Culture and the Evening Economy by Saoirse Meehan

Culture and Culture and the Evening Economy in Dublin the Evening Economy A case study examining the viability of an evening economy underpinned by culture

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND ENTERPRISE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND HUMANITIES Continuous Assessment Cover Sheet

STUDENT NAME:

Saoirse Meehan

STUDENT NUMBER: N00091442 PROGRAMME:

DL242

YEAR:

MODULE:

Strategic Arts Management

ASSESSMENT:

CA 1: Independent Study

WORD COUNT:

7, 748

LECTURER:

Jenny Haughton

I have read the IADT plagiarism policy and procedures and I declare that this project is my own original work. SIGNED: _______________________________ DATE: ______________

CONTENTS Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................... 3 Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Justification ................................................................................................................................. 5 Research Aims and Objectives.................................................................................................... 6 Aim........................................................................................................................................................... 6 Objectives................................................................................................................................................. 6

Background to the Study ............................................................................................................. 8 The Night-Time Economy v The Evening Economy ............................................................................... 8 Consumption and Production ................................................................................................................. 11 Spatiotemporal issues ............................................................................................................................. 12 Culture and the Evening Economy ......................................................................................................... 12

Research Methodology.............................................................................................................. 14 Time Horizons........................................................................................................................... 14 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 14 Findings ..................................................................................................................................... 16 Participants ............................................................................................................................................. 16 Organisations.......................................................................................................................................... 19

Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 23 Profile ..................................................................................................................................................... 23 Spending................................................................................................................................................. 24 Consumption and Production ................................................................................................................. 25 Spatiotemporal issues ............................................................................................................................. 25

Recommendations ..................................................................................................................... 27 First Thursdays Dublin ........................................................................................................................... 27 Organisations.......................................................................................................................................... 27 General ................................................................................................................................................... 28

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 29 References ................................................................................................................................. 30 1

Appendix 1 – Pyramid of Purpose ......................................................................................................... 34 Appendix 2 – Audience Survey.............................................................................................................. 36 Appendix 3 – Organisations Questionnaire ............................................................................................ 37 Appendix 4 - Sample Frame for Organisations ...................................................................................... 38 Appendix 5– Research Methodology ..................................................................................................... 39 Appendix 6 – SWOT Analysis of Organisations Findings ..................................................................... 42 Appendix 7 – Highlight Results ............................................................................................................. 43 Appendix 9 – Stakeholder Analysis through PESTLE ........................................................................... 46 Appendix 8 - Profile of Organisations which took park in the Open Ended Questionnaire ............ Error! Bookmark not defined. Appendix 10 – Intinerary of First Thursdays Dublin ............................................................................. 47

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Eimear Chaomhanach, Audience Development Manager at Temple Bar Cultural Trust for sharing her wisdom, and Pace Borza, for being an enthusiastic tour guide. I would also like to thank the cultural institutions and audience members who kindly participated in the research. I would like to thank Jenny Haughton for her guidance and support during this project. Lastly, I would like to thank Oliver Melia for his recommendations and revisions on earlier versions of this paper.

This document was presented to Temple Bar Cultural Trust.

Cover Image: Olafur Eliasson's Weather Project at Tate Modern. Photo: Harry Bosch.

ABSTRACT The evening economy concept progressed as urban planners wished to find ways of combating the dead period in city centres between the end of the working day and the beginning of the night-time, when people would return to the centres for entertainment (Montgomery, 1990; Bianchini, 1995; Tiesdell & Slater, 2006). This paper addresses the viability, alongside the cultural and economic impact of the evening economy in Dublin. This paper reports the findings of two surveys, administered to the cultural organisations that operate during the evening and the audience that engage with the cultural activities during the evening, and reveals the landscape of an evening economy underpinned by culture, through four lenses; the profile of the individuals that engage in the evening economy, the economic impact of a cultural evening economy, the spatiotemporal use of the city and the facilitation of cultural production. By engaging with the cultural organisations and their audiences, new recommendations are proposed that can point the way towards a more sustainable framework for implementing a viable cultural evening economy. Keywords: evening economy, culture, spatiotemporal, cultural production, Dublin

JUSTIFICATION A case study was chosen as the means of research as it is an exploratory tool. The field of evening economies, and to a greater extent, evening economies constructed around culture, is a relatively new area of interest, since the emergence of the night-time economy during the 1990â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and the various reiterations which have led to the cultural evening economy phenomenon. This study was devised in order to address a considerable gap in the literature. Previous academic papers and case studies have focused on the impact that the evening economy has had on a city and many of these studies aim to address the negative social impacts which arise from the implementation of an evening economy. Previous research has also devised criteria as to what activities are prominent in an evening economy. While most of the research in the area has indicated that there is a link between culture and a diverse and successful evening economy, alluding to the fact that cultural activities affect the character of the evening economy, there has been no research which examines this link. The function of a city centre has changed, and in Dublin in particular this can be seen, as there is a new pattern of activity which people follow. The city centre functioned as residential space, which has now seen a shift, as people now dwell in the outer suburbs of the city and commute to the city centre for employment. This change in work patterns ultimately affects other areas of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role, such as the use of the city during the evening. A shift in the rhythms of work and leisure heralded a move from the nine-to-five industrial labour and weekend leisure to a more flexible means of using time. This study will investigate the link between culture and the evening economy, in an attempt to add to the emerging thinking of culture as a tool which has the capacity to create a sustainable and practical evening economy.

RESEARCH AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This case study will primarily focus on culture’s role in Dublin’s evening economy, however, where relevant, an analysis of the circumstances pertaining to the evening economy on an international scale will be made. Below are the aims and objectives of this research. AIM To contribute to the policy making for the long term economic, cultural and social sustainability of urban evening leisure spaces. OBJECTIVES The objectives that this research aims to achieve are as follows; 

To examine and develop a profile of those who engage with activities in Dublin’s evening economy



To consider the role which cultural activities contribute to Dublin’s evening economy



