The industry urgently needs more clarity and support from government so it can begin its Covid-19 recovery, according to Lex Butler, chair of the HBAA.
Butler was commenting on the prime minister’s address to the nation on Sunday (10 May) night, where Boris Johnson dropped the “stay at home” message in favour of advice to “stay alert” and said the government was “actively encouraging” people to return to work if they cannot do so from home. He also outlined a blueprint for a gradual easing of the lockdown in England where primary schools, shops and nurseries could partially reopen from 1 June, while some parts of the hospitality industry including cafes and restaurants could return from July, though he gave no details.
Butler said: “The doors of the £70 billion UK meetings and events industry are as tightly locked as they were before the prime minister’s announcement tonight and I fear that many businesses will not survive until the possible start of the reopening of the hospitality industry in July.
“Actually, the introduction of quarantine for travellers will only make it more difficult to get Britain meeting face to face and will extend the use of hybrid and virtual event formats.
“The businesses in this industry urgently need much more support to survive and to get their 700,000 staff back to work and off furlough. As HBAA has been demanding for several weeks, we immediately need to know that the furlough scheme will be extended beyond the end of June and on what terms. And commercial rent relief still has not been agreed - landlords could be evicting our members in a few weeks.
“We need clarity now to prevent closures and large scale loss of jobs. We also need clarity and clear definition on whether the Government’s statement that the 'hospitality industry could start to reopen in July' includes meetings and events and what criteria it must meet.
“We welcome the recognition of the impact of the lockdown on mental wellbeing but we need so much more to get people in the events, hospitality and travel industry back to work safely and confidently.”
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.
