Skiddle launches £50,000 bursaries for events hosts

Preston-based online ticketing platform Skiddle has launched £50,000 bursaries, made available to help kickstart the events industry following the Covid-19 lockdowns.

The Events Revival Fund has been created in partnership with the Night Time Industries Association and will award funds to events organisers, promoters and venues in the UK who plan to put on events in bars and nightclubs.

Together, the two organisations will also offer initiatives such as discussions and networking opportunities for promoters in monthly socials, workshops and one-to-one mentoring for young people looking to get into the events industry and promoter focus groups run by the NTIA.

Research by Skiddle show that consumers are ready to enjoy live events again, with the company reporting an extra £1.4m in ticket sales to live events in the last six months as lockdown began to lift, with an increase of 400 per cent in comparison to the same period last year (March - August). 

Overall, Skiddle has seen an increase of 442 per cent in ticket sales in 2021 compared with 2020, with plans from the government to scrap Covid passports for nightclubs and live events expected to push the trend even further. 

Ben Sebborn, CTO at Skiddle said "We know firsthand how hard the industry has been hit in the last eighteen months, and now we are able to host and attend events once more. We want to make them the best we possibly can.

"We hope that the bursaries enable promoters and event organisers to put on an amazing series of events around the UK that may not have been possible without this financial support.” 

Michael Kill CEO NTIA added: "The Night Time Economy and Events sector has continually been at the sharp end of the pandemic. We are now able to plan for the future, with the removal of challenging mitigations we are able to really focus on supporting grassroots promoters in building back and re-establishing a world leading industry across the UK.

"We hope this bursary will help grassroots promoters to re-invigorate their commitment and inspire new entrepreneurs to invest in the future of the events industry."

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