To investigate the spatiotemporal use of the city by cultural organisations



To understand the facilitation production of culture in Dublin’s evening economy

Background

7 Image: Dublin Night by Alberto (2010)

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY THE NIGHT-TIME ECONOMY V THE EVENING ECONOMY The concept of the night-time economy, and subsequently the evening economy, was born out of cultural policy changes due to the de-industrialisation of cities (Lovatt et al, 1995; Winlow & Hall, 2006; Roberts & Elridge, 2007). The role of culture in urban regeneration projects came to prominence in the 1980s from which the concept of cultural quarters, or mixed use quarters, emerged (Hobbs et al, 2003). Cultural quarters were created for the purpose of constructing renewed urban vitality. Since the early 1990s, there has been a trend of the night time economy becoming an urban policy priority (Rowe & Bavinton, 2011). It will, however, always be important to achieve a balance of activities across the day and in the evenings, to ensure that one economy does not impact the other in a negative way (Montgomery, 1990, 1994 & 1997; Tiesdell et al, 2006; Greater London Authority, 2007). This section will discuss the dissimilarities between the night-time economy and the evening economy. Furthermore, it will describe the spatiotemporal difficulties within the evening economy and question the way that we engage with culture. Lastly, it will briefly outline the initiatives in place on a European level to instigate an evening economy in cities. The term ‘night-time economy’ refers to the “expanded provision, interaction and consumption of leisure activities and experiences associated with patterns of collective night time social ability and entertainment” (Hannigan 1998 cited in Rowe & Bavinton, 2011 p812). The concept of a night time economy emerged in Britain in the 1990s and recognised the shifts that were occurring in society. Montgomery (1990) proposed the night-time economy as means of capitalising on “empty time” as people were beginning to change their rhythm’s, they were no longer restricted by natural time (i.e. the 24 hour cycle), the nine-to-five industrial hour with leisure confined to the weekend; instead a move towards a “more fluid context of task and service-orientated work, articulating with 24 hour city leisure practices” (Rowe & Bavinton, 2011, p812). The concept of the night-time economy assumes that a vibrant nightlife will contribute to economic viability and quality of life (Bianchini, 1995). Montgomery (1994), while aware that the night-time economy was a means of using ‘dead time’, also exposed the economic agenda for the night-time economy, negating Bianchini’s (1995) previous references to civic culture (Stevenson, 2003). It is the economic dimension that made the prospect of a night-time economy attractive to governments seeking to develop new urban landscapes of consumption. The night-time economy encapsulates after dark

cultural practices centred on entertainment as the main vehicle of consumption where “alcoleisure” became a prominent trait, accompanied by the well documented and much cited negative social and economic impacts of alcohol consumption (Bromley et al, 2000; Jones et al, 2003; Roberts & Eldridge, 2007; Roberts & Gornostaeva, 2007; Montgomery, 2010; Rowe & Bavinton, 2011). From the concept of a night-time economy, the evening economy emerged. Britain’s relaxed alcohol licencing laws, which were implemented to stimulate the evening economy (Jones et al, 2003; Roberts & Eldridge, 2007; Rowe & Bavinton, 2011), led to a great deal of public disorder and anti-social behaviour such as 24 hour drinking, vertical drinking, cost of cleaning and the negative impact that it had on the daytime economy (Roberts & Elridge, 2007). Montgomery (2012) acknowledges the fact that a 24 hour city was too ambitious, and has since revised the concept from which the premise of the 18 hour city transpired, in line with the writing of Jacobs (1961). Jacobs (1961) describes the ‘ballet of the streets’ and argues that there should be continuity of activity and occupation in the street over an 18 hour period during the day, evening and part of the night, which is ultimately the underpinning of the concept of the evening economy. Traditionally, the evening is a time period during which audiences engage with cultural activities, such as the theatre or cinema (Bromley et al, 2000; Jones et al, 2003). The evening economy is characterised by its entertainment and leisure activities (Montgomery, 1994; Chatterton & Hollands, 2002, Rowe et al, 2008), rather than “alco-leisure” activities (Rowe & Bavinton, 2011), which are associated with the night-time economy. It is from this assertion that Montgomery (1994) focused on developing an evening economy through cultural activities. Importantly, Evans (2012) notes that the evening is a period which the arts and cultural activities can focus, using the showcase opportunity and evening time atmosphere, to present a range of contemporary art exhibitions, performances and installations. The time of the evening economy is disputed amongst academics and policy makers with some stating that it occurs between 5pm and 8pm (Jones et al, 2003; Belfast City, 2008), 6pm and 11pm (Rowe and Bavinton, 2011), 5pm and 10pm (ACTPLA, 2011) while Sydney 2030 (2011) further classifies the evening economy as “early evening” from 6pm to 9pm and “evening” from 9pm to 11pm. Regardless of which definition is used, there is a consensus that the hours between 6pm and 8pm are part of the evening economy, irrespective of the dispute surrounding a defined start and end time of the evening.

An evening economy, underpinned by culture, was presented as a means of discouraging the much cited negative social impacts that were associated with the night-time economy (Bromley et al, 2000; Jones et al, 2003; Roberts & Eldridge, 2007; Roberts & Gornostaeva, 2007; Montgomery, 2010; Rowe & Bavinton, 2011). Importantly, the evening economy is considered to be a time which is suitable for all ages and social groups. Landry et al (1996), sees the implementation of an evening economy as an approach to make urban centres available to a ‘wide’ range of different cultural and social groups. Culture, in the context of the evening economy, was offered as a means of combating the negative social impacts of the night-time economy, while providing a solution to issues encountered by the cultural sector, such as access. The 2012 report Consultation of the Arts and Culture, carried out by Greenhat Consultancy on behalf of Dublin City Council, found that those consulted, which included a combination of individuals, community groups and cultural organisations; felt that the opening hours of cultural organisations should be extended in order to make the facilities more accessible. In the UK, Rowe and Bavinton (2011) found that much of the scheduling of entertainment, such as plays, performances and exhibition openings, are organised around the understanding that a night out in the city is underpinned by the popularity of social dining. Bromley et al’s (2000) case study of Swansea’s evening and night time economy found that 40% of respondents stated restaurants as the most popular reason for visiting the city, the second most popular answer. Similarly, the Your Dublin, Your Voice (2011) survey found that, of those surveyed (sample size 1,903), the primary reason that people go to the city centre is to dine out, which correlates the findings by Rowe and Bavinton (2011) in the UK. Furthermore of those who stated dining out as the prime reason for visiting the city centre, 74% stated that they dined out on a monthly basis. Bianchini (1995), however, states in his seminal paper Night Cultures, Night Economies that due to the ‘in-and-out quickly’ syndrome, where people go into the town centre at night but they tend to leave as soon as their chosen activity terminates without going for a meal or drink. Due to the differences in work-life balance, and the amount of time that passed between the publishing of these two papers, the economic shifts and the changes in social activity, there is an allowance for this disparity, but Bianchini’s premise must be recognised.

CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION In recent years there has been a European wide trend relating to the investigation of the levels of cultural participation by citizens. There has been a shift in the types of questions that are being asked in research, moving from the “have you attended any cultural activities in the last year?” emphasising consumption, towards “have you taken part/performed in any cultural events in the last year?” stressing the importance of production (UNESCO, 2012). There is a growing need for organisations to provide facilities for the audience to engage with culture through active participation, rather than merely passive attendance (Brook, 2011). The evening economy is seen as a vehicle that could deliver this demand while enabling audiences to engage in conversations around a production, gallery opening or workshop, etc. Bianchini (1995), highlights that people do not have the time to discuss a production after viewing as transport schedules are not conducive to this type of activity, a theory which is supported by others (Montgomery, 2004; Tiesdell & Slater 2006; Purple Flag, 2012). Bianchini (1995), however, continues to state that perhaps it is not a lack of time which deters discussion, but rather a lack of desire. Considering Brook’s (2011) research surrounding international comparisons of public engagement in culture and sport, which found that while 92% of Irish individuals surveyed had attended a cultural activity (excluding sport) in the past year, 77.2% of those surveyed had participated in cultural activity in the last year (excluding handicraft). This shows that there is a deep underlying desire for the Irish to engage with culture at a higher level, rather than merely being passive attendees. The conflicts with Bianchini’s (1995) assertion may be due to the time that each piece was written, as cultural values and attitudes of a nation can change over a period of time. Bianchi (2008) constructs an interesting point in that, while the time that it takes to create a production of a piece, such as a symphony or ballet, still remains static, the time which it takes to consume it also remains static. Society has, however, economised the way in which it spends its time, thus the time used for consumption of the arts and cultural activities has increased relative to other goods. Considering this, how are cultural institutions able to continue to maintain an audience, when the perceived time that it takes to engage on a consumption level, irrespective of the new focus on production element of cultural activities, has increased. Ultimately, cultural activities, which are quicker to consume, must require less knowledge and intellectual effort (Bianchi, 2008).

