Month: January 2022

This Monday’s Insights feature brings you the industry headlines you may have missed from the previous week.

Headlines

Liverpool ACC is offering agency fees upfront! The waterfront venue is pledging to pay commission upfront to agencies placing new corporate business with them. The ACC will pay the rates as soon as the event deposit is received.

It means independent companies will not have to wait until after an event has taken place to receive their commission. That means it’s big news for corporate conferences with long lead times! What do we think? …

Jacqui Kavanagh, chief executive, EDGE Venues, told Conference News: “ACC Liverpool is taking the lead by committing to paying businesses such as mine upfront as soon as the event deposit is received. This will be vital as we move to a more flexible and positive events landscape and we hope that other organisations will follow.”

People travelling to England will no longer have to take a COVID test on arrival. Travellers must currently take within 48 hours of touching down in the UK. But, Boris Johnson has confirmed the day two tests will be scrapped from 11 February. The update last week followed the end of pre-departure tests and the change from post-arrival PCR to antigen tests.

Travel to and within EU is to become more difficult for persons holding expiring vaccination passes, according to schengenvisainfo.com.

The news site states ‘International travellers who plan to reach the European Union/Schengen Area, as well as citizens of the EU who wish to travel within the bloc, may face difficulties from February 1 as their vaccination certificates will not be recognised anymore. Following the new adoption of rules on the EU Vaccination Certificate by the European Union’s Commission, the EU and Schengen Area countries announced that additional rules will apply to all travellers whose vaccination certificates’ validity expires as of February 1.’

Read more here.

Double take

PLASA and #WeMakeEvents have published their picture of how the live events sector coped with the return of live events. The findings are based on a survey of 1,948 respondents from over 40 countries surveyed in November and December 2021. 

69% of companies reported a skills shortage, with site crew, riggers, engineers and technicians the most cited. 50% of freelancers have not returned full time to the industry, exacerbating this issue. There is a trend of companies lacking confidence in industry-relevant university courses. Collectively, these issues raise concerns that there is no quick solution. Particularly as 38% of companies report needing to take on apprentices or new entrants in seven to 18 months. 

Overview:

• 45% of businesses took on debt to survive the pandemic
• 94% of manufacturers are experiencing delays in components
• 69% of companies are experiencing a skills shortage
• 50% of our industry’s freelancers have returned full time

Adam Blaxill, chair of PLASA, commented: “Companies and freelancers are acutely aware that there is a long road to recovery in front of the live events industry. The last couple of years have been fraught with financial difficulty and unexpected challenges, and most people anticipate more hurdles to come. As a director of a company in the creative sector and as chair of PLASA, I call on the UK Government to recognise the complex challenges we face and assist in the recovery. We are renowned all over the world for what we do; our capability and the quality and creativity of our sector is world class, yet this survey clearly shows that it is being diminished – our capacity is declining and our talent is leaving!”

To view and download the full report, visit: www.plasa.org/plasa-wemakeevents-covid-survey-report-2022/

This Monday’s Insights feature brings you the industry headlines you may have missed, including more great news for the events industry.

Headlines

U.K. crowned Europe’s busiest hotel market, according to TOP HOTEL NEWS. Its data show that with over 300,000 hotel rooms due to open in Europe, the U.K. is in the lead with ‘428 projects and 62,852 keys in the pipeline’. And all this ‘despite the challenges arising from Brexit’.

With London and Dublin also leading the city-by-city race across the contintent, the increasing choice and capacity is fantastic news for the U.K. events industry.

Meetings and Conventions Asia has reported that a significant redevelopment project in the heart of Bangkok is turning the city centre’s Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) into ‘a destination for a new generation of visitors’. In a bid to modernise the venue for the MICE and leisure markets, it has new spaces for retail and leisure activities. The aim is to reach beyond its traditional role as host for trade shows, professional meetings and consumer events. 

Mr. Sakchai Pattarapreechakul, President of N.C.C. Management & Development Co., Ltd., said: “The new QSNCC started taking bookings in August 2021 and has received positive responses from former and new clients.

“The new QSNCC offers extended services to its customers with topnotch capabilities and resources to drive live, hybrid and virtual events. We have sealed the deals with a number of organizers who have shown their confidence in QSNCC’s experience in hosting famous leading events with its fully equipped and high-standard event venue.”

The government announced that England can fully return to Plan A from Thursday 27 January. The news – a boost for hospitality and events industries – means from Thursday 27 January:

• venues and events no longer required by law to use the NHS COVID Pass. The NHS COVID Pass can still be used on a voluntary basis as was previously the case in Plan A
• face coverings are no longer required by law in any setting. Public health guidance will remain in place, suggesting individuals should continue to wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces, where you may come into contact with people you do not normally meet
• the Department for Education will remove national guidance on the use of face coverings in communal areas, with local directors of public health able to recommend the use of face coverings in education settings across their area only where the department and public health experts judge the measure to be proportionate due to specific health concerns. This is a temporary measure and directors of public health continue to advise individual settings experiencing outbreaks
• any local introduction of face coverings must be subject to routine review and removed at the earliest opportunity

Double take

Las Vegas is tipped to lead 2022’s MICE resurgence, according to The Meeting Professional. The entertainment location welcomed back several of its annual trade shows in the second half of 2021, including the event industry’s MPI, and IMEX America.

Fletch Brunelle, vice president of marketing at the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority (LVCVA), told The Meeting Professional: “Business recovery has gone better than we initially thought it might, and we’ve received incredible feedback from clients that moved forward with their meetings, conventions and trade shows this year.

