Access All Areas February 2020 | Page 58

FEBRUARY | NOEA COLUMN Winter Blues? NOEA’S CEO Susan Tanner warms up Winter T his year, the National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA) Annual Convention & Awards once again took place in Bath, and was, once again, a brilliant success and another great moment for our association and our members. We chose to return to Bath for a number of reasons; geography is a consideration, the outdoor events ‘capital’ isn’t so much set in London, but a combination of the West Country, the Midlands and Scotland! We found ourselves welcome in Bath, and it’s working for our delegates. However, one of the reasons why we have chosen to stay in the city is because the event coincides with the Bath Christmas Market, a beautiful example of how outdoor events can become a tourist attraction, a stimulus for local businesses, an icon of their host city, and a chance to brighten up gloomy evenings with beauty and creativity; it’s a great event. It also reminds us that this industry of ours is more than just a summer showcase but operates all the year round. Increasingly, it is also these Christmas events that are as much a posterchild of the UK events scene as the summer “We’re lucky with the quality of the people and companies that support winter events” 58 festivals and sporting events we so often talk about. It’s great to see Access All Areas this month look at the importance of these Christmas events, from ice rinks to marketplaces, from Christmas Fairs to cultural shows. This is important business for our industry. All too often we bemoan the adverse effects of weather on ‘summer’ events, but we’re also lucky, because of the quality of the people and companies that support winter events, to be able to create memorable experiences for consumers throughout the year. We’re as robust on a rainy November night as we are during an April Shower, or a late Summer British monsoon! Delivering events in this part of the year helps us become more robust as an industry, to spread the ‘industry risk’ so to speak. Many of our event organisers are at the will of the weather or other freak occurrences, and if they can spread the risk by embracing winter events, then that can only be a good thing. More and more our members are talking about the end of the ‘bell curve’ industry budget, and are seeing their businesses involved in year-round activity. So, now the Christmas decorations are down, we’re holding out for spring, let’s not forget to look back on the season we’ve just had and remember it for the important contribution it has to our industry. Also, let’s start getting ready for next season, plans are already in place and if I know this industry at all, there will be some amazing things on the horizon.