SPATIOTEMPORAL ISSUES Throughout the literature, it is evident that a great deal of attention has been afforded to the spatial concentration of activities during the evening, while a significantly less amount of consideration to the concentration or dispersal of these activities in time (Goodchild & Janelle, 1984, Bromley et al, 2000; Schwanen et al, 2012). Montgomery (1997) believes that successful cultural quarters will almost certainly have a strong evening economy, as much of the attraction of cultural quarters is that it is possible to merge the day into the night, from formal cultural activities to less formal pursuits, such as meetings friends for a meal or a drink. There is, however, much debate as to the viability of cultural quarters and their reflection of culture as many authors contend that it is merely a “superficially and spatially circumscribed, prescribed area for culture to occur” (Lovatt & O’Connor, p128). To an extent among cultural policy makers and urbanists alike, there is a dislike of these designated areas as culture cannot be forced to occur, rather it is an organic development over time. Lynch (1981) articulates that ‘activity timing’ is as important as ‘activity spacing’, as many areas are used intensively at times and then stand empty for longer periods of time. The space of activities is a factor which is consciously manipulated, in order to avoid competition for audiences within the same location. Furthermore, it is suggested that organisations should be more aware of the temporal spacing of activities, rather than concentrating solely on the spacing of activities (Tiesdell & Slater, 2006). The underlying premise is that, if there is an activity taking place in a city, with a target audience similar to ones own activity, further activities could capitalise on this captive audience by consciously planning their activity around the finishing time of the other activity. CULTURE AND THE EVENING ECONOMY Initiatives have been set up in order to stimulate an evening economy underpinned by cultural activities. The reason for this prescribed means of encouraging an evening economy originates from the fact that the embedded social and cultural practices, such as meeting in squares and piazzas in the evening, as seen in many continental European cities, such as Rome or Barcelona, are not replicated in British and Irish cities (Binns, 2005). In the UK, a café culture was attempted to be instigated, but it failed due to a number of reasons, primarily the climate. London, however, was successful in prompting an evening economy with cultural venues operating extended opening hours on one or more nights of the week. Moreover, on the first Thursday of the month, over 100 museums and galleries in the East End open until 9pm (Evans, 2012). In Dublin, following the success of Culture Night, an annual event by which cultural institutions extend their opening hours late into the evening, First Thursdays Dublin 12

(hereafter, FTD) was launched in February 2012, for which Temple Bar Cultural Trust are responsible. During FTD, cultural organisations extend their opening hours on the first Thursday of each month. Additionally, FTD provides a free tour of a range of the cultural institutions, along with accompanying talks, workshops, etc. This initiative took inspiration from similar programs in the UK, such as Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First Thursdays and in Europe, Copenhagen First Thursday.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This research was approached from a positivist epistemological viewpoint. Both quantitative and qualitative data was collected. Paper and pencil surveys (see Appendix 2), administered on Thursday 7th February, were used to collected quantitative data from the FTD audience, of which there was a sample frame of 35, with 30 particpating in the survey. Qualitative data was collected from the participating FTD organisations through open ended questionnaires (see Appendix 3). The sampling of the audience attendees was probability, random sampling from the sample frame of tour attendees. Non-probability dimensional sampling was used in attaining data from the participating FTD organisation, the sample frame of which consisted of forty-nine organisations (see Appendix 4). A full discussion as to the reasons for these decisions can be viewed in Appendix 5. TIME HORIZONS Considering the resources and time allocated, this study will take the form of a cross sectional study, rather than a longitudinal study, due to the time constraints placed on the module. A cross sectional study can give a “snapshot of a population at a particular point in time” (Cohen et al, 2011). This type of study will be appropriate as it will try to ascertain the “prevalence of a situation” (Kumar, 1999), namely the interaction between cultural activities and the evening economy. The main problem with this type of study, however, is that it cannot measure change as it only has one interaction with the population (Cohen et al, 2011). DATA ANALYSIS The survey amongst the audience of the FTD tour was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, which reports only on what was found. This type of statistical analysis was valuable to the research as it is powerful and grounded in statistical competence. Additionally, inferential t-tests were used in order to establish differences between different groupings of people; for example those that attend other cultural activities during the month or those who have attended previously and those who, on this occasion, were attending for the first time. The type of data yielded by the open ended questionnaire is word based. The data was analysed using the SWOT framework, linking the prevailing themes to the organisations internal strengths and weaknesses, and furthermore connecting the information surrounding the FTD initiative as external opportunities and threats (see Appendix 6). 14

Findings

15 Image by Dave Walsh

FINDINGS PARTICIPANTS Below are the findings of the questionnaire, administered to the audience of the FTD tour on Thursday, 7th February. Further highlight results can be seen in see Appendix 7. From the data of those who attended the FTD tour, 70% were female while 30% were male. 52% of the attendees were between the age of 26 and 35, while almost three quarters of the attendees were between the ages of 26 and 45. Table 1: Time of day that respondents participated in cultural activities Activity

Total

Dance

50%

100%

Gallery

50%

100%

Literature

50%

100%

Live Music

10%

80%

10%

100%

Museum

75%

25%

100%

Theatre

100%

Visual Art

25%

75%

100%

Other

100%

% of Total Activities

18%

67%

100%

1 = Morning; 2 = Afternoon; 3 =Evening; 4 = Night

Drawing reference from Table 1, the evening was the most popular time for engaging in cultural activities (67%), 18% attended in the afternoon while participation in cultural activities in the morning and night-time was 7% respectively. Theatre, Dance, Live Music and Other Activities were the most popular activities engaged with during the evening. Visiting a museum was the most popular institution to visit during the afternoon, while engaging in literature was popular in both the morning and evening.

Table 2: Activities engaged with in the evening

Activity

Dance

Gallery

11%

Literature

Live Music

30%

Museum

Theatre

25%

Visual Art

11%

Other

11%

Total

100%

Exploring the respondentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; engagement with other cultural activities during the month, this study found that 65% of those who attended the FTD tour also engage in other cultural activities during the month. Of those who attended FTD, and other cultural activities, the majority (93%) attended at least one cultural activity per month in the evening, a breakdown of which can be seen in Table 2. Excluding live music, 61% of those surveyed attended cultural activities in the evening. Live music was the most popular activity engaged with during the evening (30%), theatre was the second most popular (25%) and visiting a gallery, engaging in visual art and other activities, each represented 11% respectively of peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preferential activity to engage with in the evening. The male respondents only attended cultural activities in the evening. Table 3: Time returning home of those who attended FTD for the first time and those who have attended previously.

