The vice chair of the Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP), Simon Hughes (pictured), has expressed his concern for freelancers, who rely on the events industry for their livelihoods, in the face of the Covid19 pandemic.
Speaking to Conference News, Hughes noted that it was “useful” to see the government responding immediately to some of the challenges that have arisen as a result of Covid19.
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Hughes observed positive steps for SMEs, with regards to statutory sick pay, people getting access to the benefits system and, on a local level, the hardship funding set up for local authorities.
On the anxieties faced by the industry’s freelancers, Hughes said: “My one big concern is that although the measures consider SMEs in the sector, with the agreements around payments to the HMRC, we must ask what happens with the huge talent pool of freelancers.
“For them, trying to benefit from some of these changes that have been made to the Budget will be extremely difficult, and we do rely heavily them. We need to be open to lobbying for more help and more support for them. There will be a reduction in activity over the coming weeks, if not months.”
When responding to the question of what lessons the events industry can learn from the Covid19 pandemic, Hughes said best practice must be assessed, and that this discussion will be the focal point for The Business of Events forum, which is scheduled to take place 17 March at The Mermaid, London.
Hughes said: “The panel [addressing Covid19] includes representation from the exhibition and technology sectors, as well as the PCMA’s CEO, Sherrif Karamat. The lesson we will be looking at will focus on the future in terms of delivering live events and creating opportunities for face-to-face meetings.
“We have been here before, but this time we really do need to adopt best practice and look at how we work with our clients in order to ensure business continuity.”
