Corporate Events Plus

Where there is a will there is a way.

This month a revision of business cards to update the latest qualification passed for Occupational Health and Safety from Nebosh.

However it is sad to say that all that training & experience is currently mothballed for live events, conferences and exhibitions.

I am always actively seeking how we transfer our skills between business sectors that are currently working and this could be the key to creating some earning potential while we tentatively wait for our industry to re-start face to face meetings and events.

Film and TV are continuing by implementing additional control measures to guard against Covid-19. We have been assisting STV/BBC on the Antiques Road Trip on location shoots by looking after a 1964 Rolls Royce used in the highlands of Scotland.

The car was modified with a central dividing Perspex screen so the experts in the car didn’t have to wear masks while being filmed driving the car.

Even the crew van which carried the film crew had plastic sheet dividers between rows of seats and separating the driver from the front seat passenger, hand wipes and masks used for all who were in transit which meant travel was carried out safely.

Great to see the results of the drone camera shots that were recorded too, drone images have really added a new dimension to the story being told particularly when the season is autumn with the trees the colours they are at this time of year.

We really need some brave clients to kick start face to face meetings – to embrace the control measures that can be put in place for social distancing so that staff and customers can come together to interact and feel the connection and commitment of business when done face to face. There are test events being held in Singapore and I am looking on with interest as to the findings when completed. We are also working on costings for an event in June next year – it seems a long way off – maybe we will be in more positive times for our industry by then.

Where there is a will there is a way.

I have completed some additional training for mass gathering meetings with a course held by the World Health Organisation

The advice is on the grim side, effectively suggesting if events can be moved to a ‘virtual’ platform they should be and if held in doors events should be moved from inside venues to outside where possible – this is difficult in the United Kingdom at this time of year due to our weather climate.

Other news from Barcelona is the pushing back of event dates for Mobile World Congress 2021 from March to the end of June and the beginning of July. This is going to add additional pressures on the event – if the commercial world is improving and similar numbers of exhibitors are going to attend and delegates travel this could clash with the summer tourist trade and so accommodation and flights may be at a premium.

How do we turn this around??  Can we turn this issue around??

Our Industry is on the ropes !

We are suffering, the industry of live events is on it’s knees.

One of the first industry’s to stop working when the Covid 19 virus arrived and all reports are that the live events industry is likely to be one of the last to return to the new normal.

The government has given the go ahead for larger indoor meetings to be held from the 1^st of October 2020.

There are restrictions and there are guidelines for returning to business meetings but it is not as simple as flicking a switch to return to how events used to be.

In the last few weeks we have seen some big audiovisual supplier names in the industry have to fold, companies that in normal years of trading turn over millions of pounds, employ hundreds of staff and freelance crew and add revenue to the UK economy.

Now Production agencies are shedding staff in advance of the Furlough scheme being reduced, they have been carrying their staff on their personal money and this is now running out.

What are my concerns regarding this situation?

1)

We in England have been industry leaders for producing conferences, exhibitions and live events, engaging audiences to cascade information – we have been the envy of other countries with our creative ideas and the execution of the events we produce. Many industry professionals are having to seek income from other career’s, will they return? I am not sure they will. I know of some industry professionals who are going to retire early from the industry. This is a loss of knowledge and of standards.

2)

Our valued ‘go to’ suppliers are dwindling – companies that we rely on to invest millions of pounds to enable us to use the latest audiovisual equipment. Large projection  and LED screens and video walls, extensive PA systems, Lighting rigs and staging backdrops.

3)

There is no investment going into our industry in terms of new product purchases, no training of existing staff and no employment of the next tranche of budding audiovisual technicians and specialists.

4)

Our audiences who normally travel across Europe and sometimes from further afield are not travelling and this gives us a problem with gathering multinational events.

We are unfortunately in a negative spiral.

No commitment from customers to hold events.

No forward order book,

No investment in the industry,

No training to improve skills,

A loss of industry professionals

A loss of quality audiovisual equipment suppliers

No assistance from the government for our industry

If you were writing a business plan for live events there would be other areas to invest your money into to ensure a return on investment.

