Reflections on 2022: Voices from Scotland's Event Industry Advisory Group

In the final of our series of Reflections on 2022, five members of Scotland's Event Industry Advisory Group (EIAG), including the Chair Peter Duthie, look back on the work of the group, what they have gained from being involved, as well as reflecting on the challenges and highlights from their own work over the last 12 months.??

Peter Duthie, Chief Executive Scottish Event Campus and Event Industry Advisory Group?Chair

Scotland is a world-class events destination and throughout 2022, the?EIAG has continued to champion the importance of the sector, meeting six times to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing events, and highlight the social and economic benefits they bring to our country.??

There has been plenty for the group to discuss as the final COVID-19 restrictions were removed earlier in the year, including the significant increase in event delivery costs, supply chain issues, workforces and skills gaps, ticket sales and public confidence in returning to live events. There are also the wider challenges of how we tackle climate change and transition to Net Zero.??

We have been grateful for the continued dialogue with Scottish Government Ministers Neil Gray and Ivan McKee, and with Officials throughout the year to highlight these ongoing challenges as well as the chance to provide feedback on legislation affecting the sector.??

There has also been plenty to celebrate as we saw the return of in-person events after two years of restrictions, with the level of demand for live experiences clearly demonstrating their vital contribution to people’s lives.?

I’m very proud of the work the EIAG has achieved since it was established and grateful to all the members who have continued to volunteer their time to attend meetings and contribute their valuable expertise and knowledge as we continue to navigate our way back and face the many issues that lie ahead.?

Francesca Hegyi OBE, Edinburgh International Festival Chief Executive?

From a Festival perspective, 2022 was characterised by a strong sense of uncertainty but also of hope. This interplay made it a nail-biting time for many; we started the year with some COVID-19 restrictions still in place, and there was also uncertainty as to whether audiences would come back. Whilst we were fortunate that audiences did come back, with 75% of our tickets coming from Scottish attendees, the normal patterns we were so used to, had changed, especially with last-minute ticket buying.??

The EIAG provided a forum for real time problem solving, offering direct access to government officials and agencies, and affording the ability for us as event organisers to share ideas and concerns as we had them to be resolved there and then. That kind of directness was very welcome in a time of uncertainty.?

We were pleased to see so many audiences enjoying our 75th anniversary of the International Festival and celebrate some of the more hopeful things to emerge out of this tumultuous time. One of these highlights was certainly the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra’s performance in the Scottish Parliament building. We were thankful to be able to bring the Orchestra to Edinburgh with the support of the Scottish Government, and this powerful and historic performance was a moment of solidarity that will remain long in the memories of those who witnessed it.?

Not many good things have come out of COVID-19, but one positive aspect I can reflect on now was the spirit of openness and collegiality amongst the EIAG. The straightforward and generous conversations shared around the EIAG table will certainly carry us forward into this new year with a renewed drive and a collaborative spirit.?

Geoff Ellis, CEO DF Concerts & Events?

DF Concerts’ summer season began with The Killers in Falkirk Stadium, the same week as Harry Styles kicked off his European tour in Glasgow and ended with the newly revived Connect Festival at the Royal Highland Showground, Edinburgh, to critical acclaim and 5-star reviews.?

DF Concerts had 33 days of outdoor shows from June to August.? Throughout 2022 we’ve had a total of 943 shows across 67 venues. Investment in new events by DF Concerts marks a huge achievement and shows the dedication that the company has to the cultural and social landscape in Scotland and the resultant economic impact of around ￡72.4million on tourism and hospitality businesses. With ticket sales projections to the end of the year, we will have welcomed over 50% of the population of Scotland to one of its concerts or events in 2022.?

The EIAG played a key role for us as the group provided a set of?senior colleagues and decision makers from across the sector where we could share our concerns, methods, hopes, and plans for getting the industry back up and running for the sake of our teams, our fans, the economy and the general wellbeing of the population.?

By coming together, we could speak as a unified voice to Government and although our requests were not always possible, we always had a regular, open dialogue with senior Government officials and often Government Ministers which I think, was vital.?

What is important now is we keep the lines of communication open and maintain a collective forum for industry-wide issues on an ongoing basis rather than coming together in a crisis.?

Denise Hamilton, Glasgow City Council Head of City Services and Major Events?

It has been an amazing year for events and despite there still being COVID-19 restrictions in place at the start of the year.? The EIAG has been such a supportive place for representatives from across the industry and associated agencies to discuss and share the challenges of delivering events as we emerge from the pandemic.???

The group gave industry representatives a shared voice and consequential access to the Scottish Government to enable frank and open discussion about support, guidance and restrictions.? The events industry was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic and this forum allowed for an exchange of good practice and highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by event professionals.? It also allowed for Local Authorities to support the return of events while hearing about these challenges firsthand.?

In Glasgow we saw the return of many of our annual events delivered by a range of commercial operators and our own Glasgow City Council and Glasgow Life teams.?There is no doubt this made for a busy year for officers but without exception we all welcomed the reinstatement of a full and varied event calendar.?

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, R&A Executive Director – Championships?

2022 saw all three of The R&A’s major championships being staged in Scotland, The 150th Open at St Andrews, the Senior Open presented by Rolex at Gleneagles and the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield. It was a spectacular summer for professional golf after two years of disruption. The 150th Open in particular was a milestone event for The R&A, for golf and for Scotland and even for an event that had been years in the planning, I welcomed the collaboration and exploration of issues that was possible with other members of the EAIG. Very specifically, working together also provided a very strong platform for experts in event organisation to lead the way on the COVID-19 protocols that had to remain in place.??

In my 24 years involved with The R&A’s Championships and 10 in this role, I have always valued the learnings and collective impact that come from working with peers in the industry and am equally happy to share the best practice that comes from staging championships on the scale of The R&A’s.??

Membership of the group is of real benefit in allowing the event industry to represent itself strongly with a collective voice and to demonstrate its importance to Scotland’s economy and well-being. It presents the opportunity for stronger relationships and regular dialogue with both ministers and civil servants within the Scottish Government.??

We are group that has real diversity of thought and is able to input not on only sport but on cultural events; not only on large scale events like The Open – this year 290,000 -?but events of all sizes appealing to wide audiences; and with input not only from operators but also with good representation from suppliers.?