Place design without activation is like a body without a soul. Activity is vital to breathe life into our places. Pop-up events, creative lighting, and art installations - these generate excitement and inspire connection, while also tapping into our fundamental needs as a society. Once the sun goes down, we are presented with distinctive opportunities to utilise these spaces in completely new ways, while also facing the unique challenges associated with the night. This year’s second international Purple Flag Forum explored and unpacked the different approaches towns and cities are using to activate their spaces after dark.

The Town and City Management Industry Awards Dinner was part of the 2025 Summer School, taking place on the 18th June. For Purple Flag Round's 41 and 42, we were delighted to award the following destinations... Bradford Bury Cheltenham Derby Gloucester Swansea The winners of the 2025 Town and City Management Industry Awards included: Aberdeen Inspired (Best Business Support) Newcastle NE1 (Best Event) Lincoln BIG (Best Safety, Security and Resilience Scheme) Worcester BID (Best Social and Community Contribution) Norwich BID (Best Climate Action Scheme) My Milton Keynes BID (Best Marketing and Branding Scheme) BID Leicester (Best Culture and Arts Scheme) Chris Patrick, The York BID (Best Ambassador, Warden, or Ranger) Knightsbridge Partnership (Outstanding Partnership) Gail McGibbon, Sligo BID (Inspirational Leader)

Tourism is an excellent opportunity for economic growth. For many countries, it represents one of their most lucrative export markets supporting businesses and jobs. However, not all local stakeholders feel they benefit from the presence of visitors. Residents with a more deep rooted connection to a place for numerous reasons can find tourism challenging, especially after dark. Whether it's dealing with the fallout of high numbers of visitors using alcohol, noise pollution, overcrowding, or the impact pressures on overnight accommodation on the residential market. What are the challenges and how do we begin to overcome them? This session of the Purple Flag Forum, our first international forum of 2025, began a longer-term exploration of tensions between visitors and residents in popular destinations after dark.

Reliable late-night transport is a crucial lifeline for the ENTE, yet smaller towns and cities often face unique challenges in providing safe and accessible options. Without effective transport links, businesses can struggle to attract and retain evening visitors, limiting the growth and vibrancy of the night-time offer. This session of the Purple Flag Forum explored how tailored transport solutions can drive footfall, extend dwell time, and support a thriving ENTE. Two Purple Flag destinations shared their experiences and strategies for improving late-night connectivity, offering practical insights for other destinations.

Culture plays a pivotal role in shaping vibrant, inclusive, and thriving night-time economies. From live performances and art installations to community events and festivals, cultural initiatives can transform town centres into dynamic nightscapes that draw visitors and strengthen local identity. The first Purple Flag Forum of 2025 explored how destinations are leveraging culture to enhance their night-time economy. We heard from a Purple Flag destination who shared innovative approaches to integrating culture, driving footfall, and creating lasting impact.

Ojay McDonald, CEO, ATCM interviews Lucy Powell, MP for Manchester Central

Despite making a valuable contribution to the town centre, the hospitality sector has faced significant pressure in recent years. Lockdowns, staff shortages, energy price hikes and a cost of living crisis have dented business sentiment. This session of the Purple Flag Forum looked at different initiatives aimed at supporting restaurants. Two Purple Flag destinations discussed their varying approaches to driving footfall and spend at opposing times of the year to provide food for thought to other Purple Flag destinations and ATCM members.

Place management based triage services at night can provide a crucial mechanism for early intervention. On the one hand they can provide a screen for the emergency services, reducing the pressure on the police and health services. On the other hand, through proactive assistance for night time users, triaging can keep people safe with positive benefits for health outcomes. So, what can we learn about place management’s role in delivering triage services? The first Purple Flag Forum following the Summer break took a case study approach to the use of triage services at night. The meeting also included an open roundtable, allowing delegates to ask questions and offer their own experiences of triage services, taking into account everything from partnership development, working with volunteers and data collection on outcomes from public services.

The first step to making a great place, is to create a safe space. But how can we achieve this, when some of the people who might feel the most vulnerable are not always part of the urban design process? For the first time, the Purple Flag Forum went international to discuss different approaches, across both northern and southern hemispheres, to creating places inclusive of women, girls, gender diversity and other key groups through collaborative placemaking. This virtual event included contributions from New South Wales (Australia) and the UK.