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The future of our industry, thoughts, musings, questions, and hope! Where do we go from here? The unprecedented situation has rewritten the world as we know it, one can only assume that social distancing won't be vanishing overnight and that this 'new normal' existence is here to stay. The live events industry is an incredible source of joy, happiness, culture, art, culture, and is fundamental to our society. We have been at the forefront of driving equality, our beloved theatres have opened eyes to social issues and concerts have united people around the world. I truly believe that we are a force for good in this world. We came together in the wake of the Manchester bombings with a message of love, not hate showing that the legacy of concerts like Live Aid still lives on today. If any sector, any group of people, has the creative knowledge to survive and ultimately thrive in the future, I believe it's us! The question is, what does the immediate future hold for us, and what hope do we have? There is already a movement towards virtual and hybrid events. I can only see this amplifying over time, with undeniable cost-saving and benefit to the environment. Yet, humans crave human contact, and the days of conferences and gathering of people together are not yet over! I see a future where streaming and events go hand in hand. For example, artists performing concerts around the world through live stream shows to their fans via a support / fan group online that they pay for access to. Artists want to get ever closer to their fans, and what better way than to allow fans to see them perform more often, perhaps even buying a ticket to a show or tour, provides access to live footage from the other shows. While there is not a platform online currently supporting this, I think it's inevitable. Theatres need to adapt to survive. The buildings cannot support social distancing and the loss of revenue would render the productions unstainable. The only way through this situation is with some innovation and support from the government. Hopefully, the government will adopt the WHO guidelines and reduce the two-meter spacing to 1m. In terms of innovation, AED in Belgium have been developing UV-C lights. These fixtures, available for rent or purchase may be used to help clean the theatre between performances, sterilizing the environment. Used with a combination of facemasks and temperature monitoring, this may allow theatres to operate again. It's going to be a tough period, but like anyone, working Event Production theatre knows the show must go on and it will! Concerts, festivals, and music events are part of British society; this summer without festivals doesn't bare contemplating. Yet, alas, this is the situation we find ourselves in! I miss Wembley Arena and think of it as a second home. Yet for the time being, its doors will remain shut! One of the biggest obstacles to the return of touring shows is the looming incoming flight quarantine restrictions – 14 days isolation for visitors entering the UK! However, the aviation industry is lobbying hard to have this revised and push the concept of air bridges, linking us to other counties with low infection rates. One beacon of hope is the work QuantLase are doing with laser beam technology and implementing tests for Covid-19, with results available in seconds instantly. Much like the government claimed antibody testing would be game-changing, this has the potential to be just that! Sporting events will resume, albeit without the fans, the production, and the atmosphere we all love. It's a sign on the horizon that things will return to something resembling normality. I wonder what the premier league's rules are around recording fans (socially distancing themselves) watching the game live and streaming their reactions back into the ground through the PA system? Some clubs are looking are cardboard ‘cutouts’ of fans to fill the stadium, but could this be taken further with LED screens? As an industry, we are highly skilled, adaptive, and everyone I know within the industry loves what they do. We will adapt, we will overcome, and we will survive. Still, a few questions remain for the future. When do we think shows will honestly return? I would love for that to be October time and think it needs to be then. Still, without a vaccine or the ability to fight the virus, is this just wishful thinking?
What will the labour market look like for our freelancers and future employees? So many talented and highly skilled professionals operating as sole director companies have been left without support. Many of the new generation, the future of our industry, have fallen foul of the 3-year average from the government SEISS support scheme and others simply have been ignored due to the fact they entered too recently. Will we see a surge in freelancers looking to take full-time positions or drive up rates to recoup losses? What about our clients, the venues, the festival promoters, the hotels, and corporate agencies; will they survive? Will we see a 'credit crunch' post Covid19, or will there be a race to the bottom with everyone desperate for any work going? While there is plenty of healthy competition within our sector, historically we have supported one and other. Equipment has been cross hired, emergency deliveries arranged, knowledge freely shared and crew have worked for rival companies. I sincerely hope when we emerge from this pandemic, those trends continue, and we don't become a 'dog eat dog' kind of industry trying to undercut one and other. Will our business models have to change? We have gorged on cheap asset finance for years, which has driven growth, and helped expand all our rental inventories. However, will those same finance companies be as keen to lend in the days post Covid19? Do we need to look at the return on investment for equipment more carefully, increase our rainy-day holding funds? As a result of the above, will there be a slowdown in the pace of equipment life cycles? Can we all afford to continually invest in the latest equipment? Do we have to restructure and re- evaluate our pricing models? Is there the ability to push environmental concerns forward, insisting on manufactures developing models that can be upgraded, rather than replaced, therefore reducing waste and reducing environmental damage? Could we be the first sector to successfully remove all packaging materials from product purchases with equipment delivered in flight cases ready to be used? The challenges are immense, the future uncertain, and the above questions remain unanswered. Yet I believe in being optimistic about our futures. Why? Because of the people in the industry are some of the most talented individuals who care deeply about the arts community and the society we are part of. Without our sector, the world will not be the world we all know and love! Shows will return, theatres will re-open, and the show will go on! In the toughest times, the darkest days, we need leaders more than ever. With our core values, we can be at the forefront of helping rebuild and reshape the future.
