Event Exeter Light It In Red For The Event Industry
At 8pm on 30th September, Reed Hall stood illuminated in red, in solidarity with event industry peers all over the UK.
Working in collaboration with Exeter-based event production company, Warwick Event Services, the building was lit up as part of the #WeMakeEvents Global Day of Action, raising awareness and highlighting the need for support for the live events industry, suffering in the wake of the current Covid-19 pandemic.
Reed Hall, our all year round wedding and events venue is just one of a portfolio of venues, managed by the Event Exeter team. In any given year, the team manages well over 1000 events, from small meetings to large residential conferences, as well as hosting overnight visitors to the city, during the summer holiday months. This generates vital income for the University which is invested into supporting student experience projects.
The Covid-19 pandemic hit hard, just as the team were at the height of success, celebrating a spate of industry awards. Scooping Gold at the Devon Tourism Awards for Business Events Venue of the Year and Best Sales and Marketing team at the Conference News Academic Venue Awards, no one could have imagined how the events industry was about to be struck.
Steve Whyte, Head of Event Operations at Event Exeter said,
“Our venues have been closed for events since March and will remain so for the foreseeable future, until it is safe and right to set the wheels back in motion. Each year conferences and events at the University bring large amounts of visitors to the city and consequently are of huge economic benefit to the region. A reduction in business tourism in Exeter will undoubtedly have serious repercussions for local suppliers. The impact on us, as a commercial arm of the University and indeed on the city of Exeter itself, will be phenomenal and the industry needs the support to return to normal as soon as is safe to do so."
The Stand as One campaign aims to support more than a million people, who work within the events industry in the UK - highly skilled individuals who have been out of work since March and are likely to be so until spring next year. From audio-visual companies, to motivational speakers, the list of those affected is huge.
David Warwick, Managing Director of Warwick Event Services said,
“The Events and Exhibitions industry in both the Southwest and across the UK, lays claim to a huge wealth of talent - creative and dedicated people, experts in their field and incredibly passionate about what they do. It’s time for that care to be reciprocated, for someone to take notice and ensure that opportunity is still out there. As a region and a country, we are in danger of losing our position as global leaders in the industry, producing world-class live events”.
Whilst live events are currently on hold for Event Exeter, the team are well prepared for a safe return in 2021. If you have a project you would like to discuss, please get in touch with us – we love to talk events.