to see people coming back through the doors again . There was a lot of laughter and confidence among delegates and by the end people were deep in conversation standing close together – many didn ’ t want to leave .” She says a huge amount of work went into making the event a success , not least bringing organisations including Culture Liverpool and DCMS together virtually , but the team benefited from intelligence passed on by the team at Wembley Stadium after its ERP events , and in turn ACC Liverpool passed on learnings to organisers of other ERP events .
Dyer says key learnings were around the ticketing process , ingress and the need for very clear communication .
“ It ’ s been a massively steep learning curve , and labour-intensive , but we see it has an important investment – what could be a more important use of time than playing a significant part in trying to get our industry back open ?” On 11 May , the BRIT Awards was attended by an audience of 4,500 , with 2,500 being key workers and their guests . Among the acts to perform at the event were Arlo Parks , Dua Lipa , Rag ’ n ’ Bone Man and P ! nk . The annual event is organised by recorded music industry trade body the BPI .
BPI and BRIT Awards CEO Geoff Taylor says the event was a natural fit for the ERP : “ We are in regular touch with DCMS as we look to promote British music , and conversations
Faye Dyer , managing director , The ACC Liverpool Group
about The BRITs becoming part of the ERP pilot developed naturally once the programme was announced . The May date fitted in nicely with DCMS ’ s ERP timeline and we were excited about the possibility of having a live crowd at The O2 arena for the first time in over a year . It meant so much to the performers and nominees and helped make it a more meaningful experience for ITV / ITV hub viewers on the night .”
As with all other ERP events , Government covered the costs of testing but other costs were covered by the organisers .
Says Taylor , “ Record labels with the BPI , PPL and others have been doing their best to help with donations to Help Musicians , MVT , Stagehand and MMF Rebuild , but the most effective thing that we can do is to help get live music back up and running at scale as quickly as possible .”
Benn says Government provided insurance coverage of £ 300,000 across all the Liverpool events : “ The Liverpool events , in particular the business conference , Circus nightclub and Sefton Park pilot , were all created
events and were not going to happen unless they were part of the ERP , unlike The Brits and the snooker that got some TV funding .
“ It should at least demonstrate to Government that there is actually a need for insurance in the risk business . We have insurance for everything else – terrorism , bad weather , employer ’ s and public liability insurance .
“ The bit the market won ’ t pick up is the Covid cancellation insurance . Government can recognise the need for insurance as part of the ERP , but the fact it has otherwise shown no sign of being willing to step in is disappointing .”
When it comes to the result of the ERP , Benn says the intention is to have the report finished by the end of May for submission to the prime minister . Whether events can open or not without social distancing from 21 June will then be announced on 14 June .
He says , “ It would be fair to say that within a week or so of The Brits we will know if there has been a problem , and likewise we will know if there is an insurmountable issue within the same timeframe following the Sefton Park pilot .
“ The report won ’ t be finished but we will have a good idea , even if unofficial , of whether they have been safe . Whether that will be enough for us to take the decisions to go ahead , that is another discussion .”
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