May/June 2021

Pilot Event Shows Business
Events Unviable in Wales
Green Events
& Innovations
Summer Conference
Announced
A GREENER Festival is happy to announce
that a special virtual Green Events &
Innovations Conference (GEI) Summer
Edition will take place on 16 September
2021.
The launch follows this year’s 13th
edition of the essential conference for
sustainability in the international events
sector. The decision to host a second event
reflects the doubling of efforts to create a
greener events industry now and for the
future.
“We intend to set an example that we,
the creative and ‘can do’ organisations and
individuals are leading the way, and the
future that we want to co-create is fully
in our grasp,” says AGF co-founder, Claire
O’Neill.
GEI Summer Edition takes place just two
months prior to COP26 where the world
comes together around climate change.
Conference topics are expected to include
social justice, biodiversity, clean air, clean
water and healthy soils, wellbeing and
mental health.
Visit www.agreenerfestival.com for details.
LEADING EVENT industry
professionals have called
for a roadmap towards the
safe return of the business
events sector in Wales
after a pilot event held at
the Celtic Manor Resort
exposed the unviability of
present restrictions.
Under the guidance of
Welsh Government, the
pilot event at Celtic Manor
on 20 May tested the risk
mitigation measures
proposed for the industry
with a range of stringent
health and safety measures
in place. Attendees were
asked to carry out a
Covid-19 lateral flow test
on arrival, having already
secured a negative PCR
test in the days prior. Three
separate colour groups
were assigned to manage
delegate flow, and mask
wearing was required when
not seated for sessions.
Delegates were
happy to comply with
all protocols but the
additional requirement
to observe 2m physical
distancing throughout
the event demonstrated
that meaningful business
events would be impossible
to sustain with these
constraints on capacity.
Celtic Manor’s Caernarfon
Suite can normally hold
more than 1,000 people
theatre-style in the twothirds
division of the room
being utilised for the trial
event. The 2m distancing
configuration meant it
was full with the capped
audience of 100 people.
While the roadmap set
out in February for England
already allows for events
up to 1,000 people indoors,
the reopening of the events
sector in Wales has been
much more cautious with
reluctance to outline any
schedule undermining
client confidence and
preventing advance
bookings. Both Celtic Manor
Resort and ICC Wales have
seen prestigious meetings
scheduled for later in the
year cancel in recent days
and switch to venues
elsewhere in the UK.
Ian Edwards, chief
executive, Celtic Manor
and ICC Wales, said: “It’s
fantastic to be back in a
meeting room after more
than a year, but just looking
out over this eerie room, it’s
clear we have a long way to
go. We are lucky we have a
room this size which means
we can host this event,
most venues will struggle
to hold 50 people with 2m
distancing in place. More
than 70 staff are working on
this event to look after only
100 delegates – numbers
like that just do not stack
up.”
Public Health Wales
officials were present to
observe the event and
provide feedback to Welsh
Government.
Holiday Parks Become ‘Work From Anywhere’ Hubs
CRADLEPOINT, A leader in cloud-delivered
4G and 5G wireless networks, has revealed
research that shows a third of workers
would consider using holiday destinations
as ‘work from anywhere hubs’ this summer
as Covid-19 has changed the world of
flexible working. This rose to nearly half of
Gen Z and millennial respondents.
2,000 UK adults were surveyed, with
the results revealing that 43 per cent are
planning to book or have already booked
a staycation this year, spending £729 on
average on their domestic breaks, and
adding £16.6bn to the economy.
Over 42 per cent said they are planning
to go to holiday parks, caravan or glamping
sites this year, with 27 per cent saying they
will be using their holiday to binge boxsets,
work or game. Gen Z and millennials
admitted that they would be lost without
the internet whilst on holiday this summer
(64 per cent and 58 per cent respectively),
with the expectations and demands for
ubiquitous connectivity ever-increasing.
James Bristow, SVP EMEA Cradlepoint,
said: “The demand for UK holidays
in a summer like no other is perhaps
unsurprising, and holiday firms need to
ensure they’re pulling out all the stops
so their guests have a great experience
from check-in to check-out. Internet
connectivity is a big part of this. Our
research shows there is a clear demand
for enhanced connectivity at holiday spots
around the UK.
“Pivoting from a guest house or caravan
park to a fully connected ‘work from
anywhere hub’ as employers change their
office policies won’t happen overnight,
so leisure firms will need to react fast
if they’re to benefit from the influx of
bookings this summer and beyond.”
6 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM