Liverpool ‘cannot afford to rest on its cultural legacy’

LIVERPOOL’S director of culture has described cultural events in the city as the “rocket fuel for its regeneration”, contributing £55m last year alone to the local economy.

Claire McColgan joined representatives from Belfast, Glasgow and Newport at the inaugural UK Waterfront Cities Symposium, which took place in the iconic Cunard Building as part of the wider  Liverpool International Waterfront Forum.

The theme of this year’s forum has been ‘the role of culture and place-making as tools for fostering economic growth for cities’.

Liverpool was joined by Cllr Archie Graham from Glasgow City Council, which hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and Newport, the youngest city in Wales, which was represented by chief executive Will Godfrey, after hosting the NATO summit in 2014.

Kerrie Sweeney, of Titanic Foundation in Belfast, explored the realisation of a historical visitor centre in a derelict shipyard and the challenge of retaining connectivity to the city.

McColgan looked at how a city masters the marketing opportunity of large-scale outdoor events like Giant Spectacular, One Magnificent City and the unprecedented success of Cunard’s 175 Three Queens which saw around one million visitors to the Liverpool waterfront.

McColgan, director of culture at Liverpool City Council, said: “It is vital that we keep reminding people how amazing Liverpool is. We cannot simply rest on our cultural legacy, as our Mayor, Joe Anderson says, ‘culture is the rocket fuel of our city’.

“We have raised the expectation of our community and for ourselves as a city. It is vital that we continue to look forward and use our creativity to design our own events that showcase a new story for Liverpool, while paying tribute to our heritage.

“As a city we need to continue to realise the international brand asset we have such as The Beatles, building on the private sector foundation and developing a wider visitor experience.”

Max Steinberg, chief executive of Liverpool Vision and chair of the Liverpool International Waterfront Forum Steering Group, said: “The waterfront is a vital asset for Liverpool, as evidenced by events such as Cunard’s Three Queens and investment projects like Liverpool Waters. However, we must not and will not rest on our laurels.
 
“This is an international forum, in name and in nature. We need to take the best learning from our fellow waterfront cities attending this event – cities like Shanghai, New York and Buenos Aires – and apply it here as appropriate. This will help to continue to propel this magnificent waterfront forward, and ensure it remains globally relevant.”

Sue Grindrod, chair of Liverpool Waterfront Business Partnership, added: “Liverpool Waterfront Business Partnership created this event last year as we believe passionately in the global proposition that Liverpool Waterfront provides in driving the destination internationally and as a true USP for the city.”