17 March 2020
A lot has happened since my last blog and clearly the situation has deteriorated further, with the government advice and rhetoric stepping up. There has been some excellent news around marathons such as London postponing rather than cancelling their dates which has ensured that the millions raised for charity and millions of pounds of economic impact are not lost. Social distancing is the catchphrase of choice right now.
Our next event is on 13 & 14 June and right now it is set to go ahead, but we have a few plans in place that involve transferring, cancelling or possibly delivering elements of the show digitally if it isn’t safe to go ahead. It is a waiting game right now, but hopefully we will be the first event out of the blocks when things start to get better again. Also, just to reiterate my previous assurances that anyone who has bought a stand or a ticket will be offered a transfer to a future event or a refund where this isn’t possible – we won’t take money from you for an event you aren’t able to attend and if we cancel the show then we will take the financial hit not you.
Finally I just wanted to pick up my interpretation of two points from the speech yesterday:
1) They specifically mentioned exercise being OK even if you are self isolating, Just keep the 2m distance from other people. I think there is an important message there about not compounding health issues with inactivity.
2) Social distancing is important to stop the spread of the disease but could have some dangerous side effects and we don’t want to create social isolation. A number of you are members of running communities that provide invaluable support for people with mental health issues and those connections should not be lost. Technology can help here – social media and video calls or even just a text.
As always if you need any support or would like to discuss this further then please contact me on [email protected]
13 March 2020
Since my last post, the government advice for large scale events hasn’t changed and so we continue to proceed as planned with the National Running Show in London set to run on 13 & 14 June (NRSL20).
Clearly things have escalated since my last post and it does appear that some kind of ban is likely to be imposed imminently. Our hope is that this ban straddles the Easter holiday period and that we can return to business as usual in May in time for the show in June.
I’d like to reiterate our commitment that in the event of a cancellation of the NRSL 20, we will offer a transfer to another show or a refund where that isn’t possible. This will be for exhibitors, sponsors and visitors and should enable you to book and plan with confidence whilst the situation becomes clearer over the coming months.
I hope you all stay safe and well during this difficult time.