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City Life editor Jennifer Hobbs-Roberts recently met with Bet
Davies, Head of Communications at Wales Millennium Centre.
IN CONVERSATION
BET DAVIES
Bet has headed up communications operations at the Wales Tourist
Board and the Welsh Development
Agency, and was Director of
Marketing and Communications
for Cardiff’s bid for the title of
European Capital of Culture and
was also a member of the bidding
team that won the Ryder Cup
tournament for Wales in 2012.
We chatted with Bet about her role
at the Wales Millennium Centre.
How did you become Head of
Communications at Wales
Millennium Centre (WMC)?
I had been working on specific projects
for WMC pre and post opening, so
when this opportunity arose I decided
to go for it.
What is your role within the WMC?
I head up the communications activities
for Wales Millennium Centre, working
within the Arts and Audience
Development Department alongside the
Chief Executive and Chairman on
corporate communications.
WMC is Wales’ national centre for the
arts, but it is also a business and like
any business its reputation is all
important. The Centre has a great team,
committed to seeing the Centre
succeed. My proudest moment was
seeing us win the Visit Wales Quality
and Customer Care Award. Everyone
contributed to that.
Given the recent financial problems
with the WMC, some people have
said that the WMC’s role in Wales is
quite superficial.
What would you
say to that?
The Centre has been open three and
half years and in that time over four
million people have come through its
doors. There have been many sell out
shows, from opera to comedy,
spectacular ice shows to West End
musicals. Highlights for me include
Mathew Bourne’s productions –
Carman and Edward Scissorhands,
Falstaff with Bryn Terfel, all the ballet
and contemporary dance, Arpa Viva,
which included a spectacular
performance with 100 harps in the
foyer and White Christmas. The pièce
de resistance has to be The Mariinsky
Theatre’s production of Wagner’s Ring
Cycle in 2006. This brought visitors to
Cardiff from all over the world for four
days, the majority of them first time
visitors to Wales. The economic impact
of that event was very significant.
As one visitor succinctly said “Russians
singing Wagner laced with Vodka in
Coptic or Etruscan outfits... food, wine,
museums, houses, castles, and you have
an unbeatable mix.” What better
advertisement for Cardiff and Wales?
Our role is to present a diverse
programme with something for
everyone. In March we had over 10,000
people through the doors for Breakin’
the Bay, an urban arts festival for young
people. We now have exciting plans to
develop our public programmes,
working in association with a number
of new partners.
With such a diverse range of arts
organizations within the WMC,
how do you balance all interests?
Wales Millennium Centre is an
internationally significant cultural icon
and a major centre for the arts. It is the
flagship home for seven creative
organizations, from WNO, the largest,
to the Touch Trust, the smallest, who
do the most inspiring work with people
with the profoundest disabilities.
Developing synergies, partnerships and
dynamic relationships, these artistic
powerhouses collectively create work
of global significance.
Having so many creative organizations
under one roof is very stimulating – it is
a true furnace of creativity. And as
these resident companies have settled
into their new home they are working
collaboratively on a number of projects.
Who would have thought Diversions
would be on stage with Welsh National
Opera in the Seven Deadly Sins? And
did Dilys Price of the Touch Trust ever
imagine that her clients would be
working with professional singers and
dancers. Only a couple of weeks ago I
saw a manuscript of a new opera – the
seeds of which were sown over a
coffee in the foyer! With BBC National
Orchestra of Wales coming down here
at the end of the year we will see even
more creative partnerships and
collaboration.
You were involved in Cardiff’s bid
for the title of European Capital of
Culture. In hindsight do you think
Cardiff was ready?
Cardiff put in an excellent bid and
came very close to winning. In terms of
culture we had many of the key
building blocks in place, especially with
the completion of Wales Millennium
Centre. We always knew that the St
David’s 2 shopping development would
be under construction in 2008 as well
as the International Sports Village, so it
was not the ideal timing for Cardiff.
They say you can always judge a city’s
progress by the number of cranes on
the skyline. Cardiff certainly has its fair
share at the moment. Hopefully we can
get it right for the Ashes in 2009 and
the Ryder Cup in 2010.
