The event also heard the latest on the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Business Manifesto which will launch later this year.
Jacqui O’Hanlon, deputy executive director and director of creative learning and engagement at the RSC, said the theatre’s diverse programming and global reach was continuing to bring visitors into the region, showing the connection and positive impact between culture and tourism.
The RSC, which attracted 1.6 million attendances both online and in-person last year, as well as reaching 500,000 young people, has an annual touring programme of work across the UK and globally, all of which started life in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Jacqui said: “We’re already seeing extraordinary interest in our Game of Thrones adaptation coming this summer and we hope it is going to bring in large numbers of audiences making their first visit to Stratford or the RSC.
“Kenneth Branagh is starring in The Tempest and with Helen Hunt in The Cherry Orchard later this year, and tickets sales are very strong. These are major cultural moments for the town and region and we know they will also have a positive impact on the local economy.
“Then we have Middlemarch Parts One and Two opening this October – by showing the production in two parts we hope this encourages more overnight stays as well as secondary spend for visitors to the region, which is a helpful economic driver to boost the hospitality and tourism sector.
“We had positive feedback about this approach with our recent production of The Forsyte Saga Parts One and Two.”
She added: “We know that culture is a crucial driver of tourism – 39 per cent of tourists choose destinations based on their cultural offer. But the infrastructure that supports the nighttime and visitor economies needs to be joined up to support this.
“Transport is one of the major barriers for visitors and audiences. Poor connectivity is holding the town back, and we all need to push for sustained investment to improve the offer for visitors and residents.”
Lewis Payne, development director at IM Properties – the developer behind the £140 million Stratford 46 scheme, said there was already promising interest from potential occupiers.
The development will feature units ranging from 20,000 sq ft to 300,000 sq ft and will have easy access to the A46, making it attractive to businesses already in the area and inward investors.
Lewis said: “Even before launching the marketing, Stratford 46 is attracting a wave of local businesses who want to grow but currently have nowhere to go. The demand is already there.
“The Midlands is missing out on major inward investment because we simply don’t have enough strategic employment land. Big companies want to be here but the sites don’t exist, which is something we are trying to address.
“We’re also delivering major upgrades on the A46, tackling one of the most dangerous junctions in the area. It’s extremely challenging, but essential that we improve the infrastructure if we want economic growth.
“Developments only work if people can actually get to the jobs. That’s why we put money into buses, cycle routes and local connections – it can’t just be buildings on a map.”
Larry Coltman, chair of the Chamber’s South Warwickshire Local Business Forum, said: “It was great to hear from two key drivers of future economic growth in our area.
“The RSC is, of course, synonymous with Stratford and it was great to hear about the exciting programme coming forward and the positive interest in it, as well as the wider impact the RSC has on the region.
“This forum and the Chamber more broadly has long advocated for more employment land in the area so it is fantastic to see Stratford 46 moving forward and the fact there are already strong enquiries.
“Local businesses need space to expand to in order to ensure our economy can continue to grow and that we have the jobs to match the new houses being built.”
