One of my local venues has decided to convert from being a dedicated wedding venue to a full on socially distanced restaurant for the foreseeable (probably explains why the remaining weddings for this year have contacted me to move to next year.....they were previously being strung along on the "business as usual" by your wedding date line until then).
More worryingly though - just seen this poll on the BBC
I know it's only a tiny sample (1076 people), but the 85% who wouldn't be comfortable attending a music event is a bit shocking!Most of Britain is preparing for an easing of lockdown restrictions.
But public concern at the risks from coronavirus has risen to the highest level since the end of April, a new poll conducted by Ipsos Mori this week suggests.
However, the survey also says the public is becoming more comfortable about returning to work and sending children back to school.
The poll of 1,076 British adults suggests increasing unease at the dangers posed by the virus.
A month ago, 37% of those surveyed said they were ‘very concerned’ about the risks to the country. This new poll suggests that has risen to 50%. Concern about the risks to individuals has also risen from 24% to 29%.
The survey asks people whether they would feel comfortable in a range of situations if lockdown measures were lifted. The proportion of parents who said they would be comfortable sending their children to school has risen to 49%, up from 38% a month earlier.
Two-thirds of people would be comfortable meeting friends or family outside their household, also a rise from four weeks before. But the poll suggests around six in 10 people would be anxious going to bars or restaurants, using public transport or lavatories and only 15% said they would be comfortable going to large sport or music events.
Ipsos MORI interviewed a representative sample of 1,078 British adults aged 18-75 online between 26-29 June 2020. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.”
I think this is the closest relevant stat. Same sort of numbers as a restaurant/bar - with the added 'bonus' of being people they know (which makes them feel a bit safer).But the poll suggests around six in 10 people would be anxious going to bars or restaurants,
Sadly your caveat doesn't quite change things as much as you would like.
A poll of 1,000 has a margin of error of +/- 3% (I've spent a lot of my time in the past working with surveys)
My fear is the worst is yet to come - not necessarily from Coronvirus, but the effects of the mass number of redundancies that are already being announced, and will continue to occur over the coming months. The number of wedding venues already announcing they won't be back is somewhat worrying.
This sums up how I see things turning out too, I think there are a huge number of people about to find themselves unemployed in the near future, who currently think there jobs are secure. Unfortunately companies forced into bankruptcy or administration tend to take other businesses down with them, I've had the misfortune of experiencing this firsthand, and it was not a pleasant experience to say the least. I'm sure things will eventually return to some sort of normality but it could well take years. I've experienced 3 recessions in my business life, the early 80's, the early 90's and the financial crisis of 2008/2009. By far the worst for me, was the 90's when Nigel Lawson drove the interest rates up to 15% while trying to keep UK membership of the exchange rate mechanism, which ultimately failed. Unfortunately the previous year I had took out a mortgage on a 10.000 sq ft industrial unit in Derby city center at 1% over base rate, the repayments almost drove me into personal bankruptcy, not an experience I would wish on anyone.
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The voices of reason! 97% of DJ's seem to think that when we are finally let off the leash, there will be a Tsunami of work in front of us. Ain't gonna happen, boys and girls, ain't gonna happen. Shortage of venues, price squeezes, lack of disposable income, unwillingness to mingle in large crowds- that's just a few of the problems we're going to face.
I try to be the optimist (Gawd knows reality hit me at 4:30 this morning when I was woken up to go and drive a lorry on just above minimum wage so I need something to look forward to).
- The venues issue.....hmm. I was starting to see many couples move away from bricks and mortar and into tents, so hopefully not too much change there. Two very well known venues on my patch have sadly closed their doors for good in the last couple of days alone.
- Lack of disposable income....tricky. A lot depends on who your target clients are and indeed how much they value your services. There WILL be people that actually benefit from all of this, and there are people who are untouchable by things like recessions and spending squeezes. There are also those who are prepared to scrimp and save to get exactly what they want.
- Unwillingness to mingle in large crowds....that's the tough one I can see moving forward. A BBC report today highlighted what I'm already experiencing in that people are unwilling to go to supermarkets in favour of either having their cheap plonk delivered or collecting it from the car park. There really does seem to be a massive reluctance to go inside buildings with a lot of other people. Now that the major supermarkets have increased the availability of online slots, the queues to get into the actual supermarkets have reduced massively from the early days!
I can't see the aforementioned Tsunami coming (at least in the long term). There might be a small rush once we're finally allowed back and before spending squeezes hit properly.
One thing you haven't mentioned is supply and demand. I'm seeing a LOT (and I really DO mean a LOT) of experienced DJs selling their entire setup due to not having any money or because they've become accustomed to not working every weekend. The results of that alone could be interesting.
It's going to be very interesting to see if anything happens three weeks on Saturday after the carnage of boozers re-opening.
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So it seems the 'new normal' is full of uncertainty.
In a short period of time (3 months) we've gone from thinking it's a short sharp lockdown, with a gradual easing of restriction, to a future where new restrictions can be brought in at any time.
The news yesterday that schools will return in September, along with measures to 'isolate' entire year groups if there is an outbreak means that it's going to be very difficult to plan anything with any certainty for the future. Alongside the Leicester lockdown, I fear that for the next few months at least, any new bookings will be off the cards. I can't see anyone wanting to commit to a new wedding at this rate.
So 2021 will be the postponed 2020 gigs, and fingers crossed, 2022 will be the year when bookings resume.
That's a long way off. How many will have the energy to continue that fight for that length of time - and how many will be settled into new routines, with new jobs, and enjoying a predictable income (salary) by that time?