Beyond The Beatles
Two huge football clubs and The Beatles legacy has meant Liverpool has long been firmly on the tourism map , but as its community of event professionals attests , the city has far more to offer
Giant on the Strand , 2018
Words : Joe Gallop
Since being awarded European Capital of Culture in 2008 , Liverpool has become an increasingly attractive live events destination , and not even the pandemic ’ s peak could prevent it staging key events .
While event professionals around the UK watched on , some of Liverpool leading venues were buzzing – for a short period at least – while it hosted a series of Events Research Programme ( ERP ) pilot events .
With normality starting to return , Liverpool ’ s event professionals are looking to build on the progress made , not just on the back of the ERP events but via initiatives such as the Liverpool City Region Music Board – which was launched a year before Covid hit – and the city gaining UNESCO City of Music status in 2015 .
There is no shortage of significant shows and festivals in Liverpool this year . It will see 52 music shows at the M & S Bank Arena ( cap . 11,000 ) alone , including Stormzy and Dua Lipa . Key events include multi-venue showcase festival and conference Sound City , and the 80,000-capacity free-toattend Africa Oyé Festival .
Leading the charge The euphoric scenes among the audiences at some of the ERP pilot events in April and May 2021 were momentous not only for Liverpool , but the entire country .
The city hosted a series of successful ERP events , with a collective attendance of 13,258 people . The events included the Good Business Festival , two nightclub events hosted by Circus , and the Sefton Park Pilot music festival overseen by Festival Republic .
Liverpool public health officials and scientists found the events did not cause any detectable spread of Covid-19 across the region . Liverpool City Council director of public health Prof Matthew Ashton says four people were identified as possibly having the virus at an event , with a further eight people identified with the virus after they attended .
He says , “ It was a major success for the city – as the learning helped restart events safely across the country and on a global scale . Liverpool has tried to be bold and proactive throughout the whole pandemic – from our response to outbreaks in communities , to the roll-out of the mass testing pilot , our established partnerships and infrastructure across the city meant we were well positioned to support .”
Ashton says the events ran as smoothly as he could have hoped but the programme was always
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