News

On 1 October 2019, the European Commission adopted a package of 10 ecodesign regulations, including ecodesign requirements for light sources. The text was voted in December last year by the regulatory committee on ecodesign.

The European Entertainment Ecodesign Coalition*, a European-wide group of associations representing the entertainment, lighting design, live performance and film/TV sectors welcomes the text. Thanks to a number of technical exemptions, the vast majority of light sources needed on stage as well as in film studios can continue to be used. However, given the inconsistency of an article on strong white lights, the group proposed an amendment with a request for consideration in the regulatory committee on ecodesign.   

The new provisions of the so-called ‘Single Lighting Regulation’ will be applicable as of September 2021.

On October 16th, the European Commission launched the activities of the newly created ELA-European Labour Authority with an inaugural ceremony and the first meeting of its Management Board.
It is said that the Authority will provide workers and employers with better access to information on their rights and obligations and will support national labour authorities in their cross-border activities. This will directly support the millions of Europeans who live or work in another Member State as well as the millions of businesses operating cross-border in the EU.

Pearle, the European live performance alliance, welcomes the fact that one of the aims of the ELA is to facilitate the access to information and services to citizens and business about their rights and obligations. However, Pearle wonders to which extent the information provided will really serve employers in accessing the information they need. Therefore, a comprehensive and sector-wide needs analysis should be part of the start-up phase of ELA.

Pearle is also critical on the focus of enforcement and joint inspections, which is the second aim of ELA. Pearle is of the opinion that enforcement is only justifiable if all necessary information is available to employers, and if easy and user-friendly systems of declarations are developed by member states, as those incentivise rather than frighten employers to still provide services across borders. In the current economic situation, it is of utmost importance that the free movement of services is not hindered by overly administrative and enforcement rules but is supported and facilitated.

Pearle therefore calls upon the Commission to put SMEs at first as they do not have the financial means nor the administrative staff to find out in each country the targeted and necessary information, administrative formalities and others. This is particularly the case for SMEs in the live performance sector that have

Pearle Live Performance Europe informs us that he EU’s  revised Posting Directive is due to be implemented in national legislation by 30 July 2020. To accompany this implementation process and prepare Member states, employers and workers, the Commission has now published a “practical guide on posting”.

The Posting Directive and the Enforcement Directive of 2014, as well as the Social security coordination regulation, are the three main pieces of European law that impact touring companies as well as venues, theatres, festivals and organisers programming foreign productions.

The guide which is published by the European Commission deals primarily with the newly revised Posting Directive, but makes also references to the enforcement directive and the social security coordination regulation where relevant.

According to Pearle’s reading of the guide, there are indeed a range of clarifications made. However, in practice it is expected that questions will arise, in particular regarding calculation of remuneration. This may likely lead to different interpretations and become a basis for discussions. Pearle continues to underline that the provisions in the posting directive are not proportionate and not fit for purpose in the case of very short-term postings of merely a day or a few days.

Pearle members call upon their respective governments to foresee less administrative requirements and easier processing for very short-term postings.
The practical Guide on posting can be found here.

UK Sports & Venues Summit, London Stadium, 21st November 2019

Limited Offer: 6 discounted tickets 

This Summit brings greater focus to activities in the UK: focusing on venue development and support requirements. 

With a number of upcoming major sports events taking place in the UK, including the UEFA Euros semi-finals, and finals 2020; Rugby League World Cup 2021 and the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, this is a unique opportunity for UK Sports and Venues to share knowledge and challenges with peers and suppliers.

To secure your discount, email fguerrini@majoreventsint.com and include the code: MEIUK15 with your telephone number.

For more info on the programme and speaker line-up visit: https://meievents.eventsair.com/uk-sports-venues-summit-19/

We’ve been asked to let you know that  the MAC (Migration Advisory Committee) has been commissioned to look at options for a points-based immigration system. They have published a call for evidence, which you can find here. The deadline for responses is 5 November.

A one-stop-shop website to help young people discover the range of jobs available across all the creative industries is now live.

DiscoverCreative.Careers is designed to help students and their parents, guardians and teachers find out more about the careers in industries including advertising, architecture, fashion, film and television, museums and galleries, performing arts and publishing - and the routes to them.

The creative industries are growing three times faster than the UK economy as a whole and to meet the predicted growth, there is a need for more young people to choose a career in one of the UK’s most dynamic sectors. The new site will signpost users to the full range of jobs available to counter an historic dearth of good careers information for the creative sector.

