Christopher BarrettThe National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA) has called on all companies involved in the events industry to collectively mitigate the impact of the cost-of-living crises by taking a new approach to doing business.
In a statement, the organisation said it wanted to see, “more collaboration between businesses, more transparency, less profiteering and more open, empathetic, and kind business”.
NOEA also called on the Government to inject investment into the industry in order to allow more capital, and encourage better payment terms within supply chains. It said, “What the pandemic started, the cost-of-living crisis could finish.”
NOEA president Tom Clements said, “It’s incredibly difficult for companies at the moment, there are increasing examples of bad practice from both suppliers and organisers, and we can’t allow this to turn in to a race to the bottom. We do need help from government, buts it’s also incumbent on every business in our industry to look at playing a longer game, one that safeguards the industry and everyone around them.”
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