At this difficult time for all of us, the Australian Event Awards acknowledges the complexities and hardships faced in all corners of the events industry.
We are extremely conscious that the current crisis has hit every sector of our community, from sports to festivals, charity events, business events, tourism, the arts and so many more. Perhaps more importantly, we are very conscious of the toll taken on event professionals across Australia. To all the sole traders, small businesses, casual crew, technicians, artists, venue staff, officials, volunteers and others faced with evaporating employment opportunities, uncertainty of the future and family and other pressures – please know that we are thinking of you.
It is in times such as these (and we have seen them before), that it is important that we pull together, that industry silos are demolished and geographic boundaries bridged. It is critical that all sectors work together and that collectively we keep our eyes on the survival (and indeed prosperity) of the whole. We are working to do our part.
In regards to the Australian Event Awards & Symposium 2020, we want to reconfirm our determination to ensuring that events and achievements which have occurred since the 1st of July 2019 have a place to be recognised and celebrated. We will also continue contributing to industry development through the Events Symposium. There will be more news on this in coming weeks as our planning develops.
It is important that we accept and recognise the realities that we face and that we do everything we can to support each other. However, the Aussie events industry has proven its resilience in the past and it will do so again. There are opportunities to take this enforced down-time to reflect and to plan for the future, to build better practices and ultimately to come out stronger than ever. Carpe Diem.
More to come.