the forum company withdraws from the baxter 

After months of discussions with the management of The Baxter Theatre and key UCT members, The Forum Company have decided to end relations and vacate the theatre complex.

Glynis Hyslop, Managing Director of The Forum Company says, “From 31 March, The Forum Company will close its doors on Act Restaurant, Play Bar and The Long Bar at The Baxter.  We are extremely sad that it has come to this but we are unable to work with The Baxter under the existing conditions”. 

In response to a September 2010 advertisement to run catering operations, The Forum committed to funding a major refurbishment that was necessary to improve and upgrade the existing facilities.  Conferencing was seen as an essential component for the ongoing business model of The Forum and the Baxter as it would promote further income generation for both entities. This arrangement was in line with Baxter CEO and Director Lara Foot’s vision of making the theatre complex a vibrant cultural and culinary hub during the day and at night.

“We invested substantial sums of money into the refurbishment of The Baxter itself, much of which was to make the spaces habitable, more accessible, to repair unsafe electrics and to enhance and promote the image of the two entities.  One of the draw cards of the tender was the promise of a footfall of 400 000 per annum.  This has not been the case at all; the figures are substantially less and dropping and as a result the operations are unworkable” adds Hyslop.

Hyslop also goes on to say: “On the conferencing side we found that availability was a major issue.  In addition we have been told that The Baxter has been offering conference rates substantially less than those which it required The Forum to pay.  This conflicted with our goal of offering our clients value for money”.

The Forum Company are already well-established as a force in the conference and catering arena in Johannesburg. Best known for their exceptional management of the forum | the campus in Bryanston and the unique the forum | turbine hall, the company’s vision was to offer The Baxter their extensive expertise and offer the clients of The Baxter a holistic and seamless experience from fine dining to world class conferences and shows.

“Our vision was to encourage patrons to give back to their theatre and we are extremely disappointed that this has not happened and that this has come to an end.  We had so many exciting initiatives which we would have liked to implement but received no support from The Baxter team to jointly implement!  We wish The Baxter team all the best in their future endeavours and would like to thank the many Baxter patrons who have supported us in the past year” concludes Hyslop.