Ged was previously the event manager at world famous Cavern Club in Liverpool. As a musician he has recorded and performed worldwide with major artists since the early 80’s. Ged was also the Development Manager for the Merseyside Music Development Agency, contributing as a consultant in this role to Liverpool’s successful 2008 Capital of Culture bid.
At Vinterkonferansen 2023 you can meet Dr. Ged Ryan in these sessions:
Weathering the storm: How Liverpool exploited its cultural challenges and the need for change (keynote 21. March)
How does a business, city, or region respond to the cultural challenges from a sea of change? How do cities adjust in a post-Covid environment? Are the opportunities too challenging or are the challenges really opportunities to exploit? A great deal has been reported on cultural challenges and the decimation of the creative industries due to the Covid 19 lockdowns. Now we see the re-emergent social activities of the post-Covid movement. This includes increased tourism, sell out events, a greater awareness of individual wellbeing, fear of missing out, and the need for social interaction. These are all juxtaposed by the fear of crowds, health concerns, increased anxiety, eating disorders, fear of running out, changes in travel behaviour and so on. These are just some of the cultural challenges and
opportunities in a post-Covid environment.
Liverpool is a city that has experienced many challenges. Through a combination of prevention, intervention, policy and planning, Liverpool has come a long way since the deep lows of the late 20 th century with immense changes to the city. The city’s renaissance was inspired by the city’s 800 th birthday in 2007, the successful bid for the Capital of Culture in 2008 and the complete development of the city centre which have visibly and spiritually revitalised the city.
Every destination has the opportunity to manage and take advantage of whatever natural resources that exist; regardless of how low that sense of existence might be. Essentially, it boils down to people and whether they are prepared or even want to exploit the need for change and see it as an opportunity or a threat. With these thoughts in mind, Ged will discuss Liverpool`s unique story on how culture and the creative industries have been the key drivers for the city`s redevelopment and rebranding.
National Tourism Strategy 2030: How will achieving a high yield with low impact affect you? (Workshop 22. March)
The national tourism strategy sets out a bold strategy for the future of tourism in Norway. In a world of post-pandemic hospitality, profitability largely remains low, capacity has not been extensively realised, the industry is facing recruitment challenges and the level of government support is low. What strategies can tourism/destinations adopt today to meet the initiatives and measures of the National Tourism Strategy 2030? And how can cultural tourism in particular play an important role in achieving the goals of the strategy?