“Hospitality, travel and events sector businesses, including all our members and suppliers, need a special extension of the furlough scheme beyond June or whenever the nationwide scheme ends.” says Lex Butler, “because this industry will be probably one of the last to be fully up and running again once social distancing regulations are relaxed and it will suffer greatly for some time.”
“Sport will be hosted behind closed doors, shops will reopen, yet the future of our industry still remains very uncertain.”
This call for support is one of six points that the association is raising in letters that its members will shortly be sending to their constituency MPs.
Lex Butler continued “When the chief medical officer said in Wednesday’s briefing that some social distancing would last for the rest of the year, this cemented how much longer our industry is likely to be on hold. Some businesses have already ceased trading and many more are likely to close before the end of the summer.
“In our letters to MPs we’re reiterating our call for commercial rent relief as well as for immediately accessible funds for businesses and the self-employed. We’re also calling for low cost, easily accessible credit, National Insurance and Pension Contribution payment holidays and for help for businesses that are not covered by the Business Rates holiday. We also support and are united with the BTA’s request for further government support.
“While we’re working closely with and supporting the BVEP and other industry associations in lobbying the Department of Culture Media and Sport to push the Treasury for financial support, the need for this industry keep its teams together ready for when they can contribute to the revival of the economy is particularly important to our association.
“Service, skills and teamwork are the foundations of our industry’s success. If we are unable to retain the experienced people who apply these human qualities to create and deliver events, the industry will struggle to maintain the high standards on which its success has been built. We want the industry to be #futurefit but it will struggle to be so without its talent and industry experts remaining in business.”
