Event Policing Report for June 2022

Attached is the latest report on public safety incidents at events (including concerts, festivals and sporting events) in June from the National Police Coordination Centre.

Download the report here

UK Good Practice Guide - 4 May 2022

The Emergency Planning College has announced that it is to update the UK Good Practice Guide to Working in Safety Advisory Groups. The authors of the report will be Vanessa Mawer and Judy Jackson both EPC associates, along with Eric Stuart as the original author in 2015. Among the changes being considered are:

• Changing the document back to being one document rather than the three it became in version 2
• Clarifying the differences between some SAGs and the role of LAs, both as landowners and in issuing licences or safety certificates based upon SAG discussions
• Updated input regarding the learnings from the Manchester Inquiry, the Protect Duty (Martyn's Law) 
• Some references to events in a pandemic or post pandemic world

The authors say they would welcome input from the industry on any issues from the previous guide that they should consider. Feedback should be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than 10 May 2022.

EIF Primary Authority Update - 12 April 2022

Further to meetings with officials from BEIS and Liverpool, EIF is close to drawing up a formal agreement for the Purple Guide to be brought within the Primary Authority scheme, which will hopefully be finalised over the summer. Under the agreement, member organisations will be able to opt in or out of the EIF scheme.

In terms of guidance, the intention is that the Primary Authority will issue Assured Advice where issues relate specifically to legislation and formal guidance where it relates to non-legislative issues. Where Assured Advice is issued it will be registered with the Primary Authority scheme which makes it difficult for other authorities to challenge.

As a leading member of EIF, TESA members will have full access to the EIF Primary Authority agreement and will be able to use it as an arbitration facility if issues arise over the interpretation of the Purple Guide.

At the same time, EIF is working with central and local government to establish the Purple Guide as the national standard for outdoor events.

If you would like further information about this, please contact Director Jim Winship at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CCTV Operator Licensing - 12 April 2022

Among the Manchester Arena Inquiry recommendation is a proposal that employees of any business that uses CCTV and who might access footage should be licensed. This is not just those whose job it is to monitor CCTV footage, but anyone else in the business who just occasionally reviews the CCTV (live or post-incident), even if reviewing CCTV is not really part of their job.

At this stage, there is no information about what the licence requirements could look like; if they would come at a cost; or if this would require training, ID checks, etc.    To establish views on this, the Home Office has issued a survey through Plus4 to gather views on this which you might like to complete: www.plus4.co.uk/manchesterarena

State of Nation Report 2022 - 26 April 2022

A new report combining data from leading researchers BVA BDRC with insights from senior industry figures and input from event planners and venues has been published to give a well-informed picture of the state of the nation. The report is intended to help organisers make the right decisions moving forward based on an in-depth knowledge of the altered and evolving meeting and events landscape. The report can be downloaded at https://www.bva-bdrc.com/projects/meetings-events-state-of-the-nation-report/

Following a flash poll at the UKCMA AGM in February, here are the results.

Red Diesel Lobby - 8 March 2022

TESA is supporting a campaign across the events industry for the sector to continue to be allowed to use Red Diesel after 1 April. 
The Events Industry Forum has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer setting out the case for allowing this (letter attached). You can support the campaign by sending a copy of the letter to your local MP.

Cultural Investment Fund Results - 29 March 2022

The results of the Cultural Investment Fund have been announced - the results can be found here. Galleries, museums, libraries and other cultural venues across the country are set to benefit from £48 million of funding which will improve people’s access to the arts, safeguard cultural assets for future generations, and power economic growth through culture. More than 60 organisations in England will receive a slice of the funding which is being released as part of the government’s Cultural Investment Fund which was first unveiled in 2019.

UK City of Culture 2025 Shortlist Revealed - 29 March 2022

Bradford, County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough have been unveiled as the four areas shortlisted to be UK City of Culture 2025. The four locations were approved by Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries based on independent advice made to the government by a panel of experts led by Sir Phil Redmond. The vast benefits of winning the prestigious title include attracting millions of pounds in additional investment to help boost regeneration, a year in the cultural spotlight with hundreds of events encouraging long-lasting participation in the arts, and growth for local tourism.

Parliamentary All Party Group for Events Update - 5 April 2022

Theresa Villiers MP has been re-elected as Chair of the Parliamentary All-Party Group for Events and, at the same time, the group has set out a set of objectives for the current year including a plan to consider bringing non-parliamentarians onto the group as supporting partners. Key aims for 2022 include encouraging the government to undertake a confidence campaign to get people back to events; seeking government financial incentives for creating new UK-based events, and attracting more international events to come to the UK. Details about the work of the APPG can be found at https://appgevents.inparliament.uk/

Living Wage - 26 October 2021

The Treasury has confirmed that the National Living Wage is to rise from £8.91 to £9.50:

• This will apply to all workers aged 23 and over, and will be introduced from 1April next year.
• The increase follows recommendations from the Low Pay Commission, an independent advisory board.

