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Thread: Will we return in 2021?

  1. #1
    Imagine's Avatar
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    Default Will we return in 2021?

    Soooo.....unwinding after another long and arduous shift delivering online groceries (Gawd.....will this hell on earth never end ).

    Catching up with the news....it appears there may be light at the end of the tunnel for a possible return to business as usual this year!
    I'm seeing reports of all over 50's having their first jab by the end of May (that's the majority of those who are going to end up in hospital), I'm seeing optimism from Fleet Street about a "normal" summer, I'm seeing reports of the vaccines stopping or reducing transmission!

    In my own very tired and fuzzy brain cell...this is all looking to be good news indeed.

    I know there's still a long way to go and in my heart of hearts can't see much happening during 2021 for what we do....after all, we're public health enemy number 1 with singing, dancing and hugging. But in your own crystal balls/seaweed/tarot cards....can any of you see some sort of glimmer of hope for the back end of the year at least?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Imagine View Post
    Catching up with the news....it appears there may be light at the end of the tunnel for a possible return to business as usual this year!
    I'm seeing reports of all over 50's having their first jab by the end of May (that's the majority of those who are going to end up in hospital), I'm seeing optimism from Fleet Street about a "normal" summer, I'm seeing reports of the vaccines stopping or reducing transmission!
    I think we need to be careful between 'return to normal' and 'easing restrictions'.

    I think we'll be seeing something similar to last night. On a personal note, I would happily take what we had last summer, to be able to eat out with a small number of friends, do a bit of shopping and take short breaks in the UK! This current lockdown in winter is very tiresome!

    I am a bit pessimistic about the idea of large weddings with an evening reception party returning this year.

    The word I'm hearing at the moment is that to open up fully, even once the over 50s over vaccinated, would overwhelm the NHS just from the number of under 50s who would end up hospitalised (even if death rates weren't overly high).

    Plus we now have the cat and mouse game of the vaccine and the mutations of the virus that could render the vaccine less effective.

    I've resolved to the idea of not doing a disco again this year. Any I do get to do will be a bonus.

    The optimism I'm hearing is from Fleet Street, Finance and the Travel Industry - the ones who 'need' normal to return.

    The scientists are a bit more cautious about the outlook.

    We really need the entire population vaccinated - which will be late summer. And we've already been told to expect further restrictions next winter, even once we're vaccinated.

    And there's another risk - the supply of vaccinations. That supply could get disrupted at any time - the demand for vaccines is greater than the supply from production...

    So a few hurdles to navigate first!

    Be ready to offer the 'all day wedding' service again this summer, providing entertainment through the meal, and then finishing at 7/8pm after a 'first dance'.

  3. #3
    Resident Antagonist Benny Smyth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rth_discos View Post
    Be ready to offer the 'all day wedding' service again this summer, providing entertainment through the meal, and then finishing at 7/8pm after a 'first dance'.
    Or, and this is assuming that the previous tier system returns, provide your evening service in tiers one and two in a covid-secure way and carry on until just after last orders at 10pm. Dancing wasn't illegal in the lowest two tiers and it's about time we as an industry championed that fact.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rth_discos View Post

    Be ready to offer the 'all day wedding' service again this summer, providing entertainment through the meal, and then finishing at 7/8pm after a 'first dance'.
    If the amount of work picked up I would prefer that to getting back to normal if honest.

    Sad truth is, I done 21 weddings since March and not one has social distanced correctly. Restriction easing seems to be a lot more cautious, and if I was a neutral I would say NO to weddings for a long time. Similar situation with pubs who put entertainment on.
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    Well, up until about an hour ago, I'd have confidently envisaged being able to work at functions of say fifty people around August. Then a bride who boked to marry in June 2020, postponed to August 2020, married in August 2020 with the permitted number of folk, planning a big party on the 1st Anniversary ( Aug 2021 ) has just emailed to say "we are coming to the conclusion the blessing won’t happen this year given the circumstances" .

