On Saturday August 21, 60,000 fully-vaccinated fans were forced to leave the We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert in New York’s Central Park. The reason, for a change, was the weather, not the virus. And while concert goers may have been at risk from the storm that hit the city, extensive research has show that their risk of catching Covid at the event was extremely low.
Here are the figures from this summer’s Lollapalooza which took place over four days in Chicago.
More than 385,000 attendees were required to show proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test before being admitted to the festival.
Of those attendees, 203, or 0.05%, tested posted for Covid after the event.
0.0004% of vaccinated attendees tested positive, and 0.0016% of unvaccinated attendees tested positive.
The takeaway: massive events can be safer than going to a shopping mall, if Covid policies are enforced.
This month Freeman released research from a huge survey which provides further proof of event safety. One key finding indicates that the risk of catching Covid-19 at an in-person event is typically eight times lower than the general risk of infection in the metro area where it was held. The research, which included responses from more than three million participants, showed that the conference, trade show, and other live events community has a higher vaccination rate than the general population, at over 80%. On releasing the report, Freeman CEO Bob Priest-Heck said, “Based on the data we’ve seen, attending an in-person event is no riskier—in fact, less risky than essential daily activities.”
Another key finding suggests that 90% of event goers are supportive of additional safety policies, such as showing proof of vaccination, negative Covid tests, and mask wearing. This is good news for our industry, as both AEG and Live Nation announced that any venue owned or affiliated with either company will require proof of vaccination before entry from both staff and ticketholders. The Las Vegas Convention Center, where LDI2021 will take place from November 15 to 21, requires all attendees to wear masks and follow other Covid safety procedures.
Despite this, the virus is still weighing heavily in some places, for example, Phoebe Bridgers has rescheduled her tour this fall to perform in all outdoor spaces, which are thought to be safer than indoor halls. The issue, it seems, is that some local regulations are preventing event producers from creating Covid-safe events. Bridgers said in her announcement that access to her shows will require proof of vaccination, but, “Where that’s not permissible by law, we’ll agree to proof of vaccination OR proof of negative test result (PCR preferred/Antigen accepted) within 48 hours prior to entering those venues.”
Those states which ban Covid safety measures run the risk of losing out on trade shows and conferences, which generated more than $400 billion a year before the pandemic, in addition to losing tours from live theatre and concerts. And let’s face it, who wants to visit a state without live events?