Insight: Issue 30 (3rd February)

When there’s no end to homeschool in sight. . .

With what little energy we have left, we’re sharing news of: the APPG’s recommendations to the COVID Recovery Commission; Stagehand’s new Crew Relief Fund, which is now open for applications; how to avoid virtual event fatigue (the struggle is real); 22 seriously surprising event ideas; an update on the murky future of incentive travel; and a special, eye-opening edition of Conference News.

APPG make recs to COVID Recovery Commission

Following news of the first formal evidence session by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Events (APPG), the group has now submitted a series of recommendations to the COVID Recovery Commission. These will be presented to Chancellor Rishi Sunak ahead of his budget presentation on 3rd March.

The commission was set up to examine the impact of the COVID crisis on businesses, and will present bold but practical ideas to the government over the coming months—to boost productivity, encourage investment, and promote a culture of innovation across the UK. The Chair of the APPG, Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP, said:

“The events, conference and exhibitions sector can help revive the economy as we emerge from the Covid emergency. I hope Ministers will look seriously at this set of proposals on how events can promote training, opportunity, levelling up and prosperity.”

Want the details? Head over to the APPG website to read the submission in full. 

Live crew relief fund open for applications

The volunteer trustees at Stagehand—the original live production welfare fund—have announced that the third application window for their COVID-19 Crew Relief Fund is now open. Even better, those who have already received grants are welcome to apply (unlike other funds).

Grants of up to £500 will be available for live event crew who have have received minimal or zero support from government’s self-employment/furlough schemes, and haven’t got any significant alternative income. Applications are open until midday on 12th February, and you should hear back by the 20th.

You can find out more about the fund and how to apply on the Stagehand site. Go, go, go!

How to avoid online event fatigue

There’s no getting around it. Staring at a screen—all day, every day—is exhausting. And yes, there’s a name for this feeling: online event fatigue. (If you don’t believe us, ask Forbes.)

This is slightly concerning since, like it or not, virtual events are all we’ve got for now. To help event profs fight the fatigue, Event Planner has shared some tips for creating virtual events people actually want to attend:

• Be open to audio-only. Trying to stop people from multi-tasking during your virtual event is futile. So give the people what they want, and offer an audio-only option.
• Shorten virtual sessions. Attention spans are short online, but that’s okay; it’ll give you the opportunity to experiment with new formats (like quick-fire, 20-minute workshops).
• Create moments of calm. Give your guests a chance to get up, stretch their legs, and even enjoy a moment of mindfulness (read as: have a quick snooze).
• Organise online networking. Virtual events can feel a bit like passive content consumption, so networking is key to keeping your attendees inspired and engaged.

22 seriously surprising event ideas

Speaking of avoiding event fatigue…what’s the weirdest, wackiest, most wonderful event idea you’ve ever had—and did you go ahead with it? Chances are, you didn’t. Chances are, you played it safe. And while that might have worked in a pre-COVID world, when live events resume, that will be the time to really go for it. To pull out all the stops and really surprise your guests.

Event Planner has done it again, sharing some inspo for innovative events. Here’s a sneak peek:

Something to watch

After First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement yesterday that tougher quarantine restrictions will be imposed on everyone travelling into Scotland, the future of incentive travel is looking more uncertain than ever. C&IT spoke to Lisa Lernoux-Dock—Sales Director of MICE at Iconic Luxury Hotels—to get her take on how to create incentives in a COVID-secure environment.

{*SPOILER ALERT*} She says vouchers are great, but doesn’t think they have the same ROI for corporate clients. So it’s about creating incentive programmes that will bring people together through shared experiences that are not only safe, but also on-brand.

If you’ve got a spare 15 minutes, press play here.

Something to read

And last for today—if you haven’t had a chance yet, we’d recommend getting stuck in to the latest instalment from Conference News; a special edition that targets MPs in Westminster and the devolved administrations, stressing the *absolute importance* of the events industry. We know it. You know it. Now they need to know it.

Read it and share it, people.