21/03/2020
A note from our General Manager, Tobi re: -19.
It’s Saturday – one of the busiest days of the week for my Team and I – as our many talented people and fleet of bright orange trucks deliver, setup, design, operate and pack down staging and equipment for events across the country.
Today though, the arrival of COVID-19 and the associated risks to the health and safety of our staff, partners and clients, combined with the recently announced government restrictions on all gatherings of more than 100 people indoors and 500 people outdoors (which forms the vast majority of our work), has resulted in the immediate cancellation or postponement of almost all of our bookings from mid-March through April at this time.
This unprecedented global situation is truly devastating for everyone impacted, especially those that are seriously ill or have sadly lost their lives, but also for those whose livelihood and that of their families rely on the daily delivery of the live shows and popular events that Australians love.
The number of messages of support that we have received from friends and family, clients and staff, partners and the wider professional arts, hospitality and live performance communities as a whole has been incredible, and we will continue to do our absolute best to find and explore all opportunities to both maintain our amazing workforce and keep them healthy in these extremely challenging times.
Four key initiatives that we would like to share now towards this goal include:
(1) NEW STAGE FOR VIRTUAL LIVE PERFORMANCES NOW AVAILABLE FOR HIRE
Earlier this week, CMG started on the designs for a new indoor stage area within our large warehouse in Wollongong, allowing bands and musicians to book a custom built space with full audio, lighting and visual production and multiple high definition cameras to record and live stream their set or performance on the platform of their choice.
As it gets more difficult for people to attend gigs in person, the option to virtually perform online with a donation link or paywall will allow local artists and bands the important opportunity to continue to support themselves in a safe environment. To register your interest in joining us in this project, please contact us on [email protected] referencing your preferred time and dates and any special production requests for your performance. We will be more than happy to assist and help create something awesome!
Please note that we have also increased the cleaning schedule for all of our office and warehouse spaces, including the newly built indoor stage area, and all equipment will be heavily sanitised between bookings.
(2) REMOTE OR ONSITE TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR VIDEO CONFERENCING & LIVE STREAMING
One of our most popular services in the last fortnight has been the sale, hire and long-term rental of video conferencing equipment and technology solutions to businesses and organisations of all sizes. CMG can provide expert advice and technical support to allow you to carry on operations remotely or enable working from home ( ) collaboration. If you need support with any video conferencing technology or online streaming services, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Team on [email protected].
(3)TRANSPORT, DELIVERY & LOGISTICAL SUPPORT VIA OUR VEHICLE FLEET
Due to the shortage of events, our entire fleet of vans and trucks are currently grounded. If you personally, or a business or organisation that you know of, require any assistance in Sydney or Wollongong in transporting large bulky goods (or anything else for that matter) or to simply offer pick-up and delivery services, please don’t hesitate to contact us on [email protected] and we can allocate one or more of our staff and a suitable vehicle to assist you for a very reasonable hourly or day rate.
(4) FORWARD BOOKINGS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR
On a more positive note, we have accepted several bookings this week for events scheduled later in the year and I am confident that this rapidly evolving situation will be controlled and overcome in time. I would like to specially thank all of our clients who have worked with us to adjust or postpone their bookings until there is more certainty and please be assured that we will continue to partner with you to ensure the complete success of your event(s) once it is safe to do so. I would also encourage all event and tour organisers, particularly those that might be tentatively scheduled from May onwards, to speak with us about locking in your new or revised dates now so we can begin to plan, design and forecast for the remainder of the year.
CMG will also consider sponsorship options for selected live shows and performances running throughout the remainder of 2020 to ensure that every event has the best possible chance to get off the ground, run and become a success. If you have an event idea, concept or proposal, let's chat more and see if we can partner.
If you have any questions about these initiatives or would like more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly on 1300 814 568 or via [email protected].
Please remember to be safe, kind and most importantly, continue to support each other. It is this spirit of camaraderie, perseverance and growth that will get us all through this together and allow us to come out stronger.
- Tobi
