Events management companies make urgent appeal

TDT | Manama

Registered Bahraini events management companies have made an urgent appeal to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness the Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, to support the events management sector through the economic stimulus package and consider it as one of the worst-hit in the Kingdom amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

The appeal was an outcome of a virtual meeting held recently by a group of representatives from Bahraini events management companies to discuss how the current situation has affected the sector. The company representatives noted that many of their enterprises are facing major challenges and might not be able to survive, due to the cancellation of all events since March of this year.

They stressed that some events management companies already have 100 per cent losses and have been forced to close, while also suffering from financial commitments, non-payment risks, and unpaid wages. It must also be taken into consideration that most of these companies totally depend on their business, they said.

The representatives further pointed out the economic significance of their sector and its tremendous contributions to the national economy in helping to foster growth in the Kingdom. Moreover, the government is always keen to improve this sector, taking into account the new international exhibition and convention centre, which will be the biggest in the Kingdom, with 308,700 square meters in Sakhir, next to Bahrain International Circuit.

The virtual meeting’s attendees called on the government, mainly the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism and the Ministry of Finance and National Economy, to issue a special guide for the events management sector, following the example of restaurants and salons, in addition to offering a significant aid to this sector for a 12-month period.

Also among the meeting’s outcomes, representatives asked for the reactivation of Tamkeen’s events support programme, having full legal and logistic backup. They also suggested launching a fund by Tamkeen, the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority to promote domestic tourism and support all types of local events.

The attendees expressed their optimism towards meeting their urgent needs in order to save their businesses from total collapse and bankruptcy during this pandemic. They also highly praised the commitment of the Kingdom’s leadership to overcoming the current exceptional circumstances with an unprecedented policy response and economic stimulus packages.