Updated Covid Regulations
Monday the 12 April marked an important milestone for the hospitality industry. On this day, Step 2 of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown was activated. This change allowed retail and many outdoor hospitality settings to reopen at least partially. Currently, the next date to look forward to as part of the planned roadmap is 17 May. For this change, it is expected that indoor events for up to 1000 attendees, or 50% venue capacity may reopen. These figures exclude staff, contractors, and exhibitors. Outdoor events will be upped to 4000 attendees, or also 50% capacity. Special dispensation will be given to seated situations.
Some of the events that may take place from 12 April include village fetes, agricultural shows, gardening shows, funfairs, and food and drink festivals. However, authorities expect less than 4000 attendees per day. Additionally, event organisers are expected to follow Covid-secure guidance and must adhere to legal requirements.
Business Events Allocations
The Government guidance has stipulated the type of business that is allowed to take place between now and Step 3 (17 May). However, while it has previously noted that business events are capped at 30 attendees, the latest guide makes no mention of the maximum capacity. It is also mentioned that while essential business meetings are permitted, venues are not to host conferences, exhibitions, trade shows or banquets. With that being said, it is allowed for a venue that operates as, or contains, a conference room or meeting facilities to open for a few permitted functions. These include hiring out of the venue for essential work, education, and training purposes.
For instance, these venues can be used for exams for a group of students from the same school, college or university, mandatory or work-critical training courses. It is worth noting that the legal gathering limits of groups of 6 people or two households do not apply to essential work, education or training events.
What This Means For The Events Industry
Arguably the hardest hit industries of all, the events and hospitality industries have been brought to their knees with the Coronavirus pandemic. The easing of lockdown signals a sigh of relief for anyone in these industries. However, there is still a long way to go to get back to where the industry was before Covid-19 happened. In an effort to revive the industry, the Government has encouraged Local Authorities to support businesses that have been severely affected by the pandemic, making specific mention of the events industry.
Paragraph 27 of the updated Additional Restrictions Grant guidance for Local Authorities reads: “Local Authorities are encouraged to support businesses from all sectors that may have been severely impacted by restrictions but are not eligible for the Restart Grant scheme”. However, the industry will essentially need the help of the public more than ever before in order to thrive again.
Start Planning Your Business Event With Vicarage
There is a perfect amount of time until Step 3 is activated to plan your business event if it is a conference, exhibition, trade show, awards ceremony, or banquet. With our experience in the events industry, we will be able to take care of not only a stunning marquee but many other aspects of your event. This includes catering, lighting, flooring, toilet facilities, heating, and more. Additionally, if you need an essential working meeting space, Vicarage Marquees can help you to source the perfect venue or marquee for the job. We encourage you to look through our gallery of marquees to get an idea of how we can help your event.
Vicarage Marquees adhere strictly to Covid-19 precaution measures with the safety of our clients is our top priority. We are proud members of MUTA, ensuring quality and safety are of utmost importance to us. Get in touch with the leading marquee hire company in Essex today on 01702 232200.