HOST PORT SUCCESS: £7.5m economic boost attributed to Clipper Race Start Liverpool

Liverpool and events go hand in hand as a port city, the river has been established as its life blood. The Clipper Race worked in partnership with Culture Liverpool to deliver an engaging mass participation event which captured the hearts and minds of not only Race Crew, Race Crew Supporters, but also international and local visitors. Creating an events programme that included public open boats, the Clipper Race FanZone a captivating street theatre and animation programme along with an inviting food and beverage offer this enabled visitors to make the most out of the event experience and capture the true essence of the Clipper Race Start.

During the event an evaluation report was commissioned by Culture Liverpool, and conducted by North West Research and Strategy. The aim of the report was to monitor the impact of the major events programme, and specifically in this case, the Clipper Race, in the city. With specific objectives to gain insights in to:

• Motivations and key drivers for attendance
• Visitor expenditure
• Quality of experience
• Lifestyle characteristics
• Length and type of stay

The summary of key findings of the Clipper 2017-18 Race Start hosted by the city of Liverpool can be found below:

• In 2017 – the Clipper Race Start attracted 220,000 visitors
• The Clipper Race has drawn a higher proportion of visitors coming from elsewhere in the country than any other recent event in the cultural programme, and nearly double the number of visitors from overseas. 10.4% over 5.5%
• Over a third [35.7%] of visitors were on staying trips, with the average number of nights per stay being 3 – which has brought significant economic additionality.
• The Clipper Race saw an increase of 15% in staying visitors in comparison to similar events
• The most frequent type of accommodation used was 4* - reflecting the affluent nature of the audience.
• 69% of visitors were visiting Liverpool specifically to attend the Clipper Race event
• Half of all respondents stated that the event was the sole reason for visiting Liverpool
• 73% of respondents indicated that the Clipper Race Start was better than expected
• 95% of respondents said that they were likely to recommend the event
• The majority of respondents [91%] who attended the Clipper Race Start were likely to return to Liverpool, suggesting the event has contributed to attracting and retaining visitor interest for future events.
• Economic impact note - this looks at what happened over and above what would have happened anyway without the Clipper Race. The data is indicative as proportions are extrapolated against a baseline figure of 220,000 visitors drawn from available data
• Looking at additional direct benefits – for those who visited Liverpool specifically for the Clipper Race event [79,000 visitors]
• Additional positive impact of the event was in the region of £7,510,105
• Average spend per staying visitor £271 of which accommodation was £112
• Looking at displacement values – the spend that would have been lost if the events had not taken place
• Nearly £1m of visitor spending was retained in the city and not lost outside the area, attributable to the Clipper Race.
• As a worldwide event, the Clipper Race Start in Liverpool has further consolidated the position of the city waterfront as a world class event.

Find out how you can be a Clipper Race Host Port in the next edition of the race.