In Tuesday’s (5/4) The Stage (U.K.), Alistair Smith reports, “Birmingham’s cultural venues generate more than £270 million for the city every year, according to new research. According to Birmingham’s Cultural Capital, organisations such as Birmingham Rep, Birmingham Hippodrome and the MAC arts centre help generate an additional visitor spend—on items such as food, drink and travel—in excess of £40 million annually on top of the amount raised by the venues themselves. The report was commissioned by Birmingham Arts Partnership, which represents all the major arts organisations in the city centre. Research was undertaken by Morris Hargreaves McIntyre. … According to the document, for every £1 of funding by Birmingham City Council, city centre venues and companies provide a return on investment of £29. When Arts Council England support is also included, the ratio is still one to 11. The report also said that two million people in the West Midlands have been to a cultural event in Birmingham, including 1.3 million in the last year.”
Posted May 5, 2010
