March 2008

Noctis

Noctis COMMENT

Noctis is launched

Operational, Noctis comment, MArch 2008, COMMENTS

As you’ll see we’ve had a change of name since my last column. No longer BEDA, now we have re-emerged, after a long consultation process with our members, to become Noctis.

One of the reasons for a name change to something that isn’t an acronym is that no acronym can begin to represents our sector’s magnificent diversity. Noctis (Latin for ‘of the night’) is actually the fourth name the Association has had over its fifty-odd year history.

Prior to the Bar Entertainment and Dance Association, we were known as the British Entertainment and Discotheque Association and even further back, the Association of British Ballrooms, demonstrating how far the late night economy has evolved over the last half century. The Licensing Act and the smoking ban have further hastened changes to the sector, and the ramifications of those two forces will continue over the coming months and years.

Another major change that is ushered in with the new name is a new Executive Chair. Jon Collins is a name very familiar to NIGHT readers, not least since he still writes the CGA column. In a previous life Jon saw BEDA through some very “interesting” times. Jon replaces the outgoing Chair Paul Kinsey, who completes a two-year tenure. Jon and I would like to thank Paul for all his hard work.

Jon’s appointment as Chair will undoubtedly help Noctis fight the big and complicated political battles ahead. It will also help me broaden and deepen our voice in the media, bringing to the fore some of my 15 years experience in corporate communications to have greater influence in the tricky debates to come.

Our relationship with Scotland will also evolve. BEDA Scotland will re-focus into the Scottish Late Night Operators Association (SLNO), but we will continue our partnership with Eddie Tobin, who will be SLNO’s first Chair. This relationship continues to be crucially important and mutually beneficial as long as Whitehall and Holyrood scrutinise each other’s political agendas.

Whichever side of the border you’re on, Noctis and SLNO continue to force a greater degree of proportionality into the debate. On Tesco’s announcement that they want to look at cheap alcohol pricing, it would be very easy for us all to be cynical and say they are buckling under the pressure that organisations like our own have put them under for the last couple of years. I prefer to say that we were rightly quick to criticise, so we should also be quick to welcome the prospect of them talking about change.

Drunken punters being turned away from late night venues is doing no operator any good, and continues to land many blameless operators in hot water with the authorities. I would argue that any move on the part of supermarkets that could help curb some of those problems is worth it. If we can encourage more customers to be supportive of an environment where both sale and consumption of alcohol are mediated, then it could have some positive impacts on what is ludicrously labeled ‘Binge Britain’. As we’ve always done, we will work with any stakeholders who make it possible for late night operators to run their businesses better.

One of the major issues we highlight persistently is how hysterical much of the alcohol debate has been over recent years. Anyone reading newspapers in 2008 would be under the misapprehension that, as a nation we are awash with alcohol-related disorder. This is not to say we don’t have any alcohol problems in this country. But Noctis will aim to get a more reasonable (and accurate) voice into the debate. We continue to argue that as long as our high streets at night are portrayed as no-go areas, then clearly many responsible customers are not going to go.

Leading on from this, we need to get some greater parity with the daytime economy. Noctis as ‘The Voice of the Nighttime Economy’ - as it says on our new strapline - will highlight the massive inequity of well-resourced daytime economies whilst those who operate at night have to make do with little or no public transport provision, fewer police and often no provision for street cleaning. Our customers are adding to the economy too, so should be given a decent level of public services. The name may have changed, but the battle continues.

Words: Paul Smith (Noctis)

From: March 2008

Subscribe to NIGHT magazine