The NTIA’s Night-Time Economy Summit brings together global nightlife leaders to exchange ideas, tackle challenges, and drive innovation shaping the future of nightlife. Last year, 1800 delegates from diverse backgrounds attended a range of interviews, seminars, panels and keynotes at the NTE Summit. The latest edition is set to take place on the 5th and 6th of February, 2025 at the Hockley Social Club in Birmingham, United Kingdom. 

VibeLab will host and moderate a series of sessions on Day 1: 

From Underground to Archive: Safeguarding Electronic Music’s Cultural Heritage

Exploring grassroots efforts, underrepresented voices and best practices to archive and bridge electronic music’s history, present and future in a digital era.

Wed, 05.02, 11:00-11:45

Moderator: Kerronia Thomas

Speakers: 

• Miles Niemeijer, Music Coordinator, Podiumkunst.net (Amsterdam);
• Giuseppe Moramarco, Founder, Scene Clubbing Heritage (Berlin);
• Katherine Green, Director, Rendezvous Projects CIC (London);
• Dr. Anna Marazuela Kim, International Advisor for Culture in Cities (London).

How Independent Academies and Informal Education are Reshaping Future Culture-Makers

Empowering emerging creatives through grassroots initiatives, peer learning, and pathways to success, connecting past lessons with contemporary perspectives.

Wed, 05.02, 12:00-12:45

Moderator: Kerronia Thomas

Speakers: 

• Fatima Elatik, Director, Patta Academy (Amsterdam);
• Kae Burke, Cofounder, House of Yes (New York).
• Ivan March, Communications & Curation, Waking Life Festival (Athens);
• Esther Wanyama, Community Manager, Another Life (Copenhagen) / NightSchool 2024 Alumnus;

From Vision to Impact: Turning Nighttime Strategies into Local Action

Transforming visionary nighttime strategies into actionable policies through political backing, stakeholder collaboration and practical insights to align city governance with nighttime community needs.

Wed, 05.02, 13:30-14:15

Moderator: Lutz Leichsenring

Speakers:

• Sasha Ojeda Mendoza, Nightculture Project Lead, City of Amsterdam;
• Martina Brunner, Executive Director, Vienna Club Commission;
• Mathieu Grodin, Night Mayor, City of Ottawa 
• Katharin Ahrend, Managing Director, Clubcommission Berlin e.V. / Awareness Akademie (Berlin);

Building Safer Nights Together: Community-Led Approaches to Urban Nighttime Safety

Exploring safer nightlife through collaboration, inclusion and community-led initiatives, with insights from global cities and innovative practices towards fostering care and conflict resolution.

Wed, 05.02, 15:30-16:15

Moderator: Lutz Leichsenring

Speakers:

• Natalie Mets, Nighttime Advisor, City of Tallinn 
• Julieta Cuneo, Night Time Policy & Strategy Lead, Greater London Authority 
• Sophia Kearney, CEO, HE.SHE.THEY. (London).
• Lara Kofler, Night Management and Security, The Loft Vienna / Vienna Club Commission;

Tickets are almost sold out!

We look forward to seeing you there!

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In 2023, the City of Toronto commissioned VibeLab to conduct a study on the impact of zoning and licensing regulations on the city’s night economy. As a public consultation study, VibeLab upheld diversity, equity, inclusion and geographic representation as key considerations in the design of the outreach strategy and discussion questions. A stakeholder database was also curated, boasting over 300 prominent figures in Toronto’s nightlife scenes, entertainment industries and DIY arts communities. 

The process engaged approximately 3,300 participants over a four-week period from March–April 2023, through either an online survey and/or one of 10 community and industry-wide consultation meetings held in-person and online. 

The vast majority of respondents expressed a desire for more flexible regulations related to the temporary use of space (81%) and faster permit reviews (72%). 

