Conference News May 2020 | Page 30

30 Big Interview Speaking up for events Simon Hughes, vice-chair of the Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP) tells CN about the events industry’s progress with government longside Michael Hirst OBE, Simon Hughes has been leading the charge of the events industry through the now-virtual streets of Westminster. As vice-chair of the Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP), Hughes has been a direct link to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the new tourism minister, Nigel Huddleston MP. Who better placed, then, than to bring us up to speed on progress? Can you summarise how the last few weeks have impacted you personally and professionally? It is clear that we are all living through a unique experience, which is impacting every aspect of our lives. The fact that it is disrupting everything, and everyone, is part of the severe challenge that we are all facing. I am very lucky to be in a solid relationship with a huge amount of mutual support available at home. Bearing in mind there are also two teenagers in the house, this is quite important. Professionally most of my work has moved into the digital domain, has paused, or has simply stopped completely. Having a mixed portfolio of interests has been hugely helpful and the focus of providing support to the work of the BVEP and the Event Industry Board has also been important. Creating clear, consistent, and compelling messages about the value and importance of the live events industry in the UK has never been more critical. Has the industry ever been impacted in a way like this before? I am not sure if we can yet be certain about how great the economic shock from Covid-19 is going to be. There is no doubt that event activity will be severely disrupted for the foreseeable future, cash flows will be challenged, supply chains disrupted, and demand reduced. That supply and demand combination is challenging, both in the UK and on a global scale too; a very toxic mix. Thinking back to previous moments of massive economic disruption, I suspect that the scale of this crisis will create a huge impact across many different sectors. As events are a critical part of the supply chain in so many different sectors, this will be really challenging in a service-sector dominated economy. We are losing a lot of output that will never be recovered. www.conference-news.co.uk What can you tell us about your conversations with the DCMS with regards to getting support for the events industry? We have been having useful conversations, framed at first by the disappointing way that business visits and events generally got lost in the hospitality, leisure and tourism mix. This is a systemic problem, where local regulations have not been amended to include event venues or where employment codes have never been expanded to reflect the diverse and creative workforce that deliver events of all types and sizes. As a result, many of the initial business relief measures announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak missed the mark for many in the event industry. That has been recognised I think, and therefore we are anticipating some support from government as we start planning for the recovery phase. However, we really need to step up to the plate on this – the queue of sectors that will also be looking for massive support is going to be very long. From the airlines to retail, automotive to hotels, and leisure to services, the calls being made on government will be extensive.