#WeMakeEvents is Felt Around the World with Global Day of Action

Yesterday marked the #WeMakeEvents Global Day of Action in which countries from across the globe came together in solidarity to highlight the plight that is currently facing the worldwide live events industry. The evening featured a range of creative responses, such as lighting iconic buildings in red to highlight how the industry is in red alert as well as beaming shafts of white light into the sky to highlight the mass job losses. In total, over 25 countries took place, ranging from the UK, USA, France, Germany and Canada. 

 

 

 

 

 

There are over 30 million people across the globe who work in live events; the majority of which have not worked since the Covid-19 outbreak and remain unsure as to when their work will return. Following previously successful Days of Actions from the #WeMakeEvents team, the Global Day of Action sought to bring together a global industry and highlight the impact that its effective shutdown is having throughout the world. 

 

 

 

 

 

The action started in New Zealand and Australia, where key landmarks such as the Auckland Sky Tower, The Domain in Sydney and Perth’s Matagarup Bridge were illuminated. The red wave then moved across through other countries including India, the Philippines, Greece, Turkey, Poland, Austria, Norway and South Africa to name but a few. In the UK, a range of iconic buildings were lit, including the London Eye, Royal Opera House, the Royal Albert Hall and ExCeL London. 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeremy Rees, CEO, ExCeL London, comments: “Before COVID-19, the UK events industry was a world-class sector worth £70bn, employing over 700,000 people, across 25,000 businesses. The pandemic has had a devastating impact on our sector. We’re calling on the Government to extend the support available to our industry and provide clarity on when the events sector will be able to reopen. We are totally committed to continuing to work with the Government to explore ways of resuming business in a safe, COVID-secure manner and are determined to build confidence around this”.

 

 

 

 

 

London’s O2 arena took part in last night’s events.

 

 

 

 

 

The event also received the support of several high-profile artists who used their social media channels to raise additional awareness. These included Coldplay, Radiohead, Fatboy Slim, James Bay, Noel Gallagher, Mumford and Sons and Eddie Izzard to name but a few. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Global Day of Action follows an extremely busy week of activity for the #WeMakeEvents campaign.  Last week, #WeMakeEvents Northern Ireland held a socially distanced demonstration in which 500 members of the live events community stood in Belfast’s Custom House Square. Similarly,  on 29th September in London’s Parliament Square, hundreds turned out to take part in a silent protest in order to further highlight how the industry is on the brink of collapse. 
 
With this latest Global Day of Action receiving such vast media coverage and delivering a message that has now being heard of a global scale, it is hoped that the governments will work with the live events industry and provide the support it needs. Andy Dockerty, Managing Director of Adlib and one of those behind #WeMakeEvents, concludes: “The industry is now at a knife edge and something needs to change. The new Job Support Scheme only supports ‘viable’ jobs but how can a job be viable if there are restrictions in place preventing you from doing your role? Speaking to other participants in the various countries, it seems as though certain governments are actually helping companies and venues find ways in which to put on events whereas others are simply ignoring all pleas. We are now asking the UK government to work with us and save tens of thousands of livelihoods and be ready to help the UK economy recover in the process”. 

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