The future is bright for the Sub Rooms

Our client, The Sub Rooms in Stroud recently published the news via the BBC that they financially turned a corner in 2025, announcing they made their first profit since being taken over by a charitable trust in 2019, reversing the trend of struggling independent venues.

Venue Manager, Bev Tanner, had strategically made the decision in 2023 to work with a new digital partner to optimise productivity.

Bev contacted 16i to discuss the key objectives of a redesigned website:

• Build on The Sub Rooms reputation as a popular arts and entertainment destination through a visual, user-friendly website experience

• Refine the design and provide a feature rich, easy to use Content Management System (CMS) to make it easy to use for staff and volunteers

• Enhance the integration of the interface between the Box Office software, Spektrix, and the website

• Improve the user experience and journey to book

• Prioritise and implement a mobile-first design

• Enhanced customer service from the new digital partner

The team at 16i built the new Sub Rooms website on Umbraco CMS, an open-source .NET content management system that is popular, powerful, extendable, and flexible.

Director of The Sub Rooms, Hugh Phillimore, has put his 40 years of experience in the entertainment industry, as well as access to the stars, to good use booking some phenomenal talent and expanding the membership. In addition to the new look website, The Sub Room’s recent success can be attributed to some key factors:

Key Factors in the Success:

• Charitable Trust Management - allowing it to operate as a not-for-profit entity focused on arts and culture rather than purely commercial interests

• Diverse Programming - attracting a broader range of performers and genres, which has led to increased ticket sales

• Volunteer Support - from a dedicated team of volunteers who work alongside the full-time staff members, contributing to its success and community feel

• Cost Reduction – cutting running costs by approximately 25%, a crucial step in the financial turnaround

• Community Involvement - maintaining a strong connection with the Stroud community has been vital in the turnaround of The Sub Rooms popularity

Watch our case study video to hear more about our work with the Sub Rooms.