Susan Lees
Matthew Ashton
city , not a lot – this is not really what it ’ s designed for . UNESCO is more about selling what we ’ ve already got , which is an amazing offer . We just need to get better at selling them as a package and showing that we ’ ve got great music on in every week of the year , alongside some fantastic festivals .”
He says encouraging diversity and inclusion in the sector is also very much at the heart of what the board was set up to do : “ It ’ s no good having growth in the city if it ’ s just the same old people . I think we ’ ve gone further than any other city has – we ’ ve got a Black Music Action Group set up , and we ’ re looking at how we can build a Black music infrastructure in Liverpool because there ’ s a lot of Black music talent in Liverpool that haven ’ t always broken through in the past 10 years .”
Rooms for manoeuvre Another board members is ACC Liverpool commercial director Ben Williams . The opening of ACC Liverpool ’ s M & S Bank Arena in 2008 was a significant move for the city , as previously many eventgoers had to travel 30 miles to its rival city Manchester for arena-level shows and events . Aside from staging concerts , it ’ s landmark sporting moments have included hosting the netball world cup in 2019 .
Kevin McManus
The opening was part of Liverpool Waterfront renaissance , which Williams claims people often forget began with Liverpool ’ s iconic and now-demolished Cream nightclub that used to attract people from outside of the city .
ACC Liverpool ’ s three venues , M & S Bank Arena , Convention Centre ( 1,350 ) and Exhibition Centre ( 7,000 ), received a Culture Recovery Fund grant . It remained open during the pandemic , operating as a PPE and food distribution centre before hosting the Good Business Festival ERP test event .
Williams says that historically the events industry in Liverpool was
quite fragmented and the launch of the board has helped it collectively focus on meeting challenges and embracing opportunities : “ I think the start of the board was about trying to map the extent and value of the sector in Liverpool , and then trying to bring people together so they can collaborate and share best practice .”
Liverpool is set to be boosted by the opening of Everton FC ’ s new 52,888-capacity Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium in 2024 , just over a mile away from rival Liverpool FC ’ s Anfield Stadium ( 53,394 ). The latter is set to host shows by Elton John , the Eagles and Vince Gill in June .
Along with O2 Academy Liverpool ( 1,750 ), another significant venue in the city is Eventim Olympia ( 1,930 ), which entered a five-year operating partnership with Ghostwriter Consultancy and Events in 2020 .
As well as Olympia , in 2020 Ghostwriter also partnered with the 1,250-capacity Camp and Furnace venue in the city ’ s Baltic Triangle , which has involved an overhaul of its production and artist facilities .
Ghostwriter operations manager Aoifé Niblock says 2019 was the busiest year for live concerts that Olympia has ever had , and the venue had begun to see many acts who had missed Liverpool off previous tours start to return to the city : “ This , combined with a fresh burst of local talent in the couple of years previous , meant that live events were on the up . Pre-covid , 2020 was set to be busier again and that is a trend we are now seeing continue as we emerge from
“ I think 2022 is going to be a very good year for live events in the city .” – Culture Liverpool city events manager
Susan Lees
lockdown and somewhat return to normality .”
She says that operating both Olympia and Camp & Furnace in Liverpool enables the company to offer more flexibility to artists and external promoters , with a range of capacities and the ability to upgrade events between venues : “ Both venues are very different in style . Camp & Furnace is so versatile in terms of the set-up , allowing us to work with artists and promoters
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