JAMES MILLIGAN FOUNDER
Milligan Consultancy — Events, Venues, Development

Creative strategy for places people want to be.

From early ideas and feasibility to programming, venue strategy and delivery — making ambitious projects commercially viable and worth visiting.

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THE STORY

Co-founded Backyard Cinema.

Built it from an East London backyard into a major immersive entertainment business.

500k+tickets sold
2020acquired bySony Music

Today that experience is applied to ambitious events, venues, developments and founder-led businesses.

EVENTS · VENUES · DEVELOPMENT

Three disciplines.
One commercial lens.

The work moves between creative ideas, physical spaces and the commercial model that makes them viable.

Backyard Cinema event
EVENTSIdeas people turn up for.
Opera Holland Park venue
VENUESSpaces that work harder.
Wheat Quarter development plan
DEVELOPMENTFrom potential to place.

SELECTED WORK

Built, tested,
delivered.

01

Backyard Cinema

Immersive entertainment / Co-Founder

Backyard Cinema audience
02

Laser Quest X

Immersive entertainment / Founder & CEO

Laser Quest X
03

Capacity Bookings

Corporate sales / Founder

Capacity Bookings — Corporate Sales Engine
04

Humbug

Immersive Christmas / Co-Founder

Humbug immersive Christmas show
05

Royal Albert Dock

Meanwhile activation / Operator strategy

Royal Albert Dock, London
06

Opera Holland Park

Venue development / Consultancy

Opera Holland Park
07

The Wheat Quarter

Placemaking / Vision

Wheat Quarter plan
08

Winter Gardens Margate

Programming / Strategy

Margate Winter Gardens
09

Draughts London

Expansion / Development

Draughts London

WHAT WE DO

From first thought
to real-world use.

01

Project Vision & Feasibility

+

Early-stage feasibility, market thinking and concept visioning that turns potential into a clear, commercially grounded direction.

02

Tenant Mix & Leasing Strategy

+

Creating the right balance of operators, anchors and independents around audience need, local identity and commercial resilience.

03

Content & Programming

+

Programming strategies designed to drive footfall, repeat visits and relevance through the year.

04

Production Management

+

Managing creative builds, suppliers, budgets and delivery so strong concepts work in the real world.

05

Creative R&D & Event Design

+

Original formats, experiences and commercial models developed from audience insight through to testing and launch.

06

Venue Acquisition & Business Development

+

Site sourcing, landlord conversations, business cases and operational thinking for temporary and permanent venues.

HOW WE WORK

A clear route from
ambition to activation.

01IDEA
02STRATEGY
03MODEL
04SPACE
05EXPERIENCE
GREAT BRITISH ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS · NATWEST
WINNERCreative Industries Entrepreneur of the Year2019

GET IN TOUCH

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idea or project?