The people who make our night time economy, hospitality and drinks sectors thrive are also the people who often face some of the toughest challenges behind the scenes. That’s why we’re proud to be supporting Walk It Together 2026 alongside Ask For Clive and The Drinks Trust. This September, hospitality professionals, operators, suppliers, venues and supporters will come together to walk 14 miles of purpose, raising vital funds for The Drinks Trust and the incredible work they do supporting people across our sector. 📍 Manchester – 25th September 2026 Whether you work in hospitality, nightlife, events, drinks, entertainment or simply want to support an industry that brings people together every day, we’d love you to join us. Our sectors are built on community, connection and looking after one another. This is an opportunity to do exactly that. 💛 Walk with colleagues 💛 Raise funds for an important cause 💛 Show your support for the people behind our industry 💛 Be part of something bigger Spaces are limited, so don’t leave it too long. 🔗 buff.ly/PLQnbfO #WalkItTogether #DrinksTrust #NTIA #AskForClive #Hospitality #NightTimeEconomy #Nightlife #Community #Wellbeing #Fundraising #TogetherWeCan

The SIA has launched a public consultation on proposed changes to licence-linked qualifications and wants to hear from you. The proposals cover updated training content, how learners’ English communication skills are assessed, and a proposed security-specific first aid qualification. Your views can help ensure licensed security operatives have the skills they need to keep the public safe. Please take part and share the consultation with your colleagues and networks. The consultation closes on Friday 23 October. Have your say: buff.ly/TcUx49i #PrivateSecurity #SIA #Consultation

Looking forward to joining the Australian British Infrastructure Catalyst 2026 to discuss The Northern Growth Strategy and the vital role the night-time economy can play in driving growth, investment and thriving communities across the North. #ABIC #NightTimeEconomy

The Golden Quarter is make-or-break for nightlife trading. Are you ready to maximise it? The final quarter of the year carries huge trading weight for night-time economy businesses, with Halloween, Christmas and New Year’s Eve presenting major opportunities, but competition for consumer spend is tougher than ever. Join us for the next NTIA NTE Round-Up: The Golden Quarter Playbook – Maximising Revenue for NTE Businesses. 📅 Monday 12 October ⏰ 4pm BST 💻 Online | FREE to attend We’ll be bringing together sector experts to explore: *What’s actually driving revenue this Golden Quarter? *How venues are rethinking Halloween, Christmas & NYE offers *Pricing, packaging and event strategies that are delivering results *Operational and policy pressures that could impact Q4 trading This is about sharing practical ideas and insight to help businesses make the most of the most important trading period of the year. Bring your questions, we’ll be putting the best of them to the panel live. Can’t join us live? Register anyway and we’ll send you the recording. Secure your FREE place via the link below. #NightTimeEconomy #NTIA #Hospitality #Nightlife

🇨🇳 Shanghai is taking a particularly strategic approach to developing its night-time economy. Rather than viewing nightlife simply as bars and clubs, Shanghai treats the night as an economic ecosystem spanning entertainment, dining, retail, culture, tourism, sport and public space. Data sits at the heart of the approach. Shanghai tracks night-time trips, spending, transport coverage, venues and other indicators. In 2024, the city averaged 4.03 million night-time trips per day, while night spending during the June–September period reached RMB 185.2bn, accounting for 26.7% of consumption. By the first half of 2026, Shanghai recorded RMB 119.4bn in night-time cultural and tourism consumption. Development is also deliberately managed. Shanghai introduced “Night District Chiefs” to coordinate government departments and nightlife stakeholders, while designated districts concentrate activity and allow infrastructure, transport, outdoor trading and regulation to be managed more effectively. For larger nightlife and entertainment venues, the approach combines encouraging investment and simplifying approvals with structured management of safety, operating hours, public space, food safety, noise and neighbourhood impacts. Shanghai shows how nightlife can become measurable urban infrastructure — planned, monitored and actively used to drive consumption. #NightTimeEconomy #Shanghai #China #Nightlife #UrbanDevelopment

What's actually driving revenue this Golden Quarter and what isn't working anymore? How do you get Halloween and Christmas offers right? What pricing and events strategies are paying off right now? These are exactly the questions we're putting to the sector on Monday 12 October, 4pm, at our next NTE Round-Up: The Golden Quarter Playbook : Maximising Revenue for NTE Businesses. Free, online, open to everyone working in or alongside the night-time economy. Register now.

