PLASA: Government arts package "tip of the iceberg"
- Details
“Theatres and venues are absolutely essential to the cultural fabric of the UK, however, they only represent the public face of a vast industry. Each arena concert, musical show, arts installation, or corporate event relies on a complex supply chain, often involving hundreds of professionals. To put on a single arena show requires an average of 443 people working at all levels from planning and manufacturing to logistics and live production.
“PLASA stands by its initial plea which is for the government to provide the entire event industry supply chain with grants as well as extensions to both the Furlough Scheme and the Self-employed Support Scheme. From the start, government grants were not explicitly made available to the event supply chain, with only one out of six PLASA members surveyed successfully receiving grants. And although the Furlough Scheme was a great relief, the tapering off by Autumn does not bode well for companies who do not expect to see any business until next year. The situation has been just as bleak for freelancers who make up nearly three quarters of our industry. Many immediately fell through the gaps due to operating as one-person limited companies.
“Without urgent support, the supply chain – which helps make live events possible – could collapse before the year is out. We know this because 60% of businesses surveyed in April by the Events Industry Forum reported having only enough cash to survive for a maximum of three months. The situation truly is critical, and we could soon lose a great number of technically skilled and creative people to other sectors.
“While we wait for the government to announce further support for the creative sector, we will continue to campaign for all those who work in the event and entertainment supply chain. Our #WeMakeEvents video has garnered a huge reaction across social media and we encourage you to keep sharing it. We have also co-authored letter templates with fellow industry associations for you to send to your local MP to highlight your particular situation. Tonight, #LightItInRed will take the stage to light up buildings, monuments and venues in ‘emergency red’ up and down the UK to draw attention to our multi-faceted industry.
“I would personally like to assure you that PLASA is working hard for the interests of our members and the wider industry and will continue to do so until our industry is supported in the way it deserves. To find out more about what we are doing please visit: www.plasa.org/we-make-events and www.plasa.org/coronavirus.”
(LSi Online)
