IF you've ever tried to find somewhere to eat, that isn't a fast food chain, or grab a decent coffee after 10pm, you know Newcastle's economy is not operating 24 hours a day.
The NSW Government is hoping to change that by expanding their Uptown Accelerator program to regional cities.
On Tuesday the NSW 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, Michael Rodrigues, will host the first Regional Roadshow at Earp Distilling Co in Carrington.
The roadshow will also visit Gosford on Thursday and Wollongong on May 14.
Over the past two years the program has been rolled out across greater Sydney.
Essentially the Uptown Accelerator program is about fostering partnerships between businesses with a common customer base or location to maximise their marketing potential.
Tuesday's Roadshow will feature a discussion panel, followed by a networking opportunity.
"The basic idea is that the government wants to see well-run coordinated precincts," Mr Rodrigues said.
"This is a way of thinking about how businesses in an area come together to put on a good evening out, across a range of activities.
"Thinking about arts, culture, music, entertainment and food and beverage. In a way it's thinking about it in the old High Street model."
Mr Rodrigues is a former managing director of Time Out magazine and was appointed the state's first 24-Hour Economy Commissioner - colloquially known as "Sydney's night mayor" - in 2021 as a key recommendation from the Sydney 24-Hour Economy Strategy published in 2020.
He said working together as entertainment precincts was more productive as all businesses involved in hospitality were battling a common enemy - the couch.
"As it currently stands there's a really attractive option for you which is for you to sit at home on the couch and have everything brought to you through streaming and home delivery," he said.
"A district approach makes it more compelling and more viable in the long term, we think, for businesses to attract audiences."
Newcastle has historically boasted several dining precincts based around Darby Street and Honeysuckle and further afield in Beaumont Street in Hamilton.
The West Best Bloc Fest - a roving music festival held across various venues between Steel and Union Streets in Newcastle West - is another example of how business collaboration has benefited a local precinct.
Mr Rodrigues said Uptown Accelerator was also about educating businesses on how to activate promotional and government funding opportunities through collaboration.
"It's about who wants to work together, get on the same page and what story do we want to tell," he said.
Mr Rodrigues said the biggest issue for Newcastle's night-time economy continues to be noise complaints.
However, he said the NSW Government's reform to appoint the Liquor and Gaming NSW as the lead regulator of noise complaints, to come into effect later this year, was a positive step for the night-time economy.
