£10m fund to help Scotland's events industry recover from Covid-19

Funding of £10 million has been announced to support Scotland's events industry in its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Funding streams will be set up to provide direct support to organisers of cultural, community, and sporting events, as well as to supply chain firms facing hardship, to help keep them in business while restrictions on events are still in place.

It will also look to increase community engagement, and support adaptations to event delivery to enable a safe restart.

The Scottish Government's economy secretary Fiona Hyslop said: "The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact on the events sector and its wider supply chain, and whilst we’ve had the positive step that drive-in events can resume, most of the sector will be unable to operate for some time to come.

"We’ve worked closely and constructively with the sector on the challenges they face and they have brought forward some creative ideas on how they can begin to operate safely. In addition to providing immediate support, some of this funding will look to bolster innovation and aid the longer term recovery of the events industry.

"Scotland has a track record of planning, delivery and success in events at international, national and local level and this £10 million funding will ensure the sector has a future and that we remain the perfect stage for events."

Peter Duthie, chair of the Event Industry Advisory Group and CEO of the SEC in Glasgow, said: "This is good news for Scotland’s event industry.  The sector contributes in the region of £6 billion to the Scottish economy each year and plays a vital role in the health and wellbeing of the nation.  It was one of the first to go into lockdown and will be one of the last to fully come out. 

"Additional funding from government for this important sector is very welcome and much needed, both by the event organisers and the wider supply chain businesses who are being hit exceptionally hard by the ongoing effect of an extended period of lockdown. 

"Scotland’s event industry has worked hard to build a world-class reputation for the nation as the perfect stage for events; we must do everything in our power to protect that."

Paul Bush is the director of events at VisitScotland: