News
The month at a glance
Face coverings
mandatory
in exhibition
centres
The Government has
updated its guidance
with regards to wearing
face coverings in
conference and
exhibition centres.
Face coverings
must now be worn
in exhibition and
conference centres
in England, as well as
inside visitor attractions
and entertainment
venues, such as
museums, galleries,
cinemas, theatres,
concert halls, and
cultural and heritage
sites.
While business
events are not explicitly
singled out, the
context suggests that
the wearing of face
coverings is mandatory
in these settings also.
The guidance reads:
“You should also wear a
face covering in indoor
places not listed here
where social distancing
may be difficult and
where you will come into
contact with people you
do not normally meet.”
The stories, topics and trends making headlines in recent weeks
Recovery expected
to take 1-2 years
says majority of
EventsCase poll
A recent poll from
EventsCase, an
event technology
supplier, has
revealed that most
event professionals
believe one to two
years is a realistic
timeframe to recover
from Covid-19
following widespread
disruption to face-toface
gatherings.
The poll, which was
answered by nearly
500 participants,
looked to gauge
predictions on the
industry’s chances of
a “full recovery”.
The results
show that most
professionals (52%)
envisage a return to
business as usual
within the next one
to two years. Over a
quarter (28%) believe
it will take 6-12
months, whereas
14% said it would
take three years to
recover, and 6%
envision a return to
business as usual in
one to six months.
Blitz goes into liquidation
Event technical production specialist Blitz, a UK company
founded in 1989 and bought by GES in 2014, has gone into
liquidation.
Dozens of staff have been made redundant at a time
when the UK live events industry is lobbying government
intensely for support and with warnings that huge job losses
could follow.
A recent survey from the Meetings Industry Association
(mia) shows that over 126,000 jobs in the UK events
industry have been cut since the pandemic started.
Blitz GES was technical production on-site partner at the
UK’s biggest venues, including ExCeL London, the NEC,
Olympia London, Manchester Central and The Brewery. It
was also a preferred supplier at many other venues.
Many of those made redundant took to social media.
Former sales director at Blitz, Phil McMichael wrote on
LinkedIn: “Another one bites the Covid dust. Given the
shock news this week about Blitz being placed in liquidation.
I am now forced to take a short break (hopefully) from the
events world.”
Ben McCarthy, MD at Premier Events, said: “The fact
that a company like Blitz, with venue contracts around the
country, has gone into liquidation shows quite clearly how
the events industry is suffering. When you have no income
for five months it’s understandable that companies are
failing.”
06 — September