Am I looking at plans for the City of Culture from the wrong perspective?
If we aim to attract family groups to the City throughout the year should we not now be concentrating on the supply of entertainment for a wider range of visitors?
At the moment, the cultural and educational side would appear to be well catered for, whilst the clubs and pubs are already eyeing up potential headliners, little attention seems be concentrated on day-time outdoor family or poor weather events.
Are the organisers “selling” 2013 hard enough to the ordinary man in the street? With so much attention being drawn to "Stakeholder" groups, would an ad-hoc Meet-up group encourage more people to join in to offer help and advice wherever needed?
While the youth of the City could offer and use their wide knowledge of new technologies, combined with retirees with their vast bric-a-brac of experience, a unique contribution could be created.
For instance could a free ‘Festival Organisers Handbook’ advising and plotting events well in advance encourage more local groups to join? With some fourteen months before the big event, the coming year could see a series of dry runs or rehearsals enabling local groups to prepare themselves to make our potential visitors welcome to the City.
There would be no age limits in the formation of any additional grouping within the Meet-up group which should remain autonomous and not become part of any other existing group.
This is just one view - do you have others?
