Tip: If searching for a specific person, try just the surname.
Tip: If searching for a specific person, try just the surname.
UPDATE: 5th January 2022
In person events certainly roared back in the Autumn, with our booking levels back to normal levels - there were still plenty of virtual engagements, and many clients opted for hybrid models - but overall, a certain sense of normality returned.
...and then December brought news of the new Omicron variant, and all bets were off. The government will certainly take credit for only bringing in their limited Plan B restrictions, which in theory shouldn't afffect live events, however as organisers know only too well, the mixed messaging and general uncertainty certainly hit confidence among audiences. For many it felt like a lockdown...
Moving into the new year, uncertainty remains, however clients seem to be taking a sanguine view, and while a few events have moved from the first few weeks of the year, many remain, and the postponements are currently only for a few weeks or month or so, in stark contrast to this time last year!
We are still holding our own New Year Speaker Drinks on 18th January 2022, albeit alongside an online stream (in fact a hybrid format we will probably use permanantly). Like many of our clients we are asking attendees to submit proof of negative Lateral Flow Test before attending, and have setup an easy to use portal for this purpose.
We are currently asking all talent to take a test the day before they do an event, be that an in person event, or virtual one from a studio, and upload a picture of it to our portal, so to ensure an audit trail.
Flexibility remains a watchword, and we continue to liaise with clients and talent alike, so to keep plans fluid, and build in contingencies to change to hybrid or even virtual formats, as circumstances dictate.
Throughout this whole period we've been proud to support our clients, and will continue to do so as we all navigate this next, and hopefully final, stage before the industry returns to true normality.
As ever, if you have any concerns, we are here to help and reassure. Our mantra remains: we work for you.
JJ and the whole of the Performing Artistes Team
UPDATE: 28th July 2021
Some normality is finally returning to life as we know it, and by extension, the events industry. While the so called "Freedom Day" in England still leaves many questions unanswered, we can now have in person events without social distancing. In fact we've already supplied a few, indeed attended a few(!), with many more planned for the Autumn.
Clients are still understandably reticient about what rules and regulations they will have to abide by, with many clients putting in place plans to get audiences to submit proof of vaccination or negative Lateral Flow Tests before events. We've been liaising with a number of clients and production companies about this, and in fact come across a very easy to use portal for this very purpose - do get in touch if you'd like an introduction.
We're currently asking all talent to take a test the day before they do an event, be that an in person event, or virtual one from a studio, and send us a picture of it, so to ensure an audit trail. We're please to say there has been no pushback, and everyone is just glad to be back out working.
Flexibility remains a watchword, and we continue to liaise with clients and talent alike, so to keep plans fluid and build in contingencies to change to hybrid or even virtual formats, as circumstances dictate.
Throughout this whole period we've been proud to support our clients, and will continue to do so as we all navigate this next, and hopefully final, stage before the industry returns to true normality.
As ever, if you have any concerns, we are here to help and reassure. Our mantra remains, we work for you.
JJ and the whole of the Performing Artistes Team
UPDATE: 16th March 2021
Following the governments publication of their roadmap back in February, it's safe to say the whole of the event industry is starting to think an end might just be in sight. As things stand, and we note there are lots of caveats in the governments plans, some events could return in May with social distancing, and limited numbers, while 21st June has been sighted as a possible end to all restrictions.
After so many false starts, everyone is cautous, however we have had a few enquiries for events over the summer, while many clients are confidently looking towards September and the autumn, often with a hybrid offering to cover all eventualities.
In the meantime we continue to supply virtual events, and our COVID secure studio is continuing to be in demand. The studio is specifically designed to be able to operate with a minimum of crew (max 2, and we often only need 1), and we have a stock of Lateral Flow Tests, asking people to test themselves the day before they attend.
We continue to update our contracts to reflect the ongoing uncertainty and allow for all eventualities, so you can book in confidence, regardless of the type or date of the event. Having been in business for nearly 30 years, we have the strength, reputation and accrued goodwill to weather these most unprecedented of times, and will continue to work in partnership with our clients to come out of this even stronger than before.
If you would like to discuss any issues, do get in touch and one of the directors can reassure you on any concerns you may have.
Our mantra remains that we work for you.
Directors JJ Jackson, Lauralee Whyte and the whole of the team
Performing Artistes - The Business of Speaking
UPDATE: 7th January 2021
None of us thought we would be back in lockdown at the start of 2021, but sadly that is the reality. However, we continue to adapt to virtual events, and since March have delivered people to speak and host at numerous virtual conferences and awards ceremonies.
Our studio is able to operate as normal, and we continue to update our COVID protocols so to ensure safety for staff, clients and talent alike. The studio is specifically designed to be able to operate with a minimum of crew (max 2, and we often only need 1), and we now have a stock of Lateral Flow Tests so people can be tested the day before they attend.
We continue to update all of our contracts to reflect the ongoing uncertainty, so you can book in confidence, regardless of the type or date of the event. Having been in business for nearly 30 years, we have the strength, reputation and accrued goodwill to weather these most unprecedented of times, and will continue to work in partnership with our clients to come out of this even stronger than before.
If you would like to discuss any issues, do get in touch and one of the directors can reassure you on any concerns you may have.
Our mantra remains that we work for you.
Directors JJ Jackson, Lauralee Whyte and the whole of the team
Performing Artistes - The Business of Speaking
UPDATE: 2nd November 2020
Following the Prime Minister's statement on 31st October, England is going into another Lockdown from Thursday 5th November, with similar restrictions thoroughout the UK. All of our events over the coming weeks are virtual, so these are essentially unaffected, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have also confirmed that while people must work from home where possible, travel to studios is permitted.
Our studio has already hosted a number of awards ceremonies and conferences, and will continue to do so. We are COVID Secure, and are also registered with the NHS Track and Trace app, so you can book both Talent and indeed the studio, in confidence.
If you have any queries, please do get in touch, and we can answer any queries you have, and set your mind at ease.
UPDATE: 5th October 2020
We are now over 6 months into the Lockdown, and while some restrictions have lifted in parts of the country (with others come back in force), physical events are clearly going to be impacted for a while yet; general sentiment in the industry suggests no one is prepared to commit to physical until Q2 2021!
These are clearly far from normal times, but we have been able to adapt and tailor our approach in order to continue to serve our clients.
We are already supplying many virtual events, and are working closely with clients who are developing hybrid offerings where a small audience may be accommodated, while streaming to a wider audience. We have actively engaged with artistes to discuss these opportunities so to ensure flexibility both in terms of cost and the activities.
As a company, we continue to hold a number of virtual events ourselves to showcase both talent and formats, showing that high production values can be applied to virtual. Do keep an eye on the Podcasts page for upcoming sessions: https://www.performingartistes.co.uk/podcasts
We have also setup a presentation studio in our offices so you can present from here, utilising our full fibre internet connection, and multiple high def camera setup. Teh studio can be hired either as part of a booking, or stand alone. It is designed to be a half way house between someone presenting from home, and hiring a full bown broadcast studio. Details are available here: https://www.performingartistes.co.uk/news-post/177
We have updated all of our contracts to reflect the ongoing uncertainty, so you can book in confidence, regardless of the type or date of the event. Having been in business for nearly 30 years, we have the strength, reputation and accrued goodwill to weather these most unprecedented of times, and will continue to work in partnership with our clients to come out of this even stronger than before.
If you would like to discuss any issues, do get in touch and one of the directors can reassure you on any concerns you may have.
Our mantra remains that we work for you.
Directors JJ Jackson, Lauralee Whyte and the whole of the team
Performing Artistes - The Business of Speaking