The BRIT Awards, which was held outside London for the first time this year, resulted in a huge financial benefit for Manchester.

Staged at Oak View Group’s 23,500-capacity Co-Op Live arena on 28 February, an independent report conducted by AMION Consulting has shown that the music industry celebration resulted in £5 million in direct spend, £3.45m in Gross Value Added, and £11.2m in monetised social impact.

The research also found that The BRITs, which is owned and organised by music industry trade body the BPI, resulted in more than 3,000 one-week temporary jobs being created – the equivalent to 15,497 days of employment for Manchester based workers.

A wider programme of events extended the reach of the BRITs beyond the ceremony itself, including BRITs Week gigs, Fringe Lab education days, Manchester Welcomes programming, The BRITs Art Trail, industry networking events, media activity, educational engagement and community focused initiatives.

AMION said the economic assessment focused on spending retained in Manchester that would otherwise not have taken place in the city across visitor spending and organiser and partner spending. It said that to avoid overstating the impact, the assessment excluded ticket income and was adjusted for displacement.

“Manchester is known throughout the world for its incredible music scene, and bringing the BRIT Awards here for the first time was a massive moment for our city region,” said Mayor of Greater Manchester Bev Craig. “It was a recognition not only of our unmatched music heritage, but our growing reputation for putting on national and global events and making a success of them.

“Events like these bring millions of pounds into our economy and boost our culture and hospitality industries, but they’re also about creating opportunities and inspiring people here with major events in world-class venues right on their doorstep.”

The UK’s largest arena, Co-op Live is to become the latest venue to feature in the Access All Areas Explores film series. 

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