It’s that time of the year that we realise we don’t have the right clothes for this humidity and cold weather. It’s time to put something new in the wardrobe and go for some shopping, to keep the economy alive.
Autumn is here, and yesterday, for the first time since lockdown, we saw the same old London:
- crowded streets,
- packed squares,
- buskers performing with people gathered around,
- queues at the entrance of many shops where no temperature is taken anymore and, unbelievably, there were no more fixed numbers of people allowed!
- Tourists everywhere.
Rox Event Staff is the only event staffing agency in the UK that helps you take the headache out of staffing and event marketing in one place.
We operate nationwide across the UK with over 2,000 dynamic temporary event staff on our growing roster.
All our Event Staff took the mass gathering course by WHO, which is now mandatory for them to work with us.
We have dedicated account management, event marketers, staff’s right-to-work checks, training and skills tests on all workers, taking care of payroll too.
HIRING A PROFESSIONAL EVENT STAFFING AGENCY LEAVES YOU FREE TO FOCUS ON YOUR BUSINESS!
The Shops Rox Event Staff Dared To Visit
– H&M, Oxford Street: a shop on 3 floors, with no air-conditioned, where people from all places get in and try on anything (where is clothes hygiene gone? If we organise events (up to 30 people) where visitors’ coats are not placed in plastic covers, and they accidentally touch someone else’s coat there is a huge fine). Just saying…
– Second stop, Pull & Bear, Oxford Street: even here I only have to sanitise my hands, no temperature taken (again, if events currently allowed don’t take everyone’s temperature, there is a huge fee to pay), no signage that reminds shoppers of Covid-19 safety measures (at our offices we are compelled to hang posters with government’s guidelines, laws, measures, anywhere: outside the door, in the waiting room, at the coffee machine, every other chair. You get it… And this only for those few of us that currently goes back to the office every once in a while.)
– Third stop, Next, Oxford Street: here the entrance seems under control, but when you get in and look around you really hope not to contract the virus while shopping. Events are dangerous, thousands of rules to follow, which make them impossible to happen. But London shops are no problem.
– Last but not least, dear readers, Zara in Oxford Street: a long queue at the entrance and you would say, “so they are taking your temperature?” NO, “there’s a queue because of a fixed number of people allowed in?” NO.
There is a queue at the entrance because of the signage on the floor that guides shoppers to keep social distancing…3,2,1, everyone in queue and then….go crazy! As soon as you get in you find yourself in a shop of 3 or 4 different floors (we lost count) where there were at least 500 people! Gatherings in the jeans department, at the till, at the changing rooms, everyone grouped.
But the event industry is still not allowed to trade; otherwise, it would be dangerous, and still, the government offers no support. It just doesn’t make sense…
Or let’s talk about the TFL to ‘collapse’ without another £2 billion bailouts. If we follow the current government treatment of the event industry, then they should be left to close, and people will have to walk. Obviously, they’re not a viable business (sorry, nothing personal TFL.)
So we now ask ourselves, dear UK, why are you abandoning the event industry? Why are gatherings allowed in restaurants, pubs, cinemas and shops with no rules observation? Event professionals have to follow impossible guidelines or not run any event at all and with no support or “event out to help out” scheme. Forgotten? Completely invisible.
At the end of this scary shopping tour, we went to the British Museum. At this museum but event venue too, entries are now ticketed for the free, permanent collection (only selected Ground floor galleries are open) as well as paid exhibitions, so all visitors, including Members, and volunteers, need to book a timed slot in advance. They took our temperature at the entrance and hand sanitizers were available at every corner, all visitors were wearing face masks, and social distancing was maintained: we finally felt safe, surrounded by people and guests that observe the rules.
Event venues can be much safer for our citizens and surely much better than what we saw yesterday in London.
We hate to deliver only sad news, as the current situation doesn’t offer much more, but here are a few happy turnouts of this blog article:
EIA Delivers An Open Letter To PM And Chancellor
The EIA, comprising ESSA, the AEV and the AEO has last night, delivered an open letter to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak after the continued lack of support provided to the event industry, despite DCMS having communicated approval of both guidance and a pilot exhibition.
The letter is supported by 334 event industry companies from the membership of all three associations and proposes an Event Industry Hibernation Scheme. The scheme proposed would support the survival of businesses and their employees through the closure of the industry, allowing it to restart once constraints are relaxed. Read the letter HERE.
Live Music Returns to the O2 Arena in December
This is massive news. There have been murmurs that when Boris Johnson said “March” he was only kicking the ball long in the hope of being able to bring things back sooner.
This concert at London’s O2 Arena will happen on 5 December. The gig will have the capacity for 4,700 people in a one metre-plus distanced seating format, down from the venue’s original 20,000 capacity. Tickets will be sold in groups of twos, threes and fours only.
Does this pave the way for other events to come back, too (lead time issue notwithstanding)?
Anyone writing to their MP or journalists should cite this article (see below.)
Here’s What Every Event Professional Can Do
Sometimes it seems that we are powerless.
We have the most brilliant people fighting for us in the corridors of Whitehall, and they are gaining ground. The ground that you often don’t see. The ground that you don’t realise that they have gained for us.
It often goes unnoticed and the results, though not 100% what we want, are still taking us steps closer to where we need to be.
While they are doing that, YOU have got a job to do. If you’re stuck for figuring out what that is, then here are some ideas.
* Write to your local councillors, your MP – don’t leave it to the person that employs you, if YOU are affected by events not running YOU get writing.
* Follow #WeMakeEvents and be part of their work. Last week we shared with you the peaceful and socially distanced protest at Parliament Square.
* If you couldn’t make it to London or light your own house RED last week, watch the video below and put a #WeMakeEvents sign on your window now. Let the world know how many people it is affecting.
About Rox Event Staff, Event Staffing Agency in London
Rox Event Staff is the only event staffing agency in London that helps you take the headache out of staffing and event marketing in one place.
We operate nationwide across the UK with over 2,000 dynamic COVID-19 trained events staff on our growing roster. We have dedicated account management, event marketers, staff’s right-to-work checks, training and skills tests on all workers, taking care of payroll too.
HIRING A PROFESSIONAL EVENT STAFFING AGENCY LEAVES YOU FREE TO FOCUS ON YOUR BUSINESS!
Contact us to let us know your requirements. We will let you know how we can make that happen.
In Conclusion
Show up – every single day!
Adapt your mindset by staying positively focused on the things you actually can control. This is something we work hard at doing every day at Rox Event Staff. With so much bad & sad news coming at us from all angles, it’s important to keep working on it.
(1) Practice the art of being grateful for what you have rather than cursing for what you haven’t. Writing 3 things you’re grateful for in a journal is great for this.
(2) Using your energy positively on other people is much more rewarding. E.G. What brings the most reward? Saying: “Oh my god, you were so right!” or “I told you were wrong!” – it’s the former every time. How you behave towards other people around you can really light up their day with just a few choice words.
(3) Finally – You have to try & come out of this situation as a winner. Despite what is being thrown at you – no revenue, loss of jobs, the phone stopped ringing etc. – you need to adapt, stay focused, show up every day & serve people with what you do best. Performing at your highest level in EVERYTHING you do – even when nobody is watching. WE CAN DO THIS!
At Rox Event Staff – we are there for you. If we can help in any way contact us: info@roxeventstaff.com and if we can help, we promise we will…
#WeMeanBusiness