WA ticketing and events management technology provider, Megatix, is joining the chorus of WA based businesses asking for a greater degree of certainty from the government so business can plan around the inevitable challenges of COVID-19 over the foreseeable future.

A WA start up success story, Megatix was the ticketing and technology provider behind last year’s hugely successful Perth Royal Show. Thousands of Western Australians were able to attend the show in a COVID safe way thanks to ticketing, crowd control, and contact tracing solutions provided by Megatix.

Today, Megatix reports the company is processing refunds for cancelled WA based events at rates far higher than in any of the previous lockdowns or periods of restrictions.

Roshan Odhavji, one of the founders of Megatix, attributes this situation to uncertainty, a general sense of fatigue within the industry, and a lack of trust in government decision making.

“We are seeing cancellations across the board, even from local events and venues that are usually happy to operate behind the closed border.”

“Part of this is in response to the government grants program which allows event organisers to claim 75% of their projected ticket sales, but only if they cancel their event instead of postponing. The knock-on effect to suppliers, businesses and employees in the event industry is catastrophic as this means any income from that event is simply cancelled as opposed to postponed to a later date.

“Furthermore, our clients that own and run local venues and events are experiencing fatigue and distrust to the point where their appetite for risk and willingness to invest is practically zero.”

An example of this is Metro City, which is an institution in the Perth live music scene. Having survived the lockdowns of 2020/2021, it is now facing closure as this recent uncertainty has meant a complete cancellation of any events or income in the foreseeable future.

“We know there will be other challenges that impact our industry when COVID is circulating in higher numbers, but we were prepared for this and have plans in place. It would be preferable if the policymakers would trust business to get on with our jobs, safely and with full respect for the health and wellbeing of our customers, rather than sit here with our hands tied behind our backs waiting for a plan.”