Preston City Council is after new marketing consultant to relaunch The Guild Lounge

Preston City Council says it is seeking an experienced and specialist Theatre Marketing Consultant to work with the Council's Cultural Services team to relaunch The Guild Lounge.

What is The Guild Lounge and why does it need relaunching?

Preston's Guild Hall has been closed for over four years, following legal proceedings against the former operator and, more recently, the discovery of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in the roof of both auditoria. This has resulted in the Charter Theatre and Grand Hall being closed for safety reasons.

Whilst the future of the wider Guild Hall was still being determined, the Council converted The Guild Hall Foyer into a studio theatre space to partly reanimate a closed venue, to reintroduce paying audiences of scale and establish a commercial entertainment offer in the city centre.

Opened in October 2024, The Guild Lounge is a 350‑seat studio theatre, or 500‑capacity standing venue, which operated successfully as a six‑month pilot through to March 2025.

Since launching, The Guild Lounge has sold 5,000 tickets for 45 performances, demonstrating a public demand for the offer and the need for a quality commercial programme in the city.

Following this pilot, the Council has committed to continuing operation of the venue for a further two years, relaunching with an autumn programme in September 2026 and running through to December 2027.

The Guild Hall is the only professional theatre and concert venue in Preston and during its closure, paying audiences have been lost to neighbouring towns and cities.

There is significant demand from politicians, partners and city stakeholders to see the return of a commercial entertainment venue and securing this for the long term is a key objective of the city's Regeneration Board.

So what will the new Theatre Marketing Consultant do?

Preston City Council is seeking an experienced Theatre Marketing Consultant to work with the Assistant Director, Head of Arts and Culture, to lead on the development and delivery of a robust, insight-led audience engagement strategy for The Guild Lounge.

Working closely with the Council, the consultant will support the re‑establishment of the venue, ensuring it is placed on a secure commercial footing to maximise sales and develop diverse, engaged audiences.

This role will be instrumental in helping the venue reach its target audiences, grow attendance, strengthen brand visibility, and support the wider ambitions of The Guild Lounge as a sustainable and successful commercial enterprise.

A full-time Marketing Assistant has been successfully recruited to deliver the day-to-day marketing needs of the venue and implement the marketing strategy. The Marketing Consultant will work closely with the Marketing Assistant to oversee the performance of the marketing plan and ensure a results-driven approach.

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The Theatre Marketing Consultant will:

• Develop and present a comprehensive audience engagement and marketing strategy tailored to The Guild Lounge's vision, programme, and audience needs, including key performance targets.
• Use data, research and segmentation tools to identify core and potential audiences, with a focus on inclusivity and accessibility.
• Create a marketing roadmap to support venue launch, seasonal campaigns, and long-term brand positioning.
• Support development of ticket pricing strategies, audience offers and loyalty approaches.
• Plan promotional campaigns across digital, print, website and press outreach channels.
• Provide guidance, messaging frameworks, and campaign assets for internal use.
• Evaluate marketing activity and audience reach, using analytics and feedback to inform future activity.
• Contribute to the commercial strategy for the venue, identifying opportunities to grow income through brand-led activity, sponsorship, and engagement.
• To oversee the digital engagement plan for the Lounge, including a range of social media, website and digital activity delivered by the Marketing Assistant.
• Quarterly performance monitoring of the marketing strategy with clear recommendations to exceed targets and address any issues.

As a minimum, from June 2026 to December 2027, the Guild Lounge will be open for one show a night, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There is the intention to expand and increase the number of events and show days as the programme develops.

How do I apply?

Please submit a proposal to Timothy Joel, Assistant Director, Head of Arts and Culture - [email protected].

In your response:

• Outline the number of days offered and the budget.
• Provide an outline response to the specification.
• Provide a breakdown and background to the team members assigned to this project.
• Provide two examples of similar work provided in the last 12 months, one with a local authority client.
• Added value offered to the contract

The deadline is Friday, April 10 2026.

You can read the full job advertisement here.