TORONTO – Somewhere out there, in an 18,000 square foot warehouse, table cloths and 5,000 chairs are rotting away. When you have an event, you need napkins, cutlery, places for people to stand, places for people to sit.  Things like these, which you may never have paid much attention to before, in their own small way, contribute to the fabric of the Events Industry – on the brink of extinction, thanks to COVID-19. 

Toronto stands to lose another $8.35 billion, the GTA, another $14 billion if we do not resuscitate the Tourism and Hospitality sector.  In 2019, Toronto generated $10.3 billion with 70,000 jobs.  Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, 463 conferences and events were cancelled in Toronto resulting in a loss of $833 million.

On June 29, 2021, the Canadian Tourism Roundtable and major Toronto attractions released a plea for the federal government to release a comprehensive reopening plan, citing that “right now, in Ontario, it is easier to travel to Brussels than it is to drive to Buffalo”.  That said, we run the risk of losing billions to other countries that are able to mobilize more quickly in their recovery efforts. The call to action was backed by Ripley’s Aquarium Canada, Mirvish Productions, Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, Toronto Region Board of Trade and Hilton Hotels.       

Year-Two-of-a-Spoiled-Summer hit news theatres on May 14, 2021 with the decision to cancel CNE and all festivals up to September 6, 2021. No Pride, no Salsa on St. Clair, no Honda Indy, no Caribbean Carnival (aka Caribana), no Taste of the Danforth.

If we crunch some numbers: Pride (2019) = $374 million to Ontario’s GDP. Caribana (2010) = $2 billion for Toronto. Taste of the Danforth (2010) = $32 million for Toronto. That’s almost $2.5 billion for 3 events alone. The loss is great. 

Make no mistake – the Government has been trying to help out.  In the Celebrate Ontario 2020 list from the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, the Pride Toronto Festival was accorded $100,000 in funding; The Toronto Caribbean Carnival, $100,000; Taste of the Danforth, $49,047. Compared to the actual revenue achieved in the past for these 3 events, one cannot help but wonder if this is even enough to keep these activities afloat in the future.  In all honesty, nobody wants to attend a virtual parade.  Nobody wants to grill virtual souvlaki.     

Another compelling example is the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, which released its Business and Strategic Plan 2020-2023.  In 2020, the Convention Centre was forced to cancel 220 events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  As of March 31, 2021, gross revenue totalled $5,000,000 – it plummeted 93.4% compared to pre-COVID-19 times.  In anticipation of March 31, 2021, it hopes to reach $30,000,000 – a spike of 500%. What an ambitious forecast!  One would hope that this projection is indeed met, now that the vaccines are arriving in Canada and 68.7% of the population have received at least one dose, 31.4%, 2 doses. It is optimistic to believe that once herd immunity is achieved, other festivals, conferences and events can strive to achieve the same 500% rebound effect as desired by the Convention Centre.  It is possible, if we look to our neighbours in the States as a model template, for they have been able to reopen and congregate in large settings, ex. sports stadiums.   

But all that is moot.  For it remains to be seen what the Delta variant has up its sleeve for the Fall-Winter of 2021.

Photo by Ricky Castellvi