New approach is possible for events as Highland councillors are being urged to back a more collaborative approach as Inverness looks to recover from the coronavirus pandemic
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Councillors are being urged to back a more collaborative approach to events planning as Inverness looks to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The plug was pulled on a host of events organised by the council last year, from Halloween to the Red Hot Highland Fling.
Collectively they would be expected to draw up to 65,000 people into the city centre, with knock-on benefits for pubs, restaurants and shops.
The Royal National Mod was also due to be held in Inverness last October.
Rescheduled for this year there is continuing uncertainty over whether it will be able to go ahead.
The last time it was held in the Highland capital it was estimated to have generated £3.5 million for the city economy.
Inverness councillors will be told on Thursday that the local authority has already been working with partners including Eden Court Theatre and High Life Highland to better understand how they can all help recovery with a refreshed approach to delivering events.
“Working collaboratively with our partners, sharing the risk and workload – particularly in these uncertain times – will help minimise the impact of project variations and change that is inevitable due to ongoing challenges of the pandemic,” a report states. “This approach also helps address the ‘single point of failure’ risk associated with having one dedicated individual managing and delivering this programme; progressing this as a partnership should resolve that issue and help ensure continuity and resiliency in the nature and standards of the work being progressed.
“This also provides additional flexibility and should help ensure we are well placed to be reactive and indeed proactive to opportunities (commercial or otherwise).”
