David Kary

EVENT SUMMIT 2020 : EVENT LEADERS DISSECT THE IMPACT OF COVID 19

Event Summit 2020 has brought together the leaders of the events, live entertainment and technology industry’s to reveal the winners, losers and innovators of COVID 19 filmed at The Calyx, Royal Botanic Garden.

The Live Entertainment Industry Forum (LEIF) hosted by James Sutherland (LEIF Chair), Geoff Jones (CEO, TEG) and Roger Field (President, Live Nation Asia Pacific) and EY’s Matt Colston (Associate Partner Sports, Events and Venues Consulting ), headlined the discussion with the results of an industry-wide research piece conducted to measure both the contribution of live events to the Australian economy and the devastating loss it has suffered.

Geoff Jones, CEO TEG said: “EY’s report demonstrates that when the live entertainment industry does badly, Australia loses. Almost all of our revenue disappeared overnight when COVID-19 restrictions closed down the industry in March and while the return of sport with limited capacities has offset some of that impact in EY’s figures, for commercial live entertainment operators both large and small, revenue in September/October remains at no more than 10% of 2019 levels.”

Whilst there’s no doubt that COVID has rocked the live entertainment world, there were glimmers of hope reflected with content creators, live streaming and the ability to adapt event sponsorships into new territories proving a recipe for success during a pandemic.

KFC’s Sally Spriggs said:

“We do rely heavily on tapping into Australia culture and live entertainment such as sport and music and it’s really important as a mass brand to be a part of that culture. We’ve tried to endure those connections – we’ve had to adapt. We started getting into music before COVID hit with the KFC truck going to festivals but during COVID we started sponsoring live stream events to continue that connection. Sport, we’ve had to think more about the at home audience. It’s really important to keep the momentum going but be adaptable to what you can do. The most important thing is to keep those passions alive in Australians because that’s what will endure.”

Twitch’s Ricky Chanana also weighed in on the debate with professional gamer and content creator Jessie James (Geekgg) who said that audiences had flocked to platforms like Twitch where they could still experience the thrill of live entertainment whilst interacting with talent they felt connected to, from the comfort of their own homes.

NEC’s David Borean agreed, saying: “During COVID both event organisers and venues alike have had to turn to technology to find new ways to access audiences and deliver content”

The Hon Stuart Ayres Minister for Jobs, Investment and Western Sydney showed support for the industry with a heartfelt opening address, ensuring the audience that an updated Visitor Economy Industry Action Plan would provide the road to recovery for the NSW Tourism sector with events as a key focus of the plan and where the NSW Government will invest tax payer money.

“No sector has been affected more that the Tourism, Accommodation and Hospitality sectors. It is critical that we establish confidence back into this market and we get people back out, into our cities and regions” 

  • The Hon Stuart Ayres, Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney: Event Open.
  • Qualifying the contribution of the live events industry – Matt Colston- Associate Partner Sports, Events and Venues Consulting, EY
  • Live Entertainment Industry Form – James Sutherland – Chairman, LEIF, Roger Field – President, Live Nation Asia Pacific, Geoff Jones- CEO, TEG
  • Craig Tiley, CEO Tennis Australia: The Australian Open 2021.
  • David Borean General Manager Brand and Customer Experience NEC Australia: Biometrics and AI, CX game changers for venues and events.
  • Nicola Lewis, Chief Investment Officer GroupM, Sally Spriggs KFC South Pacific Marketing Director, Shannan Quinn, PRISM MD: Event Sponsorships in a COVID World and beyond
  • Johnny Little, Vice President Spartan Race Inc: Driving Global Participation Engagement
  • Luke Anear, Chief Executive Officer Safety Culture: Helping Organisations build immunity to risk.
  • Andrew Waddel, General Manager, Tourism New Zealand, Lewis Mitchel Partnership Lead, Twitch AUNZ , Jessie James (Geekgg), Twitch content creator, Ricky Chanana Head of Sales AUNZ Twitch: The future of live streaming and content.
  • Richie McNeill – CEO Hardware Group, John Curtin – Director Curtin Consulting, Frank Cotela – CEO and Founder OneLove Music Group, Kim Friedlaender, Business Development Director Live Nation Australasia Festival X: Launching a new music festival brand, building and retaining new audience.

The Summit Event ran from 9am to 2pm on                         Wednesday 14th October 2020