Feature
Tim Manton
and pressures to deliver with
reduced budget.”
Tim Manton, MD, Interlink
Design and Displays
I have no doubt in my
mind our industry is
currently facing a crisis
of epic proportions, more
worryingly a crisis that no
one knows how it’s going to
pan out, as I see it we have
a number of critical issues
facing us at some point in
time down the road. The
fact are we’re dealing with
a pandemic no one really
knows when is going to end.
“Many venues we do
our work in are currently
designated as hospitals for
this Pandemic. Postponed
exhibitions in September
and beyond in reality have
no guarantees of ever
happening, those exhibitions
having client bases of
exhibitors that are going
to arrive in September and
beyond with either no money
or questioning the actual
viability of whether it’s
worth it on the basis of ‘are
visitors really going to flock
‘en-masse’ to an exhibition
venue, post Covid-19’.
“What will have then
happened is the demise of
many reputable Exhibition
Contracting companies and
32 — May
Ian Taylor
suppliers that simply cannot
sustain this prolonged period
of limited to no work, we’ll
then see is an upsurge of
‘one-man bands’ and Eastern
European contractors.”
Ian Taylor, Acting MD,
The NEC Group (Over 100
exhibitions for Q3/Q4, up
35% on 2019)
“We are focused on helping
our industry return to
normal levels of business
activity as quickly as
possible, once social and
mass gathering restrictions
are lifted.
“There is no doubt the
events industry has stepped
up to the plate and is
supporting our brilliant NHS
in the fight against Covid-19
and the NEC Group is proud
to be part of this national
effort.
“At the same time, we are
standing side by side with
customers to ensure we all
emerge from the current
situation and play a leading
role in helping kickstart the
UK economy by hosting
amazing live events.”
The group added: “The
events industry is extremely
resilient but there’s no doubt
this pandemic has created
an unprecedented challenge
at every level of the supply
chain. When event activity
does return, our industry
will have to quickly adapt
to whatever the new normal
looks like and ensure
that events are able to be
delivered safely and in line
with whatever governments
ask of us to ensure we beat
this pandemic. That said,
we’re confident we have
strong service partner and
contractor relationships in
place that will enable us to
continue supporting our
customers in the delivery
of amazing live events. The
characteristics for which
our industry is renowned
– collaboration, flexibility
and creativity – will be
exactly what is required to
successfully navigate this
challenge.
If the level of event activity
returns in the way we all
hope it will in the latter
half of 2020 then there
will undoubtedly be more
pressure to deliver than
ever before on suppliers,
contractors and service
providers. It’s likely to
mean a creative approach
to planning and delivery
will pay dividends, whether
that’s back to back venue
tenancies or the sharing of
services and equipment,
but if there’s one thing our
industry has consistently
shown over the years, it’s
that when the pressure is on,
we step up and deliver for
our customers.”
Simon Mills, executive
director, Exhibitions at
ExCeL London
“The Covid-19 pandemic is
an unparalleled global crisis
that is affecting everyone,
in every industry, to an
extent that none of us could
have imagined. The speed
at which this situation has
developed is absolutely
unprecedented. ExCeL, like
countless other businesses,
has had to adapt and react
within record time to
support both the national
effort and our customers’
needs. Our teams have
worked alongside the NHS,
Military and contractors and
helped to build the world’s
largest temporary hospital,
in just over nine days.
Of course, we remain
totally committed to
supporting our customers
and have managed a huge
rescheduling programme,
moving dozens of large-scale
events. The ExCeL team is
busy working behind the
scenes to ensure that every
event, and there are over
110, scheduled for