COVID-19 Central Hub
COVID-19 Central Hub
We’ve provided a range of resources below to show how we are dealing with COVID-19 within the events industry.
Please see the ‘clients’ and ‘suppliers’ areas below for more information.
We are also providing the latest COVID-19 guidelines from the UK Government.
Clients
Visit our dedicated client page which provides you with everything you need to know about how we are dealing with Covid-19 in events.
What this page includes
- Our terms of business and what we can offer you, the clients
- What we are doing with our staff and suppliers to keep them safe
- Covid-19 information resources
- Our company White Paper with up to date information on our approach to Covid-19
- Up to date blogs
Suppliers
Visit our dedicated supplier page which provides you with everything you need to know about how we are dealing with Covid-19 in events.
What this page includes
- Email templates to clients about how you’re dealing with Covid-19
- Access to our White Paper document and the ability to edit it to suit your business needs
- Information on how to support your clients
- Information on new hygiene safety standards and best practices
- Up to date blogs
Coronavirus: UK government response
COVID-19: guidance for employees, employers and businesses
Page summary
Guidance for employees, employers and businesses in providing advice about the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.
Change made
Guidance added for local authorities on administering Small Business Grant Fund and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund.
Time updated
10:21am, 24 March 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance for employees, employers and businesses
Page summary
Information on healthcare advice for employers and support for businesses.
Change made
Added links to the business grant funding guidance, and the expanded retail discount guidance for local authorities.
Time updated
11:55am, 24 March 2020
As the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation develops, our industry is facing an unprecedented time of risk and uncertainty. Many organisations are postponing events. Many are cancelling. And many more are considering moving their events online.
- But how are event planners making these difficult decisions?
- What are some of the other challenges they’re facing as a result of the outbreak?
- And how are they spending their time working from home?
We would like to invite you to take part in a new research study which aims to answer these questions and help organisers understand how their peers are managing things in the current situation.
Interest Rate Cut & Mortgage Payments
On 19 March 2020 to an historic low of 0.1%, this was after announcing an interest rate cut from 0.75% to 0.25% on the 11 March 2020, the Bank of England
Additionally, UK Finance has announced that its members, who feature many of the UK Banks and Building Societies, will be offering mortgage repayment holidays for up to 3 months to those affected by the Covid-19 situation.
Whatsmore, if you have previously overpaid on your mortgage you may be able to use those ‘surplus’ funds to suspend your repayments. Check your most recent mortgage statement for information or contact your provider to discuss.
School Closures
All UK schools will close immediately to staff and most pupils from Friday afternoon until further notice.
Wales was first to announce the measure, followed closely by Scotland and Northern Ireland before the Prime Minister confirmed the move would be nationwide.
Johnson said nurseries and private schools would also be asked to close, and exams would not take place in May and June.
Key workers who can still send their children to school include:
- Health and social care
- Education and childcare
- Key public services
- Local and national government
- Food and other necessary goods
- Public safety and national security
- Transport
- Utilities, communication and financial services
Ban on evictions and additional protection for renters
Emergency legislation will be taken forward as an urgent priority so that landlords will not be able to start proceedings to evict tenants for at least a three-month period. As a result of these measures, no renters in private or social accommodation needs to be concerned about the threat of eviction.
Recognising the additional pressures the virus may put on landlords, the Government have confirmed that the three-month mortgage payment holiday announced yesterday will be extended to landlords whose tenants are experiencing financial difficulties due to coronavirus. This will alleviate the pressure on landlords, who will be concerned about meeting mortgage payments themselves and will mean no unnecessary pressure is put on their tenants as a result.
At the end of this period, landlords and tenants will be expected to work together to establish an affordable repayment plan, taking into account tenants’ individual circumstances.
Self Employed but unable to find enough work?
Universal Credit is a monthly payment to help with your living costs. It is available for anyone, even if you are self-employed.
But as always you need to meet fairly specific criteria; namely, you are on a low income or out of work.
If you’re expected to look for and be available for work, then it needs to be identified whether you’re ‘gainfully self- employed’.
Gainful self-employment means that:
- your main employment is self-employment
- you have self-employed earnings
- your work is organised, developed, regular and in expectation of profit
As you would expect, you must provide evidence about your business and what you are earning through your business.
Support for businesses who are paying SSP
The Government will bring forward legislation to allow small- and medium-sized businesses and employers to reclaim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) paid for sickness absence due to COVID-19. The eligibility criteria for the scheme will be as follows:
- This refund will cover up to 2 weeks’ SSP per eligible employee who has been off work because of COVID-19
- Employers with fewer than 250 employees will be eligible – the size of an employer will be determined by the number of people they employed as of 28 February 2020
- Employers will be able to reclaim expenditure for any employee who has claimed SSP (according to the new eligibility criteria) as a result of COVID-19
- Employers should maintain records of staff absences and payments of SSP, but employees will not need to provide a GP fit note
- Eligible period for the scheme will commence the day after the regulations on the extension of Statutory Sick Pay to those staying at home comes into force
- The government will work with employers over the coming months to set up the repayment mechanism as soon as possibl
Support for businesses who pay little or no business rates
The Government will provide an additional £2.2 billion in funding for local authorities to support small businesses that already pay little or no business rates because of Small Business Rate Relief (SBBR). This will provide a one-off grant of £10,000 to business currently eligible for SBRR or Rural Rate Relief, to help meet their ongoing business costs.
If your business is eligible for SBRR or Rural Business Rate Relief, you will be contacted by your local authority – you do not need to apply.
Funding for the scheme will be provided to local authorities by government in early April.
Looking to the future
Offering outstanding Events is at the heart of everything we do and we will continue to do that!
Therefore we are committed to maintaining our high level of service regardless of Covid-19. We are, like so many other companies, putting extra measures in place to ensure that your events can still run safely. Additionally, by working with brands like Tersano and Better Air allows us to offer effective decontamination deep cleaning before, during and after your event.
We will continue planning, organising and managing Events through this time period. We must collectively ensure that Covid-19 doesn’t have an irrevocable impact on our industry!
How you can help
There are many things that you can do to help combat the repercussions of Covid-19 in the events industry.
- Clients: Work with your suppliers, they want your event to happen just as much as you do. Postpone, don’t cancel. Work with them to come up with a new solution
- Suppliers: Try to be flexible, work with your customers to come up with an agreeable alternative to you both
- Contractors onsite: Work to our new hygiene guidelines, ensuring to wear gloves, wash hands regularly and maintain high levels of cleanliness throughout.
As an industry, we must look toward the future. Whatsmore, we aim to spread positivity and excitement for all the great events we have to look forward to after this period.
Government to offer economic assistance to the events industry during COVID-19
Sign the petition:
Government to offer economic assistance to the events industry during Covid-19.
The events industry needs your support!
Use our Hashtag #HelpSpreadTheWord to show your support and commitment to finding the best solution.
Related Blogs
Covid-19: How We Are Dealing With It
Planning and hosting events during the Covid-19 outbreak, ensuring we provide excellent service and safe, enjoyable, worry free events.
Covid-19: How Travel Is Affecting Events
How is Covid-19 affecting travel in the events sector and latest travel advice on what you should do if you have any trips planned
Covid-19, fear-mongering or genuine crisis?
Is the events industry overreacting to Covid-19? We discuss how organisers can keep their event spaces safe amid Coronavirus fears.
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