Scots are known for throwing a good party and the long list of music festivals which have taken place north of the border certainly proves that.
T in the Park, TRNSMT and Party at the Palace are just some of the success stories we’ve seen in the past few decades, and the arrival of Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Dundee last month demonstrated the appetite for live music events in Scotland remains as large as ever.
That probably explains why we’ve seen a recent surge in the number of new music festivals being launched here. When they’re done well – striking just the right balance between good music, a fantastic location and a great crowd – they prove to be real crowd pleasers.
But recently, even that ‘perfect’ formula hasn’t been enough to result in success for some smaller events, and it’s throwing their need for greater external support into the spotlight.
Take Otherlands Festival, for example. The boutique music and arts event at Scone Palace (organized by the same team which operates the annual Fly Open Air festival at Hopetoun House) promised to build on the success of its inaugural event in 2022.
But its organisers say they’ve been forced to pull the plug until next year, citing poor ticket sales, a loss of funding and rising production costs for the postponement. I was a bit shocked by this, especially as the team behind it aren’t what I’d call events “newbies”. It just goes to show that nobody’s immune from the impact of rising costs, from businesses operating in the sector to audiences who would usually jump to buy tickets.
The same can be said for the Midnight Sun festival which was due to have taken place on the Isle of Lewis in May. Organisers scrapped the event just a week before opening night, also blaming low sales as well as high operational costs and a lack of appropriate infrastructure. Festival director Iain MacArthur issued an apology to everyone who’d bought tickets, and acknowledged the impact the decision would have “on the economy of Stornoway town, and on the retailers and hospitality sector in the area”.
In the current climate many people simply don’t have the funds to spend on luxuries like festival tickets, and this has a knock-on effect for businesses in the areas due to host them. And it’s bound to throw a spanner in the works of the Scottish Government’s wider plan of establishing Scotland as a global leader in the events industry.
A public consultation which runs until the end of June is seeking views on how to shape the country’s national events strategy, “Scotland: the perfect stage”. Ministers believe we have the ultimate blueprint to host world-leading events, and while I agree we certainly possess the correct foundations, right now we’re struggling to deliver the globally leading events platform the Scottish Government believes we can.
The bottom line is these fully formed ideas simply cannot develop to fruition because the financial support just isn’t there. Covid lockdowns had a detrimental impact on Scotland’s events sector, with restrictions causing billions of pounds of losses across the industry. Last year, ministers announced a financial package worth nearly £20million to help pull the industry out of a Covid-shaped black hole, however the money doesn’t seem to have stretched. Now organisers are facing a perfect storm, with the rising cost of living pushing running costs to immense levels and driving ticket sales down.
In order for Scotland to prove itself as the perfect global events stage, the Scottish Government needs to step in and demonstrate it can provide the support for homegrown festivals first. The only way we can position ourselves as a world-leader is to ensure the principles and practices we adopt on a national scale are fit for purpose.
We need to make Scotland’s events sector future proof by establishing proper financial support and proper infrastructure for those who wish to run them.
It’s time we focus on the finer details and get it right on a smaller scale first, before we turn our attention to the bigger task at hand.
Neurodiversity needs more than token gestures
Neurodiversity has been hugely topical over the last year, largely driven by conversations on social media where many people are opening up about neurodiversity and mental health.
The term was actually developed in the 1990s to fight stigma against people with autism, ADHD and other neurological differences like dyslexia. It’s since grown into a movement to support people who are neurodivergent and to focus on developing their strengths and talents.
It’s estimated that up to 15 per cent of the global population is neurodivergent, yet despite the fact it impacts so many of us, it still lacks the prominence as other equality issues.
Scottish employers have rightly upped their game when it comes to equality, diversity and inclusion. Today employers make more of a concerted effort to ensure everyone can access the same opportunities, while valuing the differences between all of us.
Unfortunately, this progressive movement can often forget those who are neurodivergent. Last week, the chief executive of Scottish charity Salvesen Mindroom Centre described it as “the last frontier in workplace diversity and inclusion”.
Alan Thornburrow cited misunderstanding, stigma and stereotypes as the barriers neurodivergent people face within the workplace. The charity’s findings show that there is a relatively low level of disclosure of neurodevelopmental conditions within the workplace.
It seems businesses still have work to do to support and develop the talents of neurodivergent workers – and this first step can involve building and developing a culture that offers psychological safety and a space for open conversations about cognitive differences.
Businesses thrive when their people are happy, so it would be a huge misstep for employers not to address this important issue. Those that are forward-thinking will be well poised to attract and retain the best employees.
It Made Me Laugh
Vision Pro is high-tech, high price
Apple recently revealed a product that will redefine the way we look at the world.
The Vision Pro headset packs a technological punch, allowing users to interact with apps and experiences in an augmented reality version of their own surroundings or in a fully immersive virtual reality space.
The company reckons its futuristic new tech heralds a “new era of spatial computing”.
But the Silicon Valley boffins seem to have forgotten the reality of an empty wallet. I had to laugh when I read that the snazzy piece of hardware will come with an eye-watering price tag of £2,800 when it hits shelves – which makes it well beyond reach for many household budgets. As snazzy as it is, at that price it I reckon it may stay on the shop shelves for a while.
It Made Me Weep
Finance careers fail to entice Scottish youth
The financial sector is known for high-paying jobs, so I was surprised to hear that young Scots are turning their noses up at jobs in the sector.
A recent poll revealed more than half of 16 to 24 year-olds are unlikely to consider a career in financial services. A quarter of those polled do not believe the sector represents an attractive career.
In response Scottish Financial Enterprise has launched a new programme, A Future in Finance. It aims to inspire youngsters about the global opportunities in the industry by challenging the stereotypes that exist about the sector, highlight its growing focus on technology and its role in supporting societal change.
Let’s hope young people are successfully swayed as the sector’s future depends on it.
