Liverpool Leads International Cities Charge

It may seem a far cry from Eurovision, but our city is set to host another global event – this time on everything from patterns of drug use to the safety of bar and door staff.

The 12^th International Conference on Nightlife, Substance Use and Related Health Issues will ensure that delegates from the Liverpool City Region will learn about new research, policy initiatives and practical experience that can make nightlife safer.

The event is something of a homecoming since it was first held at the iconic Cream nightclub in 1997. Subsequently, it has been hosted throughout Europe plus Australia and North America.

Key topics on the agenda, include:

• Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs
• Design and management of nightlife environments
• Drug legislation and drug law reform
• Diversity and inclusion
• Emerging trends in club culture
• Emergency medicine
• Gambling
• Policing
• Sexual harassment and violence
• Violence
• Workforce health and wellbeing

The event will be held at The Spine Building, Paddington Square, and is being organised by Liverpool John Moores University, Night Time Economy Solutions and the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership (MVRP) – for whom this is another exploration into preventing the causes of serious violence.

“Over the last year we have teamed-up with medics to see what more we can do to intervene in the lives of young people subjected to serious violence and have examined the link between issues with gambling and domestic violence and criminal behaviour” said Superintendent Georgie Garvey, Temporary Head of the MVRP . “We have been celebrated at a national level for being innovative but there is always more to learn.

I expect the conference to be a vital one for councils, police, businesses, and medical services from around the world and like us, I hope the public is listening. Only by working together, can we make our cities safer.”

The event is supported by research conducted through surveys by the MVRP one of which showed that 60% of revellers had been subject to a sexual assault in the city centre and a quarter of young people from Liverpool felt generally unsafe.

“Much of Liverpool’s economy depends on tourism, nightlife and large cultural events.  We must do all we can to mitigate risk and inspire confidence” concluded Supt Garvey “That is why we have been working on initiatives such as Operation Empower – where officers are tasked with identifying potential perpetrators who are displaying signs of predatory behaviour.

Whilst proud of the progress made, we are keenly aware of what high-profile cases of serious violence can do to our communities and our reputation. That is why we will be looking forward to hearing what others have done in their cities, as we may be able to adapt their work to make Liverpool even safer.”

According to the Liverpool Business Improvement District Company, 125,889 people work in the city’s night time economy. This is up from 123,531 in 2021 and 119,750 in 2019. It represents 24% of the population and 48% of employment in Liverpool. Business leaders in the city have also championed the response of clubs, pubs, museums, and galleries for their contribution to bringing footfall levels back to those achieved pre-Covid.

Purchase your early bird ticket for the November “International Conference on Nightlife, Substance Use and Related Health Issues”, by visiting:  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/club-health-liverpool-2023-tickets-539337762767 

More information about the conference is available at: http://www.theclubhealthconference.com