BELFAST BRIEFING:Next month's music awards are poised to deliver a much needed economic boost

BELFAST IS getting ready to party next month with the MTV Europe Music Awards but just how much of an economic boost might the likes of Lady Gaga or Katy Perry deliver for the city?

Will the list of “global superstar performers” from Coldplay to the Red Hot Chili Peppers taking part in the 18th annual MTV European Music Awards on November 6th create a stream of tourist revenue for Northern Ireland?

The MTV gig does not come cheap. Together Belfast City Council and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board have already stumped up £870,000 to support the event.

This includes an additional £200,000 that had to be contributed just last month after it emerged that a further £213,535 was needed to ensure certain events around the MTV awards would go ahead.

According to the mayor of Belfast, Councillor Niall Ó Donnghaile, the additional funding has made it possible to stage a free outdoor concert by Snow Patrol in the grounds of City Hall during the awards show.

Ó Donnghaile clearly believes it is money well spent, based on the fact that 600 million people around the world are expected to tune into watch the awards. He says it will be a great opportunity to showcase Belfast and all that it has to offer.

According to one of MTV’s top executives, “the event itself costs millions of pounds” to stage.

But David Lynn, executive vice-president and managing director for MTV Networks UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand said he was confident the awards would provide a direct boost to the local economy.

“We don’t typically talk about the contributions that the city makes,” Lynn says.

“All that I would say is that the feedback from all the cities that we have been to is that they have found it a positive experience. An event like this is hugely expensive to lay on and the city councils that we have worked with in the past have always found that it is a great event for the city both in terms of the local economy on the night but also the follow-through from the exposure it gives the city.

“The event itself is broadcast to 640 million homes, a potential 1.2 billion people and 159 territories so obviously it is a great opportunity to showcase Belfast.”

Minister for Enterprise Arlene Foster says forecasts show hosting the 2011 awards could generate £10 million for the local economy.

“The awards will attract approximately 20,000 visitors, with 25 per cent coming from outside Northern Ireland, and they will bring significant economic, social and tourism benefits to Northern Ireland in the longer term,” she says.

Lynn also believes that if Belfast can build on the success of last year’s awards in Spain, which attracted more than 22.2 million viewers, it could net even more.

“I think it’s worth looking at what has happened for previous cities.

“If you look at Madrid for instance – there were 8,000 press clips about the event last year, the vast majority of which mentioned the city, so it is great exposure and we put a value on that of £36 million.

“ That’s phenomenal exposure for the city to a global audience,” he says.

In his experience, the investment a city allocates to hosting the MTV awards can typically deliver a “tenfold” return.

“One of the reasons we picked Belfast was down to the thriving music scene that is there. By holding the event there, we are showcasing it as being a great, vibrant city and a good place to come and visit either for music or generally a good place for a youth audience to come and visit.”

Lynn says that because of the size and scale of the MTV awards there is an opportunity for many local firms and businesses to benefit from the event.

“One of the advantages of doing a city like Belfast is that it is a smaller city than some of the other cities where we have held the event so I think our presence in Belfast in the week preceding the event will be huge and, given the scale and the number of people coming to Belfast, I think there will be a very wide boost across the whole city.

“This is an event we invest significantly in and it is a key part of our calendar.”

According to MTV, more than 50 local companies have been contracted to supply a range of services, from hospitality to transport and support. Belfast-based Tibus is providing the managed internet service for the music awards, while Northern Ireland-based CW Rigging and KDM Hire will play key roles on the night.

It will not just be businesses based north of the Border that may get a lift from the awards. Dublin-based Total Event Rental will also get in on the act as a supplier.

But it is fair to say that if anyone is really going to toast the MTV awards in Northern Ireland this year, it is going to be the local hospitality industry. More than 10,000 hotel room nights have already been booked for the event and just try getting a restaurant reservation in Belfast on November 6th.

According to Janice Gault, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation, the MTV awards could not have come at a better time for the North, given the economic backdrop.

“It is good for everyone, it is good for business and it puts Northern Ireland on the world map – hopefully it will make people want to come and visit us.”