ARoUND HALf of vIC eveNTs ARe IN DoUBT

CLose to half of all events organisers in Victoria say they anticipate cancelling an event between now and the end of Feb, according to a new survey conducted by Save Victorian Events.

While just over a quarter of the 400 respondents indicated that delaying an event was more likely than cancelling altogether, the data was still very grim reading for the state’s event sector which has been previously slammed by COVID-related restrictions.

The pessimistic sentiment for the six weeks ahead is being driven by the ongoing wave of Omicron infections and government advice to avoid large gatherings, guidance that Save Victoria Events claims is subduing the events sector just as much as previous restrictions have done.

“There is really no effective difference between a strong government health recommendation [to stay away from crowds] and a formal restriction,” a spokesperson for the group said.

The same study showed that the average income for the Mar quarter for event industry businesses is forecast to the down by 68% compared to an average period before the pandemic struck, while more broadly, event income has also been down around 80% for the duration of the COVID period.

Save Victorian Events told BEN the findings were an especially cruel blow to the state, which relies on the events industry for 85% of its economic activity.

In a normal year, Victorian events would account for direct spend of more than $12 billion.

The figures follow a Victorian Government decision late last year to launch a $230 million scheme to underwrite insurance coverage for events in the state impacted by ongoing restrictions (TD 18 Nov 2021).