Westminster is supposedly in recess, but you wouldn’t know it from the amount of political positioning going on. The latest polling is already generating another round of snap election speculation, tactical voting calculations and debate about whether the Conservatives and Reform could ever find common ground. None of these individual polls should be treated as gospel, but that almost misses the point. Polls matter because politicians believe they matter. They change the mood, influence strategy and suddenly make previously unlikely conversations feel perfectly reasonable. Labour conference therefore arrives at an interesting moment. There’s already talk of former Cabinet ministers organising around a “second term” agenda, while rising government borrowing costs provide a rather less comfortable backdrop to any discussion about future spending, taxation or growth. Elsewhere, the court backlog and small boat crossings are reminders that delivery remains just as important as political positioning. Governments can control the message for a while, but stubborn operational problems have a habit of eventually becoming political ones. And perhaps my favourite detail of the day: analysis suggesting AI is now writing a meaningful chunk of what gets said in Parliament. Given how much political language already sounds like it was assembled by committee, perhaps the machines have simply found their natural habitat. For public affairs teams, there’s plenty to watch. The interesting question over the next few weeks won’t just be what politicians say, but which issues start changing what they do.

There's a new way to build AI and automation capability in-house — and it's built for people already doing the job. The AI & Automation Practitioner apprenticeship (Level 4) helps operations, digital, IT and data professionals identify where AI and automation can genuinely improve the way a business runs—then design, build and test the solutions themselves, using no-code and low-code tools. Delivered online over 12–15 months through live virtual workshops, monthly 1:1 tutor meetings and self-study, it's a practical route to less manual work, better data-driven decisions, and a team that can manage automation without depending on external contractors. Night-time economy operators run lean. This apprenticeship makes that lean team sharper. Want to know if this is right for your team? Contact Deborah Hewitt - Deborah.hewitt@ntia.co.uk / 07496 233453 #NightTimeEconomy #NTIA #Apprenticeship #AIatWork #Automation #SkillsForBusiness

Labourt Party Conference Panel Session Last Orders? Transport, Safety and the Night-time Economy How do we make sure people can get home safely and reliably after a night out, and what role should transport policy play in supporting a thriving night-time economy? Join Bolt at #Lab26 in Liverpool for a panel discussion bringing together voices from transport, local government and the night-time economy. 🎙️ Speakers: Michael Kill, Ruth Cadbury MP, Kimberly Hurd, Ben Plowden and Cllr Nick Small. 📅 Tuesday 29 September 🕔 Panel from 5pm, followed by drinks until 8pm 📍 Black Lodge Brewing, 3 Kings Dock St, Liverpool, L1 8JU We’ll be discussing the relationship between transport, safety and the night-time economy, and what can be done to ensure our cities remain accessible, vibrant and safe after dark. If you’re at #Lab26, we’d love to see you there.

🌍 What can we learn from nightlife initiatives around the world? Cities are taking very different approaches to supporting safer, stronger and more sustainable nightlife. Here are four ideas worth exploring 👇 🇺🇸 New York - MEND NYC What if disputes didn’t immediately become enforcement issues? MEND provides free mediation between venues and residents to help resolve noise and quality-of-life concerns collaboratively. 🇫🇷 Paris - Fêtez Clairs A long-running initiative bringing venues, public health organisations and the city together around harm reduction, staff training and safer nights out. 🇨🇦 Montréal - Nightlife Policy What if greater flexibility came with higher standards? Montréal is exploring extended operating hours alongside responsible nightlife requirements and investment in noise mitigation. 🇺🇸 New York - NITE School Free education for nightlife businesses and workers covering areas including harm reduction, workers’ rights, accessibility, sustainability and safer spaces. 💡 Four approaches that raise some interesting questions: 🤝 Could mediation prevent unnecessary conflict and enforcement? 🛡️ Could safety and harm reduction become embedded across nightlife? 🌙 Could responsible operators earn greater flexibility? 🎓 Should we invest more in professional development for nightlife workers? These models don’t need to be copied, but they’re worth looking at, learning from and discussing. What other nightlife initiatives from around the world should be on our radar? #NightTimeEconomy #Nightlife #NightCulture #SaferNightlife #Hospitality

