Theatre complex refurbishment reaches into the dreams and hearts of a community
A little girl, a pint sized ballerina is overawed with the grandness of the boxes, the opulent ceiling and walls as she waits in the wings before her end of year recital, tasting her ballerina dreams come to life. The lead violinist from our National Symphony never fails to be impressed with the acoustics. One grand art-nouveau inspired theatre has a multitude of intensely positive feelings and experiences from the young to the old, from Hastings to the wider community.
When it was discovered in 2004 that the Hawke’s Bay Opera House, this grand 90-year-old dame didn’t meet current earthquake standards and the complex was in need of significant redevelopment, Giblin Group with its heart in the community, was brought on board.
From the get-go Giblin Group knew that without the support of the community the project would never work. With a creative community communications and engagement strategy worked into the strategic $7.5M capital raising campaign, the first pillars of success were placed beneath the project.
For what seemed like an impossible amount of money to raise for a relatively small community, Giblin Group made it entirely possible by setting the bar high and really connecting into the community.
Giblin Group worked across a host of applications from central government funding, community trusts, gaming trusts, private trusts, other private authorities through to creating corporate partnership opportunities. The success of these capital-raising branches was not only the strategic approach but also Giblin Group’s innate relationship brokering skills.