Empowering Croydon’s Night-Time Economy
We pushed entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable night-time activity across Croydon.
Context
Opening Doors After Dark
Croydon was ready to transform its night-time economy—an essential yet under-leveraged part of urban life. With hospitality and small business sectors seeking post-pandemic regeneration, local leaders knew a bold approach was needed to create new opportunities, foster vibrant activity after hours, and reach untapped audiences.
Working in partnership with Croydon Council and backed by the UK’s UKSPF initiative, we helped design and deliver an ambitious, innovation-led growth programme. The focus: support entrepreneurs and hospitality leaders to redefine the night-time economy through new products, events, and collaborations. Using multi-layered entrepreneurial "Hacks" and Labs, we convened diverse participants from across the borough to create ideas that would drive commercial and social value.
We also ran Community Hacks—engaging local business clusters to co-create solutions to shared challenges, from tightening spending to restricted consumer spending power. By providing a space for collaboration, validation, and network-building, each intervention was designed to catalyse action and unlock momentum.
Approach
Job and Business Creation: Participants launched new ventures and collaborations, leading to new jobs for local residents.
Innovation Pipeline: Validated business concepts emerged, several with potential to scale borough-wide.
Community Impact: Tangible improvements in local night-time activity, with new events, services, and safe spaces.
Evidence-Driven Outcomes: Impact tracked quarterly to March 2025, with data on jobs created, products piloted, and businesses supported.
Impact
Co-Design and Engagement: True partnership with Croydon Council, and intensive engagement with local entrepreneurs, drove creativity and buy-in.
Layered Approach: Combining high-energy “Hack” events with longer-term support meant momentum and impact were sustained.
Data-Led Delivery: Ongoing measurement and transparent reporting helped keep the programme focused and outcomes-driven.
By unlocking Croydon's entrepreneurial spirit after dark, this programme is setting new standards for city-led, community-powered economic renewal—ensuring the night is filled with opportunity for all.
“One major hurdle for me was creating a Sponsorship Deck - something I had kept putting off, feeling overwhelmed by how to get it right. IMPACT Croydon simplified the entire process, pulling together all the key slides within a week, and even helped brainstorm a list of potential sponsors. They were incredibly supportive, and their expertise made a huge difference.”