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.