There’s a new association growing in the United Kingdom. Though Scotland’s live event industry has been expanding, the country has been without an association to represent industry professionals. Based on the numbers the Scottish Events & Festivals Association has seen since launching in January, the formulation of an association was overdue.
“So far, the needs of the industry have been unrepresented. Already we have almost 1,000 people on the LinkedIn group for SEFA, and more than 260 have registered interest to become members,” said Senior Conference & Live Events Account Manager at MCL Chris Lawson, who founded the association.
May 16, the SEFA will launch with a free event at the Royal Scots Club in Edinburgh.
“We had about 170 spaces available for the launch event, and they went in five days. We have a waiting list of about 30 people as well,” said Lawson.
Part of the reason the event filled up so quickly is due to the programming. David Alfrie, chief executive and producer of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, will open the event with a speech about the events industry. The Edinburgh Tattoo is a three-week festival held at Edinburgh Castle, which attracts more than 200,000 attendees over the course of the event. The 2011 season generated around £7.6 million (or $11.6 million) in box office receipts.
“All of us involved with SEFA have been putting in over and above our own jobs, which keep us busy enough as it is,” said Lawson. “We couldn’t do it without the time and patience of our employers. We’re actually borrowing a lot of the equipment for the launch free of charge. Everyone has been really supportive.”
Lawson said the figures aren’t 100 percent accurate, but the live events industry in Scotland is currently estimated to bring in around £1.5 billion ($2.3 billion) annually, a number he thinks is a very conservative estimate. Part of the SEFA’s mission will be to present a concrete view of how much the industry is worth
“We want to form a working partnership with the government so that we can influence the policy agenda in relation to legislation and strategy,” said Lawson, who added that there’s no friction between the industry and the government, merely a lack of representation.
“The plan is to promote higher standards, professionalism, and best practices,” he continued. “And to become the research center and information hub for the industry.”
Dr. Jane Ali-Knight, director for Edinburgh Institute: Festivals, Events and Tourism School of Marketing, Tourism & Languages, stated on the SEFA’s LinkedIn board that she thinks the association needs to “get a handle on the size, key sectors, employment patterns, education levels, and then impact data – social and economic.” Others requested a list of Scottish suppliers so that event organizers can make an effort to support local business.
“While there are lots of associations in the U.K., the large majority are based down south in England,” said Lawson, stressing the importance of having an association to identify and address topics specific to Scotland.
The association currently has a holding page up at its web address, http://sefa.org.uk. The website will go live this Friday, May 17, complete with video content from the previous night’s launch. From its launch, Lawson said the plan is to keep membership free until Jan. 1.
“We tossed and turned about what the fee should be,” said Lawson. “In the end, we felt that because we’re new, we need to share our plans, then prove that we deliver what we say.” Lawson added that he hopes that after experiencing the value that being a member provides, people will pay the association membership fee of £100 (about $150).
Right now, the focus is to have a successful first event, launch the website, and expand the SEFA. The majority (about 62 percent) of those who belong to the LinkedIn group are from Edinburgh. Lawson said that as the word gets out about the association, he hopes to see industry professionals from all over Scotland join. There are plans to hold a series of events each year, complete with training workshops.
Interviewed for this story: Jane Ali-Knight, +44 (0) 131 455 4392; Chris Lawson, +44 (0) 131 314 0650