Good Day,
I am writing on behalf of the Private Event Industry to respectfully request desperately needed guidelines and inclusion in the Blueprint for a Safer Economy for the Private Event Industry in the State of California. Our industry has been severely impacted and we are not being recognized under the current plan, which is causing extreme devastation.
We have been patiently working with California Department of Public Health, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GoBiz) and Governor Newsom’s advisors for months now without any concrete feedback or response. Our industry is in dire straits and many of our constituents / members simply cannot go on without guidance and recognition from the state.
WE ARE ONE OF THE HARDEST HIT INDUSTRIES YET WE HAVE NO REOPENING GUIDELINES.
The timing for recognition and guidance is critical to our industry’s survival because the Private Event Industry thrives on advanced bookings. While we understand events may not be able to reopen immediately, including us in the Blueprint for a Safer Economy and passing guidance is VITAL to the sales booking cycle to continue, which could keep many businesses from closing permanently. 77% of event businesses in our industry say they will be permanently closed within the next 3 months by March of 2021 if we do not receive support.
We need you to help get our industry included in the tier system and issue this guidance publicly NOW so that this sector has hope of survival. In addition, we must advocate to ensure our industry is recognized and NOT categorized with concerts, festivals and sporting events. Prior to COVID the average wedding has a guest count of 120 people.However since COVID, wedding trends nationwide are averaging closer to 75 guests. We believe that private events should be allowed to align with the guidelines already passed for restaurants, houses of worship, and filming. When the stay at home orders are lifted and our hospitals are through the surge, the private event industry should be permitted to re-open in conjunction with these three industries, following the same guidelines.
Passing guidelines and ensuring a place on the re-opening blueprint as described above will help small businesses and their employees get back to work, as little funding has been offered for support during this crisis outside of the PPP loans. The ‘Save Our Stages Act’ passed by the Federal Government is an incredible lifeline for many live music venues and nightclubs, but unfortunately very few wedding and event venues will qualify. Passing approved guidelines will help to ensure backyard private social gatherings have a safer place to be. Many brides and grooms are opting for backyard weddings where there is no one on site to enforce safety procedures, social distancing, or wearing masks. By allowing venues, caterers, and other vendors in the Private Event Industry to re-open this will ensure the smaller gatherings have a safe way to gather and celebrate life’s most precious moments.
In March it will be 12 full months since the Private events have been completely shuttered without any guidance or plan or targeted relief. Most of our 2021 business has already been lost and recovery is becoming an impossibility for many businesses across the state. Our industry professionals are doing their part by closing operations for the great good of society. But without any guidelines for safe reopening many of our industry professionals are getting desperate forcing events underground and into unsafe conditions. Home gatherings are the #1 source of spread and the public would be better served if events are no longer pushed underground.
Having a plan for professionally managed events to return will provide hope to hundreds of thousands in our industry, save jobs and keep events out of unregulated venues.
PLEASE HELP US BY SIGNING THIS PETITION TODAY!
Sincerely,
California Association for Private Events
