The DC Event Coalition spearheaded an Empty Event on the National Mall on August 6, 2020, to highlight the effects the pandemic has had on the Event Industry in our country.
- The live events industry employs 12 million people.
- Live events workers spend an average of 20 years in the industry.
- Live events contribute $1 trillion to the US economy.
- 80% lost revenue expected in 2020
- 90% of live events have been canceled in 2020
The full-scale empty event included a stage on the National Mall with Sound, Lighting, and Video. The event also included 48 tables each representing 250,000 of the 12 million event industry workers, affected by Covid-19, nationwide. The event industry professionals who are out of work include, not only, the people you see such as the servers and hotel employees, but truck drivers, graphic designers, décor providers, valet, production staff, custodial workers, electricians, carpenters, and more.
How has the pandemic affected Metro Tech?
Just like the rest of the industry, Metro Technical has seen a decrease in business and revenue during the pandemic. The live events industry was one of the first to be closed down and will likely be one of the last to be able to fully return to work. Much of our Spring was spent canceling and postponing events that were eventually canceled. In fact, it is likely that we may not see a full-scale return to business until after a wide-scale release of a viable vaccine. Once a vaccine is released it may take up an additional year for the industry to return to its pre-covid level of business, due to the normal production planning timeline.
What can be done?
We need Congress’s support: Please take a moment and read Philip Dufour’s article, “Life on the Nation’s Do-Not-Invite List: Why Congress Should Support the Live Events Industry.”