Five things we learned from the Global Cities After Dark nightlife conference in Sydney

TMN attended this week’s Global Cities After Dark conference, a one-day forum which approaches nighttime culture from a global perspective.

The event was curated and presented via the partnership of Mirik Milan, Global Night Mayor Advocate and Co-Founder of VibeLab and Electronic Music Conference.

Global Cities After Dark exchanges knowledge between international cities, highlights best practices and focusses on the future solutions for positive and thriving nightlife globally.

1. DAYS OF THE FUTURE PAST

We need to stop brooding about the lockouts and how it changed the character of Kings Cross.

We have to spend our energy in looking at the future and finding new strategies and a mindset on how to make Sydney (more) exciting.

2. SEIZE THE REALITY

Reclaim the beauty of the street and move away from the negativity and cynicism conveyed by the media and naysayers.

Local promoters said that such cynicism more than undermined the great vision we could have for Sydney.

It could also sabotage the whole process that it stopped any change.

In other words, we may not be able to control our culture, we can certainly see the reality – and try to influence and shape it.

3. POWER TO THE PEOPLE

The conference’s “collaboration” theme was echoed in Global Cities After Dark co-host and global night mayor advocate Mirik Milan’s opening address, “talent follows talent’

In other words, draw upon as wide and as diverse of the sub-tribes in moving forward, and you create that exhilarating sense of community.

It is quite obvious people want the change and be involved in that change.

More than 10,000 people gave their feedback to the city of Sydney’s nightlife and creative sector advisory panel, and 437 individuals and associations took the time to make submissions to the parliamentary inquiry into the NSW music and arts economy.

The diverse range of people who took the time to spend an entire day at the Global Cities After Dark conference was that people are eager to be part of the vision and be part of the transformation.

4. “WE WILL LIGHT OUR WAY WITH OUR LANTERNS ON”

“We’re at a total tipping point right now,” revealed City of Sydney’s councillor Jess Scully.

She added that affordability is one of the great issues for global cities, because creatives get pushed out.

Hence there was an essential need for places where creative things happened and exploded, and which drew all kinds of talented people – from music, films, literature, design – to these houses of the holy.

Or to repeat Mirik Milan’s mantra: “talent follows talent.”

5. A DAY IN BLACK AND WHITE

More than one panellist made this point: we can bring nighttime people and residents together by creating the same value for the same building.

In other words, work together to value the same cultural institution for the neighbourhood.

Another way suggested was that one building could have ma ulti-purpose use.

A nnighttimevenue that is used by the community in the day time for its own activities  not only increases its value but will lead to a wider audience in the hood wanting to protect it.