Having found his start in the Hacienda in a gritty, grey city that was Manchester back then, Sacha Lord went on to become a figurehead of Manchester entertainment scene. The founder of Parklife is now the new ‘Night-Time Tsar’ at the centre of a revolution turning the city into a vibrant, safe place to enjoy a night out.

He has spent years solving challenges associated with the night-time economy, including tackling challenges like widespread drug use and catching a phone thief with 68 stolen iPhones down their trousers!

From Sankeys to the Warehouse Project, to the Parklife festival, Sacha has played a pivotal role in Manchester as we see it today. His drive to create a safe space through awareness about the risks of drug use, spreading positive messaging to save young peoples’ lives, has undeniably been transformation. Rather than staying quiet and avoiding the topic, he and his team push safety messaging as far and wide as they can reach, to teach people about the risks.

In this episode, I chat with Sacha about the ‘good old days’ of this Northern city and about what’s to come in the future as the city continues to thrive.

As young people make different choices with their leisure time, often linked to how good the photographs will be for Instagram, a unique set of challenges presents itself for maintaining a healthy economy once the shops close.

Beyond clubs and bars, Sacha brought Parklife to the city – a festival with more than 80,000 attendees, pulling in some of the biggest acts in global music.

It’s a fascinating chat and I thoroughly enjoyed reminiscing as we talked through the city that we call home.

Key takeaways:

The impact of social media on nightlife in cities.Learning how to manage colossal events with more than 80,000 attendees.The incredible highs and heart-breaking lows of being a leader in the night-time economy.Pioneering techniques to tackle drug use and crime associated with the night-time economy.

Host: Lawrence Jones MBE [1]

Guest: Sacha Lord

Listening time: 70 mins

*This episode features explicit language

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[1] http://www.lawrencejones.co.uk/[2] https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/mind-your-own-business/id1259294180?mt=2[3] https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/lawrence-jones/lozcast[4] https://soundcloud.com/lawrencejonesmbe[5] https://twitter.com/Lawrence_Jones