So what is happening in the Scottish events industry?
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have kept the “stay at home” message on longer than England, and so with that comes quite different rules, and therefore a difference in the relaxation of rules.
The First Minister is currently urging people to use caution and judgement as the easing of the lockdown rules commence.
The new rules (phase one, starting end May 2020) mean that people from two households can meet outside so long as they keep at least two metres apart. Sport is starting the benefit from the easing of the lockdown rules – people will also be able to take part in some non-contact sports, including golf, tennis, fishing and bowls, with the new season of the SPFL due to start at the end of July.
And Scottish conferences/live events?
A great place to start is from the visit Scotland website https://www.visitscotland.org/events
The Scottish Government have a four phase process for moving Scotland slowly through the pandemic, events featuring in phases three and four. In all phases, the following rules need to be adhered to:
• Physical distancing requirements in place (WHO guidance is 1m, UK is 2m)
• regular handwashing and hygiene in place
• Cough protocol is considered
• Face masks for enclosed public spaces, including public transport
In phase three the virus has been suppressed. But there is still a focus on containing sporadic outbreaks. In this phase live events may be able to take place with restricted numbers and physical distancing restrictions in place.
In phase four (COVID-19 remains suppressed to very low level) large-scale events and mass gatherings could resume in line with public health advice.
We’ve also looked into some of the largest conference centres and their plans for the rest of 2020.
Scottish Event Campus and have temporarily converted their space to an NHS hospital for the time being, delaying and cancelling number of conferences. The earliest conferences will be re-instated (dependent on phase 4) is August 2020.
P&J Live have also postponed and cancelled conferences, and this is indefinite.
Edinburgh International Conference Centre are promoting events from September 2020
However, as with all phases, the Government cannot give a firm date for when we will move from one phase to another, so let’s just hope that the industry is back on it’s feet in September, with physical distancing and rules in place so people can safely enjoy conferences and live events once again.
