Regional leaders, including NEC Group CEO Paul Thandi, have called on the government to allow the West Midlands to become a national test bed for an early reopening of the tourism, hospitality and cultural sector.
Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street, Fiona Allan, chair of the West Midlands Regional Board for Tourism and CEO of Birmingham Hippodrome and Martin Sutherland, chair of the West Midlands Cultural Leadership Board and CEO of Coventry City of Culture 2021, have sent a joint letter to Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, asking for the region to be used as a pilot area which would see the sector opening sooner than elsewhere in the country.
The region’s tourism, hospitality and the cultural businesses have been hardest hit by the lockdown and, with little or no trading revenue being generated, have been almost entirely reliant on the furlough scheme to avoid wholesale redundancies and business closures.
With tourism, hospitality and cultural businesses in the West Midlands supporting more than 135,000 jobs, the sector contributes around £12.6bn a year to the local economy. The region believes there is now a pressing need to restore confidence in the sector so it can not only fully recapture the economic and cultural benefits it enjoyed pre-lockdown but can grow further.
The mayor said: “Our tourism, hospitality and cultural sector was the first to close under the lockdown and is likely to be the last to reopen. Even then it will have to operate at a much-reduced capacity.
“But we believe we have a unique opportunity to re-establish the sector as a key economic driver in the region’s post-Covid-19 recovery, and we are asking Government to pilot the West Midlands as the region where this sector opens up faster than in other areas. This way we can lead the way and help strike the right balance between safety and outputs, allowing other regions to follow suit.
“It’s important for the West Midlands to build on its unique heritage and distinctive strengths and seize the opportunity to reset, rebuild and reinvent our region, and come back even stronger.”
An earlier than planned reopening under a pilot scheme would provide a much-needed boost for the region’s key visitor destinations such as Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick and the National Exhibition Centre (NEC).
Paul Thandi, CEO for the Birmingham-based NEC Group said: “I fully support this approach from fellow business leaders. It aligns with the lobbying efforts we have made for the demonstration of how a quicker and safe return of controlled events can be achieved as a viable option for government.
“As the UK’s largest live events business, the Group has worked extensively to develop a comprehensive Return to Business blueprint. We have already approached government about piloting public events on behalf of the UK venue and live events industry, so are well placed to contribute to this West Midlands pilot.
“This could act as a real beacon of hope for our industry in the West Midlands but also nationally for the whole of the live events sector. One of us opens, we are all open.”
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.
