Event industry coming to terms with snap public holiday.
The snap public holiday to mark the “National Day of Mourning for Her Majesty The Queen” – yes that is what the holiday is officially known as – is having a severe impact on the event industry.
Events planned for next Thursday will now incur unbudgeted costs for staff penalty rates.
ASE ran a quick check with some venues and event producers and we found that while larger venues and events are absorbing the cost others are passing it on.
A number of venues are reporting that events are being cancelled or postponed out of respect for the day of mourning.
Peter Jones is producing the AFL Grand Final entertainment with rehearsals on Thursday – the AFL are picking up the additional costs.
Typical of the rolling effect is the case of Oz Comic Con at Sydney Showground. The exhibition shell scheme was due to be bumped in on Thursday (a very labour intensive project). Expertise Events have negotiated with the Showground to bring the bump in forward to Wednesday and then lock the venue down on Thursday with the exhibitors moving in on Friday as planned.
Gary FitzRoy told ASE the Showground have been very accommodating but the momentum of start stop and start again will affect the bump in. He also said any additional costs cannot be passed onto the exhibitors as they are mostly small business and have already paid for their stand.
I was discussing the situation with a client who is a lawyer and asked why the holiday could not have been held on the following Sunday (with less disruption) – apparently the day of mourning has to be scheduled as soon as the King’s representative, the Governor-General, arrives back in Australia. Surely it would have been cheaper for the economy to pay for the G-G to spend a few more days in London.
Too soon to talk about a republic?
A surprise public holiday to honour the life of Queen Elizabeth II could drive business to Australia’s service and hospitality sectors, but industry leaders fear for small businesses now unexpectedly balancing commitments to customers against the cost of penalty rate entitlements.
And beyond penalty rates, Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) CEO Alexi Boyd says some sectors may be hamstrung by commitments they made months in advance.
“We’re also hearing from the events industry, for example,” she added.
“They’ve got fixed contracts, they’ve got fixed ticket prices. What do they do with less than two weeks notice? And they may experience losses as a result as well.”
Next week Peter Jones will once again be producing the AFL Grant Final entertainment. Peter has previously managed Royal visits to Melbourne and reflects on those events.
Joyce DiMascio also reflects on her involvement in a Royal visit.
A personal view: We are part of events history as the world farewells the Queen
Event companies and individuals are often asked to support worthy causes and many companies have a commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility.
Mental health has been a big issue during the pandemic with organisations like Crew Care and Support Act providing an invaluable service to people in our industry. Now Expertise Events have stepped up to support Lifeline Australia.
Events to raise awareness and support mental health with Lifeline Australia
On an individual level, Andrew Hiebl is running from Canberra to Hobart to attend the PCOA conference. While not literally running from Canberra to Hobart, Andrew is clocking up the distance, 870 kms, via daily runs around Canberra with goal to raise $10,000 for Beyond Blue.
Check out Andrew’s progress and donate here
We have reported on various grant schemes that were rolled out during the pandemic – another is in the spotlight.
Where is the final $20 million RISE grant round? – ArtsHub
Questions are rumbling as the Government remains tight-lipped on the final round of RISE.
The RISE COVID recovery program has so far been a salvation for many in the arts, saving countless organisations from folding when their revenues went into freefall as a result of the pandemic.
TDC training supports NIDA students and beyond
Technical Direction Company has a newly focused training and support initiative to support students and graduates of the VET (Diploma of Live Production and Technical Services) and BFA (Technical Theatre and Stage Management) courses at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney.
Victoria’s National Business Event Program is back
Victoria’s National Business Event Program is back: Applications Now Open – Cash grants available to offset organisers costs for business events hosted in Melbourne and regional Victoria
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