Event venues across Brighton, including the British Airways i360 and the Palace Pier, will light up in red on Wednesday 30 September in solidarity with event professionals affected by Covid‐19.
“There are many people who have fallen through the cracks and not received any help, this is about them as well as securing more help from Government if there is no start date to get our businesses up and running again,” said Jacqui Partridge of Partridge Events, who helped bring the event to fruition along with other Brighton-based event professionals.
The event aims to get the attention of the Government and secure further funding following the end of Rishi Sunak’s furlough scheme at the beginning of October.
A team of volunteers has been pulled together with lighting and production companies for the evening event which includes buildings and landmarks along the seafront. “We’d like as many venues light up red as possible, with LED lighting it’s easy to achieve,” added Partridge.
Brighton venues wanting to take part can register here.
Like many key event destinations across the UK, Brighton has had to cancel most of its major live events, including Brighton Pride which would usually contribute £20.5m to the local economy and welcome 450,000 visitors to the city across the weekend.
“All events at the Brighton Centre have been cancelled due to restrictions,” Julia Gallagher, head of sales, partnership & marketing at Visit Brighton said. “Meetings, incentives, conferences, and events are the lifeblood of the city as they fill hotel rooms during the off‐peak season, creating economic benefit which sustains our workforce; 16 per cent of whom are engaged in jobs supported by the visitor economy.
“It is crucial that the industry is supported to a full return as soon as it is safe to do so.”
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
