About now, in any normal year, we would be right in the thick of it. Our energy would be starting to lag slightly, the skin on our hands and faces would be looking weather-beaten (or glowing, to put a positive spin on it), and we’d most likely be on our 3rd or 4th pair of heavy duty gloves. We should have 7 events under our belts by now. We should be a well-oiled machine, setting up camp at each new Estate and building, inflating, plumbing, pinning, hammering and staking our way through with precision and good humour.
But those hands and faces remain unscathed and smooth. The gloves lay piled in boxes, the timber, tools and inflatables sit mud-free and neatly stacked, gathering dust in our storage unit. We have yet to load a van with a single piece of kit, as lockdown started two days after our very first event was due to take place.
Of course, we are all desperate for things to get back to ‘normal’ so that we can return to what we love. But we are all still working to define what ‘normal’ is now.
As a company that is so committed to helping charities across the UK, we have been keen to explore how we can help in the current COVID-19 crisis. We are delighted to have partnered with Karshare UK to donate two of our Gladiator Events vans to organisations in Brighton. Instead of transporting obstacle kit around the Country, our vans are now delivering thousands of meals and provisions to vulnerable people across Brighton. We are so pleased that they are being put to good use rather than sitting redundant on the roadside.
Sadly, many of our charity partners have decided to cancel their 2020 events completely. In such an uncertain landscape it has seemed more sensible in many cases to cut losses, and limit the damage. We truly hope that we will be able to run a few of our events still in 2020, but the final decision on this may lay out of our hands.
All we can do in the meantime is plan, plan and plan for our return, whenever that may be. The safety of our staff, volunteers, participants and suppliers is always our top priority, and we cannot return until we, and all the relevant authorities, are content that we are not putting anyone at risk by doing so. We have been working hard re-designing every part of our event from start to finish, ensuring that we are adhering to social distancing, keeping our equipment and site clean, and minimising any risk of transmission. We have a plan that we are confident with, and we look forward to fine-tuning it as we all learn more about the virus, and as restrictions begin to ease.
We have seen some wonderful collaboration during this time. The Event Industry has come together across the globe in a way that we have never seen before. No-one is a competitor, we are all working together for the common cause of bringing back events in a post-COVID world, that inspire, energise and provide joy, and that allow our incredible charity partners to continue their essential work.
We know that when the events do return, they will be even more special than before. We will not take for granted any part of the experience. We will be even more committed to our Sustainability goals.
It has been awe-inspiring to see how quickly and effectively the whole world has been able to mobilise and change its behaviour during this pandemic. This gives us the belief that we can come together to make more positive change in the world, to make the world a fairer place, and to start to heal the damage that humans have caused to nature.
We look forward to seeing you all, safely, one day soon.
Sarah