What Real Ideas Organisation does

Real Ideas Organisation is a Plymouth-headquartered creative social enterprise, structured as a Community Interest Company (CIC) with two wholly-owned subsidiaries (Real Ideas Trading Ltd for commercial operations and Real Ideas Assets CIC for property), operating across Plymouth, Cornwall, and the wider Southwest of England. It runs three physical venues — Market Hall (Devonport, featuring Europe's first 360-degree immersive dome with 210° projection and 19.1 spatial audio), Devonport Guildhall (creative studios and print facilities), and Liskeard Library (a restored Grade II listed community hub) — and delivers programme lines covering Education & Community, Pathways, Creative Futures, Innovation & Research, Consultancy & Projects (via its Nature and Neighbourhoods team), and the Native Makers and Print In Action sub-brands. Its flagship product is the exclusive UK (outside-London) run of 'Our Story with David Attenborough', an immersive filmic piece co-developed with Bristol-based Open Planet Studios, supplemented by Arctic: Our Frozen Planet and rotating dome programming.

Revenue is generated from a diversified mix of streams: transactional ticket sales through the website and Ticket Tailor (off-peak adult £18.00 up to peak adult £24.50, with school groups at £8.00 and concessions including free carers and under-3s); recurring co-working, meeting room, and studio memberships administered through Nexudus; venue hire across all three spaces; public grants from Arts Council England, Schmidt Ocean Institute, and University of Plymouth; and B2B/community consultancy through the Nature and Neighbourhoods team. Distribution is direct via realideas.org (Webflow), in-person at Market Hall box office, and via Ticket Tailor; bespoke organisation accounts handle B2B volume. GTM is hybrid: event- and venue-driven for consumer audiences, with community-led and consultancy channels for organisations, schools, and local government partners in the Southwest.

Name

Real Ideas Organisation

Legal name

Real Ideas Organisation CIC

Website

https://realideas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Real Ideas Organisation is a Plymouth-based creative social enterprise (Community Interest Company) operating Market Hall (Europe's first 360° immersive dome), Devonport Guildhall, and Liskeard Library, delivering education, creative-careers, and community regeneration programmes across Southwest England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural and Community Venue Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions (THAJADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty & Historic Venues (Landmarks, Estates) (THAHAAAK), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Immersive dome experiences
• Creative community venues
• Co-working space memberships
• Cultural regeneration consultancy
• Education outreach programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Plymouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticket sales for immersive experiences including Our Story with David Attenborough, Arctic: Our Frozen Planet, educational screenings, wellness events, and other dome experiences. Tickets sold at various price points including off-peak, standard, and peak pricing.
2. Venue Memberships (Co-work, Studios): Recurring monthly/annual plans for co-working desk space, meeting rooms, and studio space rental. Rolling monthly payments via credit or debit card, cancellable at any time. Studio space rental based on floor plan footprint with individual agreements.
3. Consultancy & Projects: The Real Ideas Nature and Neighbourhoods team offers consultancy supporting organisations and communities of all sizes. Part of their consultancy and projects work that strengthens neighbourhoods and organisations.
4. Venue Hire: Rental of spaces including Market Hall, Devonport Guildhall, and Liskeard Library for events, workshops, and community gatherings.
5. Public Funding & Grants: Funding from Arts Council England and other public bodies for delivering work on behalf of public institutions and community programmes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Real Ideas Organisation operates three cultural venues — Market Hall (a 360° immersive dome in Devonport), Devonport Guildhall (studios and print facilities), and Liskeard Library (a restored Grade II listed community hub) — and delivers ticketed immersive experiences (including "Our Story with David Attenborough"), co-working and studio memberships, venue hire, creative learning programmes for schools and families, personal development pathways, creative-career support, and consultancy to organisations and communities across Plymouth, Cornwall and the wider Southwest of England.

Product overview

Real Ideas Organisation is a creative social enterprise operating a portfolio of venues and programmes focused on culture and creative industries. The core offering comprises three physical spaces: Market Hall (featuring the pioneering Immersive Dome with 360-degree projection and 19.1 spatial audio), Devonport Guildhall (creative hub with studios and print facilities), and Liskeard Library (community hub in a restored Grade II listed building). The flagship product is the Our Story with David Attenborough immersive experience. Additional offerings include Education & Community programmes, Pathways, Creative Futures, Innovation & Research, Devonport Creative Quarter initiative, and Consultancy & Projects services. Native Makers is a sub-brand programme for local maker markets. The organisation operates across Plymouth and Cornwall delivering socially enterprising approaches to economic, social, and environmental outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Native Makers: A maker community and market platform operated by Real Ideas, featuring maker markets and creative events.
• Devonport Creative Quarter
• Print In Action

