AAA White Paper The political economy of informal events, 2030 | Page 71

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The Cavern Club, Mathew
Street, Liverpool.
Using the basement of a
fruit warehouse, the club
was founded in 1957 to the
sound of jazz, blues and
skiffle, and is thought to
have seen Ringo Starr’s first
gig that same year. By 1960
Beat Music in Liverpool
had made the club ‘the
most publicised pop music
venue in the world’, and in
1961 an early version of the
Beatles played there. Ever
since, it has been a key
factor in making Liverpool
one of world tourism’s most
valued destinations
2023. Already Leeds city centre hosted, in 2019, a 50-piece symphony
orchestra from Opera North playing sounds from the famous local
club Back to Basics; the event will also feature guest appearances by
well-known club artists.
3. The successes of Liverpool range from the Creamfields and Sound
City festivals, through the Liverpool International Music Festival,
Braintree, and on to the Invisible Wind Factory (immersive theatre
and music) and the Rock n Roll Music Marathon (bands all the way to
the finishing line). In the 2017 Liverpool city-region mayoral election,
one of the key points in the winner’s manifesto was the creation of a
city-region strategic economic review – complete with a programme
for culture that favoured ‘every expression’ of creativity, including
fashion, music, dance, design, film, sport, art and architecture.
4. London thrives on events that draw a worldwide audience. For
instance, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and the Chelsea Flower Show
attract strong contingents from overseas.
Altogether, individual events in cities, and the more durable
club culture that cities offer, have reinforced each other. That has
given a substantial uplift to domestic and international tourism. It
has also established cities as brands in the minds of potential and
actual first-time visitors (Hull), strengthened city personalities by
innovating new combinations of events (Leeds), and consolidated
world-class reputations (Liverpool, London).
All this is good news. Yet the future is rarely a simple extrapolation
of the past. Take the 430,000 overseas students enrolled in the UK –
not quite tourists, but here for longer than tourists. Study Links, an
organisation which helps overseas students
with their stays, has the good manners to
offer them a guide to British events. However
in some ways, it’s hardly needed, for many
foreigners studying in the UK are naturally
likely to build up a fondness for their chosen
city’s events and clubs. So, because an
important minority of foreign students elect
to stay in a UK city after their study, and
because many more like to return to that city
out of affection when they’re are older, events
give cities the chance to capture overseas
students’ loyalty for life.
Between now and 2030, though, there
are no guarantees that overseas students