HBAA is delighted to advise we have just received the following via BVEP from Duncan Parish, Head of Tourism at DCMS, following our hard campaigning on allowing site visits to happen for meetings and events:
I confirm that I have discussed with Cabinet Office and we have agreed that after March 29 - when the stay at home restriction is lifted - visiting a business event venue for the purpose of viewing the venue for a future booking for a work-based event (even if the venue is otherwise closed) is permitted if this cannot be reasonably done from home. Safety guidelines for workplaces should be adhered to. Viewings where there is not a permitted exemption for work purposes or otherwise, should not be taking place in closed venues at this time.
In practice that means venue viewings for leisure activities is being treated differently to venue viewings for business activities as the latter is permitted under the guidelines, whereas the former is still restricted. I appreciate there will still be concerns about that but hopefully it is at least progress.
Guidance will be updated in due course but hopefully that's helpful.
Please note that guidance is ‘to follow’ and this will provide the explicit detail.