Venues are being urged to pay overdue commission to agencies to help avoid unnecessary redundancies over the coming months.
Jo Wilson, manager and founder of Derby-based venue finding agency ACE Bookings, is calling on venues to pay overdue commission as soon as possible to keep cashflow moving.
Wilson said: “As more businesses start to head out of lockdown it is fantastic to see much of the hospitality industry preparing to open and get back to work. However please remember there are many more of us who are not yet ready.
“We are delighted for those who are but for many agencies it will be a few months before we start to get any sort of an income, mainly due to most new enquires are for 2021 and much of 2020 already cancelled.
“To those venues who are back I would urge you to speak to your accounts department and see if you have any overdue commission payments. ACE for one, still have many outstanding from January onwards and I know of other smaller agencies who are in a similar position.”
She added that the payment of outstanding commission payments will help agencies avoid making redundancies - and help them bounce back faster in the Covid-19 recovery.
She said: “The furlough payments will be reduced over the coming months and I am asking you to pay these agencies ASAP to avoid unnecessary redundancies. Many agencies will be relying on your payments for cash flow to pay their presently non-working staff, they will need their team when we bounce back.
“We all need the support now from those venues, as those agencies will be the ones contacting you in the months to come, hopefully with an abundance of new enquiries! Please don’t let us down!
“Our clients have paid the venues and it’s only fair that they now pay us. It’s a hard slog in normal circumstances but during covid-19 ten times worse.”
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.
