Among those hardest hit by the consequences of the pandemic, the events sector remains pugnacious and determined to save what can still be saved. At the end of last week, representatives of the events industry - Coésio, Crealians, France Congresses and EventsLeads, L'ÉVÉNEMENT, Synpase, Traiteurs de France and Unimev - had an "open letter to the President of the Republic" published in Le Monde and Le Parisien. In the form of a cry of alarm, this article drew a dramatic conclusion: " the French events sector, which has been left out in the cold by the extension of the support measures, is in the throes of an economic crisis. great danger of extinction" .
This open letter was supported by a study conducted by all the players in the industry. According to a survey carried out in November among 3,348 companies, i.e. almost a third of the industry, 80 % of them believe that their survival committed to less than 10 monthsAccording to this study, the sector will see its sales fall by -68 % over the year as a whole, and by -831 % over the period from March to December. Still according to this study, the decline in the sector's sales will amount to -68 % over the year as a whole and -83% over the period from March to December.
"2020 was a disaster and 2021 is shaping up to be a disaster with no clear and credible outlook." say the signatories of the open letter. The recent announcement of the postponement of the Paris Air Show to 2023This, combined with the cancellation of other major events such as the Salon de l'Agriculture, does not augur well for the months ahead.
" First to close on 5 March, the sector will be the last to reopenAnd even then, the prospect of 20 January is highly hypothetical, as it is subject to health and hospital restrictions and unstable standards that are ill-suited to the constraints of organising events." They are calling on the public authorities to consider the following measures specific measures to the production cycle of the events sector to enable it to take off again. At the same time, they are also calling for the application of a strict health protocol for a takeover as soon as possible, are highlighting their ability to manage very large flows of people without any problems.
To reinforce the events industry's message, one of its main representatives, Unimev, has just published a report on its activities. manifesto in the shape of a plea to save a key sector for the French economy. " At the initiative of UNIMEV's governing bodies, the idea of creating a major framework document was quickly born to remind public authorities, the media, economic ecosystems and civil society of its benefits for everyone and its vision of its future, which is firmly rooted in the major challenges facing society." describes the Union française des métiers de l'événement.
Industrialisation, research, innovation: Unimev intends to demonstrate that the tens of thousands of trade events held in France every year are an essential lever for exporting French expertiseIt is also a key marketing tool for the network of very small businesses, SMEs and start-ups that use these events to showcase their products and solutions. And there are a number of figures to back this up: 17.7 million contracts signed each year for a total of 34.5 billion euros transactions generated at trade fairs and exhibitions.
