Our core expertise
Night time and 24-hour economies measured and understood
Local economies don’t stop at sunset. For over 15 years, Ingenium Research has been building the evidence base that better understands night-time and 24-hour economies.
Local economies don’t stop at sunset. For over 15 years, Ingenium Research has been building the evidence base that better understands night-time and 24-hour economies.
The night-time economy, broadly defined as economic activity between 6pm and 6am, is far larger and more complex than most people assume. It is not just bars and nightclubs.
While it encompasses restaurants, live music venues, theatres, cinemas, late-night retail, hotels, and accommodation, it also includes healthcare, emergency services, transport networks, and the entire logistics supply chain that keeps these sectors running. In most local economies, the night-time economy accounts for a substantial share of total employment, business establishments and consumer spending, yet it has historically been one of the least measured parts of the economy.
That gap has consequences. Planning decisions, licensing frameworks, transport investment, cultural policy and policing strategy are focused on the day but all directly affect the night-time economy. Without good data, those decisions are made in the dark.
The night-time economy isn’t just about nightlife. It’s about how local economies function, and who they function for, after dark.
When governments commission rigorous night-time economy research, they gain:
Value of the Australian Night-Time Economy in 2023/24
Australian LGAs measured annually through the CCCLM national programme
Years developing and refining the analytical frameworks that underpin NTE measurement
In recent years, the policy conversation has begun to shift. Night-time economy, while still the dominant term in much of the research literature, is giving way to a broader concept: the 24-hour economy.
Cities don’t operate in neat 12-hour blocks. Economic activity flows continuously across all 24 hours. The 24-hour economy framing asks a bigger question: not just ‘what happens after 6pm?‘ but ‘how does economic activity distribute across all 24 hours, and how can policy support a local economy that works well at every hour of the day?‘
The question is no longer just what happens after dark. It’s how the full 24-hour cycle of city life can be better understood, better supported, and better governed.
At the foundation of Ingenium’s night-time economy research is the Night Mix Index (NMI) an analytical framework co-created by Terry Bevan in 2009 and subsequently refined and applied across the UK, Australia, New Zealand and other jurisdictions.
The NMI identifies the specific industry classifications that most accurately capture economic activity occurring during night time hours. Applied to official government datasets, it produces consistent, comparable measures of night-time economy scale, composition and change over time.
The result is a methodology that is reproducible, comparable across geographies and years.
Economic scale & composition
Establishment counts, employment figures and sales turnover across the night-time economy, at national and local level, with year-on-year trend analysis.
Geospatial & trading hours analysis
Street-level mapping of business clusters, trading hours and activity patterns, using emerging datasets to reveal what traditional statistics miss.
Benchmarking & international comparison
Comparing your night-time economy against peer jurisdictions, so policymakers always know where they stand relative to comparable economies.
Safety, community & policy data
Crime patterns, ambulance call-outs and licensing data layered alongside economic analysis, giving a complete picture of the night-time economy.
No two projects are identical – we shape our approach around your context
First measurement of your local night-time economy – establishing the baseline from which all future monitoring and benchmarking flows.
Ideal for: councils new to NTE research
Consistent year-on-year measurement tracking how your night-time economy is changing and how you compare to peer cities and regions nationally.
Ideal for: councils and states with established NTE strategies
Deep-dive geospatial analysis of specific precincts, identifying clusters, mapping activity patterns, and providing granular insight below standard levels.
Ideal for: councils new to NTE research
Assessing the economic and social impact of specific interventions using rigorous before-and-after analysis.
Ideal for: councils, state and territory governments
Making sense of existing night-time economy data and translating it into clear, actionable insight for your specific context.
Ideal for: councils with data infrastructure but limited analytical capacity
Full economic cost-benefit analysis of night-time economy activity, policy or investment.
Ideal for: Major strategic planning, funding bids or regulatory reform
Ingenium Research was not assembled by adding ‘night time economy’ to a generalist service list. It was built by the economists, data specialists and researchers who created the methodology, ran the first studies, and have spent their careers in this space.
Terry Bevan co-created the Night Mix Index in 2009. Andrew License co-developed its Australian application. Anna Edwards holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne specifically on night-time economy governance. This depth is not available elsewhere.
No industry to appease. No platform to promote. No position to protect. We follow the data – and provide clear, impartial analysis you can rely on.
As data platforms proliferate, the scarce skill is interpretation – understanding what the numbers mean for your community, your policy context, and your specific decisions. That analytical and advisory capability is what Ingenium is built around.
Whether you’re commissioning your first night-time or 24-hour economy baseline, trying to make sense of data you already have, or building the evidence base for a strategy or funding bid, we’d like to help. Reach out for an informal conversation.