Time

First Time

Repeat

8pm

33%

9pm

10pm

60%

49%

11pm

38%

12pm

13%

Total

100%

Among the respondents as a whole, 65% planned to return home between 10pm and 11pm, increasing to 78% when the results are expanded to 12pm. The FTD tour ended at 8pm with only 22% stating that they would be returning home before 9pm. 65% of the sample were attending FTD for the first time. Of those who attended FTD previously, they stayed in the city centre later into the night than those who were attending FTD for the first time (see Table 3). There was however, a correlation between the most popular time to return home being 10pm to 11pm. Table 4: Estimated spend and time that the respondent planned to return home

Spend

Time

Total

8pm

9pm

10pm

11pm

12pm

€1-€5

€5-€10

€10-€20

€20-€35

€35-€50

€50-€70

€70-€100

€100+

Those who attended the FTD tour spent an average of €10 - €20 on their evening in Dublin City (Table 4). Of those who indicated that they planned to spend the average amount of €10€20 on their evening, 30% were using a form of transport for which they would have to pay (i.e. taxi, bus, train), while the remaining 70% were either walking or driving home. Only 17% of the respondents used a form of paid transport when attending the tour and 35% used a form of paid transport when returning from the tour, only one of which used a taxi. Those who were staying longer in the city centre, after the FTD tour, were planning to spend more money, as for example, those staying until 10pm were planning on spending between €10 and €20, while those staying until midnight were planning to spend between €70 and €100. The increase in time spent in the city and the amount of money spent did not increase concurrently. The average spend per person staying in the city after the tour was €7.50 p/h, if they remained in

the city for two hours, this however, increased to €20 p/h if they stayed in the city for four hours. Among respondents, 73% said that they would use a mobile application for the tour. From the qualitative question, the respondents indicated that the tour guide was a huge asset to the initiative, with great enthusiasm and knowledge of the areas visited. There were two comments in relation to the improvement of the FTD experience. Firstly, it was indicated that there is a need for two tour guides in order to keep the group flowing effectively. Secondly, it was recommended that a Facebook group be set up for those who have attended the tour, to discuss what they thought of the exhibitions that were visited and to share their experiences, as for example, after a previous tour to Kevin Sharkey’s exhibition, one member of the tour bought a piece and wanted to share the news with the group that had encouraged her to purchase it. ORGANISATIONS The results from the open ended questionnaire follow below; further information about each organisation is available, see Appendix 8. Currently, four out of the five organisations surveyed do not open late on a weekly basis, while Exchange Dublin is open late every evening. This can be attributed to the type of space that it is, namely a space programmed and managed entirely by a collective, with a strong 'doit-yourself' independent and alternative ethos. Tamp and Stich, a café and jewellery shop, is contemplating opening later each Thursday, as it is late night shopping in the city centre. The organisations did not feel that there was an adequate audience to justify extending their opening hour on other days of the week, or on the remaining Thursdays of the month. Of the entire sample frame (49 organisations), which can be seen in Appendix 8, 81% close before 6pm daily. The 19%, whose opening hours were later, all had a commercial interest; people paid admission, there was a café or gift shop. The organisations reported that there were one/two staff members present during busy times of the week. They also stated that during the extended opening hours of FTD, they also had two members of staff present, which when questioned further, revealed it is to alleviate the threat of anti-social behaviour. One organisation, Exchange Dublin, however, stated that during the FTD they have three volunteers present; as they feel that the footfall that they receive justifies this.

All of the organisations that were interviewed provided additional incentive on FTD, such as wine, talks, workshops, or simply warmer receptions when they were scheduled to be part of the FTD tour. Similarly, many of the organisations planned their openings to coincide with the FTD initiative. White Lady Art stated, however, that they hold their openings on Friday or Saturday nights in order to allow people to engage with culture before continuing their night in the city centre and they found that there was a distinct demand for this. The organisations did not schedule events to support cultural production in the evenings, other than if an opening of an exhibition and the accompanying talk by the artist and/or the curator coincided with FTD, but they did provide activities to allow cultural production during the day or at weekends. When scheduling the programme for the organisation, the main factors that were taken into account were on a micro level, such as artist availability, staff or volunteer availability, the existing programme or touring exhibitions (Gallery of Photography, 2013; Exchange Dublin, 2013; Zozimus, 2013). One gallery, White Lady Art, noted that national holidays or events of interest, such as sporting events or festivals in the city, were factors which influenced their programming. The organisation avoids the later, while the former is seen as an opportunity to attract an audience, which ordinarily may not be available to participate in the activities which organisations may provide. When asked to reflect on their experience of FTD, the organisations unanimously recognised the potential of the initiative, with the Gallery of Photography eloquently stating that â&#x20AC;&#x153;any promotion of cultural institutions, offering a platform for artists and viewers to engage can only be positiveâ&#x20AC;?, yet expressed a need for more to be done in order to maintain and increase the level of interest from the public. When an organisation is scheduled to be included on the FTD tour, each felt that there was a benefit of being part of the tour, but remarked that there was a lack of incentive for them to participate during the other weeks. All of the organisations suggested that there should be several tours, running concurrently during FTD, guaranteeing them an audience, and allowing them the luxury to schedule additional activities with a the assurance of an audience. Additionally, it was suggested by Exchange Dublin that organisations, including themselves, should be more conscious of other organisations scheduling of events, particularly those in close proximity, in order to capitalise on another organisations audiences. Gallery Zozimus also suggested that, alongside increased numbers of tours, that there should be more advertising. The suggestion of a mobile application was raised

by three of the organisations, to increase the number of people who can attend the tour, by allowing for individual exploration of the venues.

Discussion & Recommendations

Image by Ros Kavanagh 22

DISCUSSION PROFILE The research found that the majority of people that attended FTD were between the ages of 26 and 35, yet over three quarters of the attendees were between the age of 26 and 45. The high percentage of people between 26 and 35 is reflected in the demographic that is present on the FTD Facebook page. This would indicate that those who attend FTD are engaging with the initiative online and in the off-line world also. This age bracket is also consistent with that of the London and Berlin First Thursday initiatives. The wider age profile also correlates with the heterogeneous profile that is widely linked to the evening economy (Bianchini, 1995; Lovatt & Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor, 1995; Bromley et al, 2000; Schwanen et al, 2012). The evening was the most popular time for engaging in cultural activities, as highlighted by the survey participants, with 67% engaged in cultural activities. Considering this, it supports the findings of Your Dublin, Your Voice (2011) and Dublin City Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Arts and Culture Consultation (2012), which highlighted that individuals called for exhibits and museums to open longer, while others requested that they would prefer cultural alternatives to attending the typical cultural activities associated with the evening, such as cinema or the theatre (Montgomery, 1994). As 35% of the respondents were repeat attenders of the FTD tour, this suggests that there may be an issue with retention of audience. The feedback from those that were first time attenders, however, indicated that they thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were very pleased with the experience they engaged with. Considering the relatively low repeat attenders, it may be cause for alarm, but equally, those who attended previously may have decided to attend the other institutions on their own, as they were already introduced to the concept and ethos of the initiative on a previous occasion. Coupled with the information that transpired during from the organisations open ended questionnaire, which indicated low footfall during the extended opening hours of First Thursdays, this does not seem to be the case.

