View Liverpool Biennial’s Review of 2007 & 2008 here.

England’s Northwest Research Service (ENWRS) was commissioned to conduct an evaluation of the Liverpool Biennial 2008 festival, both to understand the audience profile and gain feedback, but also to model the levels of attendance and economic impact of the exhibition as a whole.

Impact of the 2008 Biennial

• It is estimated that the 2008 Liverpool Biennial received 451,000 visitors, who in total made 975,000 visits to Biennial exhibitions or displays.  This is a growth of 25% on the 360,000 visitors to Liverpool Biennial 2006, and an increase of 144% on the 400,000 visits made.
• The total spend by these visitors is an estimated £26.6m, an increase of 96% on the 2006 event.
• In terms of calculating the direct spend attributable to the event itself, approximately 269,000 visitors are estimated to have been drawn to visit Liverpool primarily because of the Biennial; these visitors spent approximately £13,892,000.  A further 14% of the total visitors indicated that the Biennial was of ‘some’ influence, adding some £1,678,000 to the economic impact figure.  This gives a total direct economic impact of £15,570,000, an increase of 108% on 2006.

Profile of visitors

• 45% of visitors to the Biennial were Merseyside residents (202,950 people)
• 21% were from elsewhere in Northwest England (93,808 people)
• 25% were from UK locations outside of the Northwest (110,495 people)
• 9% were from overseas locations (40,590 people).
• Liverpool Biennial 2008 saw an increase in both national and international visitors.  Visitors from outside the Northwest increased by a third, from 82,800 to 110,495, while international visitors increased 88% from 21,600 to 40,590.
• 23% of all visitors were on a staying visit, with the average length of stay being 3.6 nights.
• For 2008, the largest single visitor category was those visiting on their own (30%) – although almost as many were visiting with friends (27%). A significantly high proportion of visitors were in an organised group.
• 40% of Biennial visitors were aged 17-21, while a further 40% were aged 22-59.

Attitudes towards Visual Art and Liverpool Biennial

• 96% of visitors agreed that Liverpool Biennial is an exciting event for Liverpool.
• 92% agreed that Liverpool Biennial develops new audiences for contemporary art in Liverpool.
• 95% agreed that Liverpool Biennial offers a chance for new artists to show their work.
• 97% agreed that Liverpool Biennial is something that people in Liverpool should be proud of.
• 92% agreed that Liverpool Biennial is for the general public, not just for visual arts specialists.
• 96% agreed that Liverpool Biennial will attract visitors to the city.
• 41% of Biennial visitors claimed a specialist knowledge of visual art, while 40% claimed general knowledge, and 19% little or no knowledge.
• 50% reported a professional, academic or vocational involvement in the visual arts, while 21% saw Liverpool Biennial as a cool event, not necessarily an arts event.
• In terms of why visitors chose to visit Liverpool Biennial, Word of Mouth was the influence most likely to be mentioned (38%), followed by Biennial publications such as the Map (22%), Guide (19%) and Website (17%).
• For almost 60% of visitors, Liverpool Biennial was their main reason for visiting the city. A further 20% were leisure visitors to the city. Some 5% attended the Biennial whilst being mainly on a shopping trip and 5% whilst visiting friends or family.
• For 66.5% of visitors, Liverpool Biennial 2008 was the first they had attended.  30.5% had visited in 2006, and 18.9% in 2004.
• Almost a third of Biennial visitors were on their first visit to the city, or visited less often that once a year.  Those who were visiting the city primarily for the purpose of attending Liverpool Biennial were more likely to be on their first ever visit (23%).

Visitor Opinions

• In terms of visitor satisfaction, all aspects of the festival received positive ratings, with Value for money (4.8 out of 5); Event organisation and staff (4.54 out of 5) and Overall enjoyment (4.45 out of 5) receiving the highest ratings.  Signposting (3.17 out of 5) received the lowest overall rating (3 out of 5 is equivalent to a neutral rating).
• When asked what they enjoyed most about their visit to the 2008 Biennial, the highest mentions went to visitors who praised the sheer diversity of work involved, whilst others expressed the view that it was good having the chance to see such contemporary art and that it helped them stay abreast of the latest trends.
• Visitors from outside the city were particularly likely to mention that it was better than expected, and that they enjoyed discovering the wider culture in Liverpool.  Local visitors were particularly appreciative of the way the Biennial encompassed so much of the city.

For further information on Liverpool Biennial visit www.biennial.com

To receive a copy of the full report or a 2007 - 2008 Review, please contact Lisa Bradshaw, Development Officer:  +44 (0)151 203 3579, lisa@biennial.com

Creativity Makes Business Sense - A Unique Oportunity To Create A Winter Wonderland In The Retail Quarter

Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture brought millions of visitors into the region to enjoy a wide range of events from Tall Ships to Open Golf, to mass participation events such as the Giant Spider and Go Superlambananas.

This Christmas, Liverpool will once again, dazzle the world with its creativity. Colonies of beautifully created penguins will form a Winter’s Trail around the city highlighting the city’s cultural and retail offer.

Brought to you by Wild in Art, the team who delivered 2008’s hugely successful Go Superlambananas event, the city will be animated with over 100 individually designed 152cm tall penguins. Each one will be created by professional and amateur artists, schools and community groups celebrating Liverpool’s unique sense of fun and self expression for residents, shoppers and visitors to enjoy.

This event is Liverpool City Council’s highlight event for Winter 2009 and confirms its commitment to further develop the city as a cultural and visitor destination. Go Penguins is set to have a similar economic impact as Go Superlambananas which attracted in excess of one million people and contributed in excess of £41 million to the local economy.

We are appealing to businesses to become Penguin Patrons by sponsoring their own work of art for £3,000.

Visit  www.gopenguins.co.uk or contact claire@gopenguins.co.uk for further information.

Or you can download the sponsorship pack here [PDF 3MB]

Liverpool Biennial would like to invite you to the 2nd birthday party of Richard Wilson’s Turning the Place Over.

Conceived as a temporary installation at the heart of the city’s European Capital of Culture celebrations, we are now delighted to invite you to celebrate the 2nd birthday of this spectacular piece of public art.

Turning the Place Over consists of an 8 metres diameter ovoid cut from the façade of a building in Liverpool City Centre and made to oscillate in three dimensions. It offers recurrent glimpses of the building’s interior as it rotates during daylight hours.

This event will provide a unique opportunity to hear artist Richard Wilson respond to Turning The Place Over being celebrated as “the most daring piece of public art ever commissioned in the UK” (Liverpool Echo).

As well as this, David’s Cakes of Distinction, located in Crosby, are producing a 4ft x 4ft cake of the artwork, including a rotating ovoid! Guests will also receive an exclusive Turning the Place Over party bag.

Once again, we’ll also be offering free tours of Turning the Place Over, allowing guests to view the artwork from the inside of the building.

Due to limited capacity, attendance will be based on a first come first served basis. If you would like to attend please RSVP to http://blogs.biennial.com/rsvp

Friday 19 June, 5.00pm
Mercury Court, Tithebarn Street, Liverpool, L2 2QP

We hope to see you there!