Chancellor Rishi Sunak
Industry views
“ Three weeks since the awful title of ‘ Freedom Day ’, we can now safely say that hospitality was not the issue . It ' s going to be a hard slog to recover , at least three years to rebuild staff and customer confidence , pay off debt and get back to pre-Covid levels . A long road ahead .”
Parklife co-founder and Night Time Economy Advisor for Greater Manchester Sacha Lord reacts to the news that reopening venues and nightclubs has not resulted in soaring Covid cases .
Chancellor addresses Access All Areas readers following insurance scheme announcement
“ If you are pushing that boulder up the hill we want to give you a helping hand to do that .”
Following the announcement that the Government will provide a £ 750m event cancellation insurance scheme for at least one year from September , chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak has sent a message to the hard-working events professionals who make up Access All Areas ’ readership .
He said , “ The events sector is hugely important for the UK – bringing joy and happiness to countless people , supporting jobs and encouraging business , commerce and investment . And we have some of the best events in the world here in the UK .
“ The live events sector is worth more than £ 70bn annually to the economy and supports more than 700,000 jobs . From the large events companies , through to small businesses and the self-employed , whether working directly at the events , or in the supply chain , I ’ m really pleased that this scheme will help support those crucial jobs .
“ I know the lack of the right kind of insurance was proving a problem , and I heard the call of Access All Areas readers who work day in and day out to get events up and running . The sector is filled with people who work their socks off to make our fantastic events the envy of the world , so as restrictions have lifted and the economy reopens , we moved quickly to put this scheme in place for you .
“ I want to do everything I can to help you plan with confidence right through to next year , providing a boost to the economy and protecting livelihoods through our Plan for Jobs .”
Nadu Placca , founder of events management agency The Zoo XYZ and The Association of Black Event Professionals on the latter ’ s willingness to help event organisations become more representative and diverse .
“ We ’ ll provide the music and the good times , people just need to get both their vaccines so we can all keep dancing together safely .”
Ministry of Sound executive chairman Lohan Presencer on an initiative by leading nightclubs to help encourage young people to get vaccinated .
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