“The issue with these licences is that you can’t define cultural gathering spaces in boxes…Especially for venues that support marginalized communities…the existing venues are having to take on more and more “hats” to fill a crucial need for certain communities…The licences do not encapsulate all these hat[s]…It’s impossible to.” – A survey respondent 

The small-group design of the consultation sessions facilitated reflection on the broader topics of equity, economic development, and public health topics as well as in-depth discussions across the four categories of: zoning, licensing, promoting neighbourhood coexistence at night and inclusion and barriers to access. 

To access the consultation findings, view the full report of the Night Economy Review.

“There is a growing trend towards multi-use spaces that bring value to a neighbourhood over 24 hours, perhaps acting as a coffee shop and co-working space by day, and a bar or event space by night. There could be special art galleries and installations beyond a single night of the year, not just during Nuit Blanche.” – VibeLab’s Co-Founder Mirik Milan in an interview with Toronto Star

What lies ahead

Findings from the VibeLab report helped to inform the recommendations presented by city staff at committee meetings later that fall. Before the year drew to a close, the City Council ultimately adopted amendments to the Licensing Bylaw and the Zoning Bylaws for restaurants, bars and entertainment venues which are expected to come into effect on January 1, 2025.

Carrying the momentum into 2024, the city held its inaugural Night Economy Town Hall on January 17, 2024, with the next scheduled for 2025.

Subscribe to keep updated on the City of Toronto’s multi-divisional Night Economy initiatives.

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In March, we launched a short questionnaire on how the pandemic has affected different cities and some of the latest work agendas where our support could be most helpful. We may now share the results based on more than 50 replies that we received from over 40 cities**.

Global Nighttime Recovery Plan

During the initial stages of the pandemic, Chapter 5 – Nighttime Governance in Times of Covid-19 and its respective conference call were the most attractive of the series, slightly surpassing Chapter 1 – Managing Open Air Nightlife and Chapter 2 – The Future of Dancefloors.

These three chapters attracted the biggest share of respondents to the related online events  (around 80% each).

More than two-thirds affirmed to have been inspired by the compiled ideas or examples for their own work, which the majority used as references (written or oral) in city administration or academia.

Since time was often mentioned as the major obstacle to participation:

• If you still did not have the opportunity to read executive summaries per chapter and would like a shorter summary comprising all main points (i.e. visual format other than text, like an infographic), please let us know.

Recovery of nightlife activity in cities

Overall, the majority of respondents felt optimistic: about two-thirds replied that the level of nightlife activity in their city is back at 70% or more compared to pre-Covid (2019 = 100%). However, the remaining one-third felt less positive, with those thinking “it’s really bad” surpassing the ones that think it’s “better than ever” (see graph below).

Considering work agenda priorities, most respondents were setting up “grants and funding programs” as well as “nighttime safety”, followed by “awareness” (such as diversity and inclusion) and “changing laws and regulations”. Almost one-third of respondents were setting up a nighttime office or night mayor position. Despite the general increasing interest in wellbeing and mental health since Covid-19, “health and prevention” was surprisingly among the least voted priorities.

Helpful tools and upcoming priorities

To conclude, three instruments were identified as being the most helpful in nighttime recovery among roughly 60% of respondents:

• Collecting best practices from around the world; 
• Providing data on the economy, venues, and events;
• Leading awareness campaigns about night-time economy needs and challenges.

Moreover, the last open question identified the following emerging priorities in nighttime recovery efforts:

• Changes in demand due to long-term effects of Work From Home (physical/digital space, mobility, work-leisure hours)
• Global obstacles to recovery (scarce labor and supplies as a consequence of pandemic, inflation cannibalizing available budgets)
• International cooperation as a key solution
• Continuous support for advocacy work

We would like to thank all the participants once again for their valuable input. Stay tuned for VibeLab’s upcoming initiatives addressing many of the challenges mentioned above.

**Demographic

While more than half of the respondents were from Europe (with the UK, and London particularly, in the lead), about a quarter were from the US. Therefore, the majority of the respondents were from English-speaking countries.

In terms of professional occupation, more than half identified as Advocates (which included night mayors, club commissions, and activists), followed by Community (including artists and promoters). Both City (such as government) and Science (academia, scholars) appeared next, sharing the third place.

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Who owns the night? Cross-sector collaborators unite to address this fundamental question in Stockholm

“It is of great value to build a strong foundation for entrepreneurs and business opportunities together with Stockholm nightlife, property owners and the City Administration.” – 

 Mayor Anna König Jerlmyr talks about Creative Footprint in Stockholm

What is Creative Footprint Stockholm?

Creative Footprint (CFP) is a research project by nighttime consultancy agency VibeLab that researches creative spaces and communities to study the cultural value and impact of music and nightlife in the city. It has previously been conducted in Berlin (2017), New York (2018), and Tokyo (2019).

Creative Footprint Stockholm was conducted in 2021 on behalf of Stockholm’s Stad (the City of Stockholm), Fastighetsägarna Stockholm, and Atrium Ljungberg to address the current state of the Swedish capital’s nightlife. As Stockholms Stad prepares to implement its first nightlife strategy, this report aims to empower both the city’s administration and the wider range of actors and stakeholders operating in Stockholm’s music and nightlife scenes.

What the report contains

This report documents the findings of qualitative and quantitative research conducted in the summer and autumn of 2021. Creative Footprint’s signature analysis methodology is based on over 5,000 data points relating to Stockholm’s approximately 102 music and nightlife venues and the input of 50+ stakeholders gathered in 3 focus groups and 11 in-depth interviews.

Like other CFP reports, these results are calculated in an overall “city score,” provided alongside further analysis of the economic and spatial patterns of Stockholm’s creative spaces. In comparison to other CFP cities, Stockholm’s overall score is similar to Tokyo’s and lower than both New York and Berlin. And in all four cities, similar patterns have been observed: venue density correlates positively with factors such as density of transit, the density of young adults in a particular area, and rental costs, while areas with high rental costs tend to display lower levels of artistic experimentation.

Scores and analysis are divided into three focal areas of Space, Framework Conditions, and Community and Content. Stockholm’s higher Space score is balanced by comparatively lower scores for Community and Content and Framework Conditions, suggesting both assets and challenges in the city. Research participants celebrated the city’s energy and diversity, and the potential for a vibrant and sustainable nightlife scene. But clear barriers to a vibrant nightlife were also identified, including high operating costs, a restrictive licensing and permitting climate, systemic forms of social exclusion, and an imbalanced “venue ladder” that limits opportunities for early-career artists, promoters, and would-be venue operators.

This report also includes a set of recommendations focused on two areas: relationship and capacity building between nightlife stakeholders, and a pilot program approach for innovative nightlife spaces and policies in Stockholm. These recommendations are based upon both detailed analysis and good practice from the other nightlife cities profiled here. These strategic steps can both strengthen the city’s nightlife and its broader agenda toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in support of a future Stockholm model of economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable nightlife.

Who has the right to Stockholm’s nightlife: High operating costs and stringent licensing and permitting for Stockholm’s nightlife spaces are stifling creativity, its progression and development for existing and would-be nightlife operators.

It comes as no surprise that Stockholm’s high cost of living burdens existing and would-be nightlife operators from running and starting new music and nightlife spaces and/or events. Prohibitive operating costs (including but not limited to rent, permits, and mandated staffing such as Ordningsvakter) are a cross-cutting theme: it impacts what spaces can exist in Stockholm, the types of content they program and the communities or audiences they reach out to.

High costs of operation have major implications:

• It discourages young would-be venue operators from starting venues
• It limits current venue operators’ diversity of programming and audience
• Event-goers of varied financial situations don’t see the nightlife in the central parts of Stockholm  as “for them”
• At its extreme, only large chains or restaurant groups can afford to operate, leading to a continued “routinisation”, homogenisation and gentrification of nightlife and culture.

