Opinion
“Ability and
willingness to
learn new skills
will be vital when
the industry
restarts”
Kiwanuka explains: “One of the
greatest issues will be the need for more
information across the event supply
chain. From the off, we need to overhaul
our event stakeholder meetings to
include broader representation from
suppliers in addition to the standard
venue meetings with organisers. Coordination
and communication will
be key in creating safe and successful
events - something that has been
highlighted by every senior event
industry professional who has featured
on the ‘Ops in Lockdown’ sessions.”
There is a concern that the events
industry will suffer from a major drain
of talent due to people having to search
for new opportunities.
However, Natasha Layal, managing
partner at recruitment consultancy,
Expocast, who partnered with The
Ops Nest, believes there is a positive
outlook. She says: “Some people will
inevitably have to leave the industry to
ensure they can pay their bills. However,
most people are in the event industry
because they absolutely love their
profession so I’m confident they will
return when the opportunities become
available.
“Ability and willingness to learn new
skills will be vital when the industry
restarts - from new health and safety
regulations and compliance to virtual
operations, there will be gaps that
need to be bridged quickly to nail that
customer experience.”
Layal adds that it’s imperative for ops
professionals to have the knowledge
of what has changed and the ability to
communicate that knowledge effectively
and efficiently to contractors and
exhibitors alike. “It will be crucial in
making sure our shows run as smoothly
as they did before the pandemic,” she
says.
Beyond the new regulations and
looking after attendee health, the
pandemic has also weighed heavily
on people both personally and
professionally and one of the major
focuses during the restart will be
the welfare for event professionals
themselves.
The Shaper Group has just this
month joined forces with EventWell, the
industry’s charitable social enterprise,
to launch the EventWell Pledge; a
peer-to-peer support programme to
offer help to event professionals who
have faced hardship as a result of the
pandemic.
Kiwanuka explains: “EventWell
Pledge has been set up to deliver
an opportunity for our community
to support from within, with an
opportunity for people to give time
or money as easily as for someone to
receive it. We are a proud bunch but it is
tough out there and this is our chance
to make a difference.
“Whilst the pandemic has seen many
industry sectors divide, the events
industry has come together, and we
need to continue this collaboration and
unification to guarantee we leave no
events professional behind.
“Working as a combined team
will help our industry survive and
thrive into 2021. We should introduce
contractors to one and other at an
early stage with the aim of working
collaboratively on event delivery.
Not only will this help with event
organisation but also opens up all of our
networks and helps businesses share
expertise, experience for the benefit of
their staff, organisations and ultimately
the industry,” she concludes.
Overview of working
practices for a strong
restart
» Review of build-up and break
down efficiencies
In order to deliver on new
regulations and higher safety
measures, organisers and
venues will need to review how
tenancies operate and what
happens between tenancies.
Stakeholder meetings will
help maximise the efficiencies
available.
» Increased communications
between the 3 sectors about
pain points
To switch on the supply chain,
conversations around cashflow,
commitment dates and
production dates are necessary
in the upcoming days.
» Manage Social distancing on
site for industry teams
Micro-scheduling will be
essential in order to segregate
groups of people throughout
the build and break phases - the
most straightforward being the
segregation of contractors and
exhibitors.
» Welfare is key for wellbeing
This needs to span the whole
event process - from contractor
wellbeing, access to facilities,
restricted and managed
unsociable working hours, and
accessibility for all.
» Simplification of process
Modular builds, shared
resources such as plant hire,
plug and play options are all ways
to simplify a build on a stand, and
across a show.
September — 47