Published by Neil ThompsonFollowing Rishi Sunak’s announcement on the Winter Economy Plan, Tuesday 29th September saw the #We Make Events ‘Stand As One’ creative demonstration take place in London to emphasise the importance of the campaign, as well as how the industry is edging ever closer to collapse.
At 12.30pm, on College Green in London’s Parliament Square, this Creative Action Protest saw over 650 industry freelancers, full time employees and business owners affected by the shutdown of events due to COVID-19 stand still and quiet, socially distanced until 1.00pm, then dispersed in an orderly fashion.
The demonstration reinforced the professionalism of the sector, with all COVID-19 safety protocols, including masks and social distancing observe, and continues to highlight the plight of the UK’s events industry, and to pressure the Government for vital financial support.
We are asking for:
- Government backed COVID – 19 Insurance Scheme
Why - to ensure if local lockdowns happen event organisers will recover costs and attendees will receive a refund.
- Government support for widespread proactive COVID -19 testing for event attendees
Why – To give confidence to attendees and organisers that the event is safe and COVID - 19 Compliant
- A three-year extension to the reduced cultural VAT rate on tickets in line with DCMS recommendations
Why – To stimulate the return of a viable event sector
Until we can go back to work, and the industry is allowed to operate in a way that is not limited by social distancing, we are calling on the Government for:
- Grants - not loans - made available to businesses in the events supply chain.
Why - to give companies the flexibility to allocate financial resources where they need it most, to keep their business afloat and to enable them to keep employees, adding value to the UK economy and culture in the future.
- A specific job support scheme for live events supply chain until the government guidelines change on social distancing to allow a commercially viable return to work.
Why - To allow employers to retain highly skilled people in preparation for a return to work; to support the freelance community, including single director companies; and to support all those excluded by the current government eligibility criteria. This will help us to be ready to kickstart the industry and hence the UK economy.
#WeMakeEvents Global Action Day follows on Wednesday 30th.
For more information visit www.wemakeevents.com