In addition to the high operating costs, Stockholm Municipality’s (and broader national-level) stringent and disparate licensing and permitting arrangements further complicate, and burden existing and would-be nightlife operators from running nightlife spaces, events and/or opening up new nightlife spaces in the city. The negative impacts of stringent licensing and permitting regulations were one of the greatest concerns raised by promoters, organisers, and others in the Creative Footprint study. The cumulative impact of restrictions—the required full kitchen for alcohol permits, stringent alcohol licensing, limited operating hours, Ordningsvakter [door security staff] and Danstillståndet [dancefloor permit]—were described as a significant cost and operations burden. 

Taking a step back, it is important to underscore that these combined factors raise the fundamental question: who has the right to Stockholm’s nightlife? Should Stockholm’s nightlife scenes only privilege those who can and those who have the social and economic means to operate nightlife spaces in the city? Going forward, post-COVID-19, Stockholm has the opportunity to remedy the amplified social and economic barriers identified in Creative Footprint’s study that currently prevent those who are unable to break through into the city’s nightlife scenes—especially grassroots operators.

Read more here

Download the report here

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The nighttime industries have been hit by pandemic-related-restrictions on all levels, with dire consequences for the whole night life ecosystem and the in a broad sense the social, cultural and economic life of cities and the people living in them. 

Now that the pandemic is somewhat under control, we want to find out how the pandemic has affected  your city. Please take five minutes to fill out this short questionnaire that will help us better understand the level of nighttime activity in your city, what you are working on at the moment and areas that you need support with. 

The post A quick survey about nightlife recovery in your city appeared first on NIGHTTIME.ORG.

The City of Amsterdam will issue a maximum of four new 24-hour permits in 2022. Businesses with a 24-hour license determine their own opening and closing times and are allowed to be open day and night. Innovative proposals can be submitted from now on.

The 24-hour permits were introduced in 2012 by the municipality of Amsterdam — with the night mayor as the driving force — to stimulate a vibrant day and nightlife in the city. There are now thirteen Amsterdam clubs and catering establishments with a 24-hour permit. That will be expanded to seventeen in 2022. What is new in this round is that two of the four 24-hour permits are intended for restaurants. Hopefully, this will lead to more places in Amsterdam where you can eat until late (or from very early on) — something we’ve been advocating for some time. 

To be selected entrepreneurs must write a plan before applying. The proposals will be assessed by a team of experts from the creative industry, including night mayor Ramon de Lima, and an official team. Among other things, the need for the permit is examined and whether it is innovative compared to the current offer. You can register until January 21, 2022.

The Global Nighttime Recovery Plan’s Chapter 3: Innovating For 24-Hour Cities examines the problems faced in creating safe and welcoming cities at night in the time of Covid-19.

When space for physical distance is in such high demand, creative time-based strategies that embrace the night hours can decongest valuable space and offer more economic and social opportunities. It is vital that municipalities, licensing and planning authorities, business groups and transit operators are proactive in addressing the three key areas of activation, illumination and movement in what is a fast-changing landscape of user behaviour and social norms

A healthy nighttime economy requires vision and design, planning, ongoing measuring and targeted communication campaigns. It must consider the needs of nightlife culture creators, participants and night workers alike. By addressing the three key areas of activation, illumination and movement – and accompanying them with ongoing surveys and communication campaigns – cities can not only bolster their night’s cultural offering, but increase the safety, desirability and economic viability of the city overall, so that the hours after dark are no longer feared or neglected, but embraced as a competitive edge. Now is the time for global cities to pick up the examples in this chapter and to adapt them to create their own solutions.

Read more from Nachtburgemeester

Download Chapter 3 of the GNRP

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The Cities Network at the Inter-American Development Bank is hosting a free webinar on 24-hour cities

Before the pandemic, the night-time economy was a growing sector around the world. The so-called “night-time economy” refers to productive activities that take place between 6pm and 6am. This not only involves leisure and entertainment, but also call centres, health and emergency services, airports, logistics and night-time distribution of goods, among others.

