Last week, the UK was given some much-needed clarity on a timetable for the emergence of live events from lockdown, with shopping centre activations expected from April 12th, events up to a maximum of 1,000 people expected as early as May 17th and ‘large-scale events’ as early as June 21st.
Notwithstanding the awful personal, medical, emotional and commercial turmoils we’ve all witnessed for the last 12 months, this is extremely welcome news.
In our industries it allows for a certain amount of planning to begin, whether that’s venues working out when and how to re-open, or marketers beginning to plot out live or hybrid versions of activations after a forced experimentation with virtual.
In actual fact, there are arguably more opportunities than before lockdown when it comes to creating fan experiences, given that virtual elements of events are now a proven amplification tool. Can’t make it to the physical event that involves a lot of travel and too much cost? Not a problem – check out the live stream right here!
However, it’s difficult to gauge right now how quickly we’ll transition to fully live events, so caution is needed. For example, the government has said it will be constantly reviewing the timetable as we move through the four phases of the lockdown exit (lexit?). There is a risk that venue re-openings could be delayed if data shows worrying upticks in COVID infection rates.
Of course, when it comes to events of any kind, especially in the pop culture and entertainment space, we’re used to working to relatively short lead times – we would typically start planning a live activation for a client 8-12 weeks out.
So, in the short term, there’s a need for a certain amount of fluidity – we’re also working on live activations for the second half of 2021 already, but in a way that keeps us, the client and the project agile if we need to make changes to the format.
Ultimately, however the experience is delivered, the goal should always be the same: To offer fans memorable moments engaging with their favourite things in the world of entertainment.
In terms of big expos and conferences, it’s too soon to tell how the timetable established by the UK will impact many of the events we’ve already bookmarked in our diary for 2021. We’re working on the basis that everything this side of June will remain virtual.
Plus, there’s the added complication that pop culture is an international phenomenon – it goes almost without saying that the post-COVID planning we have here doesn’t necessarily correlate with what’s happening in the rest of Europe, North America, or anywhere else for that matter.
Indeed, in the US, San Diego Comic Con has just this week cancelled its plans to host a hybrid event this year and has moved to 100% digital – along with E3 and GDC.
We can only plan around what we know. To that end, we’re very much with the rest of the UK events industry in terms of being hugely encouraged by the moves away from lockdown, but at the same time needing the government to ensure the right amount of support is available should it be required – from event cancellation insurance to an extension of the furlough scheme. We’ll see what Rishi has to say in today’s Spring Budget.
We’ve so far not seen event-specific support interventions from the government but, given the supply chains we work within, plus the added complications Brexit has brought to international event activity, we’ll all need to work together to once again deliver the kind of experiences we know fans are craving.
