The Night Time Economy Summit 2025

The Night Time Economy Summit 2025, held on February 5-6 at Birmingham's Hockley Social Club, brought together over 2,000 professionals and 275 speakers from more than 20 countries, making it Europe's largest gathering of night-time economy (NTE) stakeholders. To feed back the valuable information and topics explored, our Marketing Team paid a visit earlier this month.
 

Key Themes and Discussions

The summit addressed a wide array of topics crucial to the NTE, including:

• Diversity and Inclusion: A dedicated Queer stage, developed in partnership with Gay Times and Stonewall, focused on challenges surrounding diversity and inclusion within the industry.
   

• Sustainability: Earth Percent and AGF led discussions on sustainability, emphasizing the importance of eco-friendly practices in nightlife.
   

• Policy and Partnerships: Panels explored harm reduction, grassroots venues, burnout, 24-hour economies, and the significance of policy innovation and collaboration between industry leaders and policymakers.
  
  

Other Observations
From many of the talks we attended, it was clear that panel members were calling out for more support and buy-in required from policy makers. Representation from multi-use venues across the world was abundant, with the likes of ‘medium sized cities’ being encouraged to make a point of difference in their local night time economy.

Moreover, there’s an emerging demand for multifaceted skills within the hospitality and tourism industry. The ability to influence in-house, grow best practise in not only the job role but with the likes of promotion. According to research conducted by Celebian, over 40% of its users believe TikTok to be a more conducive search engine, searching for candid experiences and the people who build their brand story. As a BID, we have driven awareness via our own TikTok channel, should any businesses require support without having to divert attention

National Insurance contributions were also discussed at length, with discussions on electricity fees, duties, security and other aspects addressed. We are led to believe that a holistic approach is being explored by national policymakers.

Young night time hospitality users were addressed too, inviting owners and local business communities to question their target audience. Are they truly in tune with them, or those that use their space? What sets you apart? Young people buy in ‘vibes’; escapism from the mundale, with Gen Z factoring accessibility, welfare and gender ethnic balance in businesses when deciding on repeat visitation. Many panel speakers recommended focus groups, surveys and volunteer works of local NTE locations to agree/understand their guests more effectively.

From a practical standpoint, we also learnt of a couple of funding pots from the likes of Arts Council England and PRS, primarily music related but for night time venues too. These can be for individual practises, business skills and music related events. Unique details and criteria can be found at the Arts Council England and PRS sites.

Looking Forward
The Night Time Economy Summit 2025 highlighted the resilience and adaptability of the NTE. For business owners, the event emphasized the importance of embracing diversity, sustainability, and collaboration to drive growth and innovation in the sector. Engaging with local forums and international networks can provide valuable insights and opportunities to navigate the evolving landscape of the night-time economy.

Are you a business in our city centre levy zone with questions on any of the above, or want to explore how we as a BID can support your marketing efforts, drop us an email at marketing@stokeontrentbid.co.uk.