Inspired by Amsterdam, by 2020 more than 40 cities had designated “night mayors” to manage their night-time economy or embarked in innovative projects to take advantage of the 24-hour cycle in a sustainable and inclusive way. Unfortunately, curfews and other social distancing measures led to massive nightlife business closures, reduced public transportation hours and thousands of jobs have been lost.

Join the fourth webinar of the Economic Reactivation series organised by the IDB Cities Network in which experts and night mayors from cities such as Amsterdam and New York will share experiences and lessons learned on how to safely reactivate cities’ 24-hour activity in the new normal. 

“Nighttime creative industries such as music, hospitality and tourism are big assets to corporate sustainable development because they empower communities though capacity building and the creation of jobs”

Mirik Milan, Former Night Mayor of Amsterdam, co-founder of VibeLab

REGISTER NOW!
Tuesday, July 13th, via video Zoom conference.

20:00 (Central European Summer Time)
14:00 pm (Washington D.C.)

The webinar will be in Spanish, with simultaneous interpretation in English and Portuguese.

The post What was the impact of COVID-19 on our cities’ night-time economy? appeared first on NIGHTTIME.ORG.

An inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Nighttime Economy, releases a report on Covid 19 impact on UK nightlife.. The report consists of over over 20,0000 survey responses with over 100 submissions, thank you to everyone who took part in the survey, your findings have been presented to the government.

To read the report go to: www.ntia.co.uk/appg 

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DOWNLOAD THE FOURTH CHAPTER OF THE GNRP

SIGN UP TO JOIN THE DISCUSSION ON 10th FEB 2021

The Global Nighttime Recovery Plan launches the fourth instalment that looks at support models for nightlife industry workers, individuals and vulnerable populations.

A collaboration from those working in nightlife and nighttime advocacy bring you a heartfelt and factual chapter four of the Global Nighttime Recovery Plan (GNRP)

Chapter four of the #GNRP is explicitly about the people who make up nightlife, their current needs and obstacles faced. Offering practical strategies from around the world with recommendations directed towards governments and industries willing to invest in nighttime culture.

Additionally, it provides recommendations for reforms which would create a more sustainable nighttime economy that provides more security, prosperity, and dignity to workers. industries, or other actors.

Why does it matter?

Nightlife was halted in March 2020 – part of the global shutdown response to prevent the spread of Covid-19. In early 2021, countries are still experiencing rising infection rates and business closures continue. Despite encouraging news about vaccines and rapid testing technologies, the end of the pandemic is not imminent and the hope that nightlife closures would be temporary has evaporated.

Nightlife workers have seen their income disappear, relief funds and subsidies have largely been insufficient with the majority of workers slipping through the cracks, adding to the fact that nightlife workers were often vulnerable and “unseen” prior to this pandemic.

“The pandemic has been hard on nightlife workers and on the spaces where they work. Creative spaces which rely on assemblies of people to generate revenue are the “first to close, last to open” –

Michael Fichman – City planner, researcher and lecturer at PennPraxis as well as nightlife organiser and musician.

Find out more about the contributors and Sustaining our Nightlife Scenes on the GNRP page

The post GNRP Chapter 4: Sustaining our Nightlife Scenes (Part I) appeared first on NIGHTTIME.ORG.

In cities across the world, the night time industry is one of the hardest hit of any economic sectors, and yet many governments are still not addressing its needs – or the needs of millions of its struggling workers. 

Without action, countless businesses, jobs and cultural spaces will be lost. And without a strong night time economy, cities stand to lose money, cultural vibrancy and reputation. 

The time to plan for recovery is right now. 

Some cities are leading the way: Manchester, UK and Sydney, Australia for example, have both recently launched detailed strategies to protect and strengthen their nightlife sectors during and beyond the pandemic. 

