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News
Scottish event fund
The Scottish Government has
unveiled a £10m funding
package to support organisers
and suppliers of cultural,
community and sporting events
while they remain impacted by
lockdown restrictions.
The Scottish economy
secretary, Fiona Hyslop, said the
Covid-19 pandemic had
resulted in a “devastating
impact” for the sector. Peter
Duthie, CEO of the SEC, said
events contributed about £6bn
each year to Scotland’s
economy, and added additional
funding is “very welcome and
much needed.”
Strain for Ltd directors
The Association of Independent
Professionals and the
Self-Employed (IPSE) has said
the UK Government response to
the Treasury Select Committee
report on gaps in Covid-19
support is “disappointing”.
Although IPSE said it was
grateful that the Government
considered its proposals for
supporting directors of limited
companies, it did not agree with
the response that it would be
too “resource intensive”, saying
the plight of limited companies
was enough that it should
commit those resources.
ExCeL London and NEC to reopen on 1
October, Nightingales decommissioned
Two of the UK’s largest venues, ExCeL London (pictured) and the
NEC, located in Birmingham, are to reopen on 1 October. Jeremy
Rees, CEO at ExCeL London, said: “Having played a full role in
supporting the NHS, providing all of our facilities for the
Nightingale Hospital, we are now looking forward to playing an
equally active role in the nation’s economic recovery.
“The vast majority of the venue (90%) has been restored to its
original state, with the remaining space secured as equipment
storage for NHS Nightingale. This ongoing support will not
impact the normal operation of our venue and we look forward
to hosting safe, secure, and successful business events and
conferences from 1 October onwards.”
In a letter to its clients, the NEC noted that the field hospital
has been in hibernation since May and did not receive a single
patient. However, the venue says it will continue to support the
NHS with the creation of a small non-Covid standby facility until
March 2021, and that it won’t affect the events business.
A letter to clients read: “We know there is work to be done to
rebuild customer confidence in live events and we’ll be doing
everything we possibly can to help you stage successful and
safe events. The message from us is that the NEC is open for
business from 1 October, so let’s work together and get back to
doing what our industry does best: staging great live events.”
Meetings Industry
Association launches
track and trace tool
The Meetings Industry
Association (mia) has launched a
new tool which will enable
venues to manage the tracking
and tracing of delegates.
The miaTrustedTrace tool is free
to mia members and features
enhanced hygiene and infection
prevention controls. It is
designed to enable venues to
manage delegate contact
information easily and safely.
Venues can access the tool via
the mia’s website, and load the
necessary information as part of
the event planning process. The
system, developed by the
wedding planning platform
‘Guides for Brides’, produces a
link to a dedicated event area
which can then be shared with
the event organiser to ensure all
the relevant delegate contact
information is collected correctly.
On the day of the event, the
venue can use the system to
cross-check the delegate list
accordingly, to ensure a precise
record of attendees is held. After
21 days, the data will be
automatically deleted in-line with
GDPR regulations. However,
should an attendee test positive
in the meantime, all delegates
can be notified to take
appropriate precautions.
Non-members can register to
use the tool for a monthly fee.
Conservatives commit to Birmingham
Conservative Party co-chairman,
Amanda Milling MP, has announced a
vote of confidence in Birmingham with
a three-year deal to take the party to
the ICC Birmingham (pictured) for its
annual autumn conference in 2022,
2024 and 2026.
It gathers members, organisations
and the press to engage with the party
and hear new ideas. The 2020
conference should have been in
Birmingham in October, before being
cancelled. An online event is promised
this year. The Party said any event
would adhere to the guidance at the
time to ensure the safety of attendees.
www.conference-news.co.uk