Scotland announces some hope and funding for Live Event Staging!

Live events have seriously suffered during the COVID pandemic with the rules on social distancing making this difficult terrain to navigate. When lockdowns have come they have shut down this part of the industry, creating a very uncertain future for live events in Scotland, and beyond. However, it has emerged that there is a plan in place to help this troubled sector – a blueprint to help get back to normality and almost £3 million in ring fenced funds to make this a reality. So there isn’t just hope for the staging of live events in 2021 but there are the resources to make it happen too.

What’s happening?

In recognition of the issues that the live events industry has faced over 2020 there is a plan in place to produce a bespoke set of guidelines for indoor and outdoor events, whether they are arts, cultural or sport-driven. These guidelines are expected by the end of the year and will focus on getting live events back up and running in the areas of the country where infection rates are the lowest. This will be designed to enable all the iconic events venues to reopen in 2021, from mountain biking events in the Highlands to music at Hydro in Glasgow. The advice is intended to help events organisers get back on their feet next year and deliver responsible festivals and events that are COVID-safe environments.

The Events Recovery Fund

The fund consists of £2.75 million in resources that will be made available to those who are organising festivals and events for the dual purpose of building public confidence in those events as well as covering the additional costs of making them COVID-safe. The funding will be for events that are taking place in person as well as those where there is a virtual or digital element that enables consumers to take part remotely.

What’s the goal?

The goal is to get the industry up and running again and to avoid unnecessary delays. This could mean that a whole range of events is planned and funded, with different capacities across a selection of venues, so that organisers can gradually adapt to the new requirements. From pro sporting events to music and cultural and business events every category is going to be covered. Piloted events, such as sporting fixtures, have already proved successful and provided the confidence and insight to help drive a gradual rollout from the start of 2021. The focus for the new fund and the guidance behind it will be to get events back up and running, whatever they look like. That could be the large and well known events that attract thousands of people or the more community-driven occasions that have been inspired by a new sense of local togetherness that COVID has created in many areas.

With planning already under way – and funds allocated to bring that planning to life – there is hope for the staging of live events in 2021, and for the recovery of the industry as a whole.

Get in touch to see how Scott Fleary can help with your live event staging.