Nicky Hughes, associate director and head of place communications at Active Profile, discusses what has made a man of Mann Island.

Mann Island, at Liverpool’s Pier Head, is a striking yet somewhat controversial building, probably due to its black, granite ‘Marmite’ structure. Today, the scheme is a bustling waterfront destination, but that hasn’t always been the case. It’s been there for nearly a decade, but it seems to have gone from deserted island to emerging 'place' in the last six months alone. So, what's changed?

I’ve been speaking to some of the influencers who I believe have been instrumental in the change in pace at Mann Island, which shows that in some cases you can 'build it, and they will come’… eventually. If the offer is right and the communications that support it are well executed, places like Mann Island, which is still relatively new to the city’s skyline, can start to tell a compelling story.

The Docks and UNESCO-badged waterfront in Liverpool has always had its draw, but, until fairly recently, Mann Island was a very quiet landscape indeed, despite being home to some big brands. When it launched, there were tenants lined up to take space at the Grade A office scheme, but then recession hit and the phones went quiet.

Today, whether due to new management or because there is just more confidence in the market and more disposable income in people’s pockets, there has been a notable shift in gear. The area has come to life, not only with the millions of tourists that visit Liverpool’s waterfront every year, but with business people, students, entrepreneurs, locals and those just curious to know what all the fuss is about. The additions of RIBA North, the Royal Institute of British Architects new architecture centre, collaborative workspace Avenue HQ, and lively pop-up gin bar and fairground attractions certainly seem to have had their roles to play in Mann Island’s success story as a new place and destination for business and leisure.

Karl Connolly, owner of development advisory business, caco inc, and one of the entrepreneurs who brought Avenue HQ to Liverpool, was keen to point out that, although there has certainly been a turnaround in recent months at Mann Island, he didn’t believe it’s success was solely due to who owned the scheme and when. Karl feels it’s more a case of good timing, a change in the economic climate and an opportunity in 2017 to create the right offering to attract the right mix of tenants and visitors.

“Avenue HQ has established a new product at Mann Island, a creative space for creative businesses, attracting interesting people,” explained Karl, “And it’s not sector specific. Barclays Eagle Labs are in there, there are three legal practices, digital agencies, property advisors and creative and cultural businesses. So, it’s a real melting pot of creative, built environment and professional services organisations, collaborating and inter-trading with one another. Happy accidents do happen – you never know who you’re going to meet in a co-working space.”

RIBA North is playing starring role in attracting a national audience to Mann Island. It opened earlier this year with an exhibition, Liverpool(e): Mover Shaker Architectural Risk-Taker, which included items from the RIBA collections that had never previously been publicly displayed.

When I met with Suzy Jones, director of RIBA North, she said that it is a really strategic site for the organisation: “We are in really good company here, with a wealth of cultural organisations on our doorstep, but it is also an ideal context for our professional audience, architects, developers, designers and the broader industry who deliver conferences and host meetings with us at RIBA North. Liverpool City Council have recently announced RIBA North as the Information Hub for the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, we are perfectly located to engage visitors, residents and businesses in the conversations around World Heritage Status and for people to find out more about what this means for the city and its evolution.”

But what of the role of communications? Karl Connolly described it as “a whispering campaign that became a shouting campaign, but in a good way, to the right people.” So, in this case, early-stage communications were instrumental but without being in your face. As a PR and marketer, I am obviously interested in developing the right communications campaigns and strategies to raise profiles, but it’s all about timing. Sometimes, it is best to sit back for a bit and let places shape organically, with just the right amount of stage direction applied from the wings.

When RIBA North opened though, the time had come to ramp things up and shout a little louder. Suzy Jones said RIBA worked closely with other tenants to significantly change the signage and wayfinding strategy at Mann Island, by advertising the offers on a much larger scale… and it worked. “You could see the giant ‘EXPLORE’ signage all the way down The Strand and it has definitely increased footfall to the area.”

The same can be said of the events and installations. RIBA launched with the giant ‘Unveiled’ installation by architect KHBT, in the atrium, which increased footfall by 20% and impacted on the dwell-time in the space.

Events taking place at Avenue HQ have also had a positive impact, with late night launch dos, business breakfasts and exhibitions regularly taking place and influencers like Steve Rotherham, who is a regular at Avenue HQ, staging events within the space.

   Image Source Courtesy of Avenue HQ

The tenants within Mann Island shouldn’t be overlooked in terms of their contribution to communications too. They have their own social media channels, so they have all had their roles to play in profile raising. This has had a beneficial impact on the development of Mann Island as a place, as well as on their own businesses.

I think it’s true to say that Mann Island has been on a bit of a rollercoaster over the last 10 years, but it’s interesting to see the regeneration journey that it’s been on. From being nominated for the Carbuncle Cup but also receiving an RIBA regional award, to being fast-tracked into one of the city’s places to be, it’s a bit of an ugly duckling story, proving that sometimes some schemes (even the new ones) just need a bit of repositioning and repurposing to reenergise them.

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Header Image Courtesey of Johannes Marburg