow statements for small periods of time VAT status and Liability Risk and Contingency Statement Apart from these tools, there needs to be focus on defining key terms and terminology in context of the operational sphere of the theatre so as to ensure that there is a focus on the following: Staffing Requirements Touring Logistics Aspects of Contract law that will properly bind the employees Maintaining budgets through financial management Negotiation direction to be taken in case of disputes and litigations. Conclusion To conclude my findings I believe that Reading is an excellent location for the new ‘Theatre Royal’. This is because it is a very cosmopolitan town as there is a large ethnic community and many people from different social grades (see ‘Background’) so we can create a program that will appeal to people from socially excluded backgrounds. This will help to conquer the concerns from the charitable trusts that are helping with funding. Furthermore by looking at the section entitled ‘Background’ you can see that there are a large number of people working in professional jobs (25,365 people out of a total working population of 93,805) which means that there could already be a set audience and many people will have a disposable income allowing them to have money to spend on luxuries such as sometimes going to the theatre. It may be seen that while there is stiff competition around Reading as far as quantity is concerned, there is little competition as far as quality is concerned. This refers to the area of catering to diverse groups of people. This should be imbibed in the strategic visitor management plan of the theatre so as to garner maximum patronage. This will in turn keep the stakeholders happy and help them render direct participation. Stakeholders must also be chosen and added depending on sizable representation of various ethnicities in and around Reading. Reading is already a well established town specifically in the arts sector. By looking at the sections entitled ‘Culture’ and ‘Competitor activity’ you can see there are a number of venues such as arts centres, galleries, concert halls already. There is also the infamous ‘Reading Festival’ and most recently the ‘Reading Fringe Festival’ as well as other smaller scale local events. Although this can be seen as competitor activity it is also great because there has already been an audience established who enjoy events in Reading which still appears to be growing. In addition also there appears to be a lot of competition between venues such as the well established Wycombe Swan, there are a diversity of venues many of them are in the form of Cathedrals and Chapels. This gives Theatre Royal advantages because many of the venues don’t have cafes, bars, or parking facilities and light refreshments are only available in advance notice. Also the venues such as Jacqueline De Pre Music Building in Oxfordshire have a small capacity of just 208 people. There are a number of key stakeholders that have been identified. Reading University and Art College, the local authority, the political party in power, the venues staff, and also all people helping to fund the project. In order to meet the requirements of the stakeholder, audience, local community etc the venue must do the following: The program must include productions that are suitable for groups from socially excluded backgrounds There should be benefits such as discounts for the staff members The program should show evidence to back up government policies in the arts sector and possibly educational workshops for students There should be children’s theatre because although they make up only a small number of the total community if the program is made to be suitable for the socially excluded it should also reach out to those of smaller age groups of society. The theatre should introduce tasters and workshops for University and College students that show an interest in the arts as there are many factors or jobs that bring the theatre together E.g. Costume, Events Management, Engineering and other technical support. These points demonstrate that there is great scope for the Theatre Royal to thrive in Reading if it takes on the mantle of strategic visitor management with a keen eye on trends in the media as well as stakeholders. These aims must be well combined with governmental policies and strategic financial planning and management so as to avoid and