From time to time we ALL find ourselves needing to find and use spaces and places for different purposes. Maybe it’s for a family celebration, an offsite work meeting or to play informal sport. Maybe it’s for a workshop, a networking event, an AGM… whatever the reason, the way in which we find and use community spaces remains… difficult.
One of the greatest single providers of community spaces and venues in Australia and New Zealand is local government. Councils have some of the best amenities of community spaces, active reserves, passive parks, community halls, recreation centres and more found anywhere. Yet for many local authorities, occupancy for these facilities is not what it could, or should be. We are all aware that our world is adapting to a new reality wrought by the COVID pandemic.
Traditional structures of work, learning and leisure
have been impacted and in some ways, have and will be changed forever.
Meanwhile,
society at large has effectively been trained to expect a digital customer experience
that matches booking a ride share, organising flights and enjoying convenient food delivery… And whilst many people require spaces for many different purposes, we have the disconnect of what it is like to book a Council facility vs the experience that today's customer demands, likes and trusts. No one wants to wait 6 weeks for a bond payment to be returned, no one wants to wait up to 7 business days for booking approval and no one wants to fill in a form… and why should they?
How did we get here? How do we fix the customer journey whilst meeting the governance and financial requirements that local councils must adhere to? The answer cannot and will not be found in utilising booking software. The answer requires a whole new rethink around the customer journey, data privacy & security, the way payments are taken, and realising that growing the utilisation of space isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s a social, economic and environmental imperative.
