The main bodies of the events industry have written an open letter to the UK Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer claiming the government’s new job support scheme will cost at least 90,000 jobs.
On 2 October, 334 members of The Events Industry Alliance (EIA), the Association of Event Venues (AEV) and Association of Event Organisers (AEO) amplified the protesters argument in an open letter to the Prime Minister and Chancellor.
‘80% of the exhibitions sector workforce will be made redundant’
The letter stated that its members could not afford to use Rishi Sunak’s new Job Support Scheme or Winter Economy Plan because of the government’s own restrictions. The EIA’s research suggests that 80% of the exhibitions sector workforce will be made redundant, including events suppliers, organisers and venues.
‘Over 90,000 people will be made redundant in the coming weeks due to continued events closures and the inability of their employers to access the new Job Support Scheme as they are not able to trade at all,’ the letter reads.
The authors of the letter propose an Event Industry Hibernation Scheme to support the survival of business and their employees through the closure period, so it is fit to rebuild come the end of the crisis.
‘We are not an unviable sector and simply require support to survive until the time is right to resume events,’ they said.
Read the letter in full here.