What do you think Cardiff and
surrounding areas need to do to
become a desired global
destination?
Cardiff has come a long way since the
day I joined the Wales Tourist Board. In
population terms we are a small city
but we have all the attributes of a
capital. I always like to think we are
large enough to cope but small enough
to care, which is why we managed the
European Summit, Rugby World Cup
and the FA Cup finals so well. We now
have a good selection of hotels, to suit
all pockets and there are more on the
way. But there still needs to be more
investment in infrastructure if we are to
become a true global destination. We
need an international convention centre.
If we are to compete with other cities
in the UK. We need better air links, and
we must get that Southern distributor
link from the M4 motorway, and better
signage. Inter city rail links have to be
improved, as does the Central Bus and
Railway station. If we want more
people to leave their cars there must be
an efficient public transport alternative.
I once took part in a record breaking
attempt by rail from Paddington to
Cardiff in 71 minutes to demonstrate
how easy it is to get to and from
London. I have the certificate to prove
it! Sadly, it has become less reliable and
much slower due to lack of investment
on the line.
Investment in infrastructure alone is not
enough. We must clean up the city. I
just hate litter and chewing gum – they
are my biggest bugbears. I once walked
around the city centre for three hours
with the Council’s cleansing team to
identify the problem areas. As a result
the city centre streets were scrubbed –
which set a benchmark for the city, but
we have yet to sustain that level of
cleanliness. It is not just up to the
Council – it is up to every man, woman
and child, every business to keep our
city clean. I would also like to see the
quality of customer care across the city
improved. Finally, we must get much
smarter at marketing the city for
tourism and investment.
Tell us about your role as Clerk to
the Lord Lieutenant of South
Glamorgan. What does that involve?
As Clerk to the Lieutenancy of South
Glamorgan – an honorary role – I get
involved in the planning of all Royal
visits to the county. Minute attention to
detail is always the key to a successful
visit. Cardiff hosts a considerable
number of Royal engagements, because
of its capital city status. HRH the Prince
of Wales is a regular visitor, and now
Prince William is Vice Patron of the
WRU we are seeing him on a regular
basis at the Millennium Stadium. Her
Majesty the Queen opens the new
Assembly every four years, and she also
opened the Senedd and of course Wales
Millennium Centre in 2004. In 2005 Her
Majesty and HRH The Duke of
Edinburgh came down for the Royal
Variety Performance at the Centre.
Tell us about your involvement
with charitable organizations?
I am involved in a number of charitable
organizations. It’s not often appreciated
that Wales Millennium Centre itself is a
charity and has to raise nearly £1
million a year through fundraising
activities. That’s tough when you are
competing with other well established
and worthy charities, particularly with
an impending downturn in the
economy.
I suppose I am following in my father’s
footsteps – he was involved in so many
things in the community in Dyffryn
Nantlle, from the local football club to
the Royal British Legion, always helping
people. I am Chair of Live Music Now
in Wales, and also Governor for Wales.
This is a charity set up by Yehudi
Menuhin over 30 years ago. His vision
was to support the most talented young
musicians as they embark on their
careers, but importantly taking their
music out into communities, into care
homes, residential homes, special
schools and hospitals, giving people the
very best of musical experiences. This
touched a chord with me from the
outset. My mother has suffered from
Alzheimer’s for the past 18 years, yet
she is stimulated and comforted by
classical music. She regularly saw WNO
at the Astra in Llandudno. How proud
she would have been to see them
perform in their own home at WMC.
I am also a trustee of The Prince’s
Regeneration Trust (PRT). Not as well
known as The Prince’s Trust, PRT,
through its projects, enables under-used
or redundant buildings, such as
Cardigan Castle, to perform a new
function, which in turn unlocks a
regeneration of the wider community.
My interest in the built environment
began at the Wales Tourist Board, when
I was involved in The Historic Houses
Association. I also wrote the first tourist
guide to industrial archaeology, which
stimulated a lifelong interest in the
industrial heritage of South Wales.