Products and services

• Market Hall Venue A vibrant cultural hub at Duke Street, Devonport, Plymouth, housing Europe's first 360° immersive dome with 210° projection and 19.1 spatial audio; offered to consumers for immersive entertainment ticketed events and to organisations for venue hire.
• Our Story with David Attenborough A 50-minute immersive dome experience presented by Sir David Attenborough that combines gigantic animations, stunning projections, real-world footage and full 360° immersion to tell the story of people and planet, ticketed to individuals, families, schools and groups at Market Hall.
• Devonport Guildhall Venue A creative hub at Ker Street, Devonport offering access to studios, print facilities and collaborative programmes, serving artists, technologists and the local community as part of the Devonport Creative Quarter.
• Liskeard Library Venue A restored Grade II listed building on Barras Street, Liskeard, functioning as a community hub that blends books, learning, co-working and creativity with co-working memberships and community hires.
• Co-working and Meeting Room Memberships Subscription-based rolling monthly or annual memberships for co-working desks and meeting rooms at Market Hall, Devonport Guildhall and Liskeard Library, cancellable via the website prior to the next payment date.
• Studio Space Rental Studio space rental at Devonport Guildhall with rates set by floor plan footprint under individual bespoke agreements for artists, makers and creative businesses.
• Consultancy & Projects (Nature and Neighbourhoods) Bespoke consultancy and project delivery through the Real Ideas Nature and Neighbourhoods team, supporting organisations and communities with cultural regeneration, creative-business support and place-based initiatives.
• Schools & Groups Dome Screenings Dedicated immersive dome screenings priced at £8.00 per child (minimum booking of 10 with one free accompanying adult) for schools and groups, covering curriculum subjects such as geography, biology, evolution, animal behaviour, conservation, climate change and creative media.
• Home Education Screenings Relaxed dome screenings for home-educating families priced at £8.00 per child with one free accompanying adult, designed to inspire curiosity about the planet.
• Immersive Wellness Events Wellness events such as Immersive Soundbaths, Pilates, yoga and meditation sessions held inside Market Hall's immersive dome as an alternative use of the venue.
• Venue Hire Rental of Market Hall, Devonport Guildhall and Liskeard Library spaces for private events, workshops, community gatherings and corporate functions.
• Native Makers Markets Sub-brand programme of makers markets and creative events featuring local creators and artisans, held at Market Hall and Liskeard Library venues.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Open Planet StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2026Bristol-based award-winning production crew collaborated with Real Ideas to rework 'Our Story' for Market Hall's immersive dome. Previously only available at the Natural History Museum in London, the show has been highly popular with people of all ages.
• Natural History Museum LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal home of 'Our Story' production, where the show has been highly popular. Real Ideas secured exclusive rights to present a reimagined version of the show at Market Hall.
• Ticket TailorcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party ticketing provider used to process all ticket bookings and purchases for events. Charges a small fee to cover payment charges and processing.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationUsed to process all online card payments for bookings and transactions.
• NexuduscoreTechnology or IntegrationPlatform used to process payment for room bookings, studios and access to specialist facilities and membership services.
• Monday.comcoreTechnology or IntegrationUsed as Real Ideas Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform for marketing and email communications, and to collect feedback and event submissions.
• WebflowcoreTechnology or IntegrationUsed to administer the main Real Ideas website.
• University of PlymouthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Real Ideas on 'Antarctica: Ocean Exploration Uncovered' screening, featuring Plymouth associate professor Dr Jenny Gales. Supported by University of Plymouth Explore Award.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Frameless: Frameless operates the UK's largest multi-sensory immersive art experience in London, with permanent digital-art galleries projected across themed rooms. It is directly comparable to Market Hall's immersive dome as a ticket-driven, permanent-format immersive venue serving families and tourist audiences.
• Lightroom: Lightroom is a London immersive venue purpose-built for large-scale projection-led experiences such as David Hockney's "Bigger & Closer" and "The Moonwalkers." It maps closely to Market Hall on operating model: ticketed, time-slot immersive shows anchored by premium partner content and a projection-led hardware base.
• Watershed: Watershed is a cultural and creative media hub in Bristol combining cinema, creative workspaces, a cafe/bar and public programming. Like Real Ideas, it operates a mixed cultural venue + co-work + education model in the Southwest and is widely treated as a UK benchmark for regional creative-enterprise venues.
• HOME Manchester: HOME is a Manchester arts centre housing two theatres, five cinema screens, a gallery, a restaurant and creative-industry programmes. It is closely comparable on mix of ticketed cultural experiences, education/community outreach, hospitality and creative-sector talent development.
• Battersea Arts Centre: Battersea Arts Centre is a Grade II* listed former town hall operated as a community-focused arts venue and participatory creative hub in South London. Its model of programming inside repurposed heritage space parallels Real Ideas' use of Devonport Guildhall and Liskeard Library.
• ARC Stockton Arts Centre: ARC Stockton is a regional arts venue on the High Street in Stockton-on-Tees offering theatre, cinema, participatory arts and community work, with a clear social-mission orientation. It is directly comparable to Real Ideas as a mixed-arts community venue with educational and outreach programming in a non-London region.
• Outernet London: Outernet London is a permanent ticketed immersive media venue using wraparound LED and projection to present music, art and brand content. Like Market Hall's dome, it monetises premium projection-led experiences to consumer audiences, but at meaningfully larger scale and central-London footfall.
• Dundee Contemporary Arts: Dundee Contemporary Arts runs a cinema, gallery, print studio, learning and participation programme from a single venue in Dundee. Its mix of cinema screenings, exhibitions, creative-industries training and public engagement is highly comparable to Real Ideas' combined Market Hall, creative careers and education offer.

Broad incumbents

• National Trust: The National Trust is the UK's largest operator of heritage properties open to the public, with conservation, learning and community programming. It is comparable to Real Ideas at a heritage-venue-operations level, though at far greater scale and with a conservation-led rather than immersive-entertainment focus.
• Barbican Centre: The Barbican is a major London arts centre combining theatre, cinema, galleries, library and learning. It is comparable to Real Ideas as a multi-discipline arts venue with a creative-learning and community strand, but operates at substantially larger scale and under direct local-authority ownership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@realideasorganisation
• Facebookfacebook.com/realideas.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/real-ideas-organisation
• Instagraminstagram.com/realideasorganisation
• Xx.com/realideasorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Real Ideas Organisation