Quote: isaac1 "FA, I am normally to fearful to disagree with you but on the point regarding the coral stand and its value to Akbar's business I do.
The Coral stand may be in use quite a lot, and my employers have used it on occasions, but you have to ask just how much use is it getting on non match days, and how much more use could it get if the catering etc... was in house rather than subcontracted? '"
But I did ask. Because I don't know. In particular, before anyone slags off the present marketing for underusing it, is there any evidence they do? So far, nobody has posted even one word claiming to know how much use /underuse it gets. So I just think its unfair to slag them off without knowing how good or bad or indifferent a job they do. On what factual basis is it alleged to be underused?
Quote: isaac1 "Bradford City have Asian weddings at VP very regularly and they are quite lucrative! Normally, families will hire a venue, then organise catering, decoration etc... from other sources. Imagine how much money could be made if the venue was owned by a high quality, high profile Asian food outlet? '"
I don't see it. Large Asian restaurants have a chequered history in these parts, to say the least. There's the big chapel place off Hamm Strasse that has been shut for years, there was another one in Cleckheaton that was billed as the world's largest, that shut. I have no issue with how Akbar's run a business, but I don't have any reason to imagine this would be some super venue. With regard to weddings, there is already a big market in the area, for example there are two places on City Road and one on Legrams Lane, and I bet the competition is severe. Akbars (so far as I know) would be a new entrant into any "wedding venue" venture and why in the face of stiff competition would it necessarily be a goldmine? Note that for many Asian weddings also the sales of alcohol are Nil.
Quote: isaac1 "Where else could they pick up a licensed, 3-400 seater restaurant that is in a modern building, with a unique outlook, ample parking, great transport links and a 90 year lease, all for about 2 million quid? '"
You're kidding? It looks over the pitch, sure, but it's hardly an attraction, especially to folk with zero interest in the Bulls. Parking is poor, there are hardly any spots at Coral Stand level, anyone else has to park at the top and walk down a ruddy great slope, then back up. What transport links? The M606? I can't see people flocking from far and wide just because the Coral Stand isn't that far from a motorway. And a 90 year lease is not a freehold. I can't buy into the bigging up, I'm sorry.
Quote: isaac1 "and they get an Iconic rugby team, historic stadium and about 10,000 potential extra customers! Imagine the marketing
This was one of the issues I raised though, the suggestions as I understood it was that Akbars were scheming to NOT have the Bulls play at odsal, but elsewhere. I suggested that if that is so, then using Odsal as a restaurant seems nuts. We already do OK filling it on match day, why would Akbars do any better? Surely, it is only rugby fans that match day attracts?
Other days? But why would Akbars be able to fill it midweek any better? The fact is that the vast majority of big do's are at weekends, for obvious reasons. You just aren't going to get that many mid-week, cos people still have work etc.
I'm really not being negative for the sake of it. I'm sure that anyone with a business plan could if they worked hard at it turn some sort of a profit on any decent venue, if not get rich, my main issue is the implications people keep making that the Bulls marketing have somehow not been doing business that they could have been, when there is this asset that could be making millions more than it has to date.
