BEAM LAUNCHES BRAND-NEW WEBSITE FEATURING INDUSTRY-LEADING PERSONALISED EVENT TOOL
BEAM, Hertford’s award-winning arts and culture venue, has launched its brand new website – a major digital upgrade designed to make discovering, booking, and enjoying events easier, faster, and more personalised than ever.
Developed with Grandad Digital, every element of the site’s design has been shaped by BEAM’s physical building. The layout, colour palette and visual details draw directly from the venue’s multi-award-winning architecture and interiors, forming part of a wider evolution of BEAM’s branding across all touchpoints. The result is a digital experience that mirrors the energy, creativity and warmth of the space itself.
My BEAM
At the heart of the new site is BEAM Recommends, an industry-leading tool that suggests events based on each visitor’s interests and booking habits. Similar in approach to the engines used by major streaming platforms, BEAM Recommends is one of the most sophisticated systems of its kind in the UK arts sector, offering audiences a smarter, more intuitive way to explore what’s on. Built using native Spektrix functionality, designed by BEAM, with implementation by GDD. Created by Sam Veck, Ticketing Manager for BEAM.
The new My BEAM account area brings everything together in one place, giving users seamless access to tickets, personal details, presales, offers, tailored recommendations and more. It’s built to guide customers smoothly through every stage of their journey, making it easier to plan visits and make the most of BEAM’s busy programme.
Accessibility
Accessibility has been a major focus throughout the build. BEAM is fully accessible onsite, and the new website now mirrors that commitment. A new integration with the Nimbus Access Card system makes it far easier for visitors to book the tickets they need. Audiences can now unlock access seating, wheelchair positions, essential companion tickets and more directly through their online account.
What’s on right now
With so much happening at BEAM every day and over 3,000 ticketed events per year, the homepage now features a clear ‘Today / Tomorrow’ tab, giving visitors an instant snapshot of what’s on right now and what’s coming up next. And for those who know exactly what they want, the new Quick Book feature allows tickets to be purchased in just seconds straight from the homepage.
Reflecting Joy
This launch marks a major step forward for BEAM, bringing our digital experience in line with the creativity, accessibility and ambition of our venue. More importantly, it reflects the joy, warmth and welcome at the heart of everything we do. With smarter tools, faster booking and a design inspired by the building we’re proud to call home, the new website opens a fresh chapter for BEAM – making it even easier for our audiences to discover, enjoy and feel part of everything happening here.
The new website is now live at beamhertford.co.uk – check it out!
About BEAM
BEAM is a multi-award-winning cultural venue in the heart of Hertford, opened in late 2024. The building features two live performance spaces, three state-of-the-art cinemas, rehearsal studios and community facilities including a Changing Places
toilet. We present a broad programme of theatre, film, live music, comedy, dance, workshops and events for all ages.
Our mission is to bring people together through outstanding Arts & Culture – creating experiences that inspire, entertain and connect. We support professional artists, champion high-quality work and make responsible decisions that safeguard BEAM’s future for generations to come.
We believe Arts & Culture transform communities, wellbeing and belonging. BEAM is a meeting place and a launchpad for ideas, delivering an exceptional cultural offer for East Herts and beyond. BEAM’s programme is curated to be vibrant, sustainable, inclusive and diverse, balancing artistic ambition with commercial resilience.
In 2025 BEAM won the following awards: UK Theatre – Excellence in Sustainability; Brick Awards – Public Building, and was shortlisted as a finalist for Civic Trust Awards and more.
BEAMing with Pride
Sam Veck, Ticketing & Systems Manager at BEAM said “BEAM is a digital first venue, and our website needs to match that. The feeling of entering our website should feel the same as walking through our doors – smooth, fun, and inviting. We’ve developed a digital platform which we hope our customers can feel ownership of, and can be proud to call theirs.”
Lewis Colclough, Marketing & Sales Manager at BEAM, said “This new website is built entirely around our audiences – making it easier to discover shows, streamlining booking, and bringing our digital experience in line with the quality and ambition of our venue. BEAM Recommends is an incredibly powerful tool that is a huge leap forward for us and for the industry, and we’re excited to see how it helps our community explore more of what they love.”
Paul Sheffield, Digital Creative Director at Grandad Digital said “We’re delighted to see the new BEAM website live! BEAM creates moments of real wonder and magic for their audiences every day, so it was important that the digital experience captured that same sense of discovery and excitement. It’s been a fantastic project to collaborate on. We’re particularly excited about the new recommendation engine, which will help audiences explore Beam’s programme more easily and connect with shows and experiences they’ll love.”