minimise risk apart from taking care of all the minor hiccups in the start up process. Part II This part of the paper discusses the various options available and implications involved as far as setting a programme for the launch of the theatre is concerned. The plan is to create a programme for ten weeks. This part will also discuss a follow up programme that will be conducted in the first ten weeks of the theatre’s operation. As discussed in the first part, there is a consensus that the launch must cater to and grab the interest of various groups in the following categories: Culture Ethnicity Age groups Visitor Management Requirements Options available are many. These may be discussed in the following points: A Programme that will help tap various ethnicities and ages. A programme that will cater to the basic requirement of visitor management. Visitor management may be defined as the management of one of the most important resources that cater to the expenditure aspect of the theatre. This can be best achieved through a close focus on ethnicity and age. In this regard, there can be the following events planned: Week One: An Indian Fete that will cater to games played in India. These include dominos and finding rings in an urn of white coloured liquid. Also, there can be stalls with Indian food like Dhokla, Dosa, Idli and other items like appetising chaats. This fete can be organised at the door and will help in identifying the various categories of visitors and decide on seating them together and to retain the information for future planning. The games and the food can help in creating a more festive spirit and this will help highlight the basic feel of the theatre royal. Week Two: In the second week the show can involve a piped band with a group of Indian dancers. This will help cater to an idea of fusion and will show the audience that the theatre will offer something for everyone. Following this, there can be an address by the important people involved in the operational sphere of the theatre. These people can be escorted to the stage by one Indian dancer and one member of the Scottish Band. Week Three: The show for this week can involve a recreation of the Indian mythology called “Ramayana”. This will help the audience connect with colours and leave them wanting more. This must be carefully researched and presented so as to ensure that important facts and not overlooked and that the sentiments of various ethnicities are not hurt in any way. Week Four: The next show can be a choir singing various songs that showcase the ethnicities of the various ethnic groups settled in Reading. This will help in showcasing the fact that the theatre’s main motto is to bind various kinds of people together through the use of creativity. Week Five: The next show must have various animal mascots doing acrobatics to the tunes of various popular songs for the benefit of the younger generation present. This will help in capturing a wider audience. Week Six: The next show must be a show based on a play by Shakespeare. A romantic comedy like The Merchant of Venice will be perfect for the occasion as colours like purple and red and gold can be used to a great degree to showcase the basic theme of the theatre royal. This will also help in showing real talent that exists within the theatre. Week Seven: The next show must be a prize giving ceremony for things like “most imaginative outfit”, “most cosy couple”, so on and so forth. These prizes must be given at random to people in the audience. This kind of a show will help in getting that interest level back and it will motivate people to become regular visitors. Week Eight: The next show must include readings from various poets on age-old poems and sonnets so as to lighten the mood and reflect a romantic quality and to cater to the older audience. People in the background can enact scenes through sign language. The next show can be a show where people from the audience are chosen to talk about their favourite jokes and funny stories. These will create maximum scope for audience participation with a focus on humour. Week Nine: The next and final show must be a fashion show that will have people of all ages walking the ramp in ethnic outfits from their countries. This will be a perfect note on which the evening can end. These shows have been chosen so as to showcase the plethora of influences as far as the theatre royal is concerned. Age