NDML And Philip Kolvin At The Nighttime Economy Summit 2024
The NDML team attended the NTE Summit Trade Show in Greater Manchester. Set in the Warehouse Project’s Freight Island; the event saw nightlife leaders come together for a series of talks.
NDML exhibited at the event, and we also managed to talk to influential speakers and business owners. Philip Kolvin KC, Barrister and author of the recent NTIA nightlife manifesto, took some time away from speaking on the mains stage to discuss his aims with us. We wanted to gauge his unfiltered thoughts on the visitor economy sector as part of our Nightlife Unscripted Series.
Watch the video here:
NDML Talks To Philip Kolvin KC
“I’m Philip Colvin and I’m a Barrister. I work in licensing but I do a whole bunch of work with the NTIA on their advocacy and campaigning work.”
Where was the last nightlife venue you visited and how was your experience?
“Well actually it was right in this building – because I came to see the Warehouse Project and I had a phenomenal time here with Sacha Lord. I don’t look like a clubber; I’m not a clubber; but he showed me around the building and it was wonderful. It’s an old heritage warehouse turned into a clubbing venue and I think if I had all my time again that’s where I’d be.“
What have you come to the NTE Summit to talk about?
“So I wrote a manifesto for the Nightlife Industries Association which we’re aiming at the political parties to try and put nightlife front and centre in the political debate.
I think the whole point of the Nighttime Economy Manifesto, “Darkest Before The Dawn”, is that we really need to have the nighttime economy recognised in parliament. When it’s all flying and it’s all going really well and the economy’s strong, then the nighttime economy can just carry on, it doesn’t need government assistance. But a time like this, when it is suffering, when it’s just falling away at a huge rate, it’s the same sort of idea as biodiversity. How can we protect things which are precious? And when we don’t pay attention, rivers die, marine life dies, species become extinct and I see the nighttime economy in exactly the same way.
We’ve got to pay attention to this stuff because when it’s gone it’s not going to come back.“
If you were Prime Minister for a day, what would you change and why?
“All right, so I’ve got about 100 different answers. I’m going to give you one.
Particularly coming from the South East of England, when kids set off in their life, they can’t get housing and they’re all spending half of their income on rent in sometimes substandard housing. I would reintroduce rent controls because that would release income. If they had more income, they’d have better lives and they’d be able to spend more in nightlife.”
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
