NDML And Kathryn Davis At The BARBI Trade Show
The NDML team attended the BARBI Trade Show in Bristol. It was a fantastic event, featuring top distributors, independent businesses and key speakers.
We talked to Kathryn Davis, Managing Director of Visit West, who was speaking at the BARBI Bristol about support for nightlife businesses. We wanted to gauge her unfiltered thoughts on the visitor economy sector as part of our new Nightlife Unscripted Series.
Watch the video here:
NDML Talks To Carla Denyer
“My name is Kathryn Davis, I’m Managing Director of Visit West. We work across the visitor economy sectors, of which hospitality is a huge part.”
When asked what they believe the tends in 2024 for nightlife will be, they said:
“We’re expecting to see; a continuation of visitors, bringing back more of our international visitors, making sure we sustain the visitor economy, support for the cultural night time sector. [All] Making sure Bristol keeps it’s hat as one of the most important culinary destinations, [and] one of the best places to visit for gigs and everything else.”
When asked about their most recent experience of nightlife, they said:
“I was in a nightlife venue on Saturday, I was in the Lazy Dog, on Ashley Down Road for a friend’s 50th birthday party. It’s great because they support local breweries, so you can go to a local venue, drink local beer, and just catch up with friends after Christmas.”
When asked what they would do if they were made Prime Minister for a day, they said:
“I would reduce the VAT straight away, because it’s important that businesses get a chance to invest in their own. We can use that as a way to attract businesses and to get local people back out spending in venues.”
“The opportunities for hospitality venues working in and within the visitor economy are huge. The visitor economy to Bristol is worth over a billion pounds a year. We [at Visit West] help businesses find a way to navigate that and maximise it, rather than wait for people to hear and then find you. It’s a way to tap into opportunities that the whole B2B network offers.”
More From Nightlife Unscripted
Much needs to be done across the whole scope of the nightlife economy. Learn more about the other opinions and motivations from night time industry leaders here
