WeMakeEvents North America Advocates for The Restart Act and ExtendPUA.org In Over 50 Cities On September 1

#WeMakeEvents #RedAlertRESTART #ExtendPUA

It has come to the event organizer's attention that a rumor has been circulated suggesting a postponement, or cancellation, of the highly anticipated #RedAlertRESTART event on Tuesday September 1st, 2020. "We'd like to assure everyone, this information is false, and has not come from anyone involved with our team. In fact, the momentum has been building steadily, with hundreds of sites already on board, and many more joining each day. We have also received massive support from artists who share our passion for concerts, Broadway, and other live events that have been dark since early March," says Marcel Fairbairn, co-founder of We Make Events North America.

WeMakeEvents North America is spearheading the #RedAlertRESTART Day of Action on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, with up to 1,500 buildings lit in red in over 50 cities from coast-to-coast, from 9pm-midnight (local time). The goal is to raise public awareness about the economic plight of the Live Events Industry and urge Congress to pass the RESTART Act as well as extend PUA and FPUC to provide financial assistance to unemployed and 1099 workers.

Since all live events were shut down in March 2020, millions of people have been impacted in an industry estimated at generating close to $1-trillion in revenue per year. Due to public health concerns, live events will not return until sometime next year, making the RESTART Act an essential piece of legislation for the survival of our businesses. Additionally, support for #ExtendPUA and FPUC is necessary to help the people that are unable to return to work.

"The entire live events industry is on the brink of collapse. Without financial relief, many businesses stand to permanently close, and families risk bankruptcy and homelessness," says Brad Nelms, director of WeMakeEvents North America. "We want to take this opportunity to show the world the scale of what it takes to make live entertainment events happen and demonstrate how much this crisis has affected our community. This is a human issue, not a political issue, and it requires immediate action. While we realize there are a lot of issues going on right now, and other organizations will be staging events on other dates, we feel very strongly we must act now to save our industry."

Over 50 cities in North America are participating, including: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, Tuscaloosa, Flagstaff, Phoenix, Fayetteville, San Jose, San Diego, Boulder, Denver, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Saratoga, Schenectady, Troy, Raleigh, Durham, Reno, Cleveland, Akron, Sandusky, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Nashville, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Salt Lake City, Charleston, Madison, Milwaukee, Honolulu, Chicago, Indianapolis, Ft Wayne, Boston, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Omaha, Santa Fe, Albany, Buffalo, and others from coast to coast. There is also a partner in Trinidad & Tobago.

To get involved on an individual level or to light your building in red on September 1, please go to www.wemakeevents.org.

About The Legislation:
The RESTART Act (S. 3814/H.R. 7481), led by senators Todd Young (R-IN) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) in the Senate and representatives Jared Golden (D-ME) and Mike Kelly (R-PA) in the House, fills in the gaps left by the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) in order to provide much needed relief for industries whose expenses far exceed the payroll restrictions put in place by PPP.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance was one of the federal CARES Act provisions to provide additional funding for those on Unemployment Insurance (UI) in the form of $600/week while expanding UI coverage to include those who are not usually eligible for regular UI benefits. This includes business owners, self-employed workers, and independent contractors.

Sponsoring organizations and associations include:
ESTA (Entertainment Services & Technology Association); IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees); IAVM (International Association of Venue Managers); Live Events Coalition; NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) ; PLASA (Professional Lighting and Sound Association); TSDCA (Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association) ; USITT (United States Institute of Theatre Technology)

For information about joining the event and lighting your building red, please contact: WeMakeEventsNorthAmerica@gmail.com.