How do we turn this around??  Can we turn this issue around??

This is the question we are all asking.

I believe there is a hunger for face to face meetings

I know that audiences are starting to switch off from staring at the computer screen for an event

I do think that events will return in a new shape but the events will not be how they used to be.

We need the opportunity to show our creativity but we need our customers to commit to projects – exhibitions and gatherings – we need our customers to be bold – brave.

We need the Government to help our industry to survive the gap before we return to work

We need to stay positive and look for opportunities to earn money in the meantime.

At Corporate Events Plus we have reserves to carry us until there is a return to business but we are also forward thinking enough to accept that we are in a new world and we need to move with the changes to survive ourselves.

This could be exciting – this is worrying without doubt but due to the nature of our industry we are problem solvers, creators and deliverers – the difference is we need to work now for ourselves to find a way through this mire we are all in.

We are all trying to stay positive and interested in our industry at the moment.

Further education to keep the grey cells active and  keeping in touch with clients and suppliers – but the feed back from both is bad.

Clients are cancelling events until 2021 and pursuing ‘virtual zoom’ type meetings with staff and customers. This means the requirements for Exhibition build or Conference staging and all of the services associated with delivering a ‘live’ event with an audience is just not required.

Some suppliers are against the wall, no income and with lease, rent, rates and staff costs to pay they are at the end of their tether. Some are just sitting tight but the problem with this is that the industry is not in a positive spiral but a negative one.

Lack of investment in technology, staff training and audio visual development have been put on hold.

Our valued freelance crew are suffering, out of the envelope for government help they are fending for themselves and some are failing.

In the wider world theatres are closing, audio visual companies are shutting and good leading industry professionals are leaving the industry because they need to have an income to make ends meet.

What this does mean is an uncertain future, I did not think it would be next year before we got back to work but unfortunately it is looking almost certain work will be very limited for the rest of 2020.

These are very uncertain times.

Many exhibitions have been put off until next year, our usual suppliers are on the furlough scheme. How many suppliers will be able to continue in our industry is uncertain. Worrying times for many.

I have been completing the Nebosh Health and Safety course and this is now submitted for assessment – I will know in 2 months if I have passed. One thing is certain – things seem to take longer than they used to.

When we do get back to the ‘new normal’ clients may need to build into their events schedule more planning time for organising future projects, this I think can only be a good thing.

Until then – or until the world decides it is ready to do live events again it is a case of keeping in touch with supplier developments, finding replacement suppliers for those that drop by the wayside and learning new presentation delivery techniques for customers to maintain contact with staff and clients.

Times – they are a changing !

That was a nice email to receive last Friday.

Just before the lock down due to the Corona Virus I took the 2 hour written exam for the Nebosh National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety and I am pleased that I have passed the first module on the course.

We have had a 2 month break from the course and the course has now resumed ‘virtually’ by Zoom classroom. We are able to share screens, see our other classmates and take part in group discussions.

Ok, it’s not quite the same as being in the classroom and interacting but with some ground rules of being on mute unless you are speaking the distractions are kept to a minimum with background noise. What is important though is a stable good quality internet connection or there may be issues with displaying and listening to some video content.

Even so I am glad we are progressing with the course, the more we can do during the lock down like this the better prepared we will be when work ramps back up again. People are talking about returning to work, it is just that it is not happening at the moment because of the restrictions. Shops return on the 15th of June and slowly the wheels of industry will turn again –  I hope that the economy improves because many business’ are relying on this to continue to trade.

This is a motley bunch in our classroom

Ok, not good news

Covid 19

Our industry was one of the first to be hit with cancellations as the Covid 19 disease took hold of Europe and now the world, and I think we may be one of the last to return to large gatherings. Certainly this year is looking very challenging for our events industry. We have had a further 4 projects cancelled.

The advice from government is stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives which is what we are doing.

Some of our colleagues are assisting with the build of the temporary Nightingale hospitals to ensure there are enough critical beds for those who fall to this deadly disease, well done everyone who is involved in creating the temporary structures and infrastructure.