 Further details about the Living Wage increase are available here

Social Impacts of Coronavirus - 13 September 2021

 ONS has published the latest wave of their research on the social impacts of coronavirus. The key findings from this wave, which is for the period 25 August to 5 September, are:

• 87% of adults still felt that measures to slow the spread of coronavirus were either very important or important
• 46% of adults always or often maintain social distancing
• 11% of all adults were asked for vaccination or test proof during the week – mostly to attend festivals. sporting events or care settings

 You can see the report here

Northern Ireland Relaxations - 13 September 2021

The Northern Ireland Executive has agreed on a number of modest relaxations to the current Coronavirus Regulations with effect at 5pm on Friday 10 September 2021 including allowing indoor, live performance events (concerts and gigs) to take place without tickets having to be purchased in advance or allocated seating. However, customers must still be seated and the requirement to record contact details for all attendees continues. In addition, the current restriction on dancing in indoor settings is removed insofar as it applies to post wedding and civil partnership celebrations.

Vaccine Certification in Scotland - 13 September 2021

The Scottish Parliament has approved the use of Coronavirus vaccination certificates to enter some events and higher risk venues. The Scheme will come into effect from 1 October and aims to reduce risk while enabling events to take place where transmission is a higher risk. It also aims to encourage uptake of the vaccine. From 30 September, people will be able to use the NHS Scotland Covid Status App which also has a QR code, to access venues where certification is required. From this date the current downloadable PDF function will be switched off. Anyone unable or unwilling to use the App can request a secure uneditable paper record of vaccination, with enhanced security features such as thermodynamic ink to prevent forgery. The verifier app will be called ‘NHS Scotland Covid Check’.

Proof of vaccination will be required to a number of places, including unseated indoor live events, with more than 500 people in the audience; unseated outdoor live events, with more than 4,000 people in the audience; and any event, of any nature, which has more than 10,000 people in attendance

Staff at venues affected will be able to download a "verifier app" to a smartphone or device from next week, ahead of the launch, which will allow digital checks on the certification status of those attending. Guidance will be provided for venues on how to use the app, along with options to integrate it into their own systems as the source code is open. Under 18s and adults who are ineligible for vaccination will be exempt.

Event COVID Insurance - 13 September 2021

The headline rules for the Live Events Reinsurance Scheme have been published here. Full scheme rules will be available in due course. 

Live Events Reinsurance Scheme - 27 September 2021

DCMS has published the details of its Live Events Reinsurance Scheme that was announced a couple of weeks ago. The key features of the scheme have been summarised below by Kurt from the Tourism Alliance and are as follows:

• It a cost indemnification scheme which protects against costs incurred due to the event being legally unable to happen due to new government COVID restrictions.
• The scheme will cover live events that are open to the general public and are physically located in the UK. This includes live music events, festivals, sports events, trade shows and business events. Private events such as weddings and parties would not be covered.
• In order to be eligible, event organisers must purchase the relevant cover from participating insurers within the scheme. Event organisers must also have or purchase a standard events cancellation policy (or a policy which includes event cancellation coverage) provided at least in part by a participating insurer – the cover backed by the scheme will not be offered on a standalone basis.
• Premium is set at 5% of the total value of insured costs (plus Insurance Premium Tax).
• Claims will be subject to an excess of 5% of the value of the insured costs or £1,000 (whichever is higher) per policy.
• Event organisers can purchase cover up to the full cost of their event, irrespective of when those costs are incurred.
• Cover must be purchased at least 8 weeks prior to the event taking place. This requirement will however not apply for the first 12 weeks of the scheme.
• The government’s expectation is that participating insurers will pay no brokerage in connection with the scheme and no deductions for such brokerage will be made to any premiums paid by insurers to DCMS in connection with the scheme. 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1019546/UK_Live_Events_Reinsurance_Scheme.pdf

Tender Procurement Opportunity - 31 January 2022

Wired-Gov have now opened registration to the Supplier Locator Procurement Gateway and they are now recruiting a variety of Suppliers for the registration period of January 2022.
The invitation is open to SMEs and suppliers that are able to deal with enquiries relating to fast tracked, lower value government & public sector contracts.
If you would like to find out more and receive full registration details, please register your interest by emailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Guidance Updated - 31 January 2022

With the removal of restrictions that came into force last week, all the Government Primary Guidance documents for businesses have been updated accordingly. See https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-covid-19/restaurants-pubs-bars-nightclubs-and-takeaway-services

Sick Pay -  31 January 2022

The Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme (SSPRS) has been temporarily reintroduced to support employers facing heightened levels of sickness absence due to COVID-19. If you’re a small or medium-sized employer with under 250 employees, you may be eligible to claim for up to two weeks per employee for COVID-19 related absences from 21 December 2021. To help employers understand the scheme, HMRC are organising a webinar on 17 February. You can join here - Register here

