It’s been heartening to see how the events industry has come together in a spirit of collaboration during the current crisis and that approach has been particularly evident in recent weeks as we collectively ramp up our efforts to prepare for the safe return of event activity.
The efforts of everyone in our industry, spearheaded by our Associations, has led to the development of the All Secure Standard Document, which we believe UK Government will be endorsing as best practice guidance for the safe organising and delivery of exhibitions and events. Whilst we await confirmation from Government of this official guidance, the NEC has developed NEC Venue Protect, which details everything we will be doing in partnership with event organisers to help keep our customers as safe as possible. You can find an overview of the measures we will be implementing here.
The NEC is also actively supporting Project Confidence, the AEO, AEV and ESSA led initiative that provides a unified approach for communications that will help rebuild confidence in live events and reassure visitors that we provide safe environments. In addition, we are actively engaging with other industries, in particular retail, as they return to business so we can learn from best practice in other sectors. I’m delighted to report positive news from the NEC Campus, with Resorts World Birmingham having re-opened a number of its retail outlets on 15th June, whilst the Bear Grylls Adventure is planning to open for business in early July.
And finally, I'm particularly pleased to be able to tell you that we also reopened the NEC Piazza on 15th June, so visitors can once again walk from Birmingham International Train Station through our venue to the wider NEC Campus. As I’ve said before, we are proud to have provided the NEC as a Nightingale facility in the national fight against COVID-19 but with that facility moving to standby status in May having not admitted a single patient, we are now able to begin removing restrictions on the use of our public spaces. I’m sure you will agree, this is an important step on our journey towards a return to event activity.
Like you, we eagerly await the day when we can get back to what we all do best – staging great events. I can promise you we’re doing everything we possibly can to make that day a reality as quickly as possible.
