Opinion
Hard times but a bright future
When a family member is suffering hard times the family rally round to help, the current situation with the Events and Hospitality Industry is very similar.
The Government have been outstanding in their support, in my opinion, and have acted swiftly – we easily forget that the talk 8 or so weeks ago was about the potential of 40% to 60% of salaries being covered for a few weeks, we are now heading towards 30 weeks with 80% of salary being supported – we await the update on what the August change will bring but it feels like a huge commitment to save businesses and this sector.
CI Group has a 25-year history and our roots are firmly planted in the Events and Hospitality industry – until 15 years ago it was 90% of our business. Acquisitions and strategic direction have moved the Group into a strong strategic digital agency network with Content, Analytics, Creative, PR and of course Events, still part of our mix. This diversification of the Group and the change of direction have enabled us to embrace the technology that exists and support our clients with virtual events – 3-day conferences for 1,000 delegates down to 1-day events for 50 delegates, training, incentives and other smart digital and social engagement tools are seeing the Group continue to support its clients, some of whom have seen exceptional growth due to a need for hardware and software to enable teams to work from home.
There is a very long road ahead for the global picture to improve in the Events and Hospitality industry but with the Government support, positive thinking and proactive planning we can make sure we are doing all we can to support our staff, our clients and whichever sector we operate in. We have also been reminded of how much we take our support services for granted, the NHS is clearly the champion of sacrifice and rightly the true heroes – as are all the key workers – our rubbish is still being taken away, our supermarkets supplied and staffed, and the delivery network for large and small are still keeping life moving.
We all want more and we all think we are entitled but sometimes it’s helpful to reflect on reality and just how fantastic Great Britain is as a country.
Stay safe, be positive and be kind.
Gareth Baldwin