Diversions, The Dance Company of
Wales, is another charity with which I
am involved. This week I have been
persuaded to become a trustee of Craft
in the Bay, which to many in Wales is
still perhaps one of our best kept
secrets.
I would love to give time to other
charities, but there aren’t enough hours
in the day right now. But I do keep a
list - if and when I retire. Hospital Radio
is something I would love to get
involved with one day. I firmly believe
in the concept of the Time Bank. There
are so many retired people out there
who could give time and expertise to
voluntary organizations. They would
gain as individuals as would the
charities.
Describe your ideal job apart from
the one you’re in.
It would have to involve people. I was
brought up in a pub and developed
social skills at an early age! Working in
a tourist information centre is actually a
great job if you like people. Tourists
come in with a problem and go away
happy. I think everyone involved in
tourism should spend time in a TIC – to
keep abreast of a visitor’s needs. I
worked in Caernarfon TIC as a student,
and I worked in hotels. I loved it. In my
lunchtime I will often wander around
the foyer at Wales Millennium Centre,
talking to people. That’s what TIC
training gives you – that awareness of
the customer at the sharp end.
What motivates you?
I am motivated by getting results and
positive outcomes. I am certainly not a
committee person.
Who do you most respect and why?
Now that is an interesting question. I
can think of a number of people in
public life who I respect, for their work
and their philanthropy, but probably I
would have to say it’s the anaesthetists
in our hospitals – especially in
paediatrics. They are the unsung heroes.
What single achievement in your
career are you most proud of?
Working on the State Visit of the
Emperor and Empress of Japan to
Cardiff in 1998. That was the ultimate
in terms of event management and
attention to detail.
How do you relax?
I love to relax in a hot bath with my
favourite aromatherapy potions. As a
special treat, on weekends, I will
occasionally go for a full body massage
and facial. I have tried a number of spas
in and around Cardiff but always go
back to Clarins’ tiny little studio tucked
away in a corner in Howells.
I love to relax too with a dance
performance at WMC. Seeing The
Kirov Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet
and The English National Ballet in
Wales has been a dream come true
for me. And I have also seen Diversions
grow in quality and stature since they
made Wales Millennium Centre their
home in 2004.
Who would you most like to have
dinner with?
It would have to be George Clooney,
but somewhere close to his Italian
residence - not LA! I have been there a
couple of times and have no desire to
go back.
Favourite food/dish?
I love Italian food, freshly cooked with
simple ingredients. Deserts are my
weakness. At the moment, I have a bit
of a passion for panacotta with fresh
fruits. I had a rather delicious version of
it in The Old Post Office at St Fagan’s
recently, served with rhubarb.
Favourite wine?
I’m not a big drinker, and I’m allergic to
red wine! But at the right occasion I
enjoy a glass of chilled white wine –
preferably a crisp dry Sauvignon Blanc
or Sancerre. France – Galles in
Churchill Way is a favourite place of
mine to enjoy it.
What do you love about Cardiff?
I love the fact that it is a city with a
village atmosphere and I think we are
blessed to have so many green spaces.
If you could improve or change one
thing, what would it be?
It would have to be public transport.
I would love to see the city have a
modern state-of-the-art tram system.
If you could go back what would
you do differently?
Coming from a small slate quarrying
village education and work were all
important. I left University in
Aberystwyth on Sunday and started
work in Cardiff on Monday. If I had my
time again maybe I would have a gap
year like today’s young people, and
travel to South America.
Is there anything about your life
you would like to change?
No. My father always helped everybody
and I hope people can say the same
about me. I always remember this
quote by Arthur Ashe, “From what we
get, we can make a living; what we
give, however, makes a life.”
Best advice you’ve ever been given?
My Latin teacher, John Gill, told me to
B Sharp, B Natural, Never B Flat. Not a
bad piece of advice for working in PR.
What three words best define your
character?
Gregarious, enthusiastic and positive.
Canolfan Mileniwm
Cymru
Wales Millennium Centre
029 2063 6440
www.wmc.org.uk
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