With Melbourne’s COVID restrictions set to ease further from tomorrow, event professionals are still without clear guidelines around whether or not business events can take place.
Victorian Acting Premier James Merlino confirmed from 11.59pm Thursday 17 June, normal travel between metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria will resume, and Melbourne homes can have two visitors per day (plus dependants) or up to five people (plus dependants) in regional Victoria.
The easing of restrictions also means 20 people can gather outside in Melbourne, and 50 in regional Victoria.
Funerals can be held with up to 75 mourners in Melbourne and 100 in regional Victoria, while weddings can go ahead with up to 20 guests in Melbourne and 50 guests in regional Victoria.
Merlino made no mention of business events, exhibitions or conferences, leaving event professionals wondering whether or not their events can go ahead.
Event professional Simon Thewlis said at a recent government roundtable, he was told business events can only happen if the chairs are “firmly bolted to the floor”.
“A cafe or restaurant can operate with chairs that are not bolted to the floor, but it seems a business event can only happen if all the chairs are firmly bolted to the floor – which is not possible in the majority of venues,” he said.
“From a risk management perspective, this makes zero sense but it is just another example of the bizarre nonsense that event organisers have had to struggle with over the last year as they just try to survive.
“We’ve continued to push for clarity on this but nearly a week on we are still unable to get a sensible answer from the government.”
The uncertainty follows an announcement earlier this week about the Victorian Government’s $20 million Events Support Package, which Thewlis said failed to deliver on its promise of supporting the events sector.
With much of the funding earmarked for the live performance industry and cinemas, Thewlis said “majority of event businesses were left empty handed”.
“This has left the vast majority of Victoria’s struggling event management, audio, lighting, audio-visual, rigging, staging, theming, equipment companies again empty handed, with still no targeted support through this entire crisis,” he said
“The announcement also clearly showed that despite one year of meetings with representatives of the event industry, the troubled Department of Job, Precincts and Regions still doesn’t have even the most basic understanding of what Victoria’s event industry is.”
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