Christopher BarrettAccess examines the work being done across the events industry to help protect the wellbeing and mental health of its workforce as the sector tries to navigate its way through these unprecedented times.
While the Covid-19 pandemic has caused intense anxiety worldwide, few industries have borne the brunt of the crisis in such a dramatic way as the events business.
It is perfectly normal to experience fear, worry, and stress as a reaction to perceived or real threats but the dramatic upheaval caused by Covid-19 and the measures taken by government have left many in the events industry traumatised, and more concerned about keeping a roof over their heads than contracting coronavirus.
Prior to the pandemic, the World Health Organisation found that one in four people suffer from mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. The impact of Covid-19 on an already significant issue has led the United Nations to call for an urgent increase in investment in mental health services.
Someone with first-hand experience of struggling with mental health while working in the live events industry is Andy Franks. During his lengthy career he has worked in numerous backstage roles on the journey from monitor engineer to tour director. As well as working with Depeche Mode for 17 years and Coldplay for seven, he was tour manager for Robbie Williams’ record-breaking three-show residency at Knebworth that saw an attendance of 135,000 per night.
Read the feature in full in the January edition of Access All Areas here.
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