Scott Hutchinson’s Fortitude Music Hall relied on expert Russell Steele to get last-minute exemption to ID scanning laws
The Valley’s hottest new venue would have taken almost four hours to process its 3000 opening night guests if it had not received a last-minute exemption to ID scanning laws.
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JUST IN TIME
They got it just in the knick of time--and not without a few frayed nerves in the process.
The gang organising the July 26 launch party for Brisbane’s cracking new concert venue, The Fortitude Music Hall, only managed to snare a highly-coveted permanent exemption to ID scanning laws the day before 3000 or so guests showed up.
Owner Scott Hutchinson and his comrades who run the joint, including John Collins, managed to quietly chalk one up for common sense by utilising the skills of hospitality industry consultant Russell Steele, who runs RSA Liquor Professionals.
Steele is a former Principal Liquor Compliance Officer with the Liquor Licensing Division and Office of Liquor & Gaming Regulation. He’s also worked on the opposite side of the bar, managing pubs around Queensland and in the Northern Territory.
Steele told City Beat yesterday his win was “hard work’’ that hinged on his knowledge of the scanning legislation, which provides exceptions for minors, building residents and people attending functions.
Most events at The Fort, as it’s already known, come under the definition of a function because they are concerts organised by third parties, mostly concert promoters who lease the hall for a night.
But, since the launch gig didn’t fall under that definition because it was overseen by the licensees, Steele had to prove how absurd it would be to attempt to scan a capacity crowd of 3300 patrons.
His submission to Liquor and Gaming top guns showed that six scanners, working at maximum efficiency of about 30 seconds per check and each processing 550 fans, would need at least three hours and 45 minutes just to churn through the whole crowd.
“By that time, the show would have finished and the last train would have left the Valley,’’ Steele quipped.
He also noted that none of the city’s other venues, including The Tivoli, The Triffid and QPAC, required scanning since they are located outside the limits of “safe night precincts’’.
“Fortitude Hall represented the largest potential scanning venue in the entire state and, if it was located anywhere but where it is, you wouldn’t have to scan,’’ Steel said.
Somewhat ironically, Hutchinson, the building industry titan who loves live gigs as much as he detests scanning laws, had another win of sorts on the day The Fort threw open its doors.
The launch coincided with news that Caxton Street clubs and pub can ditch their much-loathed scanners and other venues will see a midweek reduction in scanning hours.
CHANGING TIMES
More than 2000 mining industry players have converged on Kalgoorlie for Diggers and Dealers, the annual conference once infamous for the debauched excesses of its predominantly male attendees.
But times have changed in the remote Western Australian hamlet founded in the 1890s.
There’s only one brothel still trading on Hay Street, which used to be packed with houses of ill-repute.
What a contrast to the old days, when business was so good that prostitutes would fly in to town for the conference!
Changing corporate standards, more women in the work force and the era of #MeToo have also seen female staff at pubs don slightly more modest outfits.
The three-day gathering kicked off on Monday with a keynote address from former PM John Howard.
Plenty of Queenslanders have headed out west for the event, including Solgold boss Nick Mather.
Big shots from other outfits with a sizeable stake in the Sunshine State, such as Resolute Mining, New Century Resources and Evolution Mining, are also on hand.
With gold sitting above $2000 per ounce and iron ore getting more than $180 per tonne, there are lot of happy campers.
Outgoing conference chair Nick Giorgetta said 22 of the companies attending had market caps ranging from $1 billion to in excess of $120 billion.
The Fortitude Music Hall brings mid-sized venue back to Brisbane
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