The making of a dream for the Dolphins Leap Team

Posted in Business | Business Services | Conference Facilities & Services

Milestone: noun. : a significant stage or event in the development of something

Converting an abandoned night club with kitsch design, into an upmarket conference centre is no easy task.

The builders, under the guidance of Henry Goedhals, had to first strip out the old fittings, mirror, stages, bar, ceilings, electrical works and plumbing such as toilets, basins and wet infrastructure, before they could commence with the actual creation of the vast conference spaces.

Their brief was to create four main conference rooms, two smaller board rooms that can be used as break away rooms, a canteen area and install new toilets and a shower for the centre’s staff.

Once the interior of the old Lush Retro Bar on the top floor of the Dolphins Leap Centre was cleared out, all that was left standing was an empty shell. Perimeter walls and support pillars looking forlorn but full of promise as the architects plans rolled out on the dusty floor.

As work commenced, jack hammers could be heard far and wide – the big challenge was to keep them quiet when conference clients occupied the existing part of the venue. This really cut into the working hours that the builders could operate the noisy machinery.

The deadlines, interrupted by the existing conference venue bookings, created some tension, but we somehow managed to work around each other and milestone moments came and went.

The many milestones of such a project included seeing the venue for the first time after the stripping out, when the floor tiles are laid, seeing open spaces where walls used to be, window openings which had been boarded up and holes in walls for new doors linking one space to another.

For me the greatest milestone in this project has been the first time I saw the lights on in the new section at night.

Lighting opens up a space and gives the impression that it is bigger than it actually is. With the dimmer switches that we have installed we will be able to create different moods for different events.

The reflection of the lights on the new floor tiles and the freshly painted walls that reflect the light so beautifully, add to the wonderfully exciting first time experience.

The next big moment will be when the rubble is removed and the final piece of skirting goes on the wall and we finally bid farewell to the building team.

With the opening date, 1 March 2017, surging forward and with three days in March that are fully booked, I am excited at the future success of the venue.