Agenda item

Bartholomew Fair

The Committee viewed a short presentation on the recently-completed event.

A discussion ensued, and the following points were made:

-        The report expected to be submitted to the November 2023 meeting should include comprehensive information on budgets, spend, the procurement process, visitor numbers, and key metrics (using sophisticated data collection techniques alongside visitor and business perception surveys);

-        Budget overruns were within the contingency fund, which was used to cover unexpected additional security measures and higher supplier costs;

-        Because the DC team was in place only in November 2022 and tasked with the event in January 2023, the short lead time had resulted in a less comprehensive communication campaign than would otherwise be the case. Members commented on the need for the greater involvement (for the 2024 event) of tourism partners, local groups, other London boroughs, other cultural venues and organisations, and tour operators including at entry points into the UK;

-        The meeting noted the importance of featuring internationally-recognised performers to draw crowds and drive footfall, and commented that there was merit in exploring local talent alongside that in future iterations of the event as one of the measures to avoid diluting the sense of place and locality integral to the event’s concept (noting that some institutions had felt sidelined) and balancing that against the City-wide nature of the event;

-        The DC team had worked closely with the GLA to streamline events, though some clashes are inevitable;

-        Regular meetings on the 2024 event are expected to begin before the end of 2023, involving Committee members among others;

-        There is merit in providing more accessibility information; and

-        The 2023 event had acted as a ‘proof of concept’ and the DC team are ready to take the learnings and feedback from the event ahead of the 2024 event.

Members congratulated the Destination City team on their creativity, hard work and dedication and looked forward to working with the team on the 2024 iteration of the event.

Proposal for the Bostock Community Room

At the suggestion of Alderwoman Susan Pearson and with the agreement of other senior Members, the Committee agreed to rename the Barbican Library’s new meeting room the ‘Bostock Community Room’ after the late Deputy Mark Bostock.