The COVID-19 crisis will have an impact on the events industry, raising many questions for all of its players. The MR Agency, founded in 2016, with 3,000m2 under management and hosts 250 events annually, discusses the topic from the front lines. Melissa Regan and the agency team raises essential discussion questions about the future of this lively and productive industry by sharing its 10 years of experience in the service of promotion, creativity and entrepreneurship.
The events industry and coronavirus
As indicated by French President Emmanuel Macron, the coronavirus pandemic is seriously affecting the event industry. An industry that includes professions from communication agencies and reception spaces, caterers, decorators, scenographers, light and sound technicians, transportation companies, hostesses and security guards among others …
Without forgetting those who are on the front line: customers, who need the events industry to optimize their businesses. Large companies as well as independent designers, craftsmen, start-ups, artists for whom Paris is the essential place to gain visibility, promote their brands, their creations, and organize successful meetings in an ideal atmosphere to conquer new markets. Paris is known for being the epicenter of fashion and contemporary art. Unimev predicts the impact of the Covid crisis to be a mimulus a 15 billion euros for an industry with an annual turnover of 65 billion euros in 2018 and for 335,000 jobs that cannot be relocated outside of Paris. The 4 annual Fashion Weeks alone every generate 11 billion euros per year and 1.2 billion euros for Parisian hotels, restaurants and taxis.
Our specific points of contemplation:
– How will Covid-19 shake up the events industry and how will the players survive the crisis?
– When and in which ways will companies, entrepreneurs, and brands often established abroad, be able to meet face to face with their customers to create a brand experience or sign new deals?
– For Paris based pop up events, how will companies adhere to the health regulations and social guidelines that will need be implemented?
– How will art exhibitions be inaugurated, and new collections and products launched to a physically present public?
– Will Paris remain one of the hottest destinations for the fashion, art and culture markets? What will be the new procedures to adopt?
– How will the digital practices due to confinement (videoconferences, social networks, live stories, etc.) widely practiced and rapidly evolving, coexist with the event industry?
– What is its future in “the world after” in terms of jobs and contribution to the French GDP for this event sector which consists of more than 8000 companies?
– France has always been recognized for its cultural exceptionalism. As culture is largely expressed via events, what will be the French government’s role in protecting and finding new ways for culture to flourish?
Effective May 11th MR Agency offices are back open. During lockdown the agency has adapted specific locations for COVID-19 conformity. Today, the agency offers 15 unique locations in Paris which can be exploited safely by the sectors of Fashion, Design, and Contemporary Art. The MR Agency takes care of the customer from A to Z by ensuring a suitable location, prefectural authorizations, the address book of buyers or collectors, media coverage…and we will also assist you during this key period via our internal staff member dedicated to Covid-19 hygiene and legal conformity.
