The entertainment and event industry is no stranger to last-minute changes and unforeseen circumstances. These usually range from guest cancellations to unexpectedly long registration lines and technical issues. However, these issues pale in comparison to the current pandemic that has upended the $ 1.5 trillion global industry, and absolutely nothing could have prepared them for it. Around the world, everything from private weddings and parties to international conventions and festivals have been put on hiatus, or have been canceled altogether, in order to ensure the safety of the communities and attendees of these events. Even Cirque du Soleil, the world’s largest contemporary circus producer, has cancelled 44 shows following the outbreak and temporarily laid off 4,679 employees, which is 95% of their workforce, according to Newsweek. Event Management Association A bilingual (Sinhala and English) online panel discussion titled “The Events Industry Needs a Future-forward Mindset to Survive Covid-19” took place on 21 April to discuss the impact Covid-19 on the entertainment and events industry in Sri Lanka, with the participation of several well-known corporate figures. The discussion was organised by the Event Management Association of Sri Lanka (EMA), which was launched in 2019 following the Easter Sunday attacks with the objective of establishing standards and further developing the industry. The EMA is the only official association representing the events industry in Sri Lanka, even though the industry itself has been active since the 1980s. According to EMA President Roshan Wijeyaratne, the local events industry is worth around Rs. 30 million, and it directly employs 25,000 employees with indirect employment possibly reaching 90,000-100,000. Events industry stakeholders range from big event management companies, digital creative companies, and venues to florists, musicians, and even professional dance troupes. Wijeyaratne stated that one of the main issues they are facing right now apart from the cancellation of events is the time it would take for the industry to recover. He explained that even after the curfews are lifted, the industry would not be able to go back into business for another four to six months, making it difficult for them to plan. He also pointed out that most of the industry’s stakeholders are SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and so, most will not have collateral, making it difficult to sustain their businesses and pay the staff. Mobility and budgets [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="228"] John Keells Holdings (JKH) Vice President, Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts Head of Brand Marketing, and Cinnamon Life Mall CEO Dileep Mudadeniya[/caption] Another key issue the industry is currently facing is the closure of all venues. Speaking from a venue company’s point of view, John Keells Holdings (JKH) Vice President, Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts Head of Brand Marketing, and Cinnamon Life Mall CEO Dileep Mudadeniya stated that the Government has given several guidelines to control the spread of the virus and come out of it as soon as possible. He stated that this has led them to close down all event spaces and also stop taking bookings for those spaces. “If the situation changes within the next few months, the Government will have to give us a set of guidelines to adhere to the (practise of) social distancing in order to conduct these events until a permanent solution is found. However, this will affect the events such as weddings where the number of invitees would be less,” he noted. According to Dreamron Group CEO/Director and former Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) and Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Kishu Gomes, the impact of the virus on the industry is worse than that it faced last year due to the tragic Easter Sunday attacks. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="240"] Hemas Pharmaceuticals (Pvt.) Ltd. and Hemas Logistics and Maritime Cluster Managing Director Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson[/caption] Furthemore, speaking from a client’s perspective, Hemas Pharmaceuticals (Pvt.) Ltd. and Hemas Logistics and Maritime Cluster Managing Director Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson stated that the problem the events industry is facing is twofold, with the first being that people cannot attend the events and the second being that corporates are being more financially frugal. “The industry is directly being impacted due to people being in quarantine and not being able to attend events; they are also indirectly impacted due to corporates cutting budgets during this tough environment (situation) and not spending on events,” she elaborated. Be creative, be proactive Looking ahead, Wilson pointed out that once the virus is under control, corporate entities will need the events industry again, due to companies being run by people who require events to celebrate achievements as well as to motivate and engage with the workforce. She stated that because of this, event companies need to be able to deliver creative concepts as the client companies would look for new ideas and formats post the (recovery from the) outbreak. [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="230"] Dreamron Group CEO/Director and former Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) and Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Kishu Gomes[/caption] Gomes agreed with Wilson and stated that corporate events go beyond employees, as they also help the relationship between brands and their customers and distributors. He explained that the challenge lies in continuing the way they did before, as companies would not be looking or willing to spend the same way they used to before the virus. He stated that this will also lead to competition within the industry and that it is important companies be ready for such competition as well as the opportunities that may arise. Gomes went on to state that events like weddings will always take place, and so companies should look for opportunities as such to stay afloat. Gomes also suggested the industry use this time to be more successful at what they do by connecting with their corporate clients offering new ideas rather than waiting for them to reach out. “Event companies need to be more competitive to grab opportunities, especially when the market size is decreasing and margins are eroding. Instead of waiting for the corporates to come to them, event companies need to go to the corporates and show how their services can be beneficial for the corporate. I think this will help the industry recover faster,” he emphasised. Wijeyaratne added to this, stating that another sector the industry could look at growing during this time with the Government’s aid is the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) events sector. He explained that the events industry together with the local tourism industry play a big role in bringing in foreign income to Sri Lanka through MICE events, and has been doing so for 20 years. These MICE events can bring in people numbering from 100 to 500 and sometimes even reach 1,000. Wijeyaratne suggested that Sri Lanka ought to promote this sector and use the aid of the events industry to show that we can deliver events of an international standard, having done so in the past to big brands like Johnson & Johnson and Coca-Cola. “It’s not just the hotel rooms and banquet halls that are needed to attract MICE; we also need to show event infrastructure such as our event management companies, equipment, and expertise in the matter.” During the forum, the panellist agreed that the events industry will take another four to six months to restart, and urged companies to prepare to cater to a post-Covid-19 world.