The team at Sydney based Event Management Company, Lateral Events, have united  over a common cause – to get vaccinated and to do their bit to get the events industry back on track.

CEO, Simon Baggs, led the way and was the first of the team to be vaccinated. Whilst there was no company policy to mandate vaccines for staff, the communication lines have remained open between staff and management throughout the pandemic to share thoughts, concerns and plans for how to ensure we recover from the pandemic with our strong team intact.

It became obvious as lockdowns  in Sydney continued,  that Lateral Events was a team of like-minded people, and their team meetings often ended up in open remarks of support for those in the team being vaccinated.

“Given that we work in an industry that brings people together, it is heartening to see our whole team taking their own initiative to get themselves vaccinated” said Megan Peters, General Manager.  “I am proud to work with a group of peers who have considered all options and made their own decision to protect themselves, their loved ones, and the wider industry.”

The team of 11  staff at Lateral are at various stages in their vaccine journey, with 60% of the team having received both doses of the vaccine and all other staff members either having received their first dose or being booked in to do so within the coming weeks.

Head of Premium Events, Isabelle Cherry, said “Getting my vaccination felt like a real milestone in the progression of the pandemic. The last 18 months have been incredibly difficult for many industries and getting vaccinated made me feel joyous that I was personally contributing to business recovery.”

With no real guidelines released yet as to what the future mandates may look like for events, the team felt that it was important to be able to offer clients and guests the comfort of knowing their event team is fully vaccinated.

From Rachel Tibbertsma, Event Coordinator, “I have chosen to get vaccinated so that I can help shape a safer and more confident future for everyone. We are an industry that has been crippled by lockdowns, but if we can do our part in building a gateway to freedom for our industry to recover, count me in”.

Lateral has seen a taste of post pandemic event life, delivering 22 events and 4 public theatre shows in April and May before this latest lockdown saw the cancellation of 47 events and 3 public theatre shows among many more postponements.

With all signs pointing to vaccinations being the way to meet again, the team at Lateral has rolled up their sleeves and can’t wait to see the industry thriving with live events.

“I am so proud that the team has taken this initiative without any need for incentive or company policy” says Baggs, “They have all quietly and diligently organised themselves to ensure our company is ready for the return of live events.”

Main Photo: The Lateral team – Charlotte Best, Megan Peters, Isabelle Cherry, Simon Baggs, Caroline Didier, Florent Malezieux, Lori Arambasic