Tomorrow will be a day of conversations, connections and representing the night time economy across media, industry and government. I’ll be starting early with GB News, discussing drinking in sight of the pitch following Andy Burnham’s position that the current ban is wrong, and the wider debate around alcohol, football, fan experience and responsible consumption. From there, I’ll be catching up with Silvia Montello, followed by a BioBuds update. Later in the morning, I’ll be joining the briefing for the Labour Party Conference event, Last Orders? Transport, Safety and the Night Time Economy, looking at the vital relationship between late night transport, thriving venues, local economies and getting people home safely. I’ll then be catching up with Tony Bleetman before heading into an afternoon that includes a visit to Teatro Hall in Ealing and conversations around the venue and the local night time economy. There’ll also be a DCMS pre budget meeting, another important opportunity to ensure the realities facing our sector are understood, alongside an introductory call with Satia Rai and colleagues at IPSA. Then it’s over to the Truman Brewery to celebrate 25 years of Skiddle. A fantastic milestone and a great way to round off a day centred on connecting people, sharing perspectives and continuing to move our sector forward.

There are some encouraging signs for the UK economy, but the wider picture remains challenging. The OECD has upgraded its forecast for UK economic growth in 2026 to 1.1 per cent. That is 0.2 percentage points higher than its June forecast and 0.4 percentage points above its March projection. Inflation is also now expected to reach 3.1 per cent in 2026, lower than the 3.7 per cent previously forecast. Those figures suggest the UK economy has shown resilience despite considerable international uncertainty, including conflict in the Middle East and Europe and continued disruption to global energy markets. However, there are important reasons for caution. The OECD has warned that the global economic outlook remains heavily dependent on international stability, while its UK growth forecast for 2027 has been revised slightly downwards. There are also difficult fiscal choices ahead. The OECD has called on governments to control spending, reduce the burden of debt interest and create greater financial capacity to respond to future economic shocks. In the UK, those challenges will form part of the backdrop to forthcoming decisions on taxation, public spending and measures to address the cost of living. Perhaps the most important point is that economic forecasts are never certainties. As the Institute for Fiscal Studies has highlighted, individual forecasts depend on assumptions and judgement. The latest figures provide useful grounds for cautious optimism, but the longer term picture will depend on how domestic policy, global events and fiscal pressures develop from here.

Looking forward to speaking at the National Training Conference 2026 in Stratford-upon-Avon this November, bringing the night-time economy into the conversation and sharing insights with industry colleagues from across the country. Hold the date 18–20 November - Crowne Plaza Stratford-upon-Avon - #NTC2026 #NightTimeEconomy #NTIA

The night time economy doesn’t need gatekeepers. It needs open doors. As recognition of the sector grows, so does influence. But nobody owns the night time economy, and nobody should have to control who gets access to the conversations, relationships, knowledge and opportunities shaping it. There is incredible expertise across our industry, from operators and creatives to academics, associations and people working in licensing, transport, safety and economic development. That expertise matters. But it should open doors, not close them. The challenges facing nightlife are shared across cities and countries. Transport, safety, regulation, sustainability, culture, workforce and the future of our venues are conversations happening everywhere. We have far more to gain by sharing what works, making introductions and learning from each other than by building more walls. The night time economy is stronger when the industry comes first, when knowledge is shared and when someone else’s progress creates opportunities for more people. Read the full Nightlife Article here: buff.ly/oWcY99E #NTE #NTIA #NLA149 #Nightlife

THE WORLD IS RETHINKING WHAT NIGHT IS FOR 🌍🌙 Something interesting is happening after dark. Across the world, cities are looking beyond the traditional idea that the night time economy simply means bars, clubs and restaurants. The conversation is shifting towards the 24 hour city. • 🇰🇷 SEOUL is developing a five year 24 hour economy vision, extending access to sport and culture, creating new night destinations, improving late night transport and using technology to support safety. • 🇨🇦 MONTRÉAL has introduced a nighttime policy with 28 actions and $5.5 million of investment, including opportunities for extended opening alongside measures addressing noise and neighbourhood coexistence. • 🇦🇺 SYDNEY AND NEW SOUTH WALES are connecting the 24 hour economy with precinct development, culture, live performance, safety, transport and regulatory reform. • 🌍 AROUND THE WORLD, cities are appointing night mayors, commissioners and dedicated teams, recognising that the hours after dark need their own leadership, investment and strategy. The opportunity is much bigger than nightlife. It is about culture, sport, wellness, food, tourism, transport, public space, entertainment and jobs. So perhaps the question is changing. Not “How do we improve nightlife?” But “How do we create cities that work brilliantly for all 24 hours?” The night is no longer an afterthought. It is becoming an economic strategy. #NightTimeEconomy #24HourCity #GlobalCities