SPENDING While it is clear that individuals are open to attending cultural activities during the evening, and potentially contributing to the economy in a fiscal way, the scope of this research is not in a position to quantify the amount. From this research, it is evident that the longer an individual stayed in the city centre, the more money they spent. This increase in spending is not concurrent to the amount of time, rather than the individual spending the same amount of money per hour over a longer period of time, the amount that they spent per hour increased substantially. The average spend per person staying in the city after the tour was â&#x201A;Ź7.50 p/h if they remained in the city for two hours, this however, increased to â&#x201A;Ź20 p/h if they stayed in the city for four hours. From this finding, it is important for the city to function in a way which keeps people in the city for longer by providing the services that they need. For example, as the evening transitions into night-time, the negative connotations which are associated with the night-time, and which have been well documented, such as safety, need to be actively considered in order to maintain the audience in the city centre (Bromley et al, 2000; Jones et al, 2003; Roberts & Eldridge, 2007; Roberts & Gornostaeva, 2007; Montgomery, 2010; Rowe & Bavinton, 2011). Whether or not these cultural activities bring additional people into the city cannot be impartially ascertained, as many of the survey respondents walked to the FTD tour. The findings of the study show however, that cultural activities in the evening allow people to engage with the city at a time which they may not have before been a part of previously. It appears that cultural experiences in the evening are conducive to creating an evening economy which is both viable and has vitality, as championed by Montgomery (2012). Conversely, exploring the connection between spending and the method of transportation the individual chooses to use, it is apparent that those who spend money after engaging with the evening economy, only a small proportion was spent on transport (22%), while the remaining amount is spent in the city. A more extensive study would need to establish where the respondents are spending their money. It is however, probable that the remaining expenditure was spent in the city supporting restaurants, cafes and pubs. Considering that the longer people remained in the city, the more money per hour was spent, it seems important to try and retain people in the city centre in order to capitalise on this increased spending. In terms of impacting economically, there is too little evidence to make bold assertions at to the worth of the cultural evening activities to the exchequer in terms of externality expenditure. Furthermore, the debate continues as to the viability of the argument which 24

centres on engagement in cultural experiences having an effect on individuals which in turn makes them more valuable to the economy (Williams, 1995; Matarasso, 1997; Putnam, 2000). CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION In relation to evening engagement of cultural activities, there is a strong interest from the sample population, yet it must be noted that due to the sampling decisions made, this finding should not be generalised and further research would need to be conducted in order to obtain data which is more comprehensive and valid. There seems to be a disparity between the experience that the audience and the organisations experience in relation to FTD. There is an expressed desire by the organisations to programme additional activities as part of FTD, such as talks from a curator or the artist. The organisations revealed that there is only an audience for the tour element of FTD, whereas the organisations struggle to see a footfall which equates to the amount of resources that they expend by extending their opening hours. Perhaps a cause of this is that the audiences want to be involved with the production of culture, rather than passive consumers, and thus they vote with their feet in a sense as to where provides this opportunity, which in this instance, is the tour element of FTD, rather than the individual organisations. The fact that there are audiences for openings of exhibitions for example, where there is additional engagement, such a talk from the artist or the curator, there are people attending this type of event. This raises the question as to whether the audience wish to engage in the cultural activity, or are just present for the social aspect. Perhaps it is a combination of both the production of culture opportunity alongside the social aspect. Combining this with the evidence from the audience survey, it is possible that the audience are finding their own ways of engaging in production through discussions after the tour, which would be a valid reason given that they remain in the city for up to two hours, while spending a relatively small amount of money. Additionally, the call by members of the audience for a Facebook group, or other online forum for communication, indicates that they would engage in conversations around culture through this method of communication. SPATIOTEMPORAL ISSUES The issue of individuals having no desire to engage in cultural production after engaging in consumption of a cultural activity, as remarked upon by Bianchini (1995), is conflicted by the evidence brought forward by this survey of participants. Of those that engaged the FTD cultural evening experience, only 22% stated that they would be returning home before 9pm, while the remaining 78% planned to return home between 10pm and 11pm. Considering this 25

finding, it contradicts Bianchini’s (1995) premise of an “in and out quickly” syndrome, as the respondents did spend further time in the city. This shift from Bianchini’s observations may be due to urban planners’ awareness of the negative connotations of the night time economy, and the contemporary measures that have been implemented in order to combat them. One such measure is the Dublin City Business Improvement District’s Purple Flag initiative, which has seen safety, security and natural surveillance being promoted in areas of the city (BID, 2013). Time spent in the city centre immediately after engaging with the cultural activity may give an opportunity for production of cultural values and competencies, which is increasingly important in the sector. Of the organisations that were interviewed, there was a consensus that they do not take into consideration other organisations scheduling of events when creating a programme. One of the aims of FTD is to share audiences (The City Dublin, 2012), and see the cultural organisations as organisations which can build an audience together, rather than competing for custom, in a hope that this value would permeate to the entire planning of a programme rather than in isolation, when considering the FTD programme. From the organisations, Exchange Dublin was the only organisation that recognised a need to cooperate with neighbouring organisations, in order to benefit the whole community of organisations and create an atmosphere which would be attractive to an audience. In this instance, Exchange Dublin, are aware of the spatial timing of events, yet there seems to be an opportunity in the greatly overlooked aspect of temporal nature of activities. The temporal spacing of activities is equally, if not more important, than the spatial positioning of events. If the temporal nature of an activity is managed correctly, it can lead to an organic growth of a trail of cultural activities which takes place in a number of locations and over a period of time, such as that mentioned by Tiesdell & Slater (2006). In order for cultural activities to influence and contribute to the evening economy, it is of vital importance that the activities are planned to a certain extent to capitalise on both space and time, yet a balance must be struck as to ensure that these activities are not overtly prescribed.

RECOMMENDATIONS FIRST THURSDAYS DUBLIN Advance notice of where the tour will take place is also important. The itinerary for the tour at present is released two days before the tour, via Facebook and the Temple Bar Cultural Trust website, which gives people little time to plan their evening after the tour. By viewing the tour as an isolated event, rather than an event that acts as a starting point for further evening activity, it limits the wider influence on the evening economy. Although part of the attraction and novelty of the FTD tour is the unknown, in that it is an opportunity to meet new people and exploring spaces that they may have only become aware of the day before, even a small piece of information, such as the general area or district that the tour would be taking place, would allow people to plan their onward evening. For example, Februaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s was called the Trinity tour, while most recently, Marchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s was the Christchurch tour. By revealing this small piece of information earlier it perhaps would allow people to plan further activities for the night. While it is apparent that Facebook is working to attract an audience, the organisations which participate do not feel that there is enough being done. From this research there is a clear need for additional streams of advertising. There is an opportunity, that could be exploited, in order to address the issue of advertising. Both the audience and the organisations mentioned mobile applications as a source of information of the tour. For instance, the already existing Dublin Culture Trail app could include a First Thursdays element, providing the current listings for the month, along with allowing users to map their own First Thursdays trail, take pictures of highlights as they encounter them and share them live online, and stay connected to the First Thursday community. In a sense, just as FTD took inspiration from the Culture Night format, the app could build on the successful elements of the Culture Night app, while being integrated into an already existing app, combining functionality and usability, while maintaining costs to FTD. ORGANISATIONS Considering that there was a call from the organisations for multiple tours to be run concurrently during FTD, perhaps it would be an option for them to arrange their own tours. Particulary in relation to the prospect of Temple Bar Cultural Trust being subsumed into the Dublin City Arts Office, ethos and priorities may change. A more natural and organic means 27