“Since March, we have all witnessed the devastation of our creative and night time economy sector. In Greater Manchester, we recognise this sector is the heartbeat of our towns and communities. We launched the Recovery Plan, not just to help the sector return back to pre COVID levels, but to also come back stronger, building on our previous successes.”

– Sacha Lord – Manchester Night Time Economy Adviser

Read about Manchester’s plan here

Read about Sydney’s plan here.

No matter where it is on the pandemic timeline, every city needs a targeted and individually tailored strategy to rebuild its night time economy. 

But there’s no need to start from scratch.   

Using the Global Nighttime Recovery Plan

In response to the severe vulnerability of nighttime economies and cultures caused by Covid-19, a global collaboration of some of the foremost minds on nightlife governance and urban planning, spearheaded by nightlife advocacy agency, VibeLab, has created the Global Nighttime Recovery Plan (GNRP). 

Having released three of its seven chapters, the GNRP is written to provide all members of the night-time ecosystem the tools and inspiration to aid their cities in planning and executing responsible re-opening. 

Its released chapters cover:

1 – Open-air nightlife and Covid-19: Managing outdoor space and sound

2 – The future of dance floors: Building more flexible, open and innovative clubbing experiences. 

3 – Innovating for safe and welcoming 24-hour cities

Its forthcoming chapters cover:

4 – Building nocturnal governance: Capacity-building for night

mayors and other nighttime governance institutions

5 – Sustaining our nightlife scenes I: Financial support models for creative industry workers, individuals and vulnerable populations

6 – Sustaining our nightlife scenes II: Financial and other forms of support for independent businesses

7-Learning As We Go: Measuring impact and data-gathering through the process

We can learn from each other. The GNRP has drawn on examples and expertise from all over the world to inform its discussion. Its case studies range from Tokyo to New York, Lagos to Lithuania, Sydney to Berlin and more.

Some of the key insights the GNRP community has learned so far

• The instinct to socialise is universal and enduring. In cities where there are no legal options, dangerous illegal alternatives are found.

• Open air spaces can be activated to safely increase capacity and revenue, and enliven subdued urban areas. 

• Outreach is crucial. City authorities need to be close to their populations, communicate clearly, and win the trust of their business communities and to encourage cooperation between all interest groups.

• Mediation is proven to be a more effective alternative – or at least important precursor – to enforcement. 

• The event industry should adopt lean start-up approaches as common practice to build resilience to crisis. Cities can support this through funding, training, and capacity-building.

• Club operators already have expertise in health, safety and prevention, and the narrative around this can and should be more positive.

• There are huge opportunities to exploit longer and later opening of services to address issues of physical distancing.

• Flexing regulations and simplifying licensing applications is essential to allowing nightlife to rebuild

• 24-hour transport – for essential workers and nightlife participants alike – is key to safer and more vibrant cities 

• Lighting plays a critical role in placemaking, cultural activation and safety at night

• The pandemic has exacerbated the pre-existing fragility of the nightclub industry – venues serving marginalised communities are especially vulnerable. 

• Measuring and monitoring are fundamental to identify challenges and opportunities, and envision tactics.

This international exchange of information, ideas and resources is intended as a launch point. We invite local governments and nightlife stakeholders to engage in the discussion, then take action within their own communities.

What can you do now?

Analyse local opportunities and challenges via 1:1 consulting sessions with VibeLab, the nightlife consultants behind the GNRP. 

VibeLab is founded by Amsterdam’s former night mayor Mirik Milan, and Berlin Club Commission spokesperson Lutz Leichsenring, and offers extensive expertise and an international network for those seeking out new paths to make change. 

Resources

• Download available chapters
• Contact VibeLab – Jess@vibe-lab.org
• Stay up to date with news via VibeLab’s nighttime.org blog

These unprecedented times have created an opportunity for those passionate about the night – entrepreneurs, urbanists, politicians, artists, academics, local activists – to challenge its marginalisation, so that both during and beyond recovery, nighttime is better integrated into how we plan, manage and understand cities.

Let’s seize the moment. 

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