    I still expect to be working around that time, and have two bookings in the diary for August. ( I've got one for March, and one for May, currently. I don't see either happening if I'm honest ).

    Gavin's idea about All Day Weddings finishing before 9pm has legs, I'm sure. To that end, a couple of purchases are on the cards.
    1) New Tablet.
    My trusty Surface is having battery problems, mainly due to not having regular power cycles after the start of Lockdown 1. Don't know exactly how old it is, but it's served me well, and is an indispensable piece of kit for me. Sadly, a like for like replacement will cost me around £1k if I want full sized USB sockets. ( Which obviously, I do ).
    2) Maui 5 GO.
    When I went to the shop years ago, to buy a Bose S1, despite having twenty of the blasted things in stock, they refused to sell me one, as " the batteries are unreliable ".
    I tested a mighty Roland "portable" unit, which was ideal if Motorhead wanted to go busking!! Full band PA running from half a dozen U2 batteries, absolutely staggering. Awesome, just not the thing for discreet ceremony music.
    So, I walked out of the shop with a 5 GO in white ( cos they wouldn't sell me the demo black one, the only one in stock).
    Like many of my colleagues, I abhor visual imbalance, so the second one has been on the shopping list ever since I got the first one.

    Other than a Denon Prime GO, I think those two purchases will be ideal for low volume small weddings, especially if mains electricity is in short supply.
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    Disco Dude! DeckstarDeluxe's Avatar
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    No, not really and if we do it'll be a tame tail end of 2021.

    Everyone needs to have the vaccine, prove that it works and that social distancing can be lifted. I can't see that happening much before June/July and then you need folks not to get twitchy feet (why stress yourself out when you can move it to next summer and play it safe?).
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    Quote Originally Posted by Benny Smyth View Post
    Or, and this is assuming that the previous tier system returns, provide your evening service in tiers one and two in a covid-secure way and carry on until just after last orders at 10pm. Dancing wasn't illegal in the lowest two tiers and it's about time we as an industry championed that fact.
    You've said this a few times and I'm not sure where you're getting this from? In Tier 2 pubs could only serve alcohol with a substantial meal, background music was off the menu and punters had to mask up to leave their tables. Weddings were limited to a seated reception.

    Happy to be proved wrong, but none of that sounds like it allows for people to stand up, let alone dance?

    I'm sure there's going to be scope for us to be providing some kind of service this year, but whether customers are prepared to settle for a reduced wedding (or pay for a reduced service from us) is another question entirely. I still have most of 2020's bookings in my diary for 2021, but there's a slow trickle of requests coming in to move them out to 2022 or even 2023. A couple of local venues have gone bust and that has caused another handful of bookings to cancel outright as they've been left out of pocket and don't have the money or the energy to start planning again from scratch.

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  8. #8
    Resident Antagonist Benny Smyth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DJ Jules View Post
    You've said this a few times and I'm not sure where you're getting this from? In Tier 2 pubs could only serve alcohol with a substantial meal, background music was off the menu and punters had to mask up to leave their tables. Weddings were limited to a seated reception.

    Happy to be proved wrong, but none of that sounds like it allows for people to stand up, let alone dance?
    It's because when people read the guidance, they conflate 'Must' (legal requirement) and 'Should' (advisory).







    And here is the guidance.

    Again, this is assuming we go back to the tiered systems which, apparently, BoJo is not a fan of.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Benny Smyth View Post
    It's because when people read the guidance, they conflate 'Must' (legal requirement) and 'Should' (advisory).







    And here is the guidance.

    Again, this is assuming we go back to the tiered systems which, apparently, BoJo is not a fan of.

    BUT, the very same regulations say that the only dancing which is EXEMPT from the PROHIBITION of dancing (i.e. it's prohibited/illegal) is the first dance.

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  10. #10
    Resident Antagonist Benny Smyth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Imagine View Post
    BUT, the very same regulations say that the only dancing which is EXEMPT from the PROHIBITION of dancing (i.e. it's prohibited/illegal) is the first dance.

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    Now go track down those regulations, 'cos I've not been able to find them.

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