MTV Awards forced licensing change

Back in 2011 Belfast’s live music and entertainment venues were struggling to keep the parties going. With Irelands strict laws, clubs were not permitted to sell alcohol after midnight even if they could stay open until 3am and with the MTV European music awards creeping round the corner many felt they would miss out on business from tourism, crucial for the city says tourism marketing Bonita, M Kolb:

“economic benefits tourism can provide include increasing tax revenue so that more money is available for infrastructure maintenance......providing for economic development through attracting new businesses.” (2006).

The Events organizers also commented saying that the closing of bars and clubs was “not and option” and that it would “create enormous problems for MTV” (BelfastTelegraph, 2013).

The purpose of The Live Music bill issued by Lib Dem Lord Clement-Jones, was to offer licensing exceptions to venues with capacities less than 200.

Unfortunately the Bill never passed in time for the MTV Music Awards and local clubs, pubs and bars missed out on hosting the after parties for the attending stars like Beyonce and Lady Gaga. Instead these parties where held in Belfast’s Titanic Bell Hall, an unlicensed venue where the same laws didn’t apply. However MTV played a large part in pushing the Bill to the House Of Commons when in 2012 the Bill finally became an Act of Parliament.

Not all was lost for Belfast though, £22 million was generated in sales with £10 million of that generated in tourism revenue by the event. The council’s statistics showed MTV booking over 8,000 rooms from over 40 hotels in the area (BBC News, 2012).

Now Belfast can to get their party on!!!

For more on tourism marketing check out the book below:

Kolb, B. M. (2006) Tourism Marketing for Cities and Towns: Using branding and events to attract tourists. Oxford, UK: Elsevier Inc.