London's first night czar to advise city businesses at Cork event

City's nighttime economy up for discussion as part of enterprise week events

Lorraine Walsh Cork Art Supplies, Laura Jane Redmond Wave & Cave, Manish Tanna LEO Cork City and Ita Madden LEO Cork City Local Enterprise Office preapring  for Local Enterprise Week, which runs from Monday, March 3  to Friday, March 7. One workshop will use Lego bricks to encourage creative thinking. Picture: Clare Keogh

The city of Cork is hoping to replicate the success London’s investment into the nighttime economy, which boosted local spend by up to 70% on evenings.

On Tuesday, Amy Lamé, London’s first night czar and the founding director of advisory company 24hr Cities will be in Cork to discuss her experiences after dark in London, and how the experiences that can be replicated for Leeside.

Ms Lamé will be joined by restauranteur and author, JP McMahon, and Cork’s own nighttime economy advisor Fiona Collins for ‘Enterprise After Dark’, a discussion examining the needs of businesses that work into the night that takes place at the Clayton Hotel on Lapp’s Quay on Tuesday, March 4th.

Talking to nighttime advisors in New York, Syndey, or Bristol, we all had to confront similar challenges, particularly post-covid, where people got used to places being quieter,” said Ms Lame. "We needed an economic boost to our cities and town centres.”

As the mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s night czar, Ms Lamé was responsible for running night-time enterprise zones in three different areas in London, each in areas with similar poplulations to the city of Cork.

Through community engagement, and improving associated infrastructure and inclusivity, there was a resultant economic benefit for the local businesses. “In one of the areas, Bromley in south London the local spend between 6pm and 9pm went up by 70% on nights when we had nighttime activities going on,” said Ms Lame.

Other initiatives included a night safety charter to make the public realm safer for women and girls, which Ms Lamé said was crucial to getting a generational mix into the nighttime economy.

Cork City is one of nine cities and towns which are part of an action plan by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for the nighttime economy, with Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Drogheda, Longford, Sligo, Limerick, and Buncrana all part of the initiative.

Fiona Collins, Cork’s nighttime economy advisor, said the city is examining the London experience of increased business footfall. Ms Collins is also working on a local enterprise 'tool kit',  “a resource for businesses who want to operate at night", she said. Cork will also examine how London businesses were encouraged to 'nudge' their opening hours longer if there was an associated benefit.

On St Patrick’s weekend a special night market will take place from 5pm to 10pm on Cornmarket Street on Friday March 14th.

The 'Enterprise After Dark' discussion is one of seven events organised by Cork City's Local Enterprise Office for this year’s Local Enterprise Week. The programme of in-person and online events runs from Monday, March 3rd to Friday, March 7th. All events are free to attend but people need to book online in advance.

Other events include a speed mentoring event at Millennium Hall, Cork City Hall on Friday, March 7th where attendees will get 15 minutes with three mentors and an opportunity to talk about any challenges in growing their business.

Another highlight of the week is a workshop where attendees will use Legobricks to encourage creative thinking, problem-solving and collaboration. 'Building your Entrepreneurial Mindset with Lego Serious Play' will be facilitated by Dr Briony Supple, a lecturer in design thinking at UCC's school of education. It takes place on Wednesday, March 5, at One Horgan’s Quay.

“Businesses are facing significant challenges from all quarters. So, we endeavour to give tips and ideas on how to drive down costs and how to increase revenues," said Dr Niall O’Keeffe, Cork City LEO head of enterprise.

A business advice clinic is online via zoom on Monday, March 3  and runs from 9am to 4pm.

'Working Smarter, Not Harder' is taking place on Tuesday, March 4  at the Talbot Hotel in Ballincollig where attendees can hear the real life stories of businesses who have increased efficiency and boosted productivity by cutting waste.

Two local businesses - Izz Café and Wave and Cave Clothing - will share their story of starting and growing their business while availing of the supports available at an event called Stepping Stones to Self-Employment and Beyond, which takes place at Republic of Work on South Mall on Thursday, March 6.

An event called Health on the Go will be online on Thursday, March 6 with Dr Fiona Barry discussing why so many of us feel ‘tired but wired’. 

See www.localenterprise.ie/cork city