LIVERPOOL VISITOR ECONOMY PANEL TO HIGHLIGHT REGION’S PATH TO RECOVERY
Key voices from Liverpool’s Culture, Arts, Tourism and Accommodation sectors will come together for a milestone this week, as the 15th Visitor Economy Panel is hosted by Liverpool BID Company and Marketing Liverpool.
Launched at the start of the first UK lockdown, the Visitor Economy Panel began as a way to connect the industry with people living and working in the city during the Covid-19 Pandemic. As the country reopened, reintroduced restrictions, tested Tiers and tried mass-testing, the Visitor Economy Panel brought together leading voices from the industry, both in Liverpool, the UK and beyond.
Now, as the city is on the roadmap towards reopening, first for leisure and entertainment venues and indoor hospitality on 17 May, and then, if it remains on track, the removal of restrictions on 21 June, the 15th Visitor Economy Panel examines the challenges and opportunity of reopening. In the past 14 months, the Panels have hosted over 60 speakers, with more than 800 people tuning in to hear their views.
Bill Addy is the CEO of Liverpool BID Company and Chair of the Liverpool Visitor Economy Network
“Liverpool’s Visitor Economy is the beating heart of the city. It unites the city’s creative and cultural industries, its hospitality, festivals and more. As a sector it has been incredibly hard hit by the pandemic and the original idea of this Panel was to bring it together as a form of digital networking but also to make sure the community was doing OK during lockdown.
“What it has become is a vital piece of learning for all of us. We have had industry leaders from hospitality come straight from a BBC News interview to give an insight to our sector, and venue managers in Europe advising our own cultural leaders as to how to reopen safely in the summer. It has been both inspiring and productive to learn from our industry, which is envied across the world.”
Chris Brown, Director of Marketing Liverpool, said:
“Co-hosting the Visitor Economy Panel has allowed us, in many ways, to do the same job digitally as we will often do as an industry together. People don’t often see how we share expertise, ideas and best practice, but working digitally has enabled more people to see how open and passionate our sector is, how eager it is to both learn and to share their knowledge. Reaching the 15th Panel is a milestone, and while we would have all much preferred to have our venues and industry safely open and operating for the past 14 months, being able to share these regular events together has helped us all to navigate the choppy waters”.
The 15th Visitor Economy Panel is on Thursday 29 April, 12-1pm. The panel includes:
→ Aimee Welsh – Project Director at The Good Business Festival
→ Brian Connor – General Manager at Titanic Hotel
→ Charlotte Corrie – Director at Open Culture
→ Lily Mellor – Programme Manager at Liverpool Biennial
→ Mark Da Vanzo – Chief Executive at everyman & Playhouse
→ Mary Chadwick – General Manager at The Beatles Story