The head of the Latvian Association of Technical Support Companies in the event sector said that professionals in the field have joined forces to jointly express their concerns about the future of the industry and call on the responsible institutions to make decisions to save companies and jobs.
“Culture is not just a group of choirs and dancers, stage musicians, actors and performers. The event industry brings together a wide range of ‘invisible’ employees, which the event visitor often does not even notice and think about their existence,” Eilands emphasized.
SIA “3S” board member Agris Galiņš emphasized that the technical support company of the event industry is the first to arrive at the event venue and the last to leave.
“And now we are the ones who have lost their jobs, the opportunity to earn a living and a large part of us also outside the state support measures,” Galiņš briefly explained the problem of the industry.
The Latvian Association of Technical Support Companies stated that it would soon be five months since the emergency situation in the country was announced on March 12, which was related to limiting the spread of the new coronavirus disease Covid-19. Gathering restrictions came into force in the country, which completely stopped all events and cultural events.
Although the state of emergency has ended and many industries are returning to normal working life, the situation in the event industry is still described as “extraordinary” – various restrictions on gathering still prevent the sector from working properly, providing business and livelihoods. families, noted in the association.
Aldis Janevics, the chairman of the board of SIA “Kompanija NA”, pointed out that although the restrictions on gatherings have been relaxed and the sphere of events has started to move a bit, “it is still like a spit in the ocean”.
“There are few measures and due to the existing constraints they are unable to make a profit and their budgets are far from keeping the technical companies afloat. Currently, the whole industry is suffering huge losses, and we can talk about a serious threat to its existence. .
Reinis Pētersons, a member of the Board of SIA “Tent For Event Baltic”, emphasized that on May 5 the technical support companies turned to both the Ministry of Culture (MoC) and the Cabinet of Ministers for help, but currently, despite active cooperation with the MoC and other responsible ministries, national programs have not reached a large number of companies. Peterson cites the non-responsibility of NACE codes as one of the reasons.
“We simply do not have the appropriate code, so there is no support. We, those who are always on the shadow side of events – not on stage, but behind them – are now ready to come to the fore and address the public and the authorities to remind us that we are not just NACE codes, but more than 100 companies and more than 700 workers in the industry and their families, who can currently be left without a livelihood, “Peterson pointed out, emphasizing that in 2019 companies paid 7.9 million euros in taxes to the state budget.
Neiland said the slogan of the upcoming picket is “# Culture must work”. This, in his view, indicates that culture is not only an intangible asset, but also a daily work and a source of livelihood. He emphasized that the field of events in Latvia has never been a “golden hole” – it is hard and responsible work, which, however, has been able to attract high-quality technical specialists to Latvia, whose professionalism is appreciated by both foreign stars performing in Latvia and foreign partners. has become a kind of benchmark.
“There are no squeakers in our field and we don’t tend to complain about the weather, long working hours, small budgets or high customer demands. We are working horses who still vividly remember the crisis of 2008. But now we are afraid that we will we can not survive “, noted Eilands, a member of the board of SIA” SGS Sistēmas “.
In order to inform the public about the situation of technical suppliers in the event industry and to call on the responsible government institutions to take action to rescue the industry, on August 11 at 1 pm Latvian event industry technical support companies will hold a picket by pushing out their technical equipment transport boxes. Valdemāra Street opposite the Ministry of Culture and the Latvian National Museum of Art. At 3 pm, the participants of the picket with 100 transport boxes will march to the alley on Brīvības Boulevard opposite the Cabinet of Ministers.
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