Take A Tour...A QVC Studio Tour!

The QVC shop-at-home network is located in West Chester, PA, nestled close to the Brandywine Valley border. If you are a fan of QVC, or interested in television production, you may enjoy the QVC Studio Tour. Approximately one hour, the fast-paced fact based tour, provides an entertaining insight into the everyday activities of the multi-billion dollar company.

The tour begins with a short film documenting the history of QVC, from its somewhat awkward beginnings, to its current mega status. Youthful images of current hosts, such as Mary Beth Roe, and hosts long gone (Kathy Levine), get big laughs. After the film, visitors begin the walking tour through the second floor corridors. The tour follows the path of a product from conception through presentation. Glass walls enable a bird’s-eye view to several departments. Large flat-screen TVs (all SHARP AQUOS !) are everywhere, all tuned-in to the live broadcast. Throughout the tour, the guide provides statistical facts about entrepreneurs, products, quality assurance, hosts, television production, and more.

The tour winds down at their state-of-the-art multi-million dollar television control rooms. Within the glass-enclosed rooms, consoles and floor to ceiling wall panels display a zillion buttons. Production staff have an unobstructed view of the studio and activity below. Here, visitors have the opportunity to move beyond the glass-enclosed hallway to an observation deck positioned behind the live telecast. From their perch, visitors can watch the live telecast, as well as, the behind-the-scenes activity of the studio and control room. Camera operators pull and push the large floor cameras; however, the control room operators maneuver two “pullback” cameras via joystick . The design of the television studio represents a home with eleven newly renovated sets. The sets are designed to look like the various rooms within a house- bedroom, living room, bathroom, etc. On our tour, we watched a cooking program taking place in the “kitchen,” with Jane Tracy and Rachael Ray. While they were presenting on camera, off camera, a person was frantically cooking, baking, and arranging food for their presentation.

The final stop is a set, or stage, in a tiered auditorium. Here, shows are performed in front of a live audience. The auditorium is small, so tickets are limited. Check the QVC website for coming events.

Overall, the studio was easy to get to and in pleasant surroundings. The tour was very informative, interesting, and entertaining. Our guide provided insightful business how-to information about entrepreneurs, product selection, and distribution. For example; if you present a product to QVC and they accept it, you must be able to supply a minimum 10,000 units per product!

If you are in the area, stop by. If you are travelling, include it with your other activities.

Also on site, the QVC Studio Store. Though small, it does have a little bit of everything, including the TSV, Today’s Special Value!

QVC Studios

1200 Wilson Drive, West Chester, PA

800-600-9900

Hours of Operation

Tours are available every hour on the hour, seven days a week from 10AM until 4PM. Reservations are not required.

Admission

Adults - $7.50, Children (6-12) - $5.00.