LEIF COVID-Safe precept for Australia venues

Article posted by Coliseum, October 12^th, 2020

Image: Optus Stadium

COVID-Safe Guidelines was released recently by the Live Entertainment Industry Forum (LEIF), which represents Australia’s largest live event businesses.

The Live Entertainment Industry Forum (LEIF) has been formed by Australia’s biggest Promoters of Entertainment and Sport, Venue Managers, and Key Peak Bodies. LEIF’s mission is to support the safe reactivation of events with live audiences across Australia in the wake of COVID-19 continuing with its fatal sting globally.

The recommendations include measures regarding cleaning and sanitization, crowd management, physical distancing plans, health monitoring and contact tracing.

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The guidelines have been developed in consultation and consonance with Government and health agencies to aid the sector in its preparation to return to live.

LEIF said the advice should be viewed as a guide only and stressed on the fact that each venue and event organizer should be responsible for developing their own risk management plan relevant to their business and jurisdiction.

James Sutherland, Chair, LEIF, remarked, “LEIF is committed to ensuring the passionate people of the industry have the safest, staged and most considered route back to full employment, which in turn, will deliver significant positive economic outcomes for the community through events which are integral features of healthy and connected communities.”

“These Guidelines have been developed by LEIF to provide guidance, support and a point of reference to live entertainment venues, event promoters and service providers to reactivate live events in a COVID-Safe way,” Sutherland added.

The advice covers small to large indoor and outdoor live entertainment venues configured as fully reserved/seated, general admission standing, or a combination of both, as well as theaters with fully reserved seating, and arenas configured as fully reserved/seated, or a combination of both reserved seating and general admission standing.

It also incorporates stadia, festival and greenfield sites including amphitheaters, showgrounds hosting live entertainment and conference and convention centers staging live entertainment.

The LEIF COVID-Safe Guidelines have been released ahead of the Event Summit, taking place on October 14th in Sydney (Australia) where LEIF will unlock, along with partners EY, a first ever study to assess the economic contribution of the live entertainment industry in Australia.

Australia’s biggest music, sport and entertainment promoters formed LEIF in June this year to work in tandem to restart the $150bn live events industry. The group’s executive committee includes the bosses of TEG (premier ticketing company in Australia and New Zealand), Live Nation (American events promoter and venue operator), Frontier Touring (Australia and New Zealand’s largest concert promoters), Chugg Entertainment (Australia-based globally operating entertainment business), and AEG (American entertainment company), among several others.

Currently in New South Wales, public gatherings of up to 20 people are allowed, while for large venues, attendance to a ticketed event with allocated seating must not exceed 25 percent of capacity or 10,000.

Meanwhile, public gatherings are restricted to a maximum of 30 people in Queensland, though these limits do not apply to businesses operating with a COVID-safe plan, such as concert venues, theaters, arenas, auditoriums, stadia, nightclubs, and outdoor amusement parks. There is no limit on the number of people allowed at public gatherings in Western Australia, as long as there is at least two square metres of space per person and social distancing is strictly adhered to. There is a 50 percent capacity cap on major sport and entertainment venues, such as in the Optus Stadium, HBF Park and RAC Arena (all in Perth, Australia).

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