of arranging a tour may be ideal in this situation to continue the initiatve, and provides a sustainable solution. From the findings of this research, there is an audience for the tour element and this is an opportunity for organisations to collaborate and time their programme, while conscious of the other organisations events. This would allow for the sharing of, rather than the competing, for audiences. Building on the concept of temporal development of activities, which has been discussed and noted by the organisations, there are two options which the organisations could consider when collaborating. The organisations could programme a tour, along with a tour guide, amongst themselves following the template already used by FTD. Alternatively, they could programme their events cognisant of the timing of the other organisationsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and promote both their own programme and the programme of their colleagues through their media channels, explicitly making the connection between the organisations. Additionally, the opening hours of the cultural instutions needs to be addressed. Considering the finding that only 19% opened after 6pm, is astonishing and raises questions as to how the organisations are meeting their objectives in terms of access. The organisations need to direct their attention towards this issue. Perhaps they could consider changing their opening times to hours which are more accessible for the public, such as 12pm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8pm during the week, reflecting the opening hours of the organisations that have commercial interests. GENERAL As there was a direct correlation between the amount of time people stayed in the city after the FTD tour, and the resulting monetary spend, this issue needs to be addressed as to how to keep people in the city for longer periods of time and thus increasing spending. In order to address this issue accurately, the first step is to identify the reasons that people who stayed shorter periods of time in the city spent less per hour as opposed to those that remained in the city for longer periods of time. Furthermore, it needs to be established as to why people were leaving at 10pm, was it due to transport schedules or related to the fear of antisocial behaviour, or perhaps another reason. Once the reasons have been identified, it can then prompt measures to be put in place to counteract the reasons. Simultaneously, it would be pragmatic to monitor the efforts of Dublin City Business Improvement District over the coming months, to discern whether any of the newly implemented schemes, would benefit the wider city area, rather than the localised Dame District area.

CONCLUSION This research is a first step in attempting to fill a gap in the literature, but further research would be needed in order to build on the findings presented here. A longitudinal study over a number of months would yield more accurate results. There is also the possibility of examining other audiences, at different cultural institutions, over various different times of the day, in order to ascertain whether the results in this research were biased due the fact that the sample were already attending cultural activities in the evening. This research has not provided definitive answers to questions, but rather it has opened up the debate on the viability of an evening economy underpinned by culture.

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Rowe, D., Stevenson, D., Tomenson, S., Bavinton, N., & Brass, K. 2008. The City After Dark: Cultural Planning and Governance of the Night-time Economy in Parramatta. Australia: Centre for Cultural Research University of Western Sydney. Retrieved from: http://www.uws.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/47000/City_After_Dark.pdf Rowe, D., & Bavinton, N. 2011. Tender for the Night: After-dark Cultural Complexities in the Night-time Economy. Continuum, 25(6), p 811- 825. Retrieved from: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10304312.2011.617875 Saunder S, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A., 2009. Research Methods for Business Students. 5th Edition. England: Pearson Education. Scheurich, J.,J. 1997. Research Method in the Postmodern. London: Routeledge. Schwanen, T., Van Aalst, I., Brands, J., & Timan, T. 2012. Rhythms of the Night: Spatiotemporal Inequalities in the Night-time Economy. Retrieved from: http://www.stadsnachtwacht.nl/media/publicaties/SchwanenEtAl_Rhythm_4Feb12_FINAL.pd f Silverman, D. 2011. Qualitative Research. 3rd Edition. London: SAGE. Stevenson, D. 2003. Cities and Urban Cultures. Philadelphia: Open University Press. Sydney 2030. 2011. OPEN Sydney: Future Directions for Sydney at Night. Retrieved from: http://sydneyyoursay.com.au/document/show/18 Tiesdell, S., & Slater, A. 2006. Calling Time: Managing Activities in Space and Time in the Evening/Night-time Economy. Planning Theory and Practice, 7(2), p 137 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 157. Retrieved from: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14649350600673047 The City Dublin. 12 December 2012. First Thursday Dublin. Retrieved from; 4 January 2013, from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvqHmMCfnMU UNESCO. 2009. Measuring Cultural Participation: Handbook No.2. France: UNESCO. Retrieved from: http://www.uis.unesco.org/culture/Documents/fcs-handbook-2-culturalparticipation-en.pdf Williams, D. 1995. Creating Social Capital: A Study of the Long-term Benefits from Community Based Arts Funding. South Australia: Community Arts Network. Winlow, S. & Hall, S. 2006. Living for the Weekend: Youth Identities in Northeast England: Ethnography March 10 (1), p 91-113. Retrieved from: http://eth.sagepub.com/content/10/1/91.abstract

Appendices

Image by Visual Machine (2008)

APPENDIX 1 – PYRAMID OF PURPOSE

Cultures' Role in the Evening Economy

Level 1

AIM To contribute to the policy making for the long term economic, cultural and social sustainability of urban evening leisure spaces

OBJECTIVES To examine and develop a profile of those who engage with activities in Dublin’s evening economy To consider the role which cultural activities contribute to Dublin’s evening economy To investigate the spatiotemporal use of the city by cultural organisations To understand the facilitation of the production of culture in Dublin’s evening economy

WHO

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Culture Night International Examples First Thursdays Dublin Dublin City Council Dublin City Council Arts Office Funding Bodies Audience Development Officers Audience Members Arts Officer Ray Yeats Cultural Institutions Similar to the concept of the 5 W’s (Who, What, When, Where and Why). The Pyramid of Purpose is a tool used to illustrate the hierarchical structure of strategy. A hierarchy of questions appear; in order to answer question 4 you need to answer question 3; to answer question 3, you need to answer question 2 and so forth. As a visual person, this tool clearly communicates the key points of the strategic plan for the research and visually articulates the upward effect that each element has, contributing to the overall purpose of the study (Mindtools, 2013). 35

APPENDIX 2 – AUDIENCE SURVEY This research is being undertaken by an IADT student, as part of a final year Business and Arts Management dissertation, which aims to assess the attitudes towards culture’s role in the evening economy. All information that is provided is for academic research only and will not be used in the public domain. Please tick (✓) the box that applies to you. 1.

Gender

Male



2. Please select your age bracket 18 – 25  26 – 35  36 - 45  3.

Female  46 – 55 

Is this your first time attending First Thursdays Dublin?

