EDITOR Christopher Barrett
JUNIOR NEWS REPORTER Joe Gallop
DIGITAL & COMMUNITY EDITOR Cameron Roberts
SALES DIRECTOR James Linin
PRODUCTION CONTROLLER Sabrina Boucher
SALES MANAGER Joanne Knowles
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Robert Fletcher
PAGE PRODUCTION PA Media
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Duncan Siegle
PUBLISHED BY MASH MEDIA GROUP Second Floor , Applemarket House , 17 Union Street , Kingston Upon Thames KT1 1RP . Tel : + 44 ( 0 ) 20 8481 11 22
SUBSCRIPTION : Free to qualified readers within UK , Non-qualified readers within UK - £ 50 , Readers in Europe / Eire - £ 70 , Worldwide - £ 105 .
SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES : Tel : 020 8481 11 28 . Address : Access All Areas , Second Floor , Applemarket House , 17 Union Street , Kingston-upon-Thames KT1 1RP .
The opinions expressed by contributors to this publication are not always a reflection of the opinions or the policy of the publishers . Information on services or products contained within editorial sections does not imply recommendation by Access All Areas . No part of this publication can be reproduced in any form without written authority of Mash Media .
Subscribe on www . accessaa . co . uk
Spring is in the air and there are plenty of reasons for optimism as we head towards what promises to be one of the busiest summers on record for major outdoor events . Plan B is behind us , the Omicron threat is subsiding , and the prime minister has promised to bring an end to Covid regulations in England , including the requirement to isolate after testing positive , on 24 February .
With some show operators having had to postpone their events for two years , it is finally all systems go . But at what cost ? With tickets sold at 2019 / 2020 prices and material and labour prices having soared by around 30 % since then , getting everything to add up commercially is going to be a careful balancing act .
On top of that , event operators who still have tickets to sell are set to be hit by a return to a 20 % VAT rate on tickets after 1 April .
Some compromises will have to be made and promoters have suggested that it may mean reducing the investment in the artist line-up by reducing the number of acts .
There is no getting away from the fact that this year is going to be a challenge , not only for the vast majority of promoters but suppliers too .
With that in mind , we have dedicated two panels at the Event Production Show to exploring the many supply chain challenges , during which potential solutions will be discussed . In the cover feature of this issue ( p18 ), we find out how a selection of key event suppliers , of everything from buildings to beverages , are preparing for the summer .
It was great to see so many of you at The Event Production Awards ( p31 ), which after another tumultuous year was an opportunity to reflect on what has been overcome and achieved during the period . Congratulation to all the winners , particularly the indefatigable Steve Heap !
Christopher Barrett , Editor
Keep up to date by visiting : accessaa . co . uk
@ access _ aa @ access _ aa
05