The associations of the event management forum, which act as an alliance of the industry’s business associations, have appealed to politicians and society. They explain that the time is ripe for an “immediate lifting of all restrictions on public events”.
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According to industry representatives, the recently announced extension of the short-time allowance, which is to be continued until the end of June 2022, is not sufficient either. This “must apply to the economic sector most affected by the corona containment measures at least until the end of this year”. Social benefits for the lost working hours would therefore have to be reimbursed in full from January 2022 until the end of the year. This is the only way to ensure that sufficient help is provided.
“The corona rules are being relaxed not only in most of the neighboring European countries, but also in the federal states. The mask requirement has been abolished and distance rules no longer exist. It is high time that this finally happened across the country without restrictions,” demands Professor Jens Michow, President of the Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry (BDKV). “We have respected and fully implemented all containment measures since the beginning of the pandemic. However, the fact that there is still no binding exit strategy that enables organizers to plan reliably is no longer acceptable. We call on the federal government to take appropriate decisions immediately.”
In any case, the industry will not benefit from the easing until autumn 2022 at the earliest
Axel Ballreich, first chairman of the LiveMusikKommisson (Livekomm), also spoke up: “The industry is no longer alone with its demands. An increasing number of doctors and politicians are also calling for an end to the containment measures. Limiting indoor events to 1,000 and open air events to 10,000 people is really incomprehensible.” Those responsible in politics must be aware that the industry will not benefit from the easing until late autumn at the earliest due to long lead times.
“It’s not just about the fact that we haven’t been able to hold any business events for two years. Our customers are increasingly losing confidence that announced events will actually take place,” says Timo Feuerbach, Managing Director of the European Association of Event Centers (EVVC). “Buying behavior in the entire event sector is at an unprecedented low for future events. It will take a very long time for the industry to recover from the economic impact of the pandemic.”
Special program is intended to support the industry and prevent misuse of aid
The associations acknowledged that there would be an extension, but this was simply not enough for the stricken industry. A special program has therefore been called for for a long time. Linda Residovic, Managing Director of the Association for Media and Event Technology (VPLT), explains: “When it comes to short-time work benefits, we know, of course, that the planned extension is not without controversy. However, a special program could avoid the feared abuse by sectors of the economy not affected by the crisis in the event of a further extension. Unfortunately, this has been repeatedly rejected by the government.”
You have to be able to work without restrictions again, otherwise Germany will lose an important branch of the economy, which in 2019 was still one of the top markets in the world. In addition, easier conditions for short-time work and more flexibility from the tax offices and the government in tax payments and reclaimed aid are necessary so that culture in the country has a chance to get going again after the pandemic. Otherwise, the financial help and efforts of the past two years could ultimately have been in vain.