Sacha Lord’s Post

Introducing the Annual Promoter Fund… £10,000 per year to be allocated between 4 first-time promoters in Greater Manchester and mentorship by me. One recipient will be chosen per quarter, and the funding will be provided through The Sacha Lord Foundation, which is headed up by my wife, Demi Lord... The Promoter Fund is our very first initiative. I got my start in the industry as a promoter back in the 90s, and my biggest hurdle was always finding the money for venue hire, DJs, marketing and so on. I want to remove that hurdle. Promoters with great ideas coupled with smaller grassroots events can catapult acts into the mainstream, and without them, names like Raye and Stormzy would never have been discovered. There is so much talent out there and so many great ideas…the people behind them just need a way to break through. I hope the Promoter Fund will help them do exactly that. To apply for funding, first-time promoters aged 18-25 should email NTEOffice@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk proposing: - Their idea - Why the event would be a success in Greater Manchester - Details on how the entrant plans to utilise the funding Entries should be unique to Greater Manchester, forward-thinking and diverse. Music across all genres will be considered. Shortlisted entrants will then be asked to present their concepts to me and my team in person before four winning ideas are chosen for development over the next 12 months. The closing date for the first round of entries is 30th June 2024.

Figures might show a slight decline in Hospitality closures, but the only thing that will fully stop them...and in fact create Hospitality openings...is a VAT REDUCTION. Today, I am meeting with operators to begin our campaign to run up to the election. Hospitality needs a VAT reduction to survive.

Congratulations again to Andy Burnham on being re-elected as Mayor of Greater Manchester. Andy is a powerful leader for the city region who genuinely cares about the people who live there and strives to improve their lives. I look forward to working with him as we continue to make Greater Manchester the best city region to live, work and visit.

Greater Manchester has spoken once again… Very, very few people have had such a profound impact on my life as Andy Burnham. He has taught me so much, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to have gotten to know the ‘real’ him behind the scenes…and even luckier to be able to say that he is exactly the same man in private as he is in public. We’ve got the genuine real deal here in Manchester...and that makes us all incredibly lucky. (Cake by Libby's Cakes in Sale from the 2021 Mayoral Election)

Tomorrow, I will be in Liverpool, speaking at Sound City 2024. I’ll be at Sidedoor telling some of the stories from my book, Tales From The Dancefloor, and maybe even some that didn’t make it to print… I’ll also be signing copies! Looking forward to meeting and speaking with some of you there…

Greater Manchester is pioneering a new way of doing politics. Positive, practical, place-first. Vote Andy Burnham tomorrow to keep Greater Manchester leading the way.

The opening paragraph of my book is a story I kept from my Mum until it was published... I just wasn’t sure how I was supposed to tell her I’d been bundled into a gangster’s car and then chucked back onto the pavement…

A message to anyone looking to break into the events industry: Start at the bottom. There is truly no ceiling to this space but do not expect to come in at middle management and find some short-cut to the next stage. From the portaloos to the lighting, there is not one aspect of my events that I have not taken the time to get to know. There is not one job that I’d have said no to. And it’s allowed me to develop skills that many times have been essential to our success but are often seen as the opposite. Even my ability to put up posters at 3 o’clock in the morning without getting caught…

That time a gang tried to blow up our generator a few nights before we re-opened Sankeys... I don't think they could have guessed what would happen next! Delighted to have finally met James O'Brien yesterday to discuss Tales From The Dancefloor, and even reveal a story or two from the book! Great to find out he experienced a good slice of Madchester too in the early 90's.

Every quarter, I Chair a meeting with the Greater Manchester Night Time Economy Panel. The members of this Panel were hand-picked by me…each of them is the very best in their field…and their expertise spans everything from operations and accessibility to the NHS and Transport for Greater Manchester. We just held our second meeting of 2024. Our immediate priorities are: Safety Transport Accessibility Diversity Regeneration Campaigning (especially VAT) Workers Greater Manchester is leading the way, but we can do better still. Watch this space.