Evaluating Coventry's Dynamic Year as UK City of Culture 2021
Cover of the Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 final evaluation report (Photograph: Dylan Parrin)Coventry City Council has recently unveiled a comprehensive evaluation report that delves into the aspects of the city's transformative experience as the UK City of Culture in 2021. The evaluation, conducted in collaboration with Coventry University and the University of Warwick, sheds light on the social, economic, and cultural impacts of this prestigious title.
The Coventry City Council evaluation: https://www.coventry.gov.uk/news/article/4818/evaluation-report-highlights-benefits-city-of-culture-year-brought-to-coventry
Coventry's year as the UK City of Culture was not just a celebration in the city centre. It reached every ward and neighbourhood, engaging over 3,000 community dancers, musicians and poets who collectively orchestrated more than 700 events. The recently released report highlights the multifaceted successes of this endeavor and the challenges faced, particularly in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Curtesy of Coventry University One notable accomplishment highlighted in the evaluation is the significant financial boost that the City of Culture brought to Coventry. Research by Coventry University and the University of Warwick indicates that the title and year-long program attracted millions of pounds in investment and stimulated a remarkable £150 million surge in tourism income, surpassing pre-Covid levels.
An impressive statistic reveals that 47% of all Coventry residents actively participated in City of Culture events between May 2021 and June 2022. In addition, a substantial 57% of the program was free to access, emphasising inclusivity. Excluding commercial events, 77% of activities were co-created with residents made to foster a sense of community ownership.
Over the seven-year lifespan of the City of Culture Trust, a total of £44.5 million was allocated to secure and deliver the City of Culture title. Notably, this investment was a catalyst for an additional £183.1 million flowing into the city which showcased the broader impact of Coventry's cultural achievements on its economic landscape.
Curtesy of Coventry City Council Cllr David Welsh, Coventry City Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, expressed satisfaction with the independent report. Here’s what he had to say, "The evaluation clearly shows the big success during our time as the City of Culture. It points out the increase in visitors attracted by our cultural changes and improved heritage sites. Despite the pandemic challenges, the report highlights lasting successes that made a real impact. Recognising where we can do better, this opens doors for new initiatives such as the Coventry Culture Works.”
Coventry's time in the cultural spotlight generated a staggering media value of over £127 million, starting from the bidding phase and continuing until June 2022. The city also witnessed a robust recovery in the economic impact of tourism in 2022, reaching £750.86 million, a substantial £156.5 million higher than pre-Covid levels in 2019.
Curtesy of Coventry City Council
The program's success is not solely measured in economic terms but also in terms of engagement. Across physical and online activities, there were over one million points of engagement with the program, indicating a widespread and diverse audience. Areas with historically low cultural participation saw an average increase of 36% in regular engagement with 41% of tickets being distributed to citizens from Coventry’s lower socio-economic groups.
Volunteering played a pivotal role in Coventry's cultural journey, with 1,515 citizens becoming fully trained City Host volunteers. A large majority of 91% expressed a strong sense of belonging to Coventry, underlining the program's impact on fostering community connections.
The journey to becoming the UK City of Culture in 2021 was not without its challenges, primarily due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Initially scheduled to commence in January 2021, Coventry's 12-month program faced delays until May 2021. Despite these setbacks, key events were live-streamed using social media platforms, ensuring a broader reach. Collaborations with BBC and Sky Arts expanded the combined reach of programs to over 100 million, with TV reach for City of Culture content exceeding 4.5 million.
Curtesy of Coventry UK City of Culture Facebook page Marie-Anna Paier is an individual who has a certain level of expertise on this topic. She works at Art:Phalanx in PR and Project Management but more importantly she dedicated her Master Thesis on the impact of the UK City of Culture on Coventry. Having released her findings before the council’s evaluation it gives us a unique point of view, unaffected by Coventry City Council. Here’s what she had to say about her report.
“The findings of the study indicated, that culture is a very strong tool for urban revitalisation, the increase in tourism and image change. The title of UK City of Culture can be the catalyst needed to sustainably transform the city and to create a new narrative for Coventry. The results show that it is crucial to increase the cultural participation and involve the diverse population of Coventry. Also it has shown that the majority of citizens are favourable with the title and wish for a change of reputation, image and infrastructure.”
To summarise, the evaluation of Coventry's year as the UK City of Culture 2021 paints a comprehensive picture of a city that not only weathered the challenges posed by the pandemic but emerged with a strengthened cultural identity, economic resilience, and a sense of community belonging. The successes, coupled with the insights gained, position Coventry on a trajectory to continue its cultural evolution, shaping the future with lessons learned from a transformative year.