Operation Warm Welcome Recruitment Opportunity - 31 January 2022

Those looking to fill staff vacancies might find 'Operation Warm Welcome' helpful. This is the Government’s programme to settle people who have arrived in the UK as a result of the evacuation of Afghanistan. As part of this programme the DWP is seeking to find work and permanent housing for these arrivals and to help them integrate into UK life. Those available through the scheme have a wide range of skills, experience and English-language ability and are scattered across England, Scotland and Wales. The matching process helps connect employers and other organisations to DWP, who can then offer opportunities for training or jobs for Afghan citizens resettling in the UK. If you have potential employment opportunities available, please contact DWP by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
It would be helpful if your email included the following details:

• Job title and job description
• Number of roles available
• Locations
• An outline of the application process required
• Level of English language requirement
• If a driver’s license is required 
• If accommodation is included

Please can you let us know by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you can take advantage of this service as we have been asked to keep officials updated about uptake by the industry.

Shape Of Events Report - 7 September 2021

BVEP has published a new report on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the events sector. The main findings of the report are that:

• Overall event activity was down 95% across the UK during the past 12 months
• The UK events industry lost £57 billion of value from the pre-pandemic level of £70 billion
• 17% of event and exhibition businesses permanently ceased trading during 2020
• 126,000 jobs were lost during the same period

However, the BVEP finds that the pandemic has also been a catalyst for change and innovation across the entire events sector and while the industry has been far more engaged with the government during this period, there is still a need for greater, deeper, and longer-term industry representation
You can access the report here

Live Events Reinsurance Scheme Announced - 7 September 2021

The Government has published details of the Live Events Reinsurance Scheme which offers cost indemnification if an event has to be cancelled, postponed, relocated or abandoned due to new UK Civil Authority restrictions in response to COVID-19. All live events including music festivals, conferences and business events are eligible to purchase that additional cover, which will be available alongside standard commercial events insurance.

The key features of the scheme are:

• It will cover live events that are open to the general public and are physically located in the UK. This includes live music events, festivals, sports events, trade shows and business events. Private events such as weddings and parties would not be covered.
• In order to be eligible, event organisers must purchase the relevant cover from participating insurers within the scheme. Event organisers must also have or purchase a standard events cancellation policy (or a policy that includes event cancellation coverage) provided at least in part by a participating insurer – the cover backed by the scheme will not be offered on a standalone basis.
• Premium is set at 5% of the total value of insured costs (plus Insurance Premium Tax).
• Claims will be subject to an excess of 5% of the value of the insured costs or £1,000 (whichever is higher) per policy.
• Event organisers can purchase cover up to the full cost of their event, irrespective of when those costs are incurred.
• Cover must be purchased at least 8 weeks prior to the event taking place. This requirement will however not apply for the first 12 weeks of the scheme.
• The government’s expectation is that participating insurers will pay no brokerage in connection with the scheme and no deductions for such brokerage will be made to any premiums paid by insurers to DCMS in connection with the scheme.

The Scheme will run to 30 September 2022 with a review point in Spring 2022. Cover will be available to purchase through participating insurers which include Arch, Beazley, Dale, Hiscox and Munich Re (more are expected to follow). Event organisers can now start approaching these insurers to discuss their cover.
Here is a link to the details of the scheme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/live-events-reinsurance-scheme/outline-of scheme-rules-HTML-version

Association Of Festival Organisers Conference - 1 February 2022

After the success of last year’s virtual AFO Conference and with Covid 19 still raging through the country, AFO will present the annual Conference “virtually” on Saturday 5 February from 10 am to 6 pm.
Panels, speakers and showcase artists are being assembled to include discussions on artists, contracts, crowd control, insurance, accessibility, diversity, the ‘don’t do it’ list, festival support and lobbying, fundraising, British Sign Language and a key musician for the Colin Irwin interview. The conference will also include showcases of live music and a keynote speaker to raise hopes and stimulate recovery.
The theme of the conference will be ‘Getting Back to Our Best’.  Delegate passes are on sale here
The virtual platform “REMO” used last year was an overwhelming success, so AFO members have elected to go with it again online on Saturday 5 February.  Open to all the people involved in the festival and events world; full time or volunteer, artist or organiser, production team or admin staff, this is the conference for festival organisers. Delegates can join in and network, listen and learn, contribute and teach, share knowledge. The conference brings together the world of festivals. Organisers and suppliers can join for just one panel or the whole day – whichever suits their needs.
For more details contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.festivalorganisers.org

Digital Discounts -  15 February 2022

The Government has launched a Help to Grow: Digital scheme as part its support programme for small businesses. Under the scheme, eligible businesses can now receive discounts of up to £5,000 off the retail price of approved Digital Accounting and CRM software from leading technology suppliers. This software can help with effectively managing finances and building customer relationships, ultimately helping businesses to scale up. Additionally, through a new online platform, businesses can also access practical, specialised support and advice on how to choose the right digital technologies to boost their growth and productivity. Details about eligibility can be found here: government website