Insurance provider Aviva has signed up as the naming-rights partner of the new Factory International arts and culture venue in Manchester, UK. Terms of the deal have not been publicly disclosed, but the Guardian reported that the multi-year deal is worth £35m. The facility, which will host a Yayoi Kusama exhibition as part of this …
Manchester Mayor urges unions to call off strikes over Parklife weekend
Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Manchester, has called for planned industrial action by tram drivers over the weekend of the Parklife music festival to be postponed. Burnham offered to meet union bosses – who are demanding more than the current 5% pay rise on the table from Manchester Metrolink – if they agreed to call …
Co-op Live brings in Gary Roden as general manager
Co-op Live has appointed former Ticketmaster executive Gary Roden as executive director and general manager of the 23,500-capacity venue, which is set to open later this year. Roden spent eight years at Ticketmaster UK and was most recently the senior vice-president of client development and commercial. In his new role, Roden will oversee the operation …
Manchester introduces tourist tax to develop events and more
Manchester has imposed a tourist tax for guests staying in order to develop and run large events, conferences, festivals and marketing campaigns. The city is the first in the UK to impose the £1 tourist tax, which will be added per night, per room for those staying in hotels, and is part of a new …
NTIA report shows businesses teetering on the edge in cost-of-living crisis
A report from the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has shown that despite glimpses of recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis could deliver the final blow for some night time businesses. In the decade leading up to the onset of the pandemic in 2020, the UK’s night time cultural economy (NTCE) showed steady …
Music Venue Trust report finds grassroots events still below pre-pandemic levels
The Music Venue Trust (MVT)’s annual report has revealed that while its members staged 177,000 events last year, it was still a decrease of 16.7% compared to pre-pandemic levels. MVT represents almost 1,000 grassroots venues in the UK and a survey of 960 of those found that there were also 565,000 individual performances, and together …
Mustard Media aids 1.5 million ticket sales in 2022
Mustard Media has helped clients sell 1.5 million tickets in 2022 according to the events marketing agency. The Manchester-headquartered firm worked with over 100 festivals, events, venues and exhibitions across 13 countries in the 2022 financial year. The 1.5 million ticket sales for clients is an uplift of 150% from the previous year’s 600,000 tickets. …
2022 in review – September
Manchester is set to welcome a new arts venue in 2023 in the form of the £186m ($227m/€213m) Factory International, with its opening events announced in September 2022. Director Danny Boyle will use the space to launch a live production of The Matrix, while the venue will also become the permanent home of the Manchester …
Over 30,000 watch Manchester United Women at Old Trafford
Over 30,000 fans turned up to see Manchester United Women take on Aston Villa Women at Old Trafford on Saturday, setting a record attendance for the club. More than 36,000 tickets were sold for Manchester United Women’s match prior to Saturday, hinting at a record that would beat the 20,241 who attended the Women’s Super …
Research demonstrates economic impact of Emirates Old Trafford major events
Research from not-for-profit agency Marketing Manchester has revealed that the estimated impact of Emirates Old Trafford’s major events in 2022 equates to a £27m ($32m/€31m) boost to the local economy. Marketing Manchester’s aim is to promote Greater Manchester in the UK and on the international stage. The agency has worked with Emirates Old Trafford to …