David Levinson’s Post

So here’s my opinion. 👍 What a great advert for a great city. ‘You’re new arena isn’t ready? No problem, we’ll take that 35 truck tour and do it in our other arena’ Something no other city in the UK could do by the way. 💡Maybe this is a moment to build on. Maybe instead of being competitors we could see closer collaboration between these two giants to build on Manchesters reputation as an entertainment/sports centre. Let’s imagine a city based festival with both part of the picture. But, maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part. 💭 In games world we talk a lot about legacy, let’s unpack that a little here. - the AO Arena opened in 1995, it was the first event I worked. It was built as part of an Olympic bid. Although the bid failed, it helped bring the Commonwealth Games to Manchester in 2002. - The Commonwealth Games needed a stadium, which was built and later became the home of Manchester City. - The Stadium, now Etihad Stadium grew to be a campus for sporting excellence. - The Campus is now home to Co-op Live arena. It’s having hard times, but it will open. It will be successful and all this termoil will fade into the background. And yes, I will be there on opening night too. 🔗 Like it or not. The paths of Manchester Arenas are linked and I’m proud of my association with both these venues. I’m proud of this city, its attitude and resilience. Its a place where I’ve spent many years and have many friends and colleagues. 🐝 I love the attitude of this city. “Think we can’t do it? Watch us!’” It’s been a difficult time. It’s regrettable that fans have been inconvenienced and disappointed in the past weeks. But, Co-op Live, will open, it will be a success and Manchester will have two giants of the event industry to be rightly proud of. 👀 Think differently? Watch us! Take That move Co-op Live shows to rival arena after chaos https://lnkd.in/eNZutqwH

Mobility Insights from the Taylor Swift Effect 🎤 🤠 Ever wondered about the economic impact of major events like Taylor Swift's Eras Tour on Wembley Stadium? Greater London Authority has reported The Eras Tour to generate £300m for the capital’s economy. With BT Active Intelligence, we have some fascinating mobility insights to share with you! - International Audience 🌍: Roughly 12% of the audience at Wembley were international visitors, with top locations being the USA, Canada, France, and Spain. The highest number of international visitors was recorded on the Sunday concert, June 23rd. - Home Location 🏙️: A significant number of Swifties travelled from Lambeth and Wandsworth before heading to Wembley Stadium. Planning an event? Managing a stadium? Want to understand the impact of your events? Contact us today to leverage these insights for your next big event! https://lnkd.in/dTMVbGqs #EventManagement #StadiumInsights #EconomicImpact #TaylorSwift #ErasTour #BTActiveIntelligence

Adelaide Fringe 2024 was a massive season and it took herculean efforts from everyone to get through! Incredible numbers attended, just over 1 million ticket sold and 4.6 million attendances .. (if anyone has questions about the difference between those numbers please ask! It's quite simple, there's lots of ways to attend that doesn't involve a ticketed show) it was fantastic to see so many tourists come to Adelaide for Fringe 2024 - they bought huge numbers of tickets and spent big in local hotels and restaurants. in many ways a big triumph, but of course there is more to the story and one of the scariest elements is the fact that festival presentation costs have gone up by about 30% in the last year or so .. the ticket sales were up by around 4% (1,040,305) and the average ticket price remained the same around $33. So it doesn't take much to look at the sums and realise it is very tough to make it all balance. Lots of festivals have cancelled and closed down in recent months because of these rising costs in the supply chains. We are going to work harder than ever to try raise enough money to shore up the Fringe in future - Adelaide Fringe is a precious jewel of the nation and we need all the help we can get to survive this storm.

New research from the British Arts Festivals Association (BAFA) highlights that the UK arts sector is reaching a critical tipping point. For a sector heavily reliant on corporate sponsorship, the relationship between brands and the arts has become increasingly fraught. The irony is undeniable: without corporate sponsors, many of these much-loved cultural events would simply cease to exist. Corporate art sponsors have often found themselves at the receiving end of public backlash. High-profile cases involving long-serving sponsors like Baillie Gifford and BMW demonstrate the risks brands face, even when their track records within their industries are among the most progressive. In our latest article, The Sponsor explores whether there is still a compelling business case for corporate sponsorship of the arts, despite these challenges. We hear from leading brands and examine how the arts and business can work together to create meaningful, mutually beneficial partnerships. Read the full article and follow The Sponsor for more insights and practical sponsorship tips. #ArtSponsorship #CorporatePartnerships #SaveTheArts #SponsorshipStrategy #CulturalHeritage #ArtAndBusiness #BrandImpact #BAFA #ArtsFunding #art #sponsorships #brandpartnerships #Festivals https://lnkd.in/eJvxcADq

Exploring Festival Growth: How to Build, Scale, and Innovate Your Event From the bustling streets of downtown festivals with their multiple venues and electric atmospheres to the expansive open fields of Bonnaroo where the entire infrastructure is built from the ground up, each type of festival brings unique challenges and opportunities. By examining these diverse environments, we can uncover the strategies that lead to successful event management, from logistics and infrastructure to community building and smart growth. This video dives deep into the intricacies of festival planning, offering insights into what makes festivals thrive and how you can apply these lessons to your events. Whether you're looking to start your own festival or improve an existing one, understanding the dynamics of different festival formats is crucial. Join us as we explore the elements that make festivals great and the smart strategies behind their growth. #FestivalPass #EventStrategy #FestivalPlanning #MusicFestival #EventSuccess

"Sustainability is in every aspect of our lives and events ... (including) what we consume at venues..." We couldn't agree more. Do you ever think about how often you grab a disposable plastic fork, or a plastic straw for a kids' drink...what about styrofoam containers for stadium food and takeout? "Small differences can have huge impacts" might as well be our mantra. With our Wave Ware line of #compostable foodservice products, a small switch to using #sustainable goods in place of single-use plastics in stadiums, arenas, and other sports venues can go a long way in keeping our venues clean, free of microplastics, and more ecofriendly places for years to come. #FasterFurther #24GSASummit #sustainability #nantbiorenewables #waveware #ecofriendly #compostability #bepartofthesolution

I think we have to be very careful here and what Joan Smith said about "weaponising shame" really resonates with me. Removing this sponsorship could end up destroying some very important and special festivals where all views can be voiced and discussed amicably something both extremely important and increasingly rare. I'm certainly not backing Baillie Gifford's investments in fossil fuels. but this action will change nothing in fact it might have a negative impact making them feel they might just as well increase their fossil fuel investments. I don't believe there are currently any honestly 100% ethical investments because under our current set up they don't produce the same returns and in a world where getting by is increasingly difficult people do expect sufficient return on investment. Rocks and hard places come to mind and I think the loss of the magic that is Hay Festival and the other Festivals are too important to risk. Funding is in short supply & others may be cautious about filling the gap. The Festival isn't constrained by the funders in their choice of speakers & content. The funding is used for good purpose, the world would be poorer without them. Don't sweat the small stuff there are far bigger fish to fry on the political stage for one where choice is sadly between the truly awful or the less bad with no radical inspiring visions of the systemic change we must have on offer in our flawed first past the post system https://lnkd.in/e39WQ-CK

🎭 New research from the British Arts Festivals Association (BAFA) claims that the UK arts sector is at a critical tipping point. For a sector desperately dependent on corporate sponsors, it has done a pretty lousy job of making itself an attractive sponsorship proposition. There have been many highly publicised cases of long-serving art sponsors experiencing significant and harmful public backlash from art audiences. Baillie Gifford and BMW Group come to mind despite being amongst the more progressive players in their industries. The irony, of course, is that, as this research shows, many of these much-loved art events and institutions would cease to exist without the support of corporate art sponsors. So, should corporate sponsors walk away and leave the arts to their fate? Or is there still a compelling business case for supporting art events despite the challenges? In this latest article from The Sponsor, we hear from several art sponsors as we examine the business case for continued sponsorship of the arts. Follow The Sponsor for more sponsorship insights and practical tips. Michel Driessen Michelle McLeod Helen Chomczuk Oliver Tregoning Prue Thompson Esther Clark Jazz Singh Jessica Tamman Rudy Capildeo Susie Llewellyn-Jones Tamsin Selby Adriano Picinati di Torcello Nick Thomas Louise Willows Association of Independent Festivals BOC Business Consulting @thomasgirst #art #sponsorship #corporatepartnerships #festivals #artbusiness #savethearts #corporatephilanthropy #culture #BAFA #AIF #Fringe #theproms #Edinburghinternationalnookfestival #fossilfreebooks #enviroment #sustainability #oliandgas #financialmarketing https://lnkd.in/eH6U8x3t

📸 Picture it: you're watching a football or soccer game, and a player falls to the ground or kicks the ball...only to be followed by a flurry of black particles. What's that stuff anyway? 🤔 Those particles are used on fields as turf infill to cushion players and/or weigh down artificial turf to keep it evened out and prevent wrinkles. BUT: If they're dark-colored particles, they're probably crumb rubber, an all-too-common infill that draws heat into the playing surface AND is carcinogenic. At the Green Sports Alliance Summit, Calcean is looking to spread an ecofriendly layer of protection over your turf...literally. 🧐 Our oolitic aragonite infill provides all the benefits of standard infills to both artificial and natural sports turf, PLUS: ✔ added player safety/health; ✔ a cooling effect based on color and particle shape; ✔ antimicrobial properties; and ✔ a quality product -- all without sacrificing performance. Our infill is better for the playing surface, the players, AND the planet. 🌎 "Small differences can have huge impacts," you say? That's Calcean. 🌊 We're proud to cushion the impact of players on fields, while making a lasting impact in the field of #sustainability. #FasterFurther #24GSASummit #renewable #sustainable #calcean #turfinfill #sustainabilitysolutions

We’re delighted to launch Festivals Forward today, the report featuring the results of our Festivals Mean Business sector-wide research. In the report, developed by BOP Consulting, we reflect on a sector that is ‘surviving rather than thriving’, but one that still has much to celebrate.  Some of the key findings include: ☑️ The 101 reporting festivals stage more than 11,000 events the length and breadth of the country. ☑️ They attract a total of more than five million attendances (ticketed and unticketed) to in-person events and more than 100,000 to online events. ☑️ Survey respondents engaged a total of 34,000 artists and ensembles in 2023, programming over 2,700 new works. ☑️ 86% of arts festivals deliver outreach work in schools and other community spaces, often year-round. We’ll be using this report as a vehicle to call for greater investment in arts festivals, supporting our members to go beyond survival and thrive in a challenging climate, in a way that explores and embeds sustainability, diversity and inclusivity. The Festivals Mean Business project has been supported by funding from Arts Council England, Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru | Arts Council of Wales and Creative Scotland. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/e3he2ETG #BAFA2024