Yesterday was a brilliant day in Dublin, catching up with everyone, having some really positive conversations and then getting the chance to enjoy a bit of the city and experience Dublin’s nightlife. There’s always something special about the energy of Dublin, and it was great to spend some proper time with people outside of the usual meeting environment. Back to it today with a busy day ahead, including a catch up between NTIA and Allara Global, followed later by a discussion around IPSA. A couple of full days, plenty of conversations and connections, and a good reminder that some of the most valuable parts of what we do come from simply getting people together, sharing ideas and building relationships. Thanks to everyone who made the time in Dublin yesterday. Really enjoyed it.

🇬🇧🇺🇸 MORE UP! THE TWO SWEETEST WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. Andy Burnham can leave New York with some warm words ringing in his ears after his first meeting with Donald Trump, who declared that transatlantic relations are now “more up” than they were under Keir Starmer. But beneath the compliments, the Chagos Islands are firmly back on the Westminster agenda. Trump once again branded the planned deal “terrible” and “ridiculous,” while Burnham signalled that his government would keep working to find a resolution between the different sides. AI also loomed large over Burnham’s UN visit. While it didn’t feature prominently in his meeting with Trump, the PM later used his UN General Assembly speech to call for global principles and standards around safe AI development and announced plans for a new National Centre for Information Defence to tackle cyber attacks and state-backed disinformation. So Burnham’s first encounter with Trump produced plenty of warmth, but also some difficult questions waiting for him back in Westminster. UK-US relations may be “more up”, but Chagos, AI and the realities of dealing with the Trump administration ensure there’s plenty still to navigate. #UKPolitics #USPolitics #UNGA #AndyBurnham #DonaldTrump

25th September. Atlas Bar, Manchester ... A panel, a conversation, and a coalition that refuses to be quiet. We talk about what it means to make every space safe and genuinely welcoming. On 25th September, we're proving it. The evening takes place at the end of Walk It Together, The Drinks Trust's walking marathon for solidarity across the drinks industry. You don't need to have walked. You just need to show up. @Clive Duffey , Founder of Ask For Clive, and @Silvana Kill of the NTIA are on the panel. Register for tickets here: buff.ly/dUrWvfo #OutForPride #AskForClive #Manchester #NightTimeEconomy

Looking forward to joining the Australian British Infrastructure Catalyst 2026 to discuss The Northern Growth Strategy and the vital role the night-time economy can play in driving growth, investment and thriving communities across the North. #ABIC #NightTimeEconomy

The Golden Quarter is make-or-break for nightlife trading. Are you ready to maximise it? The final quarter of the year carries huge trading weight for night-time economy businesses, with Halloween, Christmas and New Year’s Eve presenting major opportunities, but competition for consumer spend is tougher than ever. Join us for the next NTIA NTE Round-Up: The Golden Quarter Playbook – Maximising Revenue for NTE Businesses. 📅 Monday 12 October ⏰ 4pm BST 💻 Online | FREE to attend We’ll be bringing together sector experts to explore: *What’s actually driving revenue this Golden Quarter? *How venues are rethinking Halloween, Christmas & NYE offers *Pricing, packaging and event strategies that are delivering results *Operational and policy pressures that could impact Q4 trading This is about sharing practical ideas and insight to help businesses make the most of the most important trading period of the year. Bring your questions, we’ll be putting the best of them to the panel live. Can’t join us live? Register anyway and we’ll send you the recording. Secure your FREE place via the link below. #NightTimeEconomy #NTIA #Hospitality #Nightlife

A busy day in UK politics, with PM Andy Burnham in New York for the UN General Assembly and meetings with Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ursula von der Leyen. Ukraine, the Middle East and UK-US relations are expected to feature prominently, while Burnham is also putting AI governance high on the international agenda and pushing for greater global cooperation. Back home, AI is also dominating the Lib Dem conference, where Ed Davey is calling for tougher scrutiny of AI companies and a new International AI Safety Agency. Meanwhile, the Home Office is investigating an undetected small-boat landing in Kent, and Martha’s Rule is being expanded to every A&E department in England. International security, AI and public services are firmly at the centre of today’s political agenda.