The initiative is part of the Creative Careers Programme being delivered by ScreenSkills, Creative & Cultural Skills and the Creative Industries Federation supported by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports as part of the Government’s industrial strategy. The lead partners have worked with organisations covering the 12 subsectors of the creative industries to provide expert information on the range of jobs.

By filtering searches according to individual interests, the website produces a personalised selection of potential roles. It then directs young people to job descriptions and case studies on the websites of the expert partners in the initiative and to live opportunities for work experience or workplace visits where available.

Young people can save their unique results page, personalised to their own interests and talents, as their own learning resource.

A dedicated part of the site provides teachers, careers advisors and educators with up-to-date statistics on creative careers, lesson resources and an address book of useful organisations.

Employers are also encouraged to get involved by promoting opportunities for events or work experience and showcase the experiences of young people visiting creative businesses to inspire others.

DiscoverCreative.Careers will form a safe and accessible network between industry, education and young people across the UK. The soft launch this week will be followed by further development work in response to the user experience of students, parents, teachers and careers advisers in coming months.

Aimee Higgins, Director of Employers & Partnerships, The Careers & Enterprise Company, said: “DiscoverCreative.Careers is a fantastic resource for young people, parents and teachers to better understand the opportunities that the creative industries have to offer and forms part of a broader programme of activity with employers that will bring this information to life.  We are delighted to be supporting the industry to make these resources and activities available to schools, colleges and young people across England.  We hope young people from all backgrounds are inspired to explore the exciting opportunities that the creative industries have to offer.”

Seetha Kumar, Chief Executive of ScreenSkills which has led development of the pan-industry website, said: “The screen industries, like the rest of the creative sector, are keen to find and develop the next generation of talent needed to keep the UK a global leader.

“Having a single point of entry for young people to explore the jobs available, many of which they may never have heard of, is a crucial first step in securing the skills pipeline. We have revamped all the job profiles on our ScreenSkills website over the last year and partners have done likewise to make sure there is up-to-date information available on all the career options.”

Dr Simon Dancey, Chief Executive of Creative & Cultural Skills, said: “The team at Creative & Cultural Skills deal with enquiries about job roles and entry routes into the creative industries on a daily basis so we know how useful this vital one-stop-shop is going to be. The launch marks a critical moment for industry who face significant skills gaps in the coming years - we must work together to inform and inspire a much wider and more diverse group of young people into our workforce to ensure our thriving sector remains world-leading.”

Alan Bishop, Chief Executive of the Creative Industries Federation, said: "Talented and creative young people can be found everywhere, but the information and opportunities that they need to embark on a career in the creative industries can be more limited. This is wrong, and it is critical that we work together as a sector to ensure that young people from all backgrounds are easily able to access the information they need. 

“Alongside the Federation's work advocating the importance of creative education, we have a duty to inspire the next generation of creative talent. To this end, I am very pleased that the Discover Creative Careers site will launch as part of the Creative Careers Programme, and look forward to the impact that this crucial information source will have on our creative talent pipeline and on the futures of the young people themselves."

The industry-led programme which consists of a number of practical and sustainable activities including this brand-new online tool, aims to raise awareness of employment opportunities in the sector, reaching more than 160,000 students by 2020, with better careers information online and through careers advisers. It is hoped that around two million young people will be able to access better advice about pursuing a creative career.

Many young people - and their parents, teachers and careers advisers - are unaware of the ways in which they could use their skills in the creative industries. The Creative Careers Programme aims to show that such careers are financially sustainable and have a comparatively low risk of automation. There are currently more than 77,000 vacant positions. However, 90% of positions are currently filled by people from more advantaged socio-economic groups.

Partners who have created up-to-date content explaining career options for DiscoverCreative.Careers are the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA),Crafts Council, UKFT  (including the  British Fashion Council), Design Business Association, Association of Photographers, Publishers Association, Museums Association, National Archives, UK Music, One Dance UK, Society of London Theatre/UK Theatre/The Stage, Contemporary Visual Arts Network, Academy of International Extended Reality and ScreenSkills.

The site was devised by the digital team at ScreenSkills.

For further information on the DiscoverCreative.Careers website, please contact Louise Jury, Director of Communications and Marketing, on 020 7713 9883 or louise.jury@screenskills.com or Elisabeth ten Cate, Communications Officer, on 020 7713 9835

The Macbeth in Hoxton, London, has successfully bid to Arts Council England’s Supporting Grassroots Live Music Fund for a grant of £15,000 to support and develop the venue’s cultural programme. The venue is one of the first recipients of the new ACE fund, which was launched in May 2019 at The Great Escape.

