Coronavirus

[Bryson]

Here in Canada, we are currently still planning on running our Tradeshow in Montreal the week after next. It's a tricky one - but in the end we have not been advised to cancel by the authorities or venue, and our audience is primarily domestic, and Montreal isn't really affected yet. Still watching closely for what's going to happen, though.

[ImagineerTom]

A number of uk festivals for the easter - may bank holiday stretch are warning suppliers to expect cancellations. Ticket sales have dropped off a cliff.....

[kerry davies]

Vaughan Gething is the Wales Health Minister and at a presser today said that he wasn't going to close schools and of course the Wales-Scotland game would be going ahead.

"I'm going with my brother, me." he added.

 

Saying that I look after my mate's field camping during Hay Festival and advance bookings are pretty flat even if the event goes ahead. The Glamping and holiday "cottages" look to be OK but nobody wants to pay online for anything else "just in case". They can self-isolate in lovely surroundings just as easily but tents seem to be a step too far.

[paulears]

Kerry mentioned the Hay festival - can I do a sideways question here. The Hay festival are looking for university graduates to run cameras, and it's no pay 'intern' style role. I'm a member of a cameraman's organisation who think this a great opportunity I'm a little less enthusiastic, as we get this with our world here very often. If anyone wants to comment on this particular event - I'll start a new topic.

[johnhuson]

It's a real dilemma for manufacturers - if you've got a product ready to launch, with marketing campaign and materials primed, do you hold off for 8 weeks, or just release it anyway?

I don't think it's that much of a dilemma, why release a product when most companies are battening down spening based on uncertainty. Better use those marketing budgets when things are on the upturn than right now.

[kerry davies]

So the feeling is that Covid 19 is affecting your business. If you have time and anything to say take a look at this brief Survey Monkey.

It is a simple enough ten questions aimed at all levels of business in events, entertainment and conferencing from major groups right down to self-employed wheelbarrow wielders. It will help when the EIF goes a lobbying and is not a purely PSA thing.

[mark_h]

The Scottish Government has announced that:

 

From Monday all large gatherings above 500 people with the potential to impact the emergency services should be cancelled to prioritise the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak.

They are still to issue more detailed guidance.

Edited March 12, 2020 by mark_h

[Bryson]

We had to cancel our event today, as Quebec have banned any event with >250 people. We are trying to see if we can pay our crew anyway.

 

USITT also cancelled their conference and tradeshow today, which is huge.

[paulears]

We've lost a big chunk of work with the band - mainly private commercial stuff and corporates - loads of pencilled in dates just cancelling. The ones still ok at the moment are theatres, but if they are forced to close .........

 

Summer season is potentially lost, as bookings in the seaside resorts are way down.

[the kid]

Right now. ###### horrific. 500 limit hit Tuesday night, basically nothing for the future planned, We are "planning" a busy September but im not even sure that it will be. The things planned will go on, the things now will just be scrapped. The things that WILL happen will be smaller in scale, simply because of the money.

[GridGirl]

Australian PM has announced that from Monday, they are recommending cancellation of non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people. It’s only a matter of time before it’s an outright ban, I think. We’re going ahead with shows this weekend but I would be exceptionally surprised if they continue beyond then (if nothing else, I’m pretty sure the Opera House will enforce the 500 people rule). The big question is over the Opera on Sydney Harbour which goes into tech week on Wednesday. My gut feeling is that we’ll rehearse up to the General and then hold there until this ban is lifted. Suspect the ballet season scheduled to start in three weeks will be the same.

[adamantiumxt]

Not expecting, much but I just saw this petition on Facebook, Government to offer economic assistance to the events industry during COVID-19. Might be worth signing.

[J Pearce]

We've been doing some risk assessment here and talking to our nursing/health end of the university.

One thing particular to watch for is that the highest rate of contamination at the moment seems to be via liquid droplets of saliva/phlegm. So perhaps sensible to keep to a cans headset per person, avoiding sharing, wiping down daily; and think carefully about how you handle microphones, especially in lecturn or pass-around type situations.

[david.elsbury]

and think carefully about how you handle microphones, especially in lecturn or pass-around type situations.[/size]

Why specifically in lectern situations? Generally speaking people don’t need to touch them?

[ImagineerTom]

Because any time someone stands behind a lectern microphone they either crouch down and get close to the mic or grab hold of it and try to “helpfully” reposition it.

 

It’s precisely because it’s something you wouldn’t think about being handled and covered in spit that it should be a high risk assessment.