insideKENT Magazine Issue 52 - July 2016 | Page 154
BUSINESS
BUSINESS PROFILE:
insideKENT talks to
Zachary Cooke
of The Open Air Cinema
How did The Open Air Cinema come about?
In 2007, a group of friends thought it would be
a nice thing to hold a free open air screening of
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. We were surprised at
the uptake and since then we have held numerous
open-air and drive-in screenings.
Tell us about the team behind it.
The Open Air Cinema is made up has a number
of sessional technicians and front of house staff
selected from the local community. All will have
received training to deliver the best service
possible service to visitors attending our drivein or our picnic style open-air cinema events.
What is the Open Air Cinema’s focus for
2016/17?
This year and next we are focused on delivering
a better cinematic experience with even greater
value for money.
Visitors who buy tickets in advance for
Open Air Cinema events will pay a maximum of
£9.99 for two tickets. On the night tickets will be
£12.50 each. We see this as excellent value and
will no doubt be very popular. We advise
customers to subscribe to our mailing list as we
hope that events sell out quickly.
Corporate and individual customers who
wish to hold their own open air or drive-in cinema
events, then prices start at just £250. We provide
all of the equipment and technical staff required
to hold a safe and efficient event at their chosen
location. Emailing the Open Air Cinema is the
fastest way to find out more and get the key
dates you need.
The Open Air Cinema has the pleasure of
working with forward thinking local authorities
and great charities throughout this summer and
early 2017. Similar organisations wanting to
secure our great rates should email us as soon
as possible to avoid disappointment. Cost will
go up in December 2016.
On the day tickets to Open Air Cinema
organised events will be £12.50 each. We accept
debit and credit card payments.
What separates us from our competitors?
What happens at an Open Air Cinema event?
There are some great companies delivering openair screenings throughout the country. Many have
some great add-ons too. All presenting a wide
range of customer choice.
The Open Air Cinema has been delivering
grass roots screenings for over seven years. We
are all about accessibility for all. Not just physically,
but financially too. We feel that a quality
experience, a sense of fun and good honest
value will hold us in a good position for another
seven years.
We are very focused on continuing strong
links with our customers and those that with us.
These are the people that tell me what they want
and this helps shape what the Open Air Cinema
delivers.
We deliver small to medium sized events
for up to 500 visitors at a time. Any bigger we
feel losses some of the magic for both customers
and staff.
Let us remember we live in England. So even in
our hottest of summers we still have to wrap up
in the evening. Bring along blankets, or even a
blow up bed for your comfort. For those who
need to bring chairs, feel free to. However, we
ask chair users to take direction of where to sit
and for everyone to be considerate.
Open Air Cinema events may be rescheduled
due to bad weather that would make screening
unsafe for staff and visitors. Providing full details
such as email and mobile numbers means you
are always
kept up to
speed. In
seven years
we have
rescheduled
two events.
Great
news for
smokers and
users of
vaporisers and
e-cigarettes, we have a dedicated space for you
to smoke freely (local by-laws may apply).
We always have a first aider and information
point on site and we are always happy to assist
visitors in anyway we can.
The Open Air Cinema welcomes all who
love film and have a cheery disposition.
What events do we have for the summer?
We have some great screenings for 2016/2017.
For many are events we have been hired to
deliver on behalf or charities and local authorities.
In these cases we will not be responsible for
ticket sales etc. To find out exact details of what
you can buy tickets for, we advise potential
visitors to subscribe to our mailing list. Details
are never passed on to third parties and we have
a no spam policy.
Subscribers have access to tickets first, which
are sold via our website. Advance tickets are
£9.99 for two.
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www.theopenaircinema.com
[email protected]
London & Surrey 02070999516
Kent 01622 410188
Sussex 01273 803506