It's a Hall new ball game

Shows staged have ranged from the International Concert Series of classical music to stand-up gigs by comics including Ross Noble and Jimmy Carr during the Sheffield Comedy Festival - which has used the Barker's Pool venue as its main base.

There have also been community events such as Chinese new year celebrations, and performances by Sheffield Girls' High School and Manor Operatic Society.

City Hall's Ballroom is used to host club nights and tea dances, while the smaller Memorial Hall at the rear has become home to the Last Laugh Comedy Club, which holds regular shows.

The revelations were made in a report to Sheffield Council's Culture, Economy and Sustainability Board, which meets today.

Dominic Stokes, general manager of City Hall, said: "Following the refurbishment and re-opening, the city and wider region now has an exceptionally fine concert venue fit for the 21st century.

"In a challenging and competitive market, the City Hall has performed well financially against its overall targets for 2006-7 and hosted an extremely varied range of events."

City Hall receives a grant from Sheffield Council - 633,000 in the last financial year - to help its running costs. But, in 2006-7, revenue from ticket sales was 15 per cent higher than expected, at 4.25 million, rather than the estimate of 3.7 million.

A total of 546 events took place during the 12 months, attracting a combined audience of 324,113. But the report revealed City Hall still has a few challenges to overcome - such as resolving a "long standing issue" about acoustics at the venue for classical concerts.

"The City Hall management team is addressing this and has made arrangements for acoustic testing and a financial feasibility study to address any outcomes identified from the testing," the report states.

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