360DigitalInfluence

I was a sixteen year old working in the city’s libraries at weekends when the idea of my hometown, Liverpool, bidding for 2008 European Capital of Culture was first suggested. From the start the people of Liverpool got behind the bid in true scouse style, seeing it as an amazing opportunity to show the world what they and their much maligned city has to offer.

And it seemed to work; 10 million people attended Capital of Culture events which included everything from a homecoming concert by Paul McCartney to an art installation featuring a giant mechanical spider roaming through the city. Key attractions like the Walker Art Gallery and Museum of Liverpool saw a 70% increase in visitor numbers. Over a quarter of visitors in 2008 were new to the city and 75% of all visitors said that the Capital of Culture was the reason behind their visit.

But now we are well into 2009 the question on everyone’s lips is ‘What next?’ how, especially in a recession, can Liverpool maintain the momentum from 2008 and continue to grow the local tourism economy?  The world is littered with cities that once upon a time hosted a big event, whether it was a City of Culture, World Cup venue or Olympic city, some have used these events as springboard for success, while other have been forgotten before the confetti from the closing ceremony has been swept up.

Barcelona, once a grey industrial city, now a thriving cultural centre and top European weekend break destination, is widely acknowledged as an example of Olympic legacy done well. In the Barcelona case the city used the Games as an opportunity to change the way the city was seen by both locals and the wider world. The Games saw an area of industrial wasteland transformed into Barcelona’s beach, giving residents a space to be proud of and creating a whole new tourist district that paved the way for the Easyjet weekend break invasion. For Barcelona the Olympic Games was just the start, they had a plan in place for further development after the closing ceremony

Glasgow, another former Capital of Culture, used its special year in 1990 as a springboard for urban regeneration. Again the key to success was to change the way outsiders and locals themselves think about the city. Glaswegians, like Liverpudlians had something to prove, that theirs was a great world city with an enviable culture. In the years following 1990 Glasgow firmly established itself as a cultural destination with the opening of the Gallery of Modern Art, now the most visited contemporary arts venue outside London, and the Norman Foster designed music venue the Glasgow Auditorium.

So if the recipe for success seems to be having a follow up plan and changing perceptions, how is my city doing? The finale of 2008 was not described as a closing ceremony, instead it was a ‘Transition Event’ and there has been no let up in activity, or in promotion since the start of 2009 with a calendar of events unrivalled by any other city in the UK, many drawing on the most popular elements from 2008. Although 2008 didn’t give Liverpool a beach, it did give us a fantastic new shopping district, cruise liner port and soon a new museum.  When it comes to changing perceptions, 2008 seems to have got the people of Liverpool excited about their own tourist attractions, with 70% of scousers claiming to have visited a museum or gallery in the last year compared to a national average of just 59%. As a Liverpudlian in London I personally have experienced a massive change in people’s reactions to my city. When I tell people where I’m from instead of getting jokes about car theft or hilarious attempts at an impression of a scouse accent, I get comments like ‘Wow, that’s such a cool city, it must be amazing to grow up there’ or ‘I saw all the Capital of Culture events, it looks amazing’. So it’s looking hopeful that 2008 could mark a real new start for a city with so much to offer!