the valley brief

The Road to Effective Management
In 2002, a joint initiative of the State and Local Government suggested to Valley licensees that a pro-active and locally responsive group be formed to manage the issues associated with the consumption of alcohol. The result was VAMP – the Valley Alcohol Management Partnership, established in 2002. Les Pullos, the Chair of VAMP since 2005, has seen a great deal of growth and change in that time. “When I attended the first meeting along with Queensland Police, BCC, Dept of Communitees, other licensees and stakeholders, we immediately looked at pro-active measures to address possible future issues.” By 2005, VAMP had developed a comprehensive wishlist, so when the State Government implemented the 17-point Brisbane City Safety Action Plan in March, almost all of the suggestions on the list were realised. “While venues were not happy about the 3am lockout as it changed the vibrancy of the area, they were glad to see our changes implemented,” remarks Les. “The mainstreaming of our patronage now has introduced a lot of new challenges and we are keen to implement several more of the items on our new wishlist (refer page 09). To realise the potential of the Valley Entertainment Precinct, there needs to be an expectation that there will be large crowds, and strategies have to be introduced to manage those numbers. We also need to ensure new venues add other dimensions and vibrancy to the Valley, not to simply replicate what is here already. Unfortunately, we also have to accept that drugs are changing the dynamics of the night scene, and venues cannot be held totally responsible for dealing with that serious issue. We are keen to continue working with authorities to manage all of these issues and make the Valley an even safer and enjoyable Entertainment Precinct to work and visit.”