and ethnicity are major influences in this case and the whole show has been fashioned so as to demonstrate a festive spirit. The following table shows the details of the programme: (To be shown in an Excel Sheet) Event Name Start Time Finish Time Fit Ups Get In Get Out Area Used Week One: Indian Fete 10 am 11 am 7 am – 9:30 am 9:30 am 11 am – 11:30 am Gallery with Bars and Cafes Week Two: Fusion Music and Dance 12: 30 pm 1:15 pm 11:00 am – 12 pm 12 pm 1:15 pm – 1:30 pm Main Auditorium Addresses 1:30 pm 2:00 pm N A 1:15 pm 2:15 pm Main Auditorium Week Three: Ramayana (With Special Effects in backgrounds) 5:30 pm 8:00 pm 2:30 pm 4:50 pm 8:00 pm – 8:45 pm Main Auditorium Week Four: Choir 5:10 pm 6:15 pm 4:30 pm 5:00 pm 6:20 pm Cinema Week Five: Mascot Acrobatics 6: 20 pm 7:00 pm 5:00 pm 6:15 pm 7:15 pm Main Auditorium Week Six: The Merchant of Venice (With Special Effects) 5:25 pm 8:30 pm 4:00 pm 4:45 pm 8: 35 pm Main Auditorium Week Seven: Prize Giving 8:35 pm 9:00 pm N A 8: 25 pm 9:05 pm Studio Week Eight: Poetry Readings 6:10 pm 7:30 pm 4:45 pm 5:55 pm 7:35 pm Studio Funny Hour 7:40 pm 8:30 pm N A N A N A Studio Week Nine: Fashion Show 6:10 pm 8:00 pm 4:00 pm 5:45 pm 8:10 pm Main Auditorium The above table will show that there is maximum use of back stage space and the stage space in terms of setting the stage for the next show even while the first one is ending. The next programme will be held at the end of the next tenth weeks. This will be an extra special yet, light round up of the first nine weeks. For this show, a fete again would be the ideal programme as it helps in increased participation as well as wider interaction in terms of garnering constructive feedback for improvised operational planning. The fete can be held with stalls being manned by various characters of the plays that have been staged in the past ten weeks in the theatre. Regular visitors can be rewarded and new ones can be introduced through songs and poetry being sung at the end of each game they play. The show can be a short one with funny lines as well as the most powerful lines being read by the characters. These lines can be chosen according to responses to the various scenes of plays staged in the past ten weeks. After each reading, there can be a humorous twist presented by a person dressed up similarly. This will create wider participation. The following table demonstrates the events: Event Starting Time Finish Time Fit Ups Get In Get Out Area Used Fete 12 pm 4 pm 10 am 10:45 am 4:30 pm Gallery (With special effects like the mascots flying in the air with overhead cables and cranes) Opening Address/ Reading with Humorous Imitation (10 parts) 5 pm 9 pm N A 4:45 pm 9:30 pm Main Auditorium These events have been chosen so as to cater to the following requirements: Channelling of expenditure into further advertisement through short and yet eventful shows. The creation of scope for interaction with visitors for better visitor management in order to garner feedback that can be worked upon in the future. Creating the scope to maintain records of regular and new visitors so as to form communities and to visit the same in terms of conducting meeting where plays and creative work can be discussed. These records will also be beneficial in sending regular visitors various offers and special passes so as to garner continued patronage. Creation of an event idea board where people can post ideas regarding the kind of events and plays they would like to see. A chance for the stakeholders to see the popularity of the theatre and to interact with the visitors. The creation of scope for conducting training classes for people with an interest in the show business. These points demonstrate that there will be a focus on making maximum use of exposure and funds for further advertisements and the scope for expansion of the activities of the theatre outside the stage. This will also help in understanding the exact direction that must be taken by the stakeholders and board of directors. Appendices 1.0 - Berkshire Sub-Region Context Map Taken from the ‘Berkshire Housing Market Assessment Final Report v1.0 February 2007’ 1.1 - Religion 2001 census People stating religion as: Christian (Persons, Apr01)1 % 62.63 72.78 71.74 People stating religion as: Hindu (Persons, Apr01)1 % 0.99 0.56 1.11 People stating religion as: Muslim (Persons, Apr01)1 % 4.00 1.36 3.10 People stating religion as: No religion (Persons, Apr01)1 % 22.00 16.50 14.59 1.2 – Country of Birth (UV08) Reading South East England All People (Persons)1 Count 143,096 8,000,645 49,138,831 Born in Europe (Persons)1 Count 129,900 7,603,219 46,045,077 Born in Europe: United Kingdom (Persons)1 Count 123,080 7,349,275 44,594,817 Born in Europe: United Kingdom: England (Persons)1 Count 116,754 7,041,745 42,968,596 Born in Europe: United Kingdom: Scotland (Persons)1 Count 2,702 152,771 794,577 Born in Europe: United Kingdom: Northern Ireland (Persons)1 Count 883 37,545 215,124 Born in Europe: United Kingdom: Wales (Persons)1 Count 2,722 116,368 609,711 Born in Europe: United Kingdom: Part not specified (Persons)1 Count 19 846 6,809 Born in Europe: Republic of Ireland (Persons)1 Count 1,974 64,384 460,287 Born in Europe: Channel Islands (Persons)1 Count 96 6,340 27,550 Born in Europe: Other Western Europe (Persons)1 Count 3,488 153,767 726,523 Born in Europe: Other Western Europe: EU countries (Persons)1 Count 3,251 136,409 660,061 Born in Europe: Other Western Europe: EU countries: Austria (Persons)1 Count 47 3,673 18,076 Born in Europe: Other Western Europe: EU countries: Belgium (Persons)1 Count 99 5,032 19,795 Born in Europe: Other Western Europe: EU countries: Denmark (Persons)1 Count 85 4,253 16,932 Born in Europe: Other Western Europe: EU countries: Finland (Persons)1 Count 79 2,615 10,376 Born in Europe: Other Western Europe: EU countries: France (Persons)1 Count 517 19,108 87,562 Born in Europe: Other Western Europe: EU countries: Germany (Persons)1 Count 836 50,289 233,418 Born in Europe: Other Western Europe: EU countries: Greece (Persons)1 Count 309 5,447 31,771 Born in Europe: Other Western Europe: EU countries: Italy (Persons)1 Count 466 16,418 98,757 Born in Europe: Other Western Europe: EU countries: Luxembourg (Persons)1 Count 5 291 1,078 Born in Europe: Other Western Europe: EU countries: Netherlands (Persons)1 Count 145 9,462 35,637 Born in Europe: Other Western Europe: EU countries: Portugal (Persons)1 Count 242 5,236 35,344 Born in Europe: Other Western Europe: EU countries: Spain (Persons)1 Count 332 9,785 50,431 Born in Europe: Other Western Europe: EU countries: Sweden (Persons)1 Count 89 4,800 20,884 Born in Europe: Other Western Europe: Non EU Countries in Western Europe (Persons)1 Count 237 17,358 66,462 Born in Europe: Eastern Europe (Persons)1 Count 1,262 29,453 235,900 Born in Europe: Eastern Europe: Albania (Persons)1 Count 16 320 2,214 Born in Europe: Eastern Europe: Czech Republic (Persons)1 Count 79 2,796 11,619 Born in Europe: Eastern Europe: Romania (Persons)1 Count 34 1,219 7,077 Born in Europe: Eastern Europe: Poland (Persons)1 Count 327 7,099 56,679 Born in Europe: Eastern Europe: Turkey (Persons)1 Count 140 3,718 52,402 Born in Europe: Eastern Europe: Former Yugoslavia (Persons)1 Count 308 4,852 45,997 Born in Europe: Eastern Europe: Baltic States (Persons)1 Count 36 1,197 10,070 Born in Europe: Eastern Europe: Other European Countries in former USSR (Persons)1 Count 195 4,110 27,250 Born in Europe: Eastern Europe: Other Eastern Europe (Persons)1 Count 127 4,142 22,592 Born in Africa (Persons)1 Count 3,632 101,624 798,218 Born in Africa: North Africa (Persons)1 Count 277 10,353 67,167 Born in Africa: Central and Western Africa (Persons)1 Count 830 11,421 196,357 Born in Africa: Central and Western Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo (Persons)1 Count 11 301 8,399 Born in Africa: Central and Western Africa: Nigeria (Persons)1 Count 159 4,737 86,370 Born in Africa: Central and Western Africa: Sierra Leone (Persons)1 Count 210 855 16,843 Born in Africa: Central and Western Africa: Other Central and Western Africa (Persons)1 Count 450 5,528 84,745 Born in Africa: South and Eastern Africa (Persons)1 Count 2,525 79,850 534,694 Born in Africa: South and Eastern Africa: Kenya (Persons)1 Count 555 15,092 126,119 Born in Africa: South and Eastern Africa: Somalia (Persons)1 Count 83 1,359 42,548 Born in Africa: South and Eastern Africa: South Africa (Persons)1 Count 609 31,054 129,302 Born in Africa: South and Eastern Africa: Zimbabwe (Persons)1 Count 341 10,066 46,379 Born in Africa: South and Eastern Africa: Other South and Eastern Africa (Persons)1 Count 937 22,279 190,346 Born in Asia (Persons)1 Count 6,196 189,033 1,566,998 Born in Asia: Middle East (Persons)1 Count 595 23,810 211,298 Born in Asia: Middle East: Cyprus (Persons)1 Count 167 6,738 74,757 