The second annual NEON Forum was held in Sydney from 30-31 October 2024, bringing together the world’s leading experts on night-time economies.

Hosted by the NSW Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, NEON Forum 2024 spotlighted the efforts to implement the NSW Government's Vibrancy Reforms, as well as the broader work of the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner with its expanded remit across NSW.

The forum was addressed by Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy John Graham and 24-Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues.

Destination NSW gave an update on the recent review of the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy, which has adopt a new goal of $91 billion in annual visitor economy expenditure by 2035 – a 40 per cent increase on the previous goal.

Learn more about the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy here.

The forum also featured international speakers including:

  • Michael Kill, CEO, Night Time Industries Association, London
  • Alicia Scholer, Vice President, Responsible Hospitality Institute, San Francisco, California
  • Simone d’Antonio, Lead Expert, URBACT Cities After Dark Network, Rome, Italy
  • Natalie Mets, Nighttime Advisor, Tallinn, Estonia
  • Andreina Seijas, Founder Night Tank, Associate Gehl, Paris
  • Sean Lee, CEO d’strict, Republic of Korea

NEW AFTER-DARK PLATFORMS LAUNCH

Two new night-time economy platforms were officially launched at the NEON Forum, Data After Dark and Neon Marketplace.

Data After Dark will track growth and changes in economic activity across the state between 6pm and 6am.

Some of the initial insights from the platform are that the NSW night-time economy is worth $102 billion a year, employs a fifth of all workers and supports more than 53,000 core businesses, including music venues, restaurants, bars and leisure activity providers.

Data After Dark draws from multiple information sources, including Opal travel data and spending transactions. It will create a baseline to track the impact of the NSW Government’s Vibrancy Reforms to boost the night-time economy. Learn more here.

Established nightlife precincts, businesses, suppliers, jobseekers and performers will also soon have a one-stop shop called Neon Marketplace to help them connect, find partnership opportunities, access grant initiatives and share knowledge and ideas to grow night-time offerings across the state.

The Neon Marketplace platform will feature teams who are participating in the Uptown District Acceleration Program, including teams across regional centres in Newcastle, Wollongong and the Central Coast and will continue momentum across the 24-hour economy.

The platform also aligns with the NSW Government’s ongoing work through Tranche 2 of the Vibrancy Reforms with more support for special events, hospitality and live music venues under way.

Learn more here.