Sydney, 7 September 2022: A new night time roadmap brought together the voices of young Sydneysiders and leaders of night time industries to find the unique opportunities for greater Sydney’s night time economy.
Released by the Night Time Industries Association, the ‘Night Time Industries Recovery Roadmap’ incorporates the counsel of the NTIA’s newly formed Youth Advisory Council of 18 to 30 year olds to help identify the opportunities for the night. The strategy has also been shaped by workshops with industry leaders across the arts and performance, hospitality, supply chain, property and policy.
The youth voices have helped identify opportunities for later-running public transport, more diverse and performance led nightlife and a closer relationship with police.
Meanwhile, industry has identified areas where collaboration with government and one another will drive a more resilient night time economy. Increased collaboration and support to adapt business models, simpler regulation for businesses, more live music and performance in venues and industry wide collaboration to ensure uniform best practice were seen as immediate opportunities by industry.
The industry leaders and Youth Advisory Council also identified areas which require government intervention such as 24 hour public transport.
As a result of the industry and youth consultation, the NTIA has identified three key priority areas for government and industry to address.
Priority One: Restoring consumer and industry confidence. This priority incorporates strategies for direct collaboration between government and industry to implement initiatives to improve confidence among consumers and businesses to explore night time offerings. The strategic areas for priority one are:
- Investment and actions to boost consumer and industry confidence in the night
- Better and more creative infrastructure as well as better facilitation of culture in venues
- A night time economy that allows NSW to be seen as the place to host world premieres
- A coordinated approach from government and industry to realise the potential of the night time economy
Priority Two: Empowering industry to pursue new ways of doing business. Industry is now at a critical point and operating in a rapidly changing environment. Not only have consumer expectations and behaviour patterns changed, many businesses cannot find suitable staff, have much higher operating costs and problems with supply chains. To survive and grow, night time industries are innovating and adapting their business models. However, more work can be done with the following strategic areas identified as key to success:
- Increase levels of Government support to industry to innovate on existing business models
- Increase and diversify creative content in venues
- Recognising the importance of young people to night time industries and a city’s vibrancy
Priority Three: Changing the narrative about the night. A new narrative about the night is needed to enable night time industries to flourish. There is still a perception that it is unsafe to go out after dark. There is also a lack of coordination and communication to promote the night time offerings, leading to a misconception that Sydney’s nightlife is dead. To address these challenges the following strategies should be employed:
- The night must be proven to be safe, vibrant and appealing
- Night time industry stakeholders must be on the same page
- Promotion of greater Sydney’s nightlife must be locally relevant and targeted
The comprehensive strategy and steps to achieve each priority are available online.
NTIA CEO Mick Gibb says the release of the ‘Night Time Industries Recovery Roadmap’ comes at a pivotal moment for the industry.
“After the pain of lockouts and lockdowns, getting the industry recovery right is key to activating the benefits of a night time economy.
“Having a robust and resilient night time economy means a stronger economy overall. It means more venues, more jobs, more opportunities and more money flowing through the economy.
“The NTIA has consulted leaders across the night time industries to identify where and how industry and government can collaborate to reignite the night. Of course, there are steps that only the government can resolve – like 24 hour public transport – that must be a priority as we head into a state election in March.
“Importantly, the Night Time Industries Recovery Roadmap has formed a permanent voice for young people into the night time industries though the NTIA’s Youth Advisory Council. It’s an important step to continue making our nightlife diverse, inclusive and relevant.”
The Night Time Industries Recovery Roadmap was proudly supported by the City of Sydney Council.
–ENDS–
Media Contact
comms@ntia.org.au | 0423 149 494
Download the media release as a PDF.
