June 22: From Lockdown to Night of Light

The events industry was the first industry to be hit by the COVID-19 crisis, and it is also very likely to be the longest and most profoundly affected by the fallout.

Now shines in the context of the "Night of Light" on the evening of June 22, 2020, from 10 p.m. to midnight, the service industry of the event industry in solidarity will light a structure in their region or city with red lights to draw attention to the difficult situation in the event industry.

Appeal from the entire event industry

Events with up to 300 people are now permitted again with the safety and hygiene concepts that have been developed. This is a ray of hope, but the strict regulations mean that, at least in the cultural sector, these events are currently not economically feasible.

And the industry is now calling for more planning certainty for the period after September 1, 2020, and an awareness of the time horizons in the event business.

It is important for the exponents to convey a positive attitude despite the current situation and to create a fascinating and emotional event with the illumination of various objects, as well as to signal to the population: we are there and ready, many things are already possible and we are looking forward to new events (picture: Xaver Award for Winkler LiveCom).

According to the federal government's cultural statistics, more than 275,000 people were employed in around 71,000 businesses in the cultural and creative industries in 2013. That is over 10.9 percent of all businesses, and the 5.5 percent share of employees in the overall economy is comparable to the share of the finance or tourism industries. The cultural and creative industries themselves generate a total turnover of around 70 billion Swiss francs and thus achieve an enormous direct and indirect added value.

Initial surveys of clients in the event industry have shown: The business community is also just waiting for its public and trade events to take place again.

In the past few weeks, a real "we-feeling" has arisen in the industry. On the Night of Light website, you can see that new companies, locations and cultural professionals are joining the Night of Light every hour and pulling in the same direction.