Amend Roadmap for Reopening Nashville to reflect a venue’s size for private events
Amend Roadmap for Reopening Nashville to reflect a venue’s size for private events
The Issue
The Roadmap for Reopening Nashville details how various types of businesses may reopen over four phases. Private gatherings have been specifically identified as their own category, which reflects their unique risk profile. This makes sense to those of us in Nashville’s event industry since private events, such as weddings, are not open to the public.
We believe, however, that the Roadmap for Reopening is not accurately applied to private gatherings. Regardless of the size of the venue, the Roadmap only allows an absolute number of guests at gatherings (10 in Phase 1, 50 in Phase 2, 100 in Phase 3). The mistake of the plan is evident when realizing that, for instance, the maximum wedding gathering can only be 50 people in Phase 2 whether the event were held at the Country Music Hall of Fame or on a downtown party bus without consideration of the overall size of the venue and the ability for guests to stay at a safe distance from one another.
By contrast, restaurants are allowed to have 50% occupancy in the very first phase, 75% in Phase 2 and 100% occupancy in Phase 3. Unlike private events, restaurants are open to the public and are usually filled by people who do not know each other.
This one-size-fits-all cap on gathering size is immensely harmful to the Nashville’s large wedding and private event industry, as well as to the many couples whose weddings are being cancelled or are in limbo, due to these limitations even though they may be many months in the future.
Unlike restaurants, bars, and retail businesses, event venues and the event community (caterers, photographers, florists, coordinators, rental companies, bands, transportation, etc.) will see a many month lag in business returning as weddings require travel and complex planning.
We request that the Roadmap be amended to reflect a percentage of occupancy for venues in the same manner that restaurants, retailers and other businesses are afforded. This logical amendment will help to salvage our businesses and the Nashville event community as well as the important life events of our clients while still implementing best practices for the safety of our community.
The Issue
The Roadmap for Reopening Nashville details how various types of businesses may reopen over four phases. Private gatherings have been specifically identified as their own category, which reflects their unique risk profile. This makes sense to those of us in Nashville’s event industry since private events, such as weddings, are not open to the public.
We believe, however, that the Roadmap for Reopening is not accurately applied to private gatherings. Regardless of the size of the venue, the Roadmap only allows an absolute number of guests at gatherings (10 in Phase 1, 50 in Phase 2, 100 in Phase 3). The mistake of the plan is evident when realizing that, for instance, the maximum wedding gathering can only be 50 people in Phase 2 whether the event were held at the Country Music Hall of Fame or on a downtown party bus without consideration of the overall size of the venue and the ability for guests to stay at a safe distance from one another.
By contrast, restaurants are allowed to have 50% occupancy in the very first phase, 75% in Phase 2 and 100% occupancy in Phase 3. Unlike private events, restaurants are open to the public and are usually filled by people who do not know each other.
This one-size-fits-all cap on gathering size is immensely harmful to the Nashville’s large wedding and private event industry, as well as to the many couples whose weddings are being cancelled or are in limbo, due to these limitations even though they may be many months in the future.
Unlike restaurants, bars, and retail businesses, event venues and the event community (caterers, photographers, florists, coordinators, rental companies, bands, transportation, etc.) will see a many month lag in business returning as weddings require travel and complex planning.
We request that the Roadmap be amended to reflect a percentage of occupancy for venues in the same manner that restaurants, retailers and other businesses are afforded. This logical amendment will help to salvage our businesses and the Nashville event community as well as the important life events of our clients while still implementing best practices for the safety of our community.
Victory
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The Decision Makers
Petition created on May 7, 2020