Big names from sport and showbiz urge public to support Britain's £84bn events industry


Stuart Broad and Ronan Keating lead big names from sport and showbiz urging the public to support the UK’s £84bn events industry during a glorious – and safe – summer return of festivals, concerts and live action

  • Britain’s £84billion events industry is set to spring back into life after Covid
  • Lifting of restrictions will allow sports events and music festivals to return
  • A new #wecreateexperiences campaign is urging the public to enjoy life again
  • Celebs including Claudia Winkleman, Poppy Delevingne and Stuart Broad are behind the campaign 

Stars of sport and showbiz are urging Brits to get back to the live events and experiences they love this summer.

Music festivals and concerts, sporting events, leisure activities, charity fundraisers and weddings form part of the UK’s £84billion events industry set to spring into life again as Covid-19 restrictions are rolled back.

And famous names including cricket hero Stuart Broad, singer Ronan Keating and TV star Claudia Winkleman have urged the locked down public to get out there and enjoy themselves while also keeping safe.

Stars of sport and showbiz are backing a campaign urging the public to get out and enjoy the events and experiences they love again this summer when Covid restrictions end

Stars of sport and showbiz are backing a campaign urging the public to get out and enjoy the events and experiences they love again this summer when Covid restrictions end

The UK's £84billion events industry is set to return to life following the Covid-19 pandemic

The UK’s £84billion events industry is set to return to life following the Covid-19 pandemic

Sporting events, music festivals and charity events are all set to return over the summer

Sporting events, music festivals and charity events are all set to return over the summer

The Reading and Leeds Festivals, Boardmasters, The Isle of Wight Festival and Parklife are all behind the #wecreateexperiences campaign, as are prominent sporting venues such as the Kia Oval and Stamford Bridge.

Upcoming sporting highlights including the Rugby League World Cup and the Commonwealth Games are backing it, as well as several prominent charities.

Music star Keating said: ‘What we do touches millions of lives every day in a very important way. We need that now more than ever.’

Model and actress Poppy Delevingne added: ‘Events touch the lives of millions of people in such a positive way.’

And reality TV star Sam Thompson said: ‘Some of the most amazing memories you may have will be made in these next months.’

Actress Poppy Delevingne is one of many famous names backing the new events campaign

Actress Poppy Delevingne is one of many famous names backing the new events campaign

England cricket star Stuart Broad is another urging Brits to get back to what they love doing

England cricket star Stuart Broad is another urging Brits to get back to what they love doing

Events survey 

 A poll of 2,010 consumers conducted for the campaign by research agency Censuswide found:

· 72 per cent of Brits have missed attending an experience since the start of the pandemic

· Music shows and concerts (24 per cent), sports events (17 per cent) and local fetes (17 per cent) are the events we have missed most

· 37 per cent are very likely or likely to attend a local fete or event; 33 per cent to see a concert or show and 31 per cent to go to a sporting event as a spectator once restrictions have been removed

· Sharing experiences with family and friends (36 per cent) is the most important reason for attending events, followed by the positive impact on wellbeing (31 per cent)

Safety measures 

The poll found consumers are willing to support new measures put in place to ensure events can be staged safely:

· 84 per cent would agree to terms and conditions put in place by organisers, including additional bio-security measures, when booking an event

· 81 per cent would be willing to provide evidence of a vaccination or a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours of attending the event

· 41 per cent would be prepared to pay more for an event ticket to cover the costs of additional safety measures or reduced capacity – more than one in three of those people (37 per cent) would pay up to 20 per cent extra for their ticket

· 65 per cent would be happy to roll over their ticket, rather than demand a refund, if an event had to be postponed

The launch of the #wecreateexperiences campaign, backing Britain’s world leading events industry, which employs over 1.5million people, comes as a survey reveals just how much such highlights have been missed in the past 12 months.

72 per cent of Brits said they’d missed the experience of attending events during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Around a third said they plan to attend a concert or a show once restrictions have been lifted and 31 per cent can’t wait to watch live sport.

There was huge support for safety measures that will be put in place with 84 per cent saying they would agree to extra safeguards put in place by event organisers.

The Isle of Wight Festival is one of the great summer events backing the campaign

The Isle of Wight Festival is one of the great summer events backing the campaign

And some 81 per cent said they would be happy to provide evidence of a vaccination or a negative test within 72 hours of the event in order to gain entry.

What’s more, some 41 per cent would be prepared to pay a little bit extra for their ticket to cover the cost of additional safety measures.

Simon Hughes, co-founder of One Industry One Voice, said: ‘Life is all about experiences and the UK live events industry is the best in the world at creating great experiences to share with our families, our friends and our community.

A packed Kia Oval in London during the England vs Australia Ashes series in 2019

A packed Kia Oval in London during the England vs Australia Ashes series in 2019

‘We are ready to get back to work, but we recognize this is a journey of recovery and safety is paramount so live experiences will return gradually and only when it is safe to do so.

‘The #wecreateexperiences campaign is encouraging people to book tickets for events and experiences and to commit to supporting safety measures put in place by organizers and venues. 

‘We are known for our world-leading expertise and together we will do this right’.

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