1. The UK government has announced it will allow in-person events after June 21. The London Marathon Reunion Run with 3,000 participants will take place as a test event tomorrow (Sat 15 May) and help provide more valuable data for the industry.
2. In Ireland the Government has unexpectedly started to ease restrictions in the past week which provides hope for the industry. Indication from one attendee was that there are massive mental health issues as a result of the extended lockdowns.
3. In Romania residents continue to be optimistic as cases are going down, and vaccine rollout has been successful. The Government has also been supportive in testing mass participation. A key meeting for the industry with senior health officials was delayed due to focus on vaccine rollout but now looks likely to happen in the next week.
4. Organisers in Germany are still working largely focused on virtual events as they wait for clarity on restrictions being lifted.
5. In Australia, COVID infection rates are down and mask wearing is no longer required in most settings. Triathlon event organisers are currently reviewing the event season that was recently concluded as the country heads into winter. Part of the focus is on what Government guidelines will be in place when the new season opens in October as well as what COVID-generated initiatives such as rolling starts will remain for future seasons.
6. There are huge challenges in Mexico – COVID infections are still high, vaccine roll-out is limited and there are huge economic issues with little Government support. In some parts Government officials are saying that running events can start in September but organisers are sceptical. Companies in the event industry are massively struggling with much anger and frustration as people resort to selling of assets such as cars and motorbikes just to survive.
7. Vaccination numbers continue to rise steadily in numerous US states with increasing optimism regarding the return of live events. Two resources recommended by one of the attendees for weekly podcast updates are: Dr. Paul Klotman, President and CEO of Baylor College of Medicine and Dr. Peter Hotez, Co-director, Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development (CVD).
8. A need for organisers to be mindful that increasing optimism needs to be tempered with managing commercial risks associated with possible last-minute Government enforced cancellations as inevitable pockets of COVID cases occur. Watch the last MPW Web series about short lead time cancellations which include the Paris Half Marathon cancelled the afternoon before and the Riga Marathon 15 mins before road closures started.
9. Watch out for the power of social media to cause the cancellation of your event “Twitter Killed the Event Star” was one of the slides shared by Inese Kikule in the Riga Marathon case study.
If you have any insights to share regarding points raised above or would like to be connected to attendees who shared any of the information outlined please do not hesitate to contact me directly chris@massparticipationworld.com
Join us on 24 and 25 May for the next Strength in Numbers session:
7pm Sydney