Magna boss plans expansion after boosting venue’s figures

John Silker is turning around the fortunes of Magna Science Adventure Centre - one of Yorkshire’s biggest indoor tourist attractions. Lizzie Murphy met him.

John Silker was just 15 when he found his philosophy in life.

Shortly after leaving school, he had a chance meeting in the street with his hero, the late Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, who passed on his words of wisdom to the eager teenager.

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“He said to me ‘be the best in whatever you do in life’ and to me that is about passion. You have got to have a passion for what you do,” says Silker.

It’s a motto that has stuck with him ever since and is something that is particularly relevant to his new role as chief executive of Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham.

Silker, who was previously manager of Manchester United’s VIP suite at Old Trafford, was headhunted to lead the turnaround of the tourist attraction in 2013 after its owner Magna Trust reported losses of £1.2m in the year to the end of March 2012.

He was originally appointed general manager but was made chief executive earlier this year.

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The opportunity to run a large tourist attraction with 25 permanent staff was a significant change for Liverpool-born Silker, whose 36-year career in the hotel and hospitality industry has predominantly consisted of running hotels and staging large events such as party political conferences. But he says he jumped at the chance to take on the challenge.

“Because the venue is so unique, I didn’t even think twice about it. I said yes straight away,” he says.

Housed in a former steelworks in Sheffield Road, Magna is a family attraction with more than 100 hands-on exhibits designed to explore the four elements of air, water, earth and fire.

The building is vast - a third of a mile long - with one end in Rotherham and the other in Sheffield.

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When Silker arrived at the venue, Magna had a turnover of over £900,000 but it was making a loss of £250,000.

By the end of March 2014, the loss had reduced to just below £40,000 on a turnover of £1.2m. In the current financial year, Magna expects to make a profit and increase turnover to £1m on the events side alone.

In recent years, Magna has relied on a series of loans from Rotherham Council to keep the attraction running but Silker says the cashflow problems it once had are now under control.

“When I arrived, Magna was a sleeping giant and I was brought in to shake the giant and wake him up and to push the business forward,” he says.

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He adds: “It’s substantial to make that turnaround so quickly but it’s not just me, it’s a team effort. I’ve just taken their blinkers off and guided them in the right direction.”

Magna Trust is a registered charity but Silker says it doesn’t get any funding from central or local government so it has to generate most of its income by hosting events, which tops up its income from visitors.

Visitor numbers are broadly static but the figure for the first week of the summer holidays was up by 40 per cent on last year, attracting more than 5,000 people.

The attraction hosts regular school trips and its event space can cater for up to 3,000 people.

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Corporate bookings are up by 23 per cent in the last year after a major push to boost figures.

Magna recently hosted the Yorkshire International Business Convention and it is almost halfway to achieving its ambitious target of 7,000 covers for Christmas party bookings.

“The previous management was getting business in but it wasn’t being proactive in increasing that business and there was also the (financial) crash when everyone cut back on their spending,” says Silker. “But that’s now changing and moving forward.”

The 61-year-old has grand expansion plans, including developing the building’s empty areas. Magna already claims to house the highest indoor bungee jump in Europe and it is now applying for £10m government funding to create an indoor Go Ape-type experience for children and adults.

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“The only way we’re going to increase visitor numbers is by adding new attractions,” he says. “Theme parks will do something new every 18 months because they have to, to keep those numbers coming back. Unfortunately with Magna there’s been no major investment since the facility opened in 2001.”

Magna may be the first tourist attraction he has run, but the father-of-three grown up daughters believes his hotel and event management experience has prepared him well for the challenge.

He has previously worked for a number of companies, managing hotels and spa and golf resorts from Suffolk to Gretna Green in Scotland. “Now that was an education,” Silker says of his time at Gretna Green about five years ago. “We did 1,000 weddings in a year.”

Working in the hospitality industry has also led to some unusual requests. “When I was in Blackpool at a party political conference, a well-known politician wanted his bath filled with Champagne so his guests could dunk their glasses in because he was hosting a party in his suite.”

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He says he got a lot of teasing from his fellow Liverpool supporters after taking the job at Manchester United. “But even as a Liverpool supporter I have to admire the business,” he adds. “And the facilities are second-to-none.”

Silker’s longest stint was the eight years he spent in charge of Hellaby Hall Hotel near Rotherham, which he left in 2008. During that time he was also vice-president of Rotherham Chamber of Commerce. “Coming back to South Yorkshire felt like coming home. I love the area and I love the people,” he says.

John Silker Factfile

Title: chief executive of Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham

Date of birth: August 30, 1952

Education: Archbishop Whiteside Secondary Modern School in Liverpool

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First job: Office junior at Crossfields and Calthrop in Liverpool

Favourite holiday destination: San Diego or the Amalfi Coast

Favourite film: Man on Fire

Favourite song: You’ll Never Walk Alone

Last book read: The Last Escape, by Tony Rennell and John Nichol

Car driven: Audi A6

Most proud of: My daughters and grandson.