Ticketmaster HQ

In the summer of 2016, The Halo Group was commissioned to redesign Ticketmaster’s London offices in an exciting project which utilised many of our in-house services. The basement of the Ticketmaster HQ or, “The Imperial” as it’s known was the first floor we engaged with the client to redesign, followed by separate projects spread across 3 further floors. This case study focuses on the basement where we designed a flexible workspace for the client.

There have been strong trends within the commercial interior design sector in recent years, where workplaces are becoming more flexible. With workplace wellbeing becoming more and more common, offices are increasingly becoming more creative for the benefit of staff mainly, but also visitors and clients. The modern workplace focuses on staff and their experience when interacting with the space. Thinking about how your staff feel, what it is like to work at an organisation and so forth are important factors in office design. A workplace can help to attract (and retain) the best talent, and consequently companies are investing more and more to create workplaces where staff are inspired to work. Creative designs also stimulate creative output which has huge benefits for employers. These factors played an important role in our approach to this project.

Our brief was to redesign the existing basement of Ticketmaster’s offices to create a flexible workplace & event space to host gigs, functions, conferences, meetings and more. Trends for using unusual material combinations have been strong in recent years such as the use of metals, woods, textiles, stone and other finishes, all combined into a cohesive well conceived design. Our client particularly liked the industrial look which inspired many of the finishes in this commercial interior design project but they also wanted us to think outside the box and bring elements of Ticketmaster’s heritage, identity and history into the overall design of the space. With a clear brief from the client and an abundant amount of creative inspiration from our production team, we set out to create an inspirational commercial interior design within the space.

Before coming to site, The Halo Group’s in-house design team created concept visuals of our proposed design prior to sign off. Our designers work in Cinema 4D, Photoshop, VectorWorks and Auto Cad and are able to create 3D renders to a very high standard during the conceptualisation stages of a project. Once the creative direction was signed off, we submitted further detailed proposals including basic mood boards, materials samples and technical drawings to support our pitch. Once contracted for the project, we provided a Technical Construction Pack, Construction Design Pack, and MEP Pack (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing) as part of a full Tender Set.

Once onsite, to create the end result we stripped out the existing room and reconfigured the space to create an improved flow to the room. Additional stud walls were constructed before rewiring, plumbing and prepping the space for construction. Our production team started by creating multiple textures on the walls including brick slips, scenic painting, exposed render and concrete, mirrored surfaces, aged wood cladding and metallic mesh panels. Our art team also designed set pieces to add further character to the space such as a loud speaker installation affixed to one of the walls and the room’s focal point, a performance stage featuring walls clad in acoustic foam panels and a “Marshall Amp” set backdrop created from stacked amplifiers in a creative design. These art installations were inspired by Ticketmaster’s heritage in line with the brief and added a fun twist. A mixture of finishes helped give the space a distinct character and achieved our client’s desire to make the space creative and inspiring.

A rough sawn timber bar featuring a custom zinc patina bar top, shelving crafted from metal pipes and reclaimed wood and a brickwork back bar wall helped tie the overall aesthetic of the design together. The inclusion of a bar also brought a social dimension to the space and created a place where staff and visitors wanted to hang out. The lighting design saw a continuation of the industrial theme with Edison pendants housed in geometric detail, a bespoke conduit lighting installation and copper piping fixtures and fittings. The furniture styling took on a Mid Century Modern feel with authentic and iconic pieces from a range of designers used throughout the space combined with reclaimed industrial metal bar stools and a comfy low level snug built into one of the walls.

The lighting within the room also played an important role. As the space was designed as a flexible event space we designed a lighting system that could be adjusted to suit different occasions which was controlled from a DMX box on the main stage. The feel of the space could be instantly transformed by bathing the room in coloured light using the controller. A projection screen was placed on the main stage for conferences and presentations and a PA system was also incorporated into the design for use at social events and other functions. This commercial interior design service utilised the full spread of our services and represented an exciting opportunity to reinforce our reputation within this highly competitive fast moving sector.