Donna Howitt and Chris Jukes are place strategy director and director respectively at Liverpool ONE, which is set for this weekend’s Eurovision Song Contest.
Liverpool ONE has been busy building up to Eurovision, how have you been marking the occasion?
Donna Howitt: Our pop-up store opened on 1 May, a bank holiday, and I was surprised by the immediacy of the queue outside – and the tills were ringing. People were buying the T-shirts, hats, mugs… There’s even a replica trophy – I saw a couple of those being sold. If you walk around the city, you’ll see the slogan “United by Music”, which is everywhere – but the T-shirt I particularly like has “You’ll never sing alone” on it. And I’ve just seen the actual Azerbaijan entry performing outside Beauty Bazaar, which was fantastic.
We are proud that we are delivering Eurovision in the city on behalf of Ukraine, so we have been delivering our Eurovision-themed place-shaping initiatives around the 42 acres of Liverpool ONE very much with a Ukrainian influence. That has included everything from vibrant street dressing and hanging baskets in the blue-and-yellow of Ukraine, to lots of selfie spots and interactive mirrors. We have been working with local cultural organisations, Liverpool-based artists and artists who originate from Ukraine, some of whom are now calling Liverpool their home.
So we have a number of arts displays, which is something we have done for well over a decade, but Eurovision gives us a platform to showcase it on an international scale. And, usually, we don’t bring our famous pianos out until the summer months, but they’ve been out for the two weeks of Eurovision and, boy, we have seen some fantastic performances, filling the streets with music.
How much of an influx of visitors have you been expecting?
DH: In the build-up to Eurovision itself, we have seen some impressive footfall numbers. The visitor economy in Liverpool was worth £4.9bn in 2019, pre-pandemic – so tourism is a major element of the city already. This builds on that. An additional 100,000 visitors were expected to travel in for Eurovision, and you can tell as you walk around that there is a different type of tourist in the city. We anticipated around a 25% increase in our footfall, which is great over the period of Eurovision itself, but obviously the important thing is what it does to the city in the long term.
What do you think the legacy of Eurovision will be for Liverpool?
Chris Jukes: We have seen from other cities the impact in terms of increased visitor numbers. Turin, for example, saw 5% growth in tourism numbers. Now the eyes of the world are on Liverpool, and the city is anticipating an increase in tourism revenue of £250m. That demonstrates the importance of the visitor economy. But one of the big impacts is the public and private partnerships that are taking place. Eurovision has really given a new emphasis to that powerful relationship. That’s a big legacy that won’t just fall away. People are collaborating in a much better and more effective way. The Liverpool Combined Authority is very much looking outwards for inward investments. With all those eyes on Liverpool seeing what a great city it is, that will certainly help the city push for further regeneration.
DH: The Eurovision Song Contest is a game-changer in terms of accessing new audiences. Liverpool is a fantastic city to showcase – a city that likes to get dressed up and go out. I think for it to be able to demonstrate what it is about in the creative ways that Eurovision allows is fundamental to driving that growth.
Post-Eurovision, how is Liverpool ONE looking to build on that momentum?
CJ: We often refer to Liverpool ONE as the heart of the UK’s most sociable city. Because it is not an enclosed shopping centre, it has always been a place where we want people to come and essentially enjoy. That might be shopping, but it’s also leisure activities, eating and drinking, spending time with people, just being in a nice place. The biggest landmark coming down the track is in the old Debenhams building, where we have Gravity coming in with its first multi-platform entertainment offering outside of London. It has taken 100,000 sq ft over two floors and is investing £10m – there’s going to be e-karting, bowling, darts and a large terrace on the roof for drinks and food. What’s great is that it’s an all-day offering. So we expect families to come and enjoy it during the day, and in the evenings it will have a different dynamic.
The big question: did you manage to get tickets for the final? If not, where will you be watching?
CJ: I tried but they were snapped up in minutes. It’s the climax of a very sociable week for me – following a street party for the King’s coronation on Sunday, a big neighbourhood gathering at my house for Eurovision on Saturday night.
DH: I haven’t got tickets for the final, but I will be at one of the semi-finals, which I’m excited about. There are plenty of places that are screening it throughout Liverpool ONE, and I’ll definitely be getting together with people to watch.
We can only end this interview one way – what are your all-time personal favourite Eurovision songs… and which would you give nul points?
DH: My nostalgic favourite is Abba’s Waterloo. I can’t pick a worst because that’s the thing about Eurovision: the worse they are, the better it gets.
CJ: Bucks Fizz, Making Your Mind Up reminds me of childhood and my mother dancing around the kitchen. Michael Ball’s One Step Out of Time was an abysmal song that somehow got a second place. I’m sure he won’t mind me saying that, because he’s obviously had a stellar career.
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