Mark Robinson of The Macbeth said:
“The last ten years have been incredibly challenging. We know that hundreds of venues across the country were forced out of business and we really struggled to get through very tough times. This turns a corner for us, with a grant that will enable us to support and develop our programme. Arts Council England funding really puts us on the map as not just a great night out, but also a culturally important space that really matters to artists and to audiences. We would like to thank ACE for the opportunity of this fund and to thank Music Venue Trust for all the support they have given us in the last few years. To all the other venues out there thinking about applying; if The Macbeth can do it, you can too”.

Music Venue Trust and Arts Council England have been working closely together to ensure that venues have all the support they need to make an application. A special funding area at Venues Day 2019 has been created where venues can book one-to-one appointments with ACE Relationship Managers and with other funders including PRS Foundation.

Claire Mera Nelson, Head of Music at ACE said:
“Arts Council England's Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund was created in response to the needs of small venues across the country just like the Macbeth, and we are delighted that they have been successful in obtaining a grant to support a developing and expanding programme. A team of Arts Council Relationship Managers from across England will be on hand at Venues Day to offer advice and guidance to Grassroots Music Venues. We are looking forward to ensuring venues of all kinds understand how to register and apply for our grant funding”

Mark Davyd of Music Venue Trust said:
“This is another huge step in recognising the cultural value of our Grassroots Music Venues and we are so delighted it is the Macbeth that is leading the way. Mark and his team at the venue have been through every kind of challenge you can imagine, only recently having to engage again with our Emergency Response team for support on a Licensing Review. Their success demonstrates that this really is a fund Grassroots Music Venues can apply to and get support from. At Venues Day we want to make sure that every venue that wants to make an application has the skills and the opportunity to do so”.  

The Festival Congress is AIF’s annual flagship event, a two day conference and Independent Festival Awards and the largest gathering of independent festival organisers in the UK, with between 350-400 industry delegates expected to attend in 2019. Following five consecutive sold-out events from the event’s inception in 2014, the Congress has rapidly evolved to become a fixture and must attend event in the festival industry calendar.  

This year, Festival Congress is once again taking place in Sheffield on 6^th and 7^th November. The conference element will be held across both the Abbeydale Picturehouse Cinema & Social, and the evening celebration/awards at 92 Burton Road, followed by an after show party.

The conference has a progressive and innovative format, including high profile keynotes, engaging panel sessions, TED x style quick fire talks, breakout workshops and fireside chats with experts and inspiring personalities from across the festival and events world and beyond.  

Speakers this year include Rock n Roll Photographer Jill Furmanovsky, Bing Jones (Extinction Rebellion), Chris Sheldrick (What3Words), Rebecca Wrigley (Rewilding Britain), Bert Cole (Arcadia Spectacular), Dr Jen Otter Bickerdike (Author and Cultural Historian) and Rob da Bank’s ‘A to Z of festivals’ live podcast featuring Deershed.

Discounted tickets for PSA members are £166.50 for the entire event with this link- https://festival-congress-2019.eventbrite.co.uk?discount=OBLIVION, find out more about the event here-www.festivalcongress.com

Blackout” – the 6 minute immersive mental health installation will be featuring at this year’s PLASA Show, taking place at London Olympia, Sunday 15^th– Tuesday 17^thSeptember 2019. 

Project Blackout are very pleased to reveal an exciting industry evaluation to run alongside the installation.

Once again teaming with Dr Paul Hanna, Research Director in Clinical Psychology at The University of Surrey the Blackout team are bringing academic analysis to the exhibition as part of the installation.  A questionnaire has been devised to conduct the first evaluation on mental health awareness specifically within the UK technical backstage entertainment industry.  Since Blackout launched in May, Dr Paul Hanna has been working closely with the creative team to run an evaluation into the impact of experiencing Blackout.  “This is an extremely important ‘first step’ into addressing mental health awareness in the UK technical backstage entertainment industry and we are pleased to have Paul back on board to provide insight into mental health issues throughout the sector,” explains Mig Burgess, creator of Blackout.

“Throughout the PLASA Show, visitors will be able to experience Blackout and from this we will attempt to record and quantify both our industry’s overall awareness as well as gain an insight into how many people suffer with mental-health related issues,” continues Mig.

