Press Release 30/06/2020

COVID-19 PRESS RELEASE – Submission to Oireachtas Covid-19 Response Committee

“Guarantee on Sustained Supports from Government urgently    required for the Irish Event Industry”

The Event Industry Association of Ireland (EIAI) will appear before the Oireachtas Covid-19 Response Committee today, Tuesday 30th June, to present its set of 6 recommendations for implementation to support the recovery and the future of the Irish Event Industry. 

The Event industry annually generates in excess of €3.5bn[1] towards the Irish economy and €850m towards the Irish export market, and employs an estimated 45,000 workers. Events and festivals provide an exponential return to the exchequer on government investment levels. In the case of St. Patrick’s Festival, an estimated total expenditure of €73 million is generated by out-of-state visitors[2]. Covid-19 has had grave consequences and impact right across the industry and beyond, from performers to suppliers, conference organisers to festival producers and from crew to volunteers and local communities. In order to ensure a sustainable recovery of the Irish Event Industry, EIAI is now urgently calling on Government to;

    • Recognise that this industry sector is one of the last remaining sectors that has not been provided with a pathway to or date for re-opening and as such requires a unique suite of supports and recognise, as part of that process, that the additional funding provided to the Arts Council will, at best, reach a portion only of our industry.
    • Recognise the Event Industry, in its own right, to acknowledge it for the valuable economic sector it is and assign direct responsibility for this sector to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
    • Continue the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) for our sector until such time as restrictions with regards to mass gatherings are removed.
    • Protect and support each part of industry; our workers, volunteers, performers, venues, SMEs, promoters, our smorgasbord of community events right up to our national hallmark events, and our stakeholders to ensure that our eco-system endures and that our professionalism, expertise and vital skillsets are retained.
    • Enable and resource the Event Industry to utilise this recovery period to address the new challenges presented by Covid-19, improve industry best practice, standards and professional competency, safeguarding our ability to deliver events that will be: delivered in a safe and successful manner, critical to the rebuilding of our communities, significant contributors to our national economic recovery, and that will continue to grow our reputation on the Global Stage as an excellent host nation for international events.
    • Make funding available to businesses and events within the industry to educate, encourage and enable them to transition to a more sustainable green recovery, and provide support to all relevant stakeholder and agencies to assist them with the adoption, implementation, and support of event sustainability guidelines and practices.

 Covid-19 Impact

The Event Industry needs to prepare for the long-term implications of dealing with Covid-19 into 2021, and potentially beyond. While we are grateful and commend the Government for its prompt and effective application of valuable supports that immediately provided a degree of comfort across our industry, we urgently require continued Government support to ensure that the industry will be in a position to reopen as restrictions are lifted.

 

For further information, please contact.

Conway Communications Nigel Goggin – 087 6041161, Louise Keogh 085 1277918    

EIAI Elaine O’Connor – 085 7198994 

 

End.

 

Notes to Editor:

Established in 2013, the Event Industry Association of Ireland (EIAI) was founded by a concerned group of event practitioners and industry experts with the aim of improving the overall event industry in Ireland.  Producing and delivering events ranging from some of Ireland’s largest public hallmark events to some of its’ smallest community and local events, along with being instrumental in the introduction of guidance regarding safe events, the EIAI founders had identified that the timing was opportune to come together as a representative body and to address issues and challenges within the industry. The EIAI core objectives are as follows:

o  Support, represent, promote and further the interests of our members,

o  Participate in national and international activity that addresses issues of strategic importance for the Irish Event Industry,

o  Define, develop and improve industry best practice, standards and professional competency,

o  Provide a platform to facilitate greater collaboration across all sectors of the industry in Ireland,

o  Increase focus on and support the provision of industry specific training and accreditation.

 

 



[2] Independent research conducted in 2015 & 2016 by Behaviour and Attitudes on behalf of Fáilte Ireland.

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