CLIENT: ipswich Borough Council

PROJECT: TOWn Centre and Night Time Economy Conference

Ipswich at night 1.jpg

What were MAKE asked to do?

Ipswich asked the MAKE team to work with those stakeholders in town’s night-time economy to prepare it for the Purple Flag accreditation process. This purpose of this one-day event was to work through issues of licensing, policing, planning and regulation and to identify any local weaknesses as well identifying any overlooked strengths that could be used in the town’s Purple Flag application.

How did MAKE do it?

  • We advised on the best format for the event in terms of length, type and number of sessions and how these would deliver the council’s outcomes.

  • We developed an agenda for the day and, working with our colleagues at economists TBR, we created a keynote presentation to kick off the event. This drew on our NightMix Index (for measuring the value of a local night time economy) and gave unqiue insight into how the town’s after dark economy had changed over time. This was combined with a SWOT analysis of its current state.

  • Four moderators ran the day, working attendees hard to address the big issues, and in particular identifying what was missing from the town’s offer after dark. We believe this challenging approach is more productive than letting people just sit back and take in information.

  • The outcomes of the sessions were captured by the team and used by a range of partners, both in the Purple Flag application and to formulate a vision to guide the development of the town over time.

What happened next?

The council and its partners applied for Purple Flag and, while there is still room to enhance and diversify the town’s evening and night- time economy, they were awarded Purple Flag in 2012. This success has provided the foundation for the next stage in the town’s development after dark.

What unique value did MAKE bring to this project?

Because of our role in co-developing Purple Flag and assessing locations, we were able to provide unique insight into what was working well but also what part of a more diverse evening and night-time offer was still missing.