How the pandemic has affected the SA event industry
An article by Dino Lloyd on the state of the event industry as we emerge from the pandemic, PLUS a look at the shift in riding culture.
The Show Must Go On
As we emerge from the last two years of flux, it’s no secret that many industries and areas of life have been disrupted. Few more so than the events industry where thousands of events have been postponed, canceled, or forced to close doors. As an example, one of the victims is the largest and most-loved stage race [internationally even], the 9-day Joberg2c. Without deep pockets and the assistance of large title sponsors, canceling an event two years in a row simply cannot be absorbed and this iconic event is now permanently shut.
Speaking to different event organizers, it was without exception that for those fortunate to pull through the last two years, they still had to cut costs, significantly. When it comes to manpower, some by as much as ten percent of staff and twenty-five percent of payroll. Then there are the knock-on effects for suppliers, service providers, charities and the communities involved. In short, it’s been a challenging and disruptive period for event organizers.
In the last eight to ten months there has been a surge of interest in events and currently, the event industry professionals are more optimistic. There is still some way to go compared to numbers in pre-pandemic years and to rebuild business stability, but the interest in events is high again. All be it within the uncertainty amongst participants regarding Covid and large gatherings. In the interim, the costs, in line with the economy, have gone up. Some of these are absorbed. Ultimately though, pricing for entrants is still affected. The basic organizational needs are prize money, CSA commissaries, timing, venue hire, route setting, route marking, marketing and promotion, safety officer, medics, marshals… The list goes on. Plus, to have a safe event there are still strict requirements to be fulfilled under the SASREA, Safety At Sports and Recreation Act.
Not all is doom and gloom, however. Outdoor sports, cycling especially have exploded and South Africa, in particular, is very much led by an active events calendar. Post lockdown, people are also hungry to reconnect outside the physical confines of four walls. Physically and mentally, events are a healthy and safe environment for people to unwind and tune out for a bit, in open spaces.
The shift in SA’s traditional cycling culture
One question we had, was whether there were any changes in the style and type of events in demand. What is clear is that traditional events are a big part of the menu and the influx of newbies has buoyed the traditional event format. There has however been a shift in perspective. It’s not exclusively about the same old clock-in, clock-out style at these mass events anymore. What’s more, seasoned riders are more open to new experiences or doing a different event than whatever their traditional ride was. Take for example Tour de Tuli, an eco safari type ride (not a race) spanning three different nations celebrated a historic sold-out entry list for 2022. Other areas receiving more interest and projected growth are youth and junior events. Despite the Spur League coming to an end, other event organizers are stepping up and guiding the future of the sport and the generational transfer of cycling culture. XCO in particular is instrumental, as is Gravel, Enduro and Downhill.
eBikes are one of the fastest-growing categories in cycling. Events are increasingly under pressure to accommodate eBikes as a stand-alone category. Many do and there is no doubt we will see stand-alone events structured around eBike participation. Tours, be it bikepacking, catered multiday rides like Benky Rides or guided suburban rides are on the up too. Now more than ever, event organizers have an opportunity to build more tourism options into events.
Gravel, while still a comparatively small following has a healthy amount of riders and an increasing event base in various parts of the country. Cycling South Africa has recognized it as a pukka discipline with the announcement of SA’s first national championships at Race to the Sea, thanks to Faces Africa. Outside of a few events in Europe and Oz, South Africa has a real opportunity to step up alongside the USA in offering world-class gravel events. We have the terrain and rider appetite, with a nod of thanks to Matt Beers for his US Gravel campaign. Enduro is also seeing an increase and has opened up opportunities for smaller event organizers to cater to the unique format and challenging timing system.
On balance, the bulk of the CSA sanctioned race calendar still represents the typically more popular disciplines of Cross-country (Marathon and XCO) MTB, with Road, DH, Enduro, BMX and Track making up the balance. Whilst the CSA calendar shows a total of 256 events across nine provinces with their various regions, a timing company claimed close to 1000 events in total for 2022. This number disparity, in all probability, indicates resistance to event sanctioning. Looking at the split per province of CSA sanctioned events, Gauteng has the most events, followed by the Western Cape, KwaZulu Natal, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Free State, North West and the Northern Cape.
Events play an important role in getting people on bikes, outdoors and discovering themselves. If we’ve learned nothing else from the last two years, let us not waste the opportunity available. The show must go on!
| WORDS: Dino Lloyd |
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