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12 Spring 2