“The planners, exhibitors and attendees coming to Las Vegas are ecstatic to be meeting in person again, and our show floors have been incredibly busy with connections made and deals done. We know full recovery will take some time, but it has been extremely fulfilling to see our convention centers and meeting venues buzzing with people and excitement once again.”

This Monday Insights feature brings you the industry headlines you may have missed, and they’re all favourable for venues, meetings, and events this week!

Headlines

Travellers from the UK who are fully vaccinated are now allowed back into France for the first time since December 18th 2021, without the need to provide a compelling reason for travel or isolate on arrival.

Travellers need to provide a negative Covid test result from a lateral flow or PCR test that is taken 24 hours prior to departure.

Furthermore, from today – January 17th 2022, visitors will need to have been fully vaccinated – including a booster jab (if their second dose was administered over seven months prior)- to access most indoor venues.

At EDGE, we’re already seeing travel companies reporting increased bookings for flights to France. And while it’s excellent news for UK business travellers, it’s also solid advice to continue checking Foreign Office travel advice!

The number of people who can participate in an outdoors event in Wales increased from 50 to 500 from January 15th. 

As case rates decline, the Welsh Government says more restrictions can be eased over the next two weeks, and back to alert level zero and minimal restrictions by January 28th.

From January 21st, all outdoor activities will move to alert level zero, meaning there will be no limits on the number of people who can participate in outdoor activities. Outdoor hospitality will operate in the way they would have earlier in the pandemic, which means they can stop offering table service only, for example. Covid passes will still be needed.

This news is excellent for Welsh venues and events and comes in time for the Six Nations, with crowds able to return to sporting events.

From today – 17th January 2022 – Covid restrictions on the number of people allowed at outdoor events across Scotland are lifted. As with Wales, this comes in time for the Six Nations, with matches at Murrayfield able to operate at capacity. The only proviso is showing evidence of vaccination or a recent negative lateral flow test before you can access large-scale events. Organisers of events with over 1,000 delegates are expected to check the Covid status of at least 50% per cent of those arriving at venues.

However, restrictions on indoor sports, events and venues remain, while Nicola Sturgeon is apparently ‘hopeful’ that those restrictions on indoor events can be lifted on January 24th.

Double take

etc.venues says 2022 will be the year of meeting up. Its research shows 97% of event planners are increasingly inclined to meet in person, with 70% saying they want to meet colleagues face-to-face more often in 2022. The insights form part of the fourth etc.venues biannual survey into latest industry thinking. 

Adam Simpson, etc. venues’ Director of Marketing said: “While virtual and hybrid are here to stay for the foreseeable future, the driving urge among event planners to return to live only events continues to grow as their appreciation of their value increases now that they have started to go back to them. We think 2022 will be the year of meeting up.”

These insights show an increasingly positive outlook for events for 2022. You can read more of the research results on Business Travel News Europe. 

Welcome to 2022 and the first of our Monday Insights features, aimed at covering the prior week’s industry news headlines. 

And 2022 indeed started with a bang, didn’t it?! – with BBC One’s live show of fireworks, an inspiring light display, and drones sharing some significant moments of an emotionally charged 2021. While many hospitality businesses have been facing the pressures of the pandemic, this audio-visual display will have hopefully boosted viewers’ moods while showcasing some of the possibilities of today’s technology to prospective event organisers.

Headlines

Martin Fullard, Mash Media editorial director, has sent a clear message to the Government in an open letter in the latest edition of Conference News magazine. Calling for the industry to be ‘shown the respect it deserves’, Martin reminded the Government that our fragmented market is not all about festivals and big sporting events. It does, as we know – but the Government still seems not to grasp, envelope large swathes of business events such as exhibitions, trade shows, conferences, and other business events.

The letter concludes: “This is not an industry that forever cries for financial support, it is quite happy to go about its business, leading on knowledge exchange and legacy. All it wants is to be properly recognised by Government: to be properly administrated by Companies House, the Office for National Statistics, and the Treasury. The conference and meetings industry may not have the voter appeal of music or hospitality, but it is no less important to the UK’s economic strength.”

Read the letter here.

Perfectly said, Mr Fullard, thank you for your ongoing support.

The Meetings Industry Association (mia) new chief executive, Kerrin MacPhie, has wasted no time jumping to the hospitality industry’s defence. Kerrin, who took over from Jane Longhurst, has continued in the same vein as Jane in championing the sector, calling the Government’s £1bn hospitality fund grants insulting while urging industry members to write to their MPs.

The call-out followed a tough run-up to Christmas and New Year celebrations. Many businesses lost out following a drop in business and public confidence after Omicron’ Plan B’ announcements and updates. You can read the full mia update with Kerrin’s comments here.

£67m Coatham Arena could open in Yorkshire in 2024, according to Exhibition News.  Plans have been submitted for the new events arena, which could open in 2024. The venue would host an all-year entertainment, sporting, conference, exhibition and social events. It would sit on the former Redcar Bowl site in North Yorkshire, which has stood empty for several years. Described by developers as a “major catalyst” for the area’s regeneration, the venue would host 5,000 people. Read more on ExhibitionNews.co.uk.

We’ll be watching this one with interest!

Doubletake

In case you missed the fantastic news last week, Fay Sharpe, founder of the mentorship programme Fast Forward 15, has been named as an OBE in the 2022 Queen’s New in the 2022 Queen’s New Year Honours List. According to Conference News magazine, Fay, winner of 2018 M&IT Personality of the Year, said, “What an honour. This is not just for me, it’s for women and our industry.” 

Well, we’d like to say, “Thank you, Fay”, for recognising and acting on a need for greater equality and diversity in our inspiring industry.