How the events industry has bounced back

It’s been a rough time for the events industry since March of 2020. It was one of the first things to be shut down due to COVID-19 and it was one of the last to be re-opened once the relaxation of restrictions started. Yet, 2021 has been a lot brighter as people have been le to return to work and people have been able to meet up again at events.

It’s been such a relief to have everything back and have at least some sense of normality. We thought we’d take a look at how the events industry has powered through the past year ahead of Skiddle’s panel at this year’s Brighton Music Conference.

Learning to adapt

There was a period of time this summer where it was unclear whether or not events were going to be given the go-ahead. Thankfully they were and the industry moved quickly to ensure that customers had peace of mind when attending events. Whilst the risk of COVID-19 cannot be eliminated completely, attendees have been asked to provide a lateral flow test result or proof of vaccination which makes everyone feel safer and lowers the risk of transmission.

However, the Government announced that in September, COVID passports will be required in nightclubs and in some other indoor venues in the UK, meaning that people will need to show a COVID pass to gain entry. This has come under some debate, with the intention behind it being to stop the spread of COVID, yet it is unclear as to how such a system will be rigorously enforced. There seems to be very little information available, which is causing nightclub owners great concern.

Skiddle’s panel at BMC this year will be discussing how to overcome these hurdles. Tickets here.

How Brexit is affecting touring

One issue that has unfortunately collided with the pandemic is the start of Brexit. In terms of touring artists, the government announced that they had negotiated Visa-free short-term touring in 19 member states of the EU. Yet, this was met with backlash from musicians who saw this as very little being changed and the difficulties of touring still not being addressed.

When you take into account how Brexit has also affected touring crews, we’re still yet to see how this will affect artists from the UK on longer European runs. The NTIA (Night Time Industries Association) serves as a voice for the sector and has been supporting professionals working in the industry through this difficult time. Having a supportive collective body is incredibly useful and the direct support that they have been providing has helped keep the sector going. We’ll be joined by Michael Kill for this year’s BMC panel.

Sustainability and touring

The pandemic has forced us to look at the way we do things in entirely new ways. A recent report by the University of Manchester came up with a list of recommendations to cut the impact of live touring on the environment. These recommendations included using electric vehicles to travel between venues, including travel by public transport in the ticket price and better bike storage at venues. Whether or not these recommendations will be taken seriously is another question entirely.

Join Skiddle at this year’s Brighton Music Conference

All of these topics will be discussed at Brighton Music Conference on Thursday 23rd September in association with Skiddle. You can find tickets for the event here.

---

About Skiddle

Skiddle is currently the UK’s biggest What’s On guide, providing a free facility for event promoters across the UK to list their events online and sell tickets through our independent ticketing service. We currently work with over 35,000 UK and European promoters, at over 30,000 venues. We specialise in helping events through that critical growing phase by providing the marketing and technology support that you need. Start listing your events today!