The evaluation has been funded by leading industry associations PLASA, ALD, ASD ABTT, PSA, all of whom recognise the importance of supporting this research which will impact their membership organisations.  The Blackout team see this as a further commitment as an industry to move forward and tackle this rising issue of mental health.

Theatre Director Simon Anderson, who worked closely with Mig Burgess on Blackout adds: “This is a chance for us as an industry to show that we are on the front line in the battle against prejudice, stigma and fake news when it comes to mental health. We are fighting to make this beautiful industry of ours even more inclusive, patient and compassionate than it’s already famed for.”

The Technical Backstage Entertainment Industry Mental Health Evaluation can be found online by scanning the QR code below. 

“We invite anyone and everyone from the technical entertainment backstage sector to participate. We would encourage anyone whether you plan to attend PLASA or see Blackout (or not) to join in with this survey. By giving us your insight you will be helping us gain valuable knowledge in the fight to help with tackling mental health issues in the backstage environment” urges Mig.   

A multi-million pound information campaign is being launched across the UK and Europe to ensure businesses and hauliers are prepared for the UK to leave the EU on 31 October 2019, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced today (9 September 2019).

The public awareness drive will make sure hauliers obtain everything they need from traders to get through border customs smoothly, reducing risk of delays at ports.

The campaign will include:

• a billboard and media advertising campaign
• the establishment of 150 pop-up centres across the 10 countries covering the nationalities that process the most UK-bound road freight
• the distribution of millions of multi-language information handbooks and pocket guides

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

This campaign is another example of the extensive preparations we are making for leaving the EU on 31 October.

As an outward-facing global trading nation, the efficiency of our ports is of paramount importance. This multi-million-pound initiative ensures the UK will remain open for business, with goods continuing to move freely.

As part of the campaign an email will today be sent to 70,000 UK operators, industry bodies and other interested parties detailing essential information for those driving to the EU after 31 October.

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, hauliers will be required to go through customs checks when exporting goods to the EU from the UK. It is the responsibility of traders to apply and obtain the right paperwork for the goods hauliers are carrying.

The UK government will also be providing hauliers with a handbook and a pocket guide to clearly set out how they can prepare themselves, their vehicles and their goods so that they can continue to travel freely. The how-to guides will be available across the UK and the continent at pop-up facilities in service stations, truck stops and petrol stations.

Other initiatives in the information campaign include:

• messages embedded into every booking confirmation email issued to hauliers by ferry operators, advising that anyone travelling from 31 October will require specific customs paperwork
• tailored emails in relevant languages to influential trade bodies in countries across the EU covering border readiness and new traffic management requirements
• industry liaison days to ensure EU businesses receive clear information

Road Haulage Association chief executive Richard Burnett said:

With only 38 working days to go until we leave the EU, it is essential that information is delivered in a clear and concise way. Traders, haulage operators in particular, simply don’t have time to digest and implement the small print. They need to know, right now, how to get through the next few months. It is imperative that the entire supply chain understands what will be required. This campaign will ensure hauliers get everything they need from traders to get through border customs smoothly, thereby reducing the risk of holdups at ports and ferry terminals.

Today’s announcement follows last week’s additional funding for Operation Brock – the contingency plan to tackle congestion in Kent in the event of any cross-Channel disruption.

The additional funds will be put towards a suite of measures, including standing up Manston airport as a lorry holding facility, the implementation of border readiness checks and increased resources to ensure drivers comply with Operation Brock.

The initiative launched today is part of the UK’s wider Get Ready for Brexit campaign, announced earlier this month, that will outline the actions all members of the public and business owners need to take to prepare for 31 October.

More info at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/boost-for-hauliers-brexit-preparation-as-multi-million-pound-campaign-launched

Self employment, expenses, VAT, self assessment. Where better to go for help than HMRC themselves?

It doesn’t matter whether you’re new to self-employment or you’ve been in business for a while – HMRC has got the support you need.

HMRC’s YouTube channel has videos for quick guidance such as 'Expenses if you’re self-employed'. You may also find ‘Do I need to register my business for VAT’ useful.

Their online guide, 'Starting your own business', is easy to navigate. It has sections looking at the records you need to keep, sending your tax return, paying HMRC and more. Keep it as a favourite in your browser so that you can dip in and out when you need help.

You can also catch up with a recording of a recent live webinar, 'Self-employment and HMRC – let's get started'. This covers the basics you need to know on National Insurance, Self Assessment, expenses, payments and where to find further help.