Cover Feature
of asks as Hospitality Union did . It will build industry / public pressure and give clarity of voice .” brief history of social media hashtags over the last few weeks tells the stark story of shifting sentiment from some of the key players in the events sector , as frustration turns to anger at the lack of understanding and support from the UK Government .
Anger was heightened by the withdrawal of the 1 October ‘ Go Date ’, which condemned the whole sector to at least six months further lockdown at a time when more and more countries were announcing their own exhibition start dates .
With a second national lockdown underway across England , it ’ s time to reflect on what has gone wrong ? How did the hospitality sector get to the front of the queue for the government ’ s attention when we emerged from the original lockdown ? How did other countries ’ event sectors succeed in getting shows open when we failed ? And what can we do about it when we re-emerge from lockdown 2 and in the longer term ?
# THE PERFECT STORM
Thom Hetherington epitomises the event entrepreneur . His company , Holden Media , organises
# WEMAKEEVENTS # PROJECTCONFIDENCE # WEAREVIABLE # PROJECTRECOVERY # SHUTDOWN # FORGOTTEN # WEAREALONE
Northern Restaurant and Bar ( NRB ) and the Manchester Art Fair .
NRB ’ s March show was closeddown during build-up and he now finds himself at the centre of a perfect storm – exhibitions , the hospitality industry and the North .
He is immersed in the hospitality sector and has been a major contributor to the efforts to keep it open . “ Our focus has always been on the sectors we serve – hospitality and culture – and we have built deep , resilient networks , which means we know the people , the ecologies and the dynamic ,” he says .
Hetherington has seen firsthand what hospitality has achieved with a targeted approach and , with less of an involvement in the exhibition mainstream , he has watched as the sector has come to a standstill .
“ This is now about convincing government that business events are a vital part of rebooting the postcovid economy . We must be there , for the good of UK PLC ,” Hetherington explains . “ The two takeaways from hospitality are that engagement must be with the Department for Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy ( BIES ) and Treasury , not the Department for Culture Media and Sport ( DCMS ). Also , go with a simple , achievable sharable list
# ASSOCIATION LOBBYING
Chris Skeith , CEO of the Association of Event Organisers ( AEO ) is convinced that the political lobbying activities , driven by the Events Industry Alliance ( EIA ) are getting results .
He says : “ The EIA approach has been a combination of targeted public affairs work and PR to get through to the heart of government and I have no doubt that we ’ ve been seen , heard and understood by the DCMS , which is our “ home department ”. When the ‘ Go Date ’ was pulled , we agreed to commit more resources and money . The change in tone and incremental effort is a direct result of the rug being pulled .
“ At the moment our message is about survival and therefore treasury support . Longer-term it will be about recovery including Freedom of Information requests for why other sectors are open and we aren ’ t . This will show us the hurdles we have to go through to get a new open date , which will be linked to customer confidence .”
An open letter to government from the EIA contained three “ asks ”.
• An adapted wage subsidy scheme with a temporary higher government contribution to event companies ’ employment costs .
• A regular review process with clear criteria and industry involvement to assess the ability of COVID-secure events to resume at a future date .
• An enhanced grant and loan scheme offered to companies in the sector whilst it remains closed . Unfortunately , the reply was a classic example of non-commitment and while these measures would be welcomed , a lot of organisers don ’ t want the financial support angle to be pushed in case it gives the wrong
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