[To receive a briefing note and presentation on the visitor experience, culture and leisure offer].
Briefing Note is marked: To Follow
Minutes:
The Director of Communications and Visitor Experience introduced the slides on the Visitor Experience, Culture and Leisure offer in Wolverhampton. He stated that the Council was already an Events City. IPW Consultants had provided the information for the slide on Events City, it stated the following was applicable to Wolverhampton: -
· 1000+ events a year
· 30,000 football visitors every fortnight
· 300,000 per year to the Grand Theatre
· Estimated 300,000 to new Civic Halls
· 120,000 visitors to the Racecourse a year
· Admired civic / community events programme
· Range of local events delivered by partners (e.g., BIDs) and event companies
The Director of Communications and Visitor Experience commented that the Council made a significant contribution to the City wide programme through investment in arts, culture and city events. The Council had five venues which were used for major events and they had 76 outdoor events each year. 273,000 visitors in 2021/2022 came because of the events held by the Council. There was £650,000 in direct economic impact as a consequence and £9 million in in-direct economic benefit. The £9 million figure was based on the West Midlands in the 2015 Great Britain Day Visits Survey.
The Visitor Economy Manager spoke about the Commonwealth Games Cycling Time Trial. The start and finish line had been hosted in West Park. 20,000 attended across the event and people also lined the streets of the City, representing an indirect economic benefit of £665,000. The event received global TV coverage. The Fireworks spectacular had been hosted in partnership with Dunstall Racecourse in November 2021. A profit of just over £11,000 was raised and 15,000 attended the event, representing an indirect economic benefit of £500,000.
The Visitor Economy Manager presented a slide on the Grand Slam of Darts. This has been hosted at Aldersley Leisure Village in November 2021. The event had a budget of £7,320 and there was an income of £70,000 from the event. 12,500 had attended and this represented an indirect economic benefit of £420,000. A large production crew had stayed in the City for 2 weeks at an estimated cost of £140,000. There had been global TV coverage via Sky Sports.
The Visitor Economy Manager stated that the World Snooker Player’s Championship had been hosted at Aldersley Leisure Village in February 2022. There was no budget for the event and it cost £9,416. 4000 people had attended the event, representing an indirect benefit of £140,000. A large production crew stated in the City for two weeks at an estimated cost of £200,000. There had been global TV coverage via the BBC.
The Visitor Economy Manager presented a slide on Vaisakhi Mela. There had been a celebratory event in May 2022. The budget for the event had been £15,000 and it had cost £14,700. 23,209 had attended the event, representing an indirect economic benefit of £770,771. Local leaders took the opportunity to urge attendees to take up the Covid-19 vaccination. There had been coverage on Midlands Today and ITV Central. She listed a number of other significant events that had taken place over the last twelve months, these were as follows: -
· Relight Festival – 4,598 tickets as Covid-19 restrictions lifted.
· Diwali Mela – 8000 attendees to Phoenix Park
· Christmas Lights Switch Ons across the City – City Centre, Bilston, Wednesfield, Tettenhall and Bantock.
· Literature Festival – at venues across the City.
· Launch of the British Kabaddi League at Aldersley.
· Armed Forces Day – Over 5,000 attendees.
· HM The Queen - Jubilee Beacon Lighting in St Peter’s Square
· Krazy Races – 15,000 visitors to the City Centre
· Ibiza Proms in the Park – Large local audience of 3,000 attended
· WV1 Fest – 7,000 visitors to West Park
· Airing HM The Queen’s Funeral in Queen Square
The Director for Communications and Visitor Experience stated that they intended to build on their current position. They had completed an internal review to reprofile budgets to match city ambitions, cost inflation and the core programme was now complete. The team had faced challenges to mitigate the post pandemic market and had suffered with increased costs and the cost of living crisis affecting buyer behaviour. IPW Consultants were completing a review to inform the five-year strategy. Their report would be completed by the end of October 2022. The IPW research to date was listed on a slide as follows: -
· Current events – what’s on lists from past years and current programme for 2022.
· Audiences – Data on audiences and attendance patterns via ONS, local surveys, national bodies studies.
· Organisational – public, private, cultural, sports, academic, community.
· City of Wolverhampton Council – direct events supporting including funding and staffing, indirect support, policy and strategy.
· Conducted 21 stakeholder interviews.
· Looked at case studies for 6 core cities, and 6 key cities to identify best practice.
