VISITSCOTLAND has announced details on a £6 million fund towards helping the events industry to recover from the coronavirus pandemic while restrictions remain in place.
The Events Industry Support Fund, being delivered on behalf of the Scottish Government by VisitScotland and its EventScotland team and with input from the Event Industry Advisory Group (EIAG), will comprise of a one-off £10,000 grant to businesses facing hardship.
It will be awarded as applications are received.
The events sector has been hit particularly hard by the impact of the pandemic, with parts of the industry not yet able to reopen and those who are operating doing so on limited numbers and considerable changes to their functioning.
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The funding is open to the self-employed, partnerships and incorporated businesses on the basis that they can “demonstrate that the supply to, organisation of and/or delivery of or to events in Scotland represents their primary source of income”. They will also need to show that they earned a minimum of £10,000 from the supply to events in Scotland in 2019/2020.
Listed as parts of the sector the fund is “not intended to support” are “year-round operations such as attractions, venues; the hospitality industry such as hotels, pubs, bars, cafes, restaurants and nightclubs; private, social or family events such as weddings, dinners, functions or parties; community sports groups, teams or clubs; professional sports teams; [and] artists, performers and athletes.”
Applicants must have a place of business in Scotland, and be supplying to events that physically take place in the country.
Paul Bush, VisitScotland’s director of events, said: “The events industry has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic as one of the first industries to stop and it will be one of the last to restart.
“There is a desperate need for support and this £6m Scottish Government fund will help a number of businesses in the short term until we can start to run events again.
“This fund is designed to give a much needed cashflow support to those companies who have faced real hardship during lockdown.
“It is on a first-come, first-served approach, with only the first 600 applications being awarded funding, so I would urge those in the events supply chain to get their applications in as soon as possible.”
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The funding will provide support for those who have not received Government Covid-related funding from other schemes.
This includes suppliers working to organise, stage and deliver in Scotland, business events, and festivals which are open to the public.
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture, said: “We know the events sector has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and whilst we have set out indicative dates for a staged return of the industry, difficulties will continue for a long time to come.
“This funding is the result of close collaboration with the sector to work out exactly what challenges they face and tailor our support to help them as best we can. Scotland has a track record of successfully planning and delivering events at international, national and local level and we will continue to work with the sector as we emerge from lockdown to ensure we remain the perfect stage.”
Applications for the fund will open at noon on Monday, August 31. It will remain open until noon on September 14. Full details are available at tinyurl.com/y465ygxg.
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