APPLICATION PACK FOR THE ROLE OF
BOX OFFICEINTERN
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 10am Friday 17th July 2015
INTERVIEW DATE (in Bath):Thursday 30thJuly 2015(tbc)
CONTENTS:
1. LETTER TO APPLICANT
2.JOB DESCRIPTION & PERSON SPECIFICATION
3. ABOUT BATH FESTIVALS
BATH FESTIVALS
BATH LITERATURE FESTIVAL
BATH INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
BATH CHILDREN’S LITERATURE FESTIVAL
LEARNING AND PARTICIPATION PROGRAMME
BATH BOX OFFICE
July 2015
Dear applicant,
Thank you for your interest in applying for the post of Box Office Intern (fixed term) for Bath Festivals. You will find attached a job and person specification, some information about the organisation, and an application form.
This is an exciting job for someone looking to develop a career in the arts, sales and marketing.
What we’re looking for
Someone who:
- is interested in developing a career in arts administration, sales and marketing
- has excellent customer care skills
- can contribute well to a lively and welcoming team
The appointment will be made for a six month fixed term, starting early August and running to March 2016.
I hope that gives you a taste of this role. If you’d like to discuss the role before applying, please don’t hesitate to contactZoe Bailey, Box Office Manager on - tel: 01225 465892.
With best wishes
Belinda Kidd
Chief Executive
Bath Festivals
JOB DESCRIPTION & PERSON SPECIFICATION
POST TITLE:Box Office Intern(fixed term)
RESPONSIBLE TO:Box Office Manager
DATE:July 2015
Purpose of the post
- To sell tickets for Bath Festivals and its external clients and to be a positive first point of contact for Bath Festivals and its external clients.
- To assist with general administration and marketing tasks across other areas of work within Bath Box Office.
- To gain broad practical experience in arts administration and customer services within a professional environment.
Principal Accountabilities
- To process ticket orders received by post, fax, telephone, in person or online, both at Bath Box Office and at designated venues as required.
- To assist and advise customers on event information, seat selection and venue access, displaying a high level of proactive customer care at all times, and maintaining accurate records of transactions and bookings.
- To assist with the accumulation, maintenance and inputting of an accurate, relevant customer database for Bath Festivals, its clients and contacts, and to be aware of the Data-Protection Act and its implications.
- To liaise with Bath Festivals clients, providing them with tickets or sales reports as required, and final sales reporting procedures.
- To take responsibility as a key holder for Bath Box Office
- To assist with updating and distributing relevant event information, and the maintenance of promotional in-house displays.
- To assist with the maintenance of the Bath Box Office website, social media accounts and monthly e-newsletter.
- To attend scheduled meetings as required.
- To help implement Bath Festivals Health & Safety policy.
- To undertake any other general administration duties reasonably related to the above.
Person specification
General skills/abilities essential to the post
- Good administrative and IT skills, and knowledge of Microsoft applications
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, and previous experience within a customer service role.
- Flexibility, the ability to work in a team with energy, creativity and enthusiasm, as well as capacity to use own initiative.
- Enthusiasm for the arts.
Skills/qualities desirable for the post
- An understanding of social media and websites (Wordpress), and how they could be used to promote events is desirable.
- Ability to manage time and priorities and work under pressure.
Equal Opportunities
Bath Festivals welcomes applications regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status, religion or disability. Unfortunately however the offices of Bath Festivals are not currently wheelchair accessible.
SUMMARY TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Salary: £195 per week for those aged 21+ years, £153.90 per week for those aged 18-20 years.
Annual leave:Pro rata to 20 days per annum plus bank holidays
Hours per week 30 hours, to beworked Monday – Friday, and Tuesday-Saturday on a rota system with members of the team
Fixed term7month appointment
ABOUT BATH FESTIVALS
Bath Festivals brings leading international performers, writers and thinkers to Bath every year to inspire, entertain and challenge audiences of all ages and artistic tastes. Energy, passion, integrity and innovation are the hallmarks of our Festivals, programmed by the highest calibre Artistic Directors.
Our Festivals champion diversity and collaboration, celebrate the fusion of the traditional and the contemporary; open people’s minds, and showcase the work of both established and up-and-coming performers – all in the unique setting that is Bath, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to some of the finest historical and architectural sights in Europe.
We provide year-round learning and participation opportunities for children, young people and adults through creative workshops, gigs, master classes and competitions. We act as a central hub for the arts in Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES), serving 120 festivals, events and local arts organisations through the Bath Box Office.
Bath Festivals has five main areas of activity: the Bath International Music Festival, the Independent Bath Literature Festival; the Telegraph Bath Children’s Literature Festival; an associated year-round learning and participation programme in the B&NES area; and the year-round Bath Box Office.
The company is a long-established, charitably registered independent arts organization, receiving support from Bath & North East Somerset Council. Other key sources of income are ticket and other sales, contributions from trust funds, private donors and a range of commercial sponsors.
Over the next three or four years the company is seeking to increase significantly its earned income and fundraising to balance reductions in public funding. We are also committed to expanding our work in the smaller towns and villages of North East Somerset.
Bath Festivals has a committed and skilled permanent staff, and a team of highly talented Artistic Directors. The Chief Executive, Belinda Kidd, joined the organization in November 2010, bringing substantial experience from a long career in the arts. Owen McNeir, Development and Marketing Director, joined in September 2011, and has made a very positive impact on our fundraising performance and led the rebranding and new website design for Bath Festivals.
The Board is strong, energetic and committed. The current Chair is John Cullum.
The Independent Bath Literature Festival
The Independent Bath Literature Festival is at the centre of local, national and international debate, featuring some of the most intelligent, creative, and cutting edge thinkers alive today. Audiences are stimulated and challenged, and can experience a vast and diverse range of work from around the world and the UK.
The new Artistic Director from 2014 is Viv Groskop, a prolific journalist, broadcaster and comedian. The Independent newspaper has been our title sponsor since 2012 and contributes strongly to its ethos and content, as well as providing a high national profile for the Festival.
The Literature Festival has hosted Nobel and Booker Prize winners such as Doris Lessing, Margaret Atwood, Kazuo Ishiguro, Hilary Mantel and Howard Jacobson; leading political thinkers from Tony Benn and Tariq Ali to Anna Politkovskaya and Eric Hobsbawm, poets ranging from poets laureate Andrew Motion and Carol Ann Duffy to Wendy Cope and Simon Armitage, and humourists from Garrison Keillor and Terry Pratchett to Steve Bell.
The Festival is strongly connected to its city and its people. With events taking place in historic buildings throughout the town, we have a special opportunity to match architecture and theme.
The Telegraph Bath Children’s Literature Festival
The Telegraph Bath Children’s Literature Festival was established in 2007 by Bath-based children’s publishing professionals Gill and John McLay. In 2010 ownership of the Festival transferred to Bath Festivals. The McLays have returned as Artistic Directors for 2015.
Staged in association with headline media partner, the Daily Telegraph, and retail partner Waterstones Booksellers, the largest dedicated Children’s Books Festival in the UK stages over 100 public, ticketed events and a healthy roster of events in schools throughout the South West. Like the Bath Literature Festival, several historic and modern city centre venues in Bath are used including the Guildhall, the Mission Theatre, Bath Central Library and the Forum.
The Festival regularly attracts some of the biggest children’s authors and illustrators from the UK and internationally. Past contributors have included: Jacqueline Wilson, Michael Morpurgo, Anthony Horowitz, Lauren Child, Shirley Hughes, Julia Donaldson, Michael Rosen, Terry Deary, Cornelia Funke, Eoin Colfer, Darren Shan, Neil Gaiman, Anthony Browne, Francesca Simon and Malorie Blackman.
We strive to create a friendly, family atmosphere in which young book fans can come along to Festival events and meet their favourite authors and book characters. Events regularly feature much humour and interactivity, with book readings as well as craft activities, quizzes and games. Our learning and participation work is closely integrated with the Festival, so that we can reach a wider audience of children and young people who might not otherwise benefit from our programme.
Bath International Music Festival
The Bath International Music Festival has an illustrious artistic history and has long been an event of national significance and international reputation, presenting a dynamic mix of world-class performers. The Festival takes place annually over 12 days in late May and showcases a rich range of high quality events featuring orchestral and classical virtuosos, jazz giants, folk, roots and world musicians, innovative collaborations and unique commissions. Almost 2000 local performers take part in the Party in the City on the opening Friday evening. The whole city hosts events and many thousands attend.
Bath International Music Festival was established in 1948, and at different times has been led by Yehudi Menuhin, Michael Tippett, William Glock and Joanna MacGregor.
The Bath International Music Festival stands out for the diversity of its programming and the thoughtfulness with which collaborations are created.
Audiences are stretched and stimulated, given the opportunity to make new discoveries, and to learn. Artists extend their creative practice by working in new ways, collaborating with musicians from other genres and other parts of the world, and playing in unusual and historic settings.
The musicians featured range from well-established international musicians to emerging younger talent, to students from a wide range of conservatoires, universities and colleges, to local musicians, both professional and amateur.
Learning and Participation Programme
Learning and participation are at the core of Bath Festivals programme, in the belief that participation in the creative arts makes a unique and vital contribution to personal growth, and the wellbeing of individuals and whole communities. Bath Festivals therefore has a significant programme of learning and participation activity, not only delivered through the three festivals, but also through major year round projects.
Through our learning and participation programme we aim to:
- Help children, young people and adults to develop their creativity, and their enjoyment and knowledge of the arts
- Support children and young people who are not achieving their full potential to improve their communication and literacy skills
- Increase local people’s pride in their area, and help build stronger community relationships
The current year round projects include Building Bridges, which delivers creative music making workshops in areas of low provision in the Bath and South Gloucestershire, working in partnership with WOMAD. Over three years between 2008 and 2011 we developed The Write Team, a major programme of creative writing in schools, and we now continue the work on a project basis and through training teachers in our approach.
Bath Box Office
Bath Box Office sell over the phone, in our city centre office within the tourist information centre and via our website
We have a loyal customer base who values our friendly and informative service. In addition to this we are constantly building relationships with new organisations and promoters to widen our cliental and keep our status as the central arts hub within Bath.
We pride ourselves on excellent customer service and local knowledge; we add a personal touch to the selling of events.
We are experts in selling everything from International Festivals to small one off events and all varieties including Music, Lectures, Theatre, Conferences and Cabaret.
We originally opened as a seasonal box office for Bath Festivals events only and since then have expanded and given local organisations the chance to sell to a larger audience and publicise their events further. We now sell for over 120 organisations in Bath and the surrounding areas. We have an annual turnover on behalf of our clients of almost £1m.
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