This month, eighty of Sydney’s top culture and hospitality industry leaders came together to formulate new ways to help the city’s culture and hospitality businesses recover from the pandemic.

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) in collaboration with Sydney Fringe Festival, held a “Night Time Industry Association Recover Brunch” in The Famous Spiegel Tent in First Fleet Park at The Rocks.

The organisers, along with top industry players held candid discussions about what the future holds. The event also resulted in new and creative ways to help Sydney’s cultural and hospitality sectors recover post COVID-19.

There’s a new standard for normal, now. The industry has been through a lot in the last few years, including problems with business models and inequality. The industry structure needs to change before change can truly occur.

Benefits to the Sector

The leaders started discussions, taking this once in a lifetime chance to implement positive and long-term changes. The topics up for discussion have the ability to benefit the sector and other people within its ecosystem. People in New South Wales have seen a lot of help come from the state government after the COVID-19 crisis. How can we now use that to build a stronger, more inclusive, and better arts and cultural sector in NSW?

The answer comes in the form of some big, bold ideas to challenge the status quo. An action plan is coming out in April. Justine Baker, former CEO of Solotel led the discussion. She is now the chair of the Night Time Industry Association. Bakers explains that,

“Solving complex problems takes true collaboration and inclusion. The NTIA gathered stakeholders from the arts, music, hospitality, policy, accommodation, festivals, tourism, associations, beverage, government and property to workshop the key issues surrounding recovery of our nightlife.”

Risk-Conscious Thinking

Baker goes on to explain that the output boils down to a concise action plan which the NTIA will lead in collaboration with our members.

“The output will be distilled into a concise action plan that the NTIA will lead in collaboration with our members and other key players. It’s time to shake our risk-conscious thinking that was critical to our survival over the last two years, re-engage our audiences and teams and work together to build a safe, vibrant, exciting and sustainable future.

“It is said that the future is not an extension of the past. This couldn’t be truer of Sydney’s nightlife after lockouts and the pandemic. The NTIA brought key stakeholders together to lead positive conversations in order to develop real world solutions that shape our night-time.”

People who work at the Sydney Fringe Festival say that the pandemic has already led to some positive changes. There is still a lot to be done, however. Mid-April is when the strategic action plan will be made available to people those who seek it.

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