ABSTRACT
As construction or heavy renovation begins on a new performing arts center (PAC), two countdown clocks commence: one for completing the building project on time and one for operating the venue fully when its doors open. The first clock is comparatively visible, with progress known to the community and outside world as they watch the project unfold. The building grows, the quantity of workers and materials around the site changes, and the media notes it all because of the ease of telling the building’s story. The second clock, the operations clock, ticks farther from the public eye. The decisions about how to run the venue, with choices for equipment, personnel, software, and business policies, do not have the same visibility. But those choices matter as much to the successful completion of the PAC as laying the bricks and installing the plumbing. This chapter aims to prevent the second clock from being an afterthought for the PAC’s principal administrator and staff. It will examine several topical areas that drive the success of a venue, areas that fall outside of the scope of the architects and general contractors who lead the construction team. These topics include furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FFE); security and insurance planning; scheduling policies; housekeeping standards; public relations; and parking services. If the leader of a new or newly renovated PAC fails to get ahead of these, they will consume inordinate amounts of time to remedy, and may detract from the public’s perception that the venue opened properly.
