The Gymnasium Limited of Barbados will soon begin its search for a Chief Executive Officer following a restructuring of its management team.

During a press conference at his Haggatt Hall, St. Michael office yesterday, Minister of Sports, Stephen Lashley, announced that the Gymnasium???s board had decided to ???part company with??? General Manager, Ken Mason.

According to Mr. Lashley, the Gymnasium had not been meeting its revenue thresholds and there were also concerns regarding efficiency at the venue. Noting that a Human Resources (HR) company was contracted to conduct an HR audit at the sports facility, he pointed out: ???In short, the financial fortunes of the Gymnasium has significantly fallen over the past couple of years, and it became widely apparent that we have to look at the Gymnasium as a whole and to reposition the Gymnasium within the context of reassuring its viability.???

The Sports Minister said other changes would be implemented, disclosing that the Board was mandated to recruit a Chief Executive Officer and to reposition the Gymnasium as a prime sports and entertainment venue. He stressed that the facility needed a management structure that could readily respond to changes in the emerging sporting industry.

???We are seeking to position Barbados to take advantage of not only the sports tourism sector but the very important area of venue management,??? he outlined.

Minister Lashley told the press: ???It has to be appropriately marketed and to some extent that has fallen off in recent times, but the Gymnasium in my view has the potential to be marketed across the world as a prime sports and entertainment venue and that is the mandate I have given to the board.???

He continued: ???Within the context of the available facilities in Barbados and our quest to not only grow a sporting industry but to also grow a cultural industry, we have advocated a policy of encouraging and soliciting the holding of key events in Barbados, both of a sports and cultural nature, and one of our readily available facilities happen to be the Gymnasium.???

Consequently, the Sports Minister stated that the seating capacity of the Gymnasium would eventually be increased so that the venue could manage numbers that would attract major events to the island.

Moreover, he also emphasised that the Gymnasium???s public duty to sporting organisations would not be compromised, since those costs are covered through an arrangement with the National Sports Council.

shamkoe.pile@barbados.gov.bb

Author: Shamkoe Pil??

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