This year's Art Deco Festival was just one of events cancelled because of Covid-19. Photo / NZME
This year's Art Deco Festival was just one of events cancelled because of Covid-19. Photo / NZME
The emergence of the Delta variant of Covid-19 in New Zealand has landed a brutal blow on the events sector.
Nationwide, event organisers are faced with the difficult decision to either postpone or cancel their events outright, before wading through the avalanche of work that follows as they communicate withticket holders, operators and contractors and plan and unplan, and plan again, the many elements that must come together for a successful event.
It is no different here in Hawke's Bay. The cost of this outbreak on Hawke's Bay's visitor economy, and specifically those who rely on the events industry, is profound.
This year has seen the cancellation of the Art Deco Festival, Horse of the Year and the Hawke's Bay A&P Show, the postponement of Summer F.A.W.C!'s 10th anniversary festival and Hawke's Bay Wine Auction and the move to a condensed programme for both Central Hawke's Bay Spring Fling and the Hawke's Bay Arts Festival, among others.
Yet while Covid-19 has prevented people from travelling internationally, the interest and demand for events in Hawke's Bay has skyrocketed. We have seen record levels of interest, bookings, and sales for both events themselves as well as for accommodation, hospitality, and visitor experiences that people can enjoy while in the region.
And therein lies the value of events to Hawke's Bay. Events provide an urgency and commitment to travel. They fill up our planes, buses, hotels and motels, bars and restaurants. They give our retail stores, tourism operators and visitor economy a sharp cash injection.
Hamish Saxton
This is true for all events, from conferences and business events to school sports tournaments, music festivals and our own F.A.W.C! Food and Wine Classic.
However, when events cancel, and bookings follow suit, it leaves operators out of pocket with no way of recovering those funds. An empty room on Monday cannot be sold for a discounted rate on Tuesday – that opportunity lost is gone forever.
That's without even touching on the many wonderful and talented contractors we have here in Hawke's Bay who make a living through events.
The artists and DJs, sound and light technicians, managers and crew, who have battled to stay alive since the beginning of the pandemic.
Thankfully, hope is in the wings. The Vaccination Certificate announced by Government this week is a really positive sign that certainty could return to the events sector, particularly when combined with increased vaccination rates and the removal of a capped number of attendees for seated public events with social distancing.
The oft-repeated comment about the events industry – even in pre-Covid times – was "you have no idea what goes on behind the scenes", and that's even more pertinent now.
So as event managers in Hawke's Bay spin wheels to rearrange and make plans for a potentially incredible line up this summer, perhaps consider buying a ticket early. It could make the world of a difference right now.
* Hamish Saxton is chief executive at Hawke's Bay Tourism
