Confidence in event professionals and their ability to deliver safe events will be key to the industry’s recovery from Covid-19, according to Trinity Event Solutions and EDGE Venues CEO Jacqui Kavanagh.
And she added that once the industry has clarity from the government on guidelines surrounding events, event professionals will be ‘brilliant’ at finding solutions.
“I feel we need to build confidence that people are in the hands of professionals,” she said. “If we can show the positives and share the professionalism of the industry we can build the confidence all together.
“I’m starting to see really positive things about how we adapt and change. I’m confident that we keep people safe in the events industry.
“You can take precautions, I’ve done it. Just before lockdown I attended a meeting, a group of eight of us over at The Belfry. I had a thermometer and I took everyone’s temperature. I felt confident that I was sitting round a table with people who weren’t going to infect me.
“Once we get that clarity from government, we’re a brilliant industry in terms of looking at problems and finding solutions. Obviously we can’t go against government guidelines, but we’re ready for it.”
Kavanagh added that she believes that events should be under 50 people for the first couple of months following the lifting of restrictions.
She said: “We have a greater awareness of virtual and hybrid events, we can have 500 people across 10 different locations being together virtually.
“Somebody once told me, you can either be a commentator on doom or a contributor to success. You make that decision every morning. You can start loving the negative stories, but I don’t believe our industry is like that. I choose to be a contributor to success.
“It’s about starting to get a positive mindset back into the industry so that we can grow and prosper in the future.”
M&IT editor Paul Harvey is a journalist with more than 15 years of experience. He began his career in the local press, working for various titles across the north. Since joining M&IT in 2013, he has become a trusted and respected voice in the sector, championing event professionals and reporting on all aspects of the events industry for the brand.
