Stuart WoodThe National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA) says that the average loss to the outdoor event businesses which comprise its members is £539,431.
NOEA also reports that half of its members are facing losses of more than £100,000, and job losses could reach the tens of thousands due to disruption caused by Covid-19.
NOEA President Tom Clements said the outdoor events industry has been “left on the shelf”, and is looking at irreversible damage in the coming months. NOEA research conducted in June said that 51% of its members would not make it to the end of 2020 without further financial support, and only 41% have enough liquidity to last to the end of September.
“The response has been too little, too late, and because of that we’re looking at losing some of the most creative talent we have here in the UK.”
Clements added: “We’ve been left on the shelf and watched as other industries have been given priority. The response has been too little, too late, and because of that we’re looking at losing some of the best events, some of the most dynamic support companies, and some of the most creative talent we have here in the UK.
“We’re a responsible industry and we understand risk, crowd management, health and safety. But time has run out, events take time to organise and the process has been so slow that the summer has been effectively wiped out, we’re increasingly concerned about the winter events as well now.
“Once we have a universal start date from the government, we can assess the risk to audiences depending on the size of the event. Those events that can’t go ahead really require urgent support as they have lost a years’ worth of trading and won’t be back until the spring 2021. Those that can be managed safely, can immediately start to bring benefit to business and society.”