4. How did you travel to First Thursdays Dublin? By Foot  Cycling  Car/Motorbike 

Taxi 

56 – 70  Yes  Bus 

70+  No  Train/DART 

Luas 

5. Other than First Thursdays Dublin do you attend/participate in other cultural activities? Yes  No   If Yes, please indicate which activities you attend, the number of times per month and the average time of day that you attend. Activity

Times per Month

E.g. Theatre Dance Gallery Literature Live Music Museum Theatre Visual Art Other

Morning 6am -12pm

Afternoon 12pm-5pm

Evening 5pm-9pm ✓

Night-Time 9pm - 6am

6. What is your estimated spend for your evening at First Thursdays Dublin (including transport, meals, refreshments etc.) €1- €5  €5- €10  €10-€20  €20-€35  €70-€100  €100+   7.What time do you intend to return home at? _____________ 8. How do you intend to travel home? By Foot  Cycling  Car/Motorbike 

Taxi 

€35-€50 

Bus 

€50-€70 

Train/DART 

9. If an App was available, would you use it to navigate around First Thursdays participating venues? 10. Do you have any comments on how the First Thursday Dublin experience could be improved? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

Luas  Yes No 

APPENDIX 3 – ORGANISATIONS QUESTIONNAIRE

This research is being undertaken by an IADT student, as part of a final year Business and Arts Management dissertation focusing on culture’s role in the evening economy. All information that is provided is for academic research only and will not be used in the public domain. Please take 20 minutes to complete this questionnaire, with as more detail as possible.

1. Describe your opening hours during First Thursdays and compare them to the rest of the week. Consider the footfall during First Thursdays Dublin hours and compare it other times during the week.

2. Compare the number of staff that you have present during First Thursdays and you busiest time.

3. Detail any special incentives that you use or offer as part First Thursdays, to promote that there is this unique evening of cultural activities in your establishment.

4. Do you facilitate the production of culture through extra programming; such as talks with the director after a show, talks with the curator, workshops etc.? Please give an example.

5. What factors are taken into account when planning an opening (day, month, time, other events, transport etc.)? 6. To what extent does another organisations’ programming of openings affect your programme?

7. Reflect on your experience of First Thursdays Dublin (positive and/or negative).

8. Do you have any recommendations that could improve the First Thursdays Dublin experience? Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire.

APPENDIX 4 - SAMPLE FRAME FOR ORGANISATIONS

Basic Space

Block T

26. No Grants Gallery

Centre for Creative Practices

27. Project 51

Cowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lane Designer Studio

28. Project Arts Centre, Gallery

Darc Space

29. Olivier Cornet Gallery

Debbie Paul Studio and

30. Science Gallery

Gallery

31. Sol Art Gallery

Design Yard

32. Talbot Gallery & Studios

Designist

33. Tamp & Stitch

Douglas Hyde Gallery

34. Taylor Galleries

10. Draiocht, Centre for the Arts

35. Temple Bar Gallery & Studios

11. Dublin Civic Trust

36. The Copper House Gallery

12. Exchange Dublin

37. The Doorway Gallery

13. Gallery @ No. SIX

38. The Goethe Institut

14. Gallery of Photography

39. The Green Gallery

15. Gallery Zozimus

40. The Icon Factory

16. Graphic Studio Gallery

41. The Joinery

17. Green on Red Gallery

42. The Keeling Gallery

18. Hillsboro Fine Art

43. The LAB

19. Jam Art Factory

44. The Little Museum of Dublin

20. James Joyce Centre

45. The Market Studios

21. Kevin Kavanagh Gallery

46. The Picture Rooms

22. Little Green Street Gallery

47. The Pallas Projects

23. Monster Truck Gallery &

48. The White Gallery

Studios

49. White Art

24. National Gallery of Ireland

Lady

25. NCAD Gallery

APPENDIX 5 – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Philosophy

This study was approached from a positivist epistemological viewpoint. The research is concerned with generating facts and being able to create generalisations from this study which can be applied to the wider population. The type of research that is generated by the positivist approach is deductive, quantitative research (Saunders et al, 2009), which can be used to make generalisations. Positivistic approaches are founded on a belief that the study of human behaviour should be conducted in the same way as studies conducted in the natural sciences (Neville, 2007). The positivist view is also set in scientific realms, but used in conjunction with the direct realist outlook which can be described as “a perspective that assumes that conventional social science research methods unproblematically ensure accurate or valid representations of reality” (Scheurich, 1997, p31). This epistemological outlook, simply put, means that the facts that the researcher ‘sees’ are ‘there’ in the world, “without any reference to the particular theoretical perspective” (Scheurich, 1997, p31). In the case of this study, the author is not interfering or placing bias on the results of the study, they are merely observing that which is occurring independently of them. The positivist outlook affected the decisions made later in the study, such as the type of instrument of data collection, which in turn influenced the type of data collected and the method of data analysis. Research Strategy

This study attained two types of data namely quantitative and qualitative, from two groups of stakeholders of FTD (see Appendix 9), which was collected using different instruments in a multi-method approach. Audience

As the research was concerned with creating a profile of the individuals that attended First Thursdays Dublin, key information surrounding their demographic background, their transportation usage and their spending habits led to surveys being the most appropriate instrument. The survey allowed data of a standardised, descriptive, inferential and explanatory nature to be gathered (Cohen et al, 2011). Although the survey instrument predominantly collects quantitative data, there is also the opportunity to include qualitative questions in order to gain a deeper insight to the individual’s motivation and reasoning behind a certain course of action. The paper and pencil survey was administered face-to-face in the period after the First Thursday Dublin tour which took place on Thursday 7th February 2013 (see Appendix 2). The 39

itinerary for the tour centred on the Trinity area and included Douglas Hyde Gallery, The Doorway Gallery and the Science Gallery (see Appendix 10). Participating Organisations

As the study was also concerned with understanding the spatial and temporal planning of events by cultural institutions during the evening, and also the extent to which organisations facilitate cultural production along with cultural consumption, the decision was made to use interviews as the data collection mechanism. The use of focus groups was considered as it would have allowed for the deep exploration of the prominent areas relating to the evening economy in Dublin. Additionally, it would have allowed for the researcher to easily assess the extent to which views were consistently shared (Robson, 2011). It was clear that there would be an issue with confidentiality which may inadvertently affect the resulting data, as some of the representatives from the organisations may not have been as forthcoming with information and future plans in an environment with their competitors. Interviews also achieve qualitative data and allow issues to be examined in depth in relation to a number of topic areas or themes the substitution seemed appropriate (Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Leary, 2003). Due to a lack of accessibility to conduct interviews with the organisations, an alternative data collection method was used, namely, open ended questions delivered through a questionnaire. Although this method does not have the flexibility associated with interview, it was a valid alternative and thus it was exploratory in its approach (see Appendix 3). Research Design

The population that was used in this study were individuals that attend the First Thursdays Dublin guided tour. These individuals were chosen for the reasons outlined below. As the population refers to the total membership of a defined category of people and it relates to all the cases and is not limited to people (Robson, 2002) it follows that the organisations that participate in First Thursdays Dublin, were the second population in respect of the qualitative aspect of the research. This research was carried out primarily with a descriptive approach. The descriptive design focused on describing a situation, through a counting process or in this case, quantitative data (McNabb, 2011). This descriptive design reflects objectives one and two of this study. At a later stage this study became a causal study, as it focused on equating behaviour X with factor Y and examine the causal relationship between two or more variables (McNabb, 2011). In this instance it equated activity in cultural activities with spending habits, thus looking at the 40

relationship between two variables in line with objective two. Considering the third and fourth objectives the design was exploratory, in order to gain insight into the feelings and attitudes towards timing and facilitation of cultural production at ground level. Sampling Individuals

