How Chichester Festival Theatre Are Using itemit For Fixed Asset Management And Prop Tracking

Chichester Festival Theatre are using itemit to track and manage their prop and furniture store, IT assets, and equipment. Beforehand, props and other fixed assets were logged sparsely and one system was needed to track locations, damage, depreciation, and other fixed asset management operations.

Chichester Festival Theatre is one of the UK’s flagship theatres, renowned for the exceptionally high standard of its productions, which range from star-studded musicals to exciting new plays, as well as its work with the community and young people. Many of the shows that originate in its two theatres go on to the West End or tour nationally and internationally.

itemit’s asset tracking system is a powerful software where you can log your asset register and view and update asset information in real-time. Using apps and a web portal, itemit allows you to retrieve, view, and edit asset information, such as location, condition, and financial data in an instant. If you imagine a world where you and your team can see what props and equipment you have, what’s available and book it – all done remotely and from an app, instead of needing to be onsite, then itemit is for you! Since its inception, itemit has grown into an effective fixed asset management system with a range of helpful location tracking, auditing, and depreciation features.

Before using itemit, Chichester Festival Theatre was faced with the challenge of logging, monitoring, and tracking crucial asset-related data. With a register of equipment, props, and fixed assets to monitor, any changes or updates would require manual edits.

Therefore, if any of these multiple assets moved around, it would become more likely that they would be unaccounted for. This risk could create inaccurate asset-related finances and problems related to auditing, insurance, and tax. Any damage was more likely to go unnoticed, too, which is a huge issue for props that need to look fresh and authentic.

The ability to log props and fixed assets, track their movements, and monitor prop condition and asset finances all in one place was needed. This way it would be possible to ensure everything is up to date, accurate, and visible in both financial terms and in terms of use and condition.

One system would be needed to scale Chichester Festival Theatre’s fixed asset management, too, as the use of various features would help with further accountability and transparency over their asset register.

Chichester Festival Theatre found itemit as a solution to their asset tracking challenges. itemit is an effective solution that allows users to log their assets as unique items and add data to their respective profiles. 

It is then possible to implement asset tagging to link physical assets to their digital counterparts. This way, any time a prop or fixed asset undergoes a change, such as if it gets damaged or if it moves location, the process is a simple case of scanning, then using one of itemit’s features to log the change. The logged change then updates in real-time and across the entire itemit system, meaning anyone on-site can indicate damage to any remote parties that need to know about a prop’s condition.

Chichester Festival Theatre has also added multiple departments to the itemit system, showing the range of benefits. Not only is itemit being used by the props team, but its usage has spread to different departments including the finance team.

Scanning an asset’s tag updates an asset’s last-seen location and opens the asset’s digital profile simultaneously. On an asset’s digital profile, it is then possible to use a variety of features, such as issue reporting through an issues management system.

A complete asset register is automatically updated and created with every change, too. Therefore, whenever a new asset is added to the system, all of its data and information will be added to a visible, streamlined, and automated asset tracking system.

Chichester Festival Theatre are currently scaling their itemit usage and will make use of helpful depreciation features to monitor asset finances with greater ease. They will also be using the bookings feature to track where assets are being booked out to, who is using them, and when they’re due back. This is highly effective when props are hired out to other theatres or companies as it ensures transparency for when props are needed for Chichester’s own performances.

The results are an effective, singular system where Chichester Festival Theatre’s users can view information related to their fixed asset register, props and IT assets with ease. They can track a variety of different asset-related information automatically and at speed in a way spreadsheets won’t allow for. This gives the teams visibility over what props are available ahead of time. Simply by checking the itemit app on their phone, they can look through all available props when planning and designing performances.

itemit is benefitting multiple teams within Chichester Festival Theatre, too, providing ROI in multiple different areas. This includes when managing IT assets, managing the theatre’s financial records, and keeping control of props to ensure they’re available, undamaged, and viable for use onstage.

Chichester Festival Theatre are planning on scaling their usage and the itemit team is looking forward to closely working with them while they spread to more prop hiring, more fixed asset management, and more effective IT asset management operations. With the use of more features, Chichester will roll out a fully transparent asset management system that updates in real-time, indicating any changes any of their assets go through.

Katie Hennessy, CFT’s props store co-ordinator, says:

“itemit allows us and the wider team to instantly and conveniently see what assets we have, which is particularly important when it comes to props. Now our team can browse through the props available to them from their phone, instead of needing to physically visit our off-site store and rummage through them! We’ve seen huge benefits in having an accurate, up-to-date overview of our stock and where it is. We are looking forward to expanding usage into booking and checking out assets too”

The itemit team looks forward to a close relationship with Chichester Festival Theatre and are thrilled with the opportunity to assist with the tracking and management of theatre assets and props.

If you need a solution to track inventory, props, or fixed assets, book a demo of itemit here and we’ll show you everything it will do for you. You can also contact the team at team@itemit.com.

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or, download the itemit app to get started