Until then – we are remaining positive that the world will return to an even keel and that companies that are still intact will want to promote their services – only time will tell.

Incredible

A year ago at this time we were preparing to go to an event in De Hague at the World Forum to technically deliver plenary and breakouts and a gala dinner for an audience of 2,000 company banking directors.

Today we are planning housekeeping, back office systems and clearing out the stores of past equipment and props that we will no longer need to use.

I think this knock to our industry is going to take a while to recover – some business will undoubtedly go to the wall.

We have been in such a fast moving world, not many people in the events industry have experienced the likes of bombing campaigns by terrorists, the death of Princess Diana and the events of 911 and the financial crisis which have all had a serious impact on our industry. Now a Virus Pandemic has put a complete halt to our industry and many other industries.

I am hopeful we will be able to limit the spread of the virus to save lives by stopping events and gatherings of people together.

If everyone plays their part by staying at home to flatten the curve to give the National Health Service the chance to treat those who are unfortunate to become ill, we may just return to work sooner.

When will this be?

This is a question everyone will be asking themselves.

What are the positives of the situation?

We can make sure we reduce stock and items we no longer need, we can back up our work systems, we can go though our company paperwork and update our processes, we can continue our learning and we can make ourselves available if others need help. We can contact our past and present customers to remain in contact for when work does recover. This could be the detox the industry has been needing for a while.

What are we hoping for?

A swift conclusion to the virus, a willingness of customers to return to work and communicate in a positive way to their staff that they are committed to a new future.

Personally I am hoping that our industry will be ready to return to work with a new creative enthusiasm and only time will tell but for now the Conference venues and Exhibition halls will remain closed.

Commonly known as Coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused the cancellation of the annual event where over 100,000 delegates and 2,800 exhibitors attend.

Held each year in Barcelona the event is an annual fixture in the events calendar, months of pre event work dashed as the event organisers GSMA were forced to cancel the event after many major exhibiting companies withdrew from attending because of the duty of care they felt they owed to their staff and customers who may attend the event. Not wishing to put people at risk of spreading the disease further across the world.

As part of the pre build we were working full days building to keep to schedule while neighbouring exhibition stands were derigging or indeed not starting work. The Halls had an odd feel, some people were working flat out and some people were slowly derigging work they had completed the previous day.

We were advanced on the build of our booth.

The knock on effect to the cancellation of the event is far reaching, the local economy in Barcelona benefits, reported to be worth over 450 million euros to the local economy and between 11 and 14,000 temporary jobs at the event no longer required, cleaners, students, security, catering, taxi’s and hotels and cafes all affected.

We took our own precautions with face masks (although we did not use them) at the ready, gloves, hand sanitiser and instructions to staff to wash hands more regularly and to clean surfaces that many people may use, like pallet pump truck handles, locker doors, shared tools and safety equipment.

Here is an image of one of our suppliers on site welfare chest

It was sad to be derigging the project once we were given the cancelation notice. The venue is still in turmoil about what services will be charged for, particularly as power and internet services had not been switched on. We await the decisions from the organiser and the venue so we can complete our final budgets and costs for the project.

However, after an initial disappointment the next challenge was to derig safely and get all our onsite crew home which we managed to achieve – what next?

A project in London at a venue I have not worked at before and some paperwork to tie up a cancelled event in Amsterdam in April, now that is a shame, not only because we like working with the Dutch but it’s an event we have been working on for the last 5 years which we really enjoy working on – times they are a changing as some would say.

Health and Safety at Work – How do you approach safety at work?

I am currently into week 2 of a 13 week day course for Nebosh National General Certificate for Health and Safety. It is a course that covers a broad spectrum of different types of business.

One fact this week that made me think was that over recent years between 130 to 190 people a year head off to work for a normal day at work but do not come home because they are killed at work.

A sobering thought, in fact a further 20,000 people suffer major injuries such as amputations, burns and fractures.

How can you make your own work environment a safer place to work?

A good reference book for Health and Safety at work has been written by Phil Hughes and Ed Ferrett called

Introduction to Health and Safety at work (now on it’s 6^th edition)

Also there is information on the HSE website www.hse.gov.uk