A former nightclub promoter in Amsterdam is part of a worldwide movement to bring nightlife in from the dark.

Mirik Milan is what the Dutch call the nachtburgemeester — the night mayor — of Amsterdam. He’s in Vancouver this week to talk to politicians, planners and business owners about the importance of nightlife to the city’s economy and what can be done to improve the Granville Entertainment District (GED).

Milan describes what he does as “city planning at night” that involves building a coalition that includes civic officials, police, the nightlife industry and residents. The nighttime economy has its own needs and requirements and isn’t just an afterthought to what goes on during the day, he said.

A successful night mayor, Milan said, needs a nightlife scene that speaks with one voice. On the other side, he said it needs politicians, planners and other daytime people who are willing to listen to “our ideas.”

“We always say that you need top-down and bottom-up structures in place,” Milan said.

The Hospitality Vancouver Association (HVA) has brought Milan to the city for three days. The association advocates for clubs, pubs and other businesses along Granville Street and the Davie Village. He’s speaking to Vancouver city council May 2.

According to the HVA, the 14 liquor-primary businesses in the GED are responsible for more than 900 jobs and $43.5 million in annual revenue.

Milan became the world’s first night mayor in 2014 in an election where the voters included people at festivals, club and bar owners, and the online public. He’s in a unique position as the head of what The Guardian called a “small but influential non-profit” group funded by business and the City of Amsterdam.

Milan has worked for VICE, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and DIESEL. He was a co-host of a EDM club night called RAUW.

Seven or eight years ago Amsterdam and its nightlife were at a crossroads, Milan said.

“People were saying, ‘We’re losing the young, creative (people), they’re moving to Berlin where there are no closing hours,’ ” he said.

One of the ways Amsterdam responded was by creating 24-hour venues. They’re located outside of the city centre at sites able to accommodate them. What’s radical is that operators can decide their own opening and closing hours.

Granting a licence to a 24-hour centre is contingent on the application’s creative content, which brings together music, art and culture. One successful centre is called De School, which has a daytime café, a higher-end restaurant, art gallery and gym. The nightclub is in the basement.

“We wanted to spread out tourists over the city and make the city attractive for a young, creative workforce and reduce brain drain to other cities because they weren’t finding what they needed,” he said.

In Amsterdam, the 24-hour venues are about 20 minutes — about six kilometres — by bicycle. That was once considered way to far to bike to a club. Now people are regularly cycling 20 to 25 minutes at night to get to the venues, Milan said.

What the 24-hour centres do is give people a destination outside the city centre. They also help address the problem of having thousands of people on the street when all the bars and nightclubs close at the same time as they do on Granville.

“You can extend your night a couple of hours if it is a good night, close early if it isn’t,” Milan said about the 24-hour centres. “It gives entrepreneurs more room to try things out.”

The new venues are having a big impact in and outside of Amsterdam.

“Now people are saying that Amsterdam is one of the club capitals of the world,” he said.

While Milan is focused on nightlife entertainment, he sees himself as an advocate for anyone working at night outside of non-traditional nine-to-five hours. He said it’s part of having a 24-hour vision of the city.

“Let us prepare for the future,” he said. “How do we make sure that late-night workers have the same rights as during the day?”

The idea of a night mayor is one that has quickly spread throughout the world. Night mayors, or their equivalents, are now in cities that include New York, London and Paris.

One of Milan’s successes in Amsterdam is the transformation in Rembrandtplein, a 17th-century square in the city centre. The city’s daytime mayor said something had to be done about the 250 incidents a year related to alcohol and violence. The three-year plan that was developed included:

• Removing obstacles in public spaces. One of the most difficult initiatives was convincing Amsterdam residents they could neither park their bikes nor ride them in the plaza and surrounding narrow streets.

• Creating Rembrandtplein Hosts who are on the streets Friday and Saturday nights. They’re social workers with medical training who are skilled at de-escalating situations.

• Creating a mobile website to handle complaints. If there’s an incident, it can be dealt with right away — rather than having an official respond hours or days later when the problem has disappeared.

After two years there has been a 30-per-cent decrease in nuisances, which include littering and shouting, and a 25-per cent drop in alcohol-related incidents from 250 to under 200.

“People in a city really have to work together and find their own strategy,” he said.

Source: http://vancouversun.com

Move over mayor, there’s a new sheriff in town.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Councilmember Rafael Espinal announced on Wednesday the appointment of Ariel Palitz as New York City's first-ever nightlife mayor.

The New York Times, which published the news first, reported that Palitz's initial move at the helm of the Office of Nightlife would be to hold a series of listening tours to address the concerns of residents who believe nightlife venues make neighborhoods loud, dirty and overcrowded.

“Both sides feel unheard,” Palitz, 47, told the Times. “Both sides feel that things are unfair. I think the grievances are almost the same but there haven’t been any practical real-world solutions to address them.”

In September, de Blasio signed into law legislation to create the Office of Nightlife and Nightlife Advisory Board at Bushwick nightclub House of Yes.

At the time, de Blasio said the Nightlife Mayor position would be "one of the coolest job titles you could ever hope to have."

"The office will be led by someone who undoubtedly will be more popular than me and will wield tremendous power," de Blasio said in September.

Palitz’s responsibilities will include regulating the nightlife industry, helping DIY venues stay open and creating a safer partying environment.

Palitz will be responsible for conducting outreach to nightlife establishments, acting as a liaison for venues, referring those organizations to city services, reviewing 311 complaints and holding at least one public hearing in each borough, among other duties.

The Nightlife Advisory Board will be comprised of 12 members: four to be appointed by the mayor and eight by the speaker of the City Council. They will each serve a two-year term.