The type of sampling that was chosen for the survey element of the study was non probability sampling which was selective and stems from â&#x20AC;&#x153;the researcher targeting a particular group, in full knowledge that it does not represent the wider populationâ&#x20AC;? (Cohen et al, 2011, p155). The sample frame, that is the source of the eligible population from which the survey sample is drawn (Cohen, 2004), is the individuals that attend the First Thursdays Dublin Tour. Although there is no requirement that people who wish to attend First Thursdays Dublin to attend the tour, those who do attend the tour are usually more engaged with the initiative as they have actively researched the tour that is taking place rather than merely happening across the initiative. Within this sample frame there were thirty people that attended the First Thursdays Dublin tour on February 7th 2013. As the sample frame was relatively small, each member of the tour was approached through random sampling to partake in the survey. Probability sampling would have allowed the researcher to examine those attending any of the fifty venues which took part in First Thursdays Dublin, but due to time constraints and human resources, it would not have been possible to effectively target this sample population. Organisations

The sample frame for the qualitative open ended survey consisted of forty nine organisations which participate in the First Thursdays Dublin initiative (see Appendix 4). In order to attain qualitative data which represented the entire sample frame, non-probability dimensional sampling was used. This type of sampling accommodates the refinement of the sample by identifying factors of interest in the population (Cohen et al, 2011). In this instance, the size of the organisation and continued participation with the First Thursdays Dublin initiative were important. In this instance, the factors of interest were the size of the organisation, their location across the city and their opening hours and thus these were considered in relative proportions to the occurrence in the population. The organisations which were chosen can be seen in see Appendix 8.

APPENDIX 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; SWOT ANALYSIS OF ORGANISATIONS FINDINGS

Weaknesses * do not collaborate with other organisations * micro issues have more weighting on programme than macro concerns * need for more staff due to threat of anti social behaviour * opening hours do not seem to suit the public

Strenghts * offer incentives to people to attend (wine, brochures) * are open to providing means of cultural production (talks, workshops) in the evening * willingness to open on other evenings, or every Thursday

Opportunities * to work with other neighbouring organisations * to run multiple, concurrent tours in the city * organisations are enthusiastic and see potential in the initiative * use of technology to address advertising issues

Threats * Temple Bar Cultural Trust expected to do everything (top down) * lack of audience attendance without the tour * lack of advertising

APPENDIX 7 – HIGHLIGHT RESULTS

Culture’s Role in the Evening Economy First Thursdays Dublin – Highlight Audience Survey Results

74% were aged between 70% of attendees were female

65% attend other cultural activities

93% of those that attended cultural activities did so in the evening

26 – 45

65% returned home between 10pm 11pm , thus spending up to three hours in the city after the tour

52% walked to the event

65% had not attended FTD before

17% paid for transport to the event

Those who remained in the 43 city for 2 hours spend an average of €7.50 p/h

The average amount spent was €10- €20

Males only attended cultural activities in the evening

35% paid transport from the event

61% of those that attended cultural activities did so in the evening (excluding live music)

Those who remained in the city for 4 hours spend an average of €20 p/h

First time attenders returned home earlier than repeat attenders

APPENDIX 8 - PROFILE OF ORGANISATIONS WHICH TOOK PARK IN THE OPEN ENDED QUESTIONNAIRE White Lady Art is a New Contemporary Art gallery in Dublin, Ireland, featuring some of Ireland's best Lowbrow, Pop Surrealist, Urban, Graphic, Outsider and Folk Surrealist artists. The gallery is a place collectors can come and see art that has previously lived on the periphery of art culture in Ireland; where artists can come and be inspired; where culture vultures can hang out and read one of our art books or magazines with a cuppa. The emphasis is on enjoying the art, enjoying the space, and getting rid of pretension and high-culture diffidence .Much of the art that is being lauded and applauded in cities such as London, Berlin, San Francisco and Los Angeles is also present and flourishing here in Ireland. However, because Ireland has few places where artists can exhibit this ultra-modern art, and exhibiting in the many wonderful pop-up spaces in Dublin is expensive, it remains unseen and underground. Dimension for the study: Newly established, fortnightly turnover of exhibitions, located on the Quays Exchange Dublin is a new collective arts centre in Temple Bar, Dublin run entirely by young people and holding discussions, gigs, visual arts and performance. Most projects originate from the autonomous “Exchange Groups” that use the space as a hub for their activity. Representatives from these groups form the general Exchange Dublin Collective that programmes and coordinates events in the space. All work is voluntary and no one is paid. Dimension for study: Volunteer organisation, youth demographic, multi disciplinary space Vincent Kelly’s passion for art surfaced a number of years ago whilst assisting his son in law, Keith Richardson, prepare for an exhibition. Of course, Keith will be one of the exhibiting artists in Gallery Zozimus. True to his county, Kelly has encouraged other artists from his home county to also exhibit. He has plans to hold a “Solely Sligo” show within the next year. The gallery will features mainly Irish art but resulting from regular visits to Holland, Meehan has relations in The Hague; there are also some European contributions. Dimension for study: Commercial space selling; paintings, ceramic, photography, art glass and wood sculpture

Since its inception in 1978 the Gallery of Photography has become Ireland's premier venue for photography. It has staged exhibitions with many of the major names in contemporary photography. The Gallery moved to its new location, a purpose built space with fully fitted darkrooms and digital imaging facilities in Meeting House Square in 1995. The Gallery, which is non-profit making, is funded by the Arts Council and Dublin Corporation. However the cost of maintaining standards continues to rise. The Gallery relies on sponsorship and support from members to help fund its activities. Dimension for study: publically funded space, provides education in photography, provides tours of the exhibitions

An innovative boutique cafĂŠ, supplying independently roasted coffee perfectly brewed by our enthusiastic baristas. With a selected clothing and unique jewellery line, Tamp & Stitch is where everything happens in one space! Dimension for study: Small artistic space, with small commercial element

APPENDIX 9 – STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS THROUGH PESTLE

Stakeholder Temple Bar Cultural Trust Local Authorities

Political ✔ ✔

Dublin City Business Improvement District Retailer Cultural Institutions Department for Arts, Heritage & Gaeltacht Consumers Infrastructure Services, i.e Transport, Street Cleaning First Thursdays Dublin Coordinator First Thursdays Dublin Tour Guide International Examples

✔ ✔

✔

Economical ✔

Social

✔ ✔

✔ ✔ ✔

✔ ✔

✔

Technological

Legal ✔

Environmental

✔

✔ ✔

✔

Of the various stakeholders in an evening economy underpinned by culture, each was categorised under the PESTLE headings in order to differentiate the type of information that they would be privy to and establish the stakeholders that would be most beneficial to this study. Both the consumers and the cultural institutions, alongside Eimear Chaomhanach, Audience Development Manager with Temple Bar Cultural Trust and Coordinator of First Thursdays Dublin, would provide the most relevant information at this stage46of research in relation to economic and social impacts as outlined above.

APPENDIX 10 – INTINERARY OF FIRST THURSDAYS DUBLIN