By leveraging detailed visitor data, councils can support business growth, attract more visitors, and start building a thriving night-time economy that benefits both local enterprises and the wider community. Empowering towns and cities in Yorkshire with this knowledge can also support them in achieving, or maintaining, Purple Flag Accreditation, a recognised standard that celebrates safe, vibrant, and well-managed night-time economies.
Place Informatics, a leader in location, visitor, spend, and demographic analytics, provides valuable insights to help councils and businesses understand how to transform town centres into vibrant evening destinations. By analysing visitor demographics, travel patterns, spend and movement data, local authorities can make informed decisions on where to invest, what types of businesses to attract, and how to cultivate a diverse and appealing nightlife.
Understanding visitor density, crowd movement, and space utilisation—along with demographic insights into age groups, income levels, and spending habits—enables councils and businesses to develop a more inclusive and economically sustainable night-time economy.
Benchmarking performance data against other towns in the catchment area also helps councils assess their competitive position. By analysing where visitors travel from and which other locations they frequent, local authorities can refine marketing strategies, plan events, and enhance infrastructure to attract more people into town centres after dark.
While Economic development is vital for towns in Yorkshire, and visitor data helps develop this and also provides invaluable insights playing a key role in improving safety. Understanding peak crowd times and high-footfall areas allow councils and law enforcement to optimise the deployment of security and emergency solutions, reducing risks associated with overcrowding. Understanding these patterns helps create safer, well-managed nightlife environments, ensuring visitors have a positive experience and are more likely to return.
Clive Hall, CEO of Place Informatics, commented, "Developing a successful night-time economy depends on understanding how and where people move through a town centre in the evening. Our data allows councils and businesses to see which hospitality and leisure venues are attracting visitors, how footfall compares to other towns, and where investment is needed to grow their local economy. At the same time, these insights support safety planning, helping authorities manage crowd flows and ensure a secure environment for visitors.”
Place Informatics is a leading provider of location analytics, offering data-driven insights into visitor behaviour, demographics, spend and movement patterns. Its solutions support landowners, local authorities, and businesses in optimising safety, resource allocation, and visitor engagement.