Palitz is a fifth-generation New Yorker who was raised on the Upper East Side and who currently lives in the East Village, the Times reports. She was a member of Community Board 3, which encompasses the East Village, Chinatown and the Lower East Side.

Palitz has a long track record of working in nightlife. She ran the door at the shuttered Club Mars and owned a bar for 10 years in the East Village, according to the Times.

Palitz will have a salary of $130,000 and will oversee a $300,000 budget.

The Office of Nightlife will be included under the mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and will be monitored by the Committee on Consumer Affairs.

New York is now the first American city to adopt a night mayor position.

Many European metropolises have had night mayors for some time, including Amsterdam, Paris and London.

Mirik Milan, the night mayor, or “nachtburgemeester” of Amsterdam, came and spoke to club owners and nightlife professionals in May at the Williamsburg club Output.

Milan, who has held the position since 2012, has played a leading role in the introduction of 24-hour licenses for venues in the Dutch capital.

After creating an Office of Nightlife in Amsterdam, the city has seen a 25 percent reduction in crime and a 28 percent decrease in noise complaints.

Espinal, who introduced and sponsored the bill to “bring nightlife out of the bureaucratic shadows and address quality of life issues in local communities,” was elated with the hiring.

"I'm excited that we're finally going to be able to get down to work and have named a Night Mayor,” Espinal told the Brooklyn Eagle. “In order for this office to be effective, the director of nightlife has to hit the ground running.

“I look forward to working with Ariel Palitz on supporting nightlife as a whole, but more importantly the DIY and underground spaces in Brooklyn. As chair of the Council's Committee that will oversee this agency, I will keep a close eye on the progress of this office on supporting nightlife in Brooklyn and the city as a whole."

Nightlife versus Gentrification

One prominent issue that Palitz will likely have to address early on is gentrification.

At a recent discussion at the Bushwick Starr, a community arts center in Bushwick, several influential nightlife professionals discussed subjects intimate to Brooklyn, including the effects of gentrification, the future of the nightlife industry, the challenges and perks of operating a venue in New York City and the expected benefits of the forthcoming Office of Nightlife.

The panel included Dhruv Chopra, partner at Elsewhere and PopGun Presents; Belvy Klein, co-founder of Brooklyn Bazaar in Greenpoint; Johnny Beach, Bowery Ballroom talent buyer; and Ami Spishock, co-founder of Fort William Artist Management.

Attendees acknowledged that while arts and cultural institutions are positive for communities, they also play a role in gentrification.

“There’s no good answer, other than the fact that it’s like a snake eating its tail,” Chopra said. “We are the victims and culprits of it. It seems like it’s a never-ending cycle, especially in New York City, where everything keeps getting pushed out and out and rents go up.”

“It’s a Catch 22,” added Klein. “You go in, and you’re not trying to [trigger gentrification], but our last location is now a BMW creative workspace.

“You get companies that come in, and they never would have gone there if we weren’t there. We made this empty strip viable for this multinational company, and then we get evicted.” 

Source: http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2018/3/7/say-hello-nycs-first-nightlife-mayor-ariel-palitz

On the 24th of February, Stichting N8BM A’DAM (the Amsterdam Night Mayor foundation) hosts their second edition of Nacht voor de Nacht (Night for the Night): the annual club festival where visitors can discover the thriving diversity of the city’s nightlife with an all in one inclusive ticket. The first edition was sold out immediately. This year the event grows to 25 venues, covering almost every club in Amsterdam.

With a passe-partout of €17,50, visitors can visit as many clubs they want – a great way to really plunge into Amsterdam club culture. Buyers of a passe-partout are directly supporting Stichting N8BM A’DAM and their work.

Night Mayor, Mirik Milan, explains: “The nightlife of Amsterdam explodes creativity and gives ground for young artists and creators to develop talents in this ‘serious playground’. Amsterdam’s nightlife culture is stronger than ever, which is key to our culturally diverse city!”

Connecting creatives with clubs owners

This year, the Stichting N8BM A’DAM challenged all of those participating by inviting young, creative talent to their club. This gives the local creators of tomorrow a chance to use the club as a platform for their work. To name a few – during ‘Nacht voor de Nacht’, drag performances rage on in Club Church, a light installation brightens up Garage Noord, and an amazing exhibition is brought to De School.

If TV shows that take place in New York City have taught us anything, it’s that there will always, always be an empty cab ready to take you to your destination the moment you raise a hand and that the night life there is insane. Broadway shows, concerts, bars, clubs, restaurants, parties. You name it, it happens in NYC at night. But who’s keeping track of it all? No one right now, but the city is looking to change that.

In September, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed legislation following in the steps of some European cities, creating an Office of Nightlife. The commission may sound like the legal certification for Batman, but it will actually consist of a “Nightlife Mayor” and 12 appointed Nightlife Advisory Board members. The task force will work with the (day) Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment to oversee, manage daily operations and issue recommendations to night venues. The office was created in response to a number of venues closing last year.

One of the mayoral candidates, Gerard McNamee, told Your Morning that the most important task for the organization will be job creation. He hopes to create 10,000 sustainable jobs in the next 10 years in service, bartending, booking, administration and security. The basic goal: keep the NYC nightlife thriving.

The group will also function as a liaison between the municipal government, the nightlife industry and city residents to coordinate health and safety and share the concerns of business-owners and the community with the government. NYC nightlife is estimated to be a 10 billion dollar industry but the city is looking to expand on that. For comparison, London (which introduced a “night czar” in 2016) reportedly has a night economy of 34 billion.

Mayor de Blasio said that he would appoint the night mayor before the end of 2017, but still has yet to fill the position. McNamee suggested the announcement would likely come this week.

If this experiment works well to bolster the nightlife economy in NYC, we might see similar positions pop up in large Canadian cities in the next few years.

Source: Theloop.caheloop.ca