The National Outdoor Events Association is calling on both the government and business to address deep set issues within the outdoor events industry, caused by the pandemic, but that are now being exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis.
Despite what many consumers are seeing in the media, this is an industry still crawling its way into recovery and the increase in inflation, combined with the threat of recession is of huge concern amongst the association.
Many events-based industries are still paying off debt – many in the form of Government backed loans – taken on during the pandemic. At the same time, this is an industry delivering events at 2020 prices, from finance created by ticket sales sold in 2019. The mounting pressure that this puts on events, and more specifically, event suppliers, will reach breaking point as we come out of the summer and into the industry’s historically more fallow period.
NOEA is calling on businesses within the industry to:
- Review pricing policies to be fair, reasonable, and long term
- Negotiate fairly and empathetically
- Do not over promise on commitments to events
- Behave with kindness and fairness wherever possible
In the meantime, the association is also petitioning government to:
- Encourage liquidity and investment in the industry through an event industry specific financial package, including:
- Delay payments of recovery debts – accrued during the pandemic – until summer 2024
- Creation of new bounce back loans to support businesses through the winter
- Establishment of free ports for event industry businesses importing goods and materials into the UK
The cost of not addressing these issues will be an industry that stagnates from an investment and development perspective, but also one that will see more companies either going out of business or leaving the industry.
At the same time, there is a very real risk that costs will continue to be passed onto consumers in the form of tickets prices, leading to a more expensive, and less inclusive, industry.
This is an issue that both industry and government need to address with the utmost urgency. If not, what the pandemic started, the cost-of-living crisis will finish as far as a safe and quality industry is concerned.