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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Pantomime Procurement

Reading Borough Council · Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 1 Oct 2026, 23:36.

Opportunity overview

The Hexagon, Reading's largest entertainment venue, delivers a wide-ranging and diverse programme of events throughout the year. The annual pantomime represents the most commercially significant and strategically important component of the venue's programme. In 2022, a formal procurement process was undertaken to appoint Imagine Theatre as the pantomime production partner. This contract is now approaching its conclusion, with Aladdin (2026/27) being the final production under the current agreement, which ends in February 2027. To ensure continuity of delivery, audience engagement, and timely marketing and production planning, The Hexagon must enter into a new pantomime production contract by Autumn 2026, enabling full preparation for the 2027/28 pantomime season. The appointment of a pantomime production partner is a critical procurement for The Hexagon, given the pantomime's status as the venue's most commercially significant and strategically important annual event. A formal procurement process is required to ensure compliance with public sector procurement regulations, secure best value, promote fair competition, and mitigate financial and operational risk. Early market engagement and timely contract award are essential to enable sufficient lead-in time for creative development, casting, production planning, and marketing activity, all of which typically commence 12-18 months in advance of delivery.

Classification

  • CPV92300000 — Entertainment services

Lots

  • Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
25-S-206
Main Procurement Category
services
Above Threshold
Yes
Status
planning

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Special regime

concession

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Has Renewal
Yes
Status
planning

Contract period

Starts
1 Oct 2026, 00:00
Ends
1 Oct 2029, 23:59
Max Extent Date
1 Oct 2031, 23:59

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
92300000
Description
Entertainment services

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKJ11
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Planning and budget

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Description
SOFT MARKET ENGAGEMENT NOTICE Seasonal Pantomime Production Venue: The Hexagon Local Authority: Reading Borough Council Engagement Reference: SOFT MARKET ENGAGEMENT NOTICE Issue Date: 06/05/2026 Response Deadline: 20/05/2026 Please submit your responses by email to eoi@reading.gov.uk ________________________________________ 1. Purpose of this Engagement RBC is undertaking a Soft Market Engagement exercise in advance of a potential procurement process for the delivery of a seasonal pantomime at The Hexagon. The purpose of this exercise is to: • Understand current market capacity and appetite • Explore viable commercial and contractual models • Inform the proposed procurement route and specification • Identify innovation, audience development and community engagement opportunities This is not a call for competition and does not commit the Council to commence a procurement process. ________________________________________ 2. Venue Overview • Auditorium capacity: 960 • Typical performance run: 48 performances from Early Dec - Early Jan • Average pantomime attendance: 35,000 • Technical specification summary: Please follow the link https://tinyurl.com/HexagonTechSpec The Council is particularly interested in understanding how producers can support: • Box office growth • Risk mitigation • Community participation • Accessibility and inclusive programming ________________________________________ 3. Engagement Format The Council proposes: • Written responses to this questionnaire • Optional 1:1 virtual engagement meetings (30-45 minutes) • Potential supplier engagement event (if appropriate) All participating organisations will receive the same information to ensure transparency. ________________________________________ Supplier Response Questionnaire 1. Organisation Overview • Company name and registration details • Years trading • Summary of pantomime production experience • Experience in similar sized Local Authority venues. ________________________________________ 2. Market Insight Please outline: • Current trends in regional pantomime production • Emerging commercial models (guarantee, risk-share, hybrid) • Typical production budget ranges for venues of comparable scale • Casting strategies and impact on financial performance ________________________________________ 3. Commercial Structures For a venue of 960 please indicate: • Preferred financial model and rationale • Typical box office splits (if risk-share) • Minimum performance run to ensure viability • Key cost drivers affecting pricing Indicative figures are welcome at this stage (non-binding). ________________________________________ 4. Creative & Audience Development • How do you tailor pantomime scale to venue size? • What marketing assets do you typically provide? • Strategies for reaching new or underrepresented audiences • Examples of community or education engagement delivered ________________________________________ 5. Risk & Delivery Considerations • Key risks in delivering pantomime in the current market • Mitigation strategies • Lead-in time required for casting and production build • Technical or scheduling constraints the Council should consider ________________________________________ 6. Innovation & Added Value • Digital integration (streaming, social media campaigns, influencer marketing) • Environmental sustainability practices • Local employment / skills development opportunities ________________________________________ 4. Confidentiality Information provided will be used solely to inform procurement strategy. Commercially sensitive information will not be disclosed publicly. ________________________________________ 5. Next Steps Following this engagement, the Council may: • Refine its delivery model • Publish a formal procurement notice • Decide not to proceed
Due
20 May 2026, 23:59
Status
scheduled

Documents

Entry 1
Id
044575-2026
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Published
14 May 2026, 16:44
Format
text/html

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
Reading Borough Council
Id
GB-PPON-PWBJ-9435-VXQQ

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PWBJ-9435-VXQQ

Address

Street Address
Bridge Street
Locality
Reading
Postal Code
RG1 2LU
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKJ11

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - sub-central government

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Reading · UKJ11 · RG1 2LU · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKJ11 · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

2 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

2 VERSIONS
  1. 041646-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·
  2. 044575-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·