5 things we learned at the Night Time Economy Summit

Night bus service to come to Manchester

Perhaps the most exciting thing we learned at the Night Time Economy Summit came on Day 1. 

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, announced plans for a night bus service in Manchester. This would provide a safe passage home for the many staff that keep the Night Time Economy going, removing the need to pay for taxis or, in the worst-case scenario, make their way home on foot. 

It would also give eventgoers more flexibility. With a night bus, eventgoers can plan their night knowing that they’ll be able to use a reliable service to get home. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for more information. 

They also back the Night Time Economy

But Burnham wasn’t the only Mayor present. Alongside him, Tracy Brabin, Steve Rotheram and Andy Street praised their respective Night Time Economies and what they had to offer. 

For Street, the Midland’s food scene was high on his list; Rotheram praised Liverpool’s Night Time Economy as “magnetic”, while Brabin said how proud she was that all five of her areas in West Yorkshire had something unique to offer. 

However, the biggest cheer in the room came toward the end of the talk. Brabin, Burnham and Rotheram all backed the recent campaign led by Sacha Lord to reduce VAT to save the hospitality sector. We left feeling buoyed by the support shown by the Mayors. 

Drug testing in clubs can be a bridge to further services

For our last talk of Day 1, we headed to Stage 3 to watch ‘The Role of Drug Checking In The European Market’. 

What followed was enlightening. Dr Fiona Mesham, co-founder of The Loop, noted that when the service carried out extended periods of drug testing, 95% of people hadn’t used drug or alcohol prevention services before, but drug testing was the gateway to more advice and help. 

Elsewhere, Kosmikare’s Helen Valente told the audience that the company initially started testing partygoers’ drugs, but it made sense to widen the net to other drug users so more information could be passed through the community.

She went on to echo Fiona’s comments: drug checking works as a bridge to other services, builds trust and gives people who need help the confidence to access those services. 

Music managers have a duty of care to their artists

Day 2 of the summit saw us head to stage four for a talk on mental health and suicide prevention, which included our very own Duncan King. 

Lapsley, British alt-pop singer and songwriter, spoke candidly about her second album, which was released three days before the first lockdown. This led to cancelled tours, a loss of income, poor mental health and a rethink of her career path.

She told us that managers have a duty of care to their artists, with the role involving business, holistic and parental duties. Often, she felt that people in the job don’t have the tools to look after their artists in the best way they can. 

There is synergy between the Night Time Economy advisors in the UK and beyond

Our final talk of the whole summit brought us to the main stage, where we found that Bristol, The West Midlands, Manchester and Japan have a lot in common. 

As NTE advisor for Tokyo, Tak Umezawa spoke about gentrification in Japan over the years. We learnt that, historically, property developers have been in opposition to the Night Time Economy, but a lot of his work has involved getting them on board so historic venues can be protected. This was a common experience for all the NTE advisors on the panel. 

Elsewhere, Sacha Lord spoke about his aim to make Manchester’s nightlife as accessible as possible. He spoke about access for disabled people and choices for religious people, the latter of which might not drink and therefore need options that cater to them.

We also heard from Carly Heath and Alex Claridge, NTE advisors for Bristol and the West Midlands, who spoke about helping local councils increase their power and the impact of tech and data. Overall, it felt like the NTE advisors were keen to work together and share ideas.