Born in Asia: Middle East: Iran (Persons)1 Count 131 5,326 40,187 Born in Asia: Middle East: Iraq (Persons)1 Count 34 2,669 29,927 Born in Asia: Middle East: Other Middle East (Persons)1 Count 263 9,077 66,427 Born in Asia: Far East (Persons)1 Count 1,931 67,059 360,604 Born in Asia: Far East: China (Persons)1 Count 354 7,825 47,201 Born in Asia: Far East: Hong Kong (Persons)1 Count 354 17,244 84,770 Born in Asia: Far East: Japan (Persons)1 Count 337 6,595 35,322 Born in Asia: Far East: Malaysia (Persons)1 Count 224 8,740 45,059 Born in Asia: Far East: Singapore (Persons)1 Count 151 8,630 36,327 Born in Asia: Far East: Other Far East (Persons)1 Count 511 18,025 111,925 Born in Asia: Far East: Asian countries in former USSR (Persons)1 Count 32 536 3,203 Born in Asia: South Asia (Persons)1 Count 3,638 97,628 991,893 Born in Asia: South Asia: Afghanistan (Persons)1 Count 31 756 14,481 Born in Asia: South Asia: Bangladesh (Persons)1 Count 205 8,817 150,057 Born in Asia: South Asia: India (Persons)1 Count 1,401 51,232 450,493 Born in Asia: South Asia: Pakistan (Persons)1 Count 1,717 28,431 304,706 Born in Asia: South Asia: Sri Lanka (Persons)1 Count 137 6,137 66,330 Born in Asia: South Asia: Other South Asia (Persons)1 Count 147 2,255 5,826 Born in North America (Persons)1 Count 2,253 61,931 460,258 Born in North America: Canada (Persons)1 Count 210 13,987 59,356 Born in North America: United States of America (Persons)1 Count 414 28,919 141,198 Born in North America: Jamaica (Persons)1 Count 348 5,651 145,234 Born in North America: Other Caribbean and West Indies (Persons)1 Count 1,227 11,689 106,280 Born in North America: Other North America (Persons)1 Count 54 1,685 8,190 Born in: South America (Persons)1 Count 305 10,834 72,867 Born in Oceania (Persons)1 Count 662 29,745 155,072 Born in Oceania: Australia (Persons)1 Count 400 18,723 96,437 Born in Oceania: New Zealand (Persons)1 Count 245 9,971 53,466 Born in Oceania: Other Oceania (Persons)1 Count 17 1,051 5,169 Born Elsewhere (Persons)1 Count 148 4,259 40,341 1.3 – Age www.statistics.gov.uk 1.4 - Economically active People aged 16-74: Economically active: Employees Full-time (Persons, Apr01)1 % 48.11 43.22 40.81 People aged 16-74: Economically active: Employees Part-time (Persons, Apr01)1 % 10.18 12.20 11.81 People aged 16-74: Economically active: Self-employed (Persons, Apr01)1 % 6.87 9.58 8.32 People aged 16-74: Economically active: Unemployed (Persons, Apr01)1 % 2.52 2.31 3.35 People aged 16-74: Economically active: Full-time student (Persons, Apr01)1 % 4.08 2.71 2.58 People aged 16-74: Economically inactive: Retired (Persons, Apr01)1 % 9.80 13.40 13.54 People aged 16-74: Economically inactive: Student (Persons, Apr01)1 % 7.04 4.17 4.67 People aged 16-74: Economically inactive: Looking after home / family (Persons, Apr01)1 % 5.61 6.55 6.52 People aged 16-74: Economically inactive: Permanently sick / disabled (Persons, Apr01)1 % 3.02 3.45 5.30 People aged 16-74: Economically inactive: Other (Persons, Apr01)1 % 2.76 2.41 3.10 1.5 – Approximated Social Grade (UV50) Reading South East England All People Aged 16 and over in Households (Persons)1 Count 111,594 6,232,799 38,393,304 AB: Higher and intermediate managerial / administrative / professional (Persons)1 Count 30,216 1,645,156 8,520,649 C1: Supervisory, clerical, junior managerial / administrative / professional (Persons)1 Count 35,151 2,000,429 11,410,569 C2: Skilled manual workers (Persons)1 Count 14,722 873,660 5,780,577 D: Semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers (Persons)1 Count 17,807 876,981 6,538,308 E: On state benefit, unemployed, lowest grade workers (Persons)1 Count 13,698 836,573 6,143,201 1.6 – Age – Workplace Population (UV75) Reading South East England All People (Persons)1 Count 93,805 3,696,580 22,376,120 Less than 20 years old (Persons)1 Count 5,422 204,751 1,126,061 20 to 29 years old (Persons)1 Count 23,337 720,956 4,486,880 30 to 39 years old (Persons)1 Count 25,365 940,537 5,972,510 40 to 49 years old (Persons)1 Count 20,029 857,474 5,240,955 50 to 59 years old (Persons)1 Count 15,239 740,225 4,314,052 More than 59 years old (Persons)1 Count 4,413 232,637 1,235,662 1.7 – www.answers.com/topic/reading-bourough-of-slouth-centeral-england?cat=travel 1.8 - www.oxfordplayhouse.com/tickets 1.9 - www.progresstheatre.co.uk 2.0 - www.readingarts.com/the hexagon 2.1 - www.wycombeswan.co.uk 2.2 – www.reading.gov.uk Read More