Key figures from across the live events landscape will take to the EPS main stage for the Access All Areas Conference to exchange ideas about how best to collectively tackle the biggest issues facing the industry .
While the live events industry ’ s many leading service and product suppliers show off their wares in the vast ExCel London exhibition hall , the mainstage conference area offers an opportunity to rest the legs and feed the mind while a diverse selection of events experts debate the hottest topics .
Among the many landmark moments of 2022 were The 150th Open at St Andrews which was the largest in the Championship ’ s history with a record-breaking 290,000 attendance , the UEFA Women ’ s EURO 2022 Final attracting an attendance of 87,000 , the hugely successful Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games , massive stadium tours by acts including Ed Sheeran and Coldplay , and the first Glastonbury ( cap . 210,000 ) since 2019 .
The pandemic may seem like a distant memory after a year that saw record shows numbers and record attendance at many events , but the shockwaves of the 16-month industry lockdown are still being felt .
To achieve such huge and widespread success , many event professionals had to work harder than ever . With so many experienced members of the events industry workforce having moved to other industries during the pandemic , horror stories were heard of under resourced events leading to staff being faced with 20- hour working days .
How that staffing problem can be addressed and the ongoing need to create greater diversity in the workforce will be among the many issues tackled on the main stage during the main stage AAA Conference at EPS .
The two-day conference will kick off with a session looking at how the live events industry can collectively work better to cope with broad challenges around geopolitics , economics and customer confidence while ensuring the Government more fully recognises and reflects its huge contribution to the economy and the public ’ s wellbeing .
The opening panel session will include perspectives from across the industry . Among the hugely experienced speakers will be night time economy advisor for Greater Manchester and co-founder of the Parklife festival and The Warehouse Project Sacha Lord . He will be joined by Boomtown Fair operations director Judy Bec and LIVE ’ s Jon Collins .
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