IPW had identified 3 objectives;
1. Change perceptions of the City – by enhancing profile and reputation nationally and internationally.
2. Increase the social benefit and value from events – by creating opportunities for employment and skills development
3. Increase the economic benefit and return from events – by generating significant new direct and indirect spend.
A Panel Member applauded the events team for the events they had arranged in the last twelve months. For one event in his constituency involving the GKN Temple some of his constituents had felt there had been a lack of communication from the Council.
A Panel Member stated that the British Art Show had a target of 50,000 people to attend the show in Wolverhampton. He asked if this target had been achieved and whether the City could have the show again in the foreseeable future. The Director for Communications and Visitor Experience responded that the target was hit through a combination of direct visits to the art gallery and the fringe art festival.
A Member of the Panel asked when the Britannia Hotel would be open again for general public use. The Cabinet Member responded that Britannia was a private operator and had a contract with Serco. They could influence them but had no direct control.
A Panel Member asked if the 300,000 visitors expected to visit the Civic Halls on an annual basis was a realistic figure. He also asked if it was true that Molineux stadium was not pursued as a potential venue for the Euro 2028 Football Tournament, as reported in a recent press article.
The Director of Communications and Visitor Experience responded that the 300,000 visitor figure was based on the IPW predictions and the AEG business model. The AEG approach would be very different to the approach taken to the Civic Halls in the past. The Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy responded that the Council would fully support Wolverhampton Football Club if they wanted the Molineux to host any of the football matches as part of a bid for Euro 2028.
A Panel Member raised the importance of diversity at events. She was of the view that some events were only attended by specific groups, rather than a broad diverse section of the community. She thought a holistic review looking at this question would be prudent. The Director of Communications and Visitor Experience responded that some events were free which helped to attract people. Other events were paid for sometimes due to partnerships with other community organisations. There was some work to take place on data and how it was collected. The Art gallery was very good at collecting data. He had been very pleased with the diverse nature of the crowds during the Commonwealth Games event. The Chair suggested that the Director of Communications and his team could work with some of the Council’s BAME Council Members on processes regarding data for market research.
The Director of Communications and Visitor Experience commented that events did not sit on their own, they were part of a wider city offer and context which included marketing, transport, environment, and Food and beverage / accommodation. He presented a slide on the early recommendations from IPW, which were as follows: -
1. Create a shared vision
2. Create a performance framework
3. Create a city-wide governance structures
4. Better use of market intelligence and data
5. Generate more private sector investment in high quality events
6. Find the balance between accessible public events and commercial events that generate income for reinvestment in the programme
Over the next 12 months the plan was listed on a slide as follows:-
· Support and funding for annual Eid event
· Support and funding for annual city Pride event
· Building on the legacy of Commonwealth Games
· Build on the British Art Show legacy
· Develop and deliver an improved digital city visitor offer - Visit Wolverhampton
· Maximise the AEG relationship
· Implement the five-year event strategy and IPW recommendations
The Chair remarked that she would like to meet with the Director of Communications and Visitor Experience once the report from IPW had been completed, so she could discuss the next steps for the Council. She was happy for the Cabinet Member to attend the meeting.
A Panel Member commented that there had been no mention of community and volunteering on the slide detailing the plan for the next twelve months. He mentioned Wednesfield in Bloom and the Canal Festival as examples of growing opportunities.
A Member of the Panel commenting on the slide detailing the plans for the next 12 months stated there was nothing listed specific for the black community. She added that she would welcome a conversation with the events team about unique selling points in five years’ time for the City.
A Panel Member asked for an update on the Eye Infirmary and the Pipe Hall by the next meeting. The Director for Regeneration responded that Pipe Hall was being led by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). They were actively engaging with the Heritage Preservation Trust to consider how the site could be brought forward. They updated the Council on a monthly basis and so he could provide the Panel Member further information. On the matter of the Eye Infirmary, the developed had submitted a planning application, which was going through the planning process. The developer was also in negotiations with the WMCA on potential grant funding and the outcome was awaited.
The Visitor Economy Manager stated that there should be a strong community volunteering angle in the five-year event strategy. This area was really important to generate opportunity. The Cabinet Member supported the viewpoint.
Resolved: That the Director of Communications and Visitor Experience and his team work with the Council’s BAME Councillors on processes regarding collecting data to assist with marketing research for events.