Steven Hesketh

There’s a conversation happening in festivals right now that people don’t always see from the outside, because from the outside it still looks like glitter, headline acts, and a big weekend out. But behind the scenes, the gap between independent festivals and the giants is real, and it isn’t just about who’s got the coolest poster or the biggest name at the top of the lineup. It’s about infrastructure. It’s about leverage. It’s about who’s plugged into the whole live music machine and who’s...

On Thursday we hosted our seventh conference, Great Art of Hospitality. Seventh. If you’d told me a couple of years ago we’d be filling rooms in Manchester talking about placemaking, power, resilience and visitor economies, I’d may not have believed you. Yet there we were, partnering  with Downtown in Business, taking over the incredible Treehouse Hotel Manchester with a room full of people who genuinely care about this industry. It was a fantastic day and just wanted to run through the...

I read an article this week saying Chester has been ranked the second fastest-growing hospitality city in the UK and honestly, it stopped me in my tracks. It quoted research from Northern Restaurant & Bar, in partnership with CGA by NielsenIQ, talking about venue growth and how the North is “leading the recovery.” And look, I’m not here to bash Chester. I love Chester. I live and work in Chester. And I have a business in Chester. I’m in hospitality every day. I know how hard it is to keep the...