NEW ORLEANS – Members of the hospitality industry are rallying from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20 during an ‘Empty Event’ at River City Venues to advocate for and support the many voices of the live events industry that has been hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joining local organizers to deliver this important message will be Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser; Kelly Schulz, senior vice president of communications and public relations for New Orleans & Company; Barry Kern, president and CEO of Kern Studios and Mardi Gras World; and Michael Sawaya, president and general manager of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The press conference will begin at 4:15 pm.
Live events were one of the first to be shut down when the pandemic began and will likely be the last to return. More than 12 million workers and businesses across the country that are the lifeblood of meetings, conventions, sport events, weddings, festivals, theatrical productions and trade shows are unemployed and dormant. This includes caterers, talent, musicians, performers, technicians, engineers, event planners, florists, lighting designers, decorators, DJs, photographers, rental companies, production companies, freelancers, ticket takers, tour guides, transportation providers, venues, destination management professionals, convention centers, hotels and restaurants.
New Orleans is joining the ranks of the Live Event Coalition that has held “Empty Events” nationwide to highlight the breadth and impact of COVID-19 on the live event industry as well as to encourage politicians and policy makers to push for federal aid via the RESTART ACT and other efforts to provide relief for the industry.
The Oct. 20 staged event will replicate a lavish, riverfront outdoor party setting – but without any attendees. Unemployed workers and suppliers will hold signs conveying the jobs they have lost. The event is closed to the public.
Spokesman for the local initiative, Diane Lyons of ACCENT New Orleans, explains, “We are not asking Congress to relax rules so we can stage unsafe events. We are pleading for a lifeline so our businesses can stay alive and our unemployed workers can be supported until the pandemic is over.”
Additional organizers for the New Orleans Empty Event include Signature Events, River City/Mardi Gras World, Royal Productions, consultant Sandra S. Dartus and a host of suppliers and volunteers who are generously providing time and resources. To accentuate the message, the Mercedes Benz Superdome will light up in red the evening of Oct. 20, providing a ‘Red Alert’ about the disastrous effects of the pandemic on the workforce and companies that make live events possible.
Click here to learn more or follow the hashtags #NewOrleansEmptyEvent, #EmptyEvent, #SaveLiveEvents, and #GoLive.
