Touchwood, Solihull
Managed by Workman
Category sponsored by Mall Solutions Europe
In 2017, Touchwood embarked on an innovative partnership with 50 BA Creative Arts degree students from Solihull College & University Centre to host a fully immersive and interactive experience that drove centre sales, generated revenue and provided a valuable experience for the students.
The successful partnership generated £1,500 in revenue while saving £8,736 in rates and contributing to a +3.1% in centre sales.
Work varied extensively in its artistic approach and method, providing guests with intriguing reasons to visit and re-visit, whilst supporting the centre’s ethos of ‘there’s always something happening at Touchwood.”
The exhibition was open during trading hours with the occasional late-night opening. It was staffed by the students themselves who were able to offer guests insightful and often very personal introductions to their work.
Anecdotal feedback from exhibition visitors was very positive, with many offering high praise such as:“I didn’t expect to see an exhibition in the middle of a shopping centre but it worked really well in the shop space and the variety of work on show from the students was outstanding. It was also incredibly moving to see how students had interwoven their personal experiences into their work creating some really unique and profound creative disciplines and styles. The exhibition itself was interactive and engaging, asking questions of its audience and evoking a range of thoughts and emotions.
“A great collaboration between shopping centre and community and I’ll certainly be back next year if they do it again”.
The exhibition welcomed over 2,800 visitors during the course of the exhibition, with an additional 98 guests attending a private VIP opening night viewing.
Industry experts and art enthusiasts were also in attendance, making it the college’s most successful exhibition to date.
