Who would you ask to open the Bluecoat on March 15? This was the last question for the Head of Operations interviews last week and it was designed to see if people had a feel for the Bluecoat and the contemporary art scene. The range of answers was huge from ‘they must have integrity and a past connection to the Bluecoat’ to the cry for ‘the mightiest star we could find so that as their light shone on us we would be illuminated to the world’. The board is currently considering the question. Any good ideas?

I had an interesting meeting this week with a firm who are looking for something for ’08. They had approached the Culture Company ages ago but were not in the £2,000,000 category this ended their interest. Now the year is here they can see it’s the biggest game in town and they want to be involved.

We have such a range of things that can be supported that what we have to do is find out what a company wants to say about themselves and then match it. For example the galleries would suit the company interested in the new, the modern, innovation and excellence. Sponsoring our family activities says something quite different (next generation, investing etc) and the Blue Room, our project with people with learning disabilities emphasis a company’s community concern. It is not that clear cut of course and there is a lot of cross over of values and supporting the Bluecoat itself says them all. Anyway if you know a firm that wants a piece of  ’08 let me know. All sponsorship comes with the chance for significant corporate entertainment and client smoozing.

The plane is starting to descend so I’ll wrap up. I’m on my way back from Cologne. I’ve just had a jolly trip if that is the right word for having to get up to catch the plane over at 4am yesterday and the one back at 5.20am this morning.

I was giving a presentation with the Culture Company to journalists, tourism professionals, artists and politicians etc on the year of culture and our part in it including the three collaborations we have with German artists.

These are weird events. Not the presentation but the civic pageantry of speeches full of heart felt thanks by Lord Mayors followed by the passing of gifts that must go straight to huge store cupboards in the town hall.

We got interest from a prestigious German TV channel so let’s hope that they come and film for our opening.

 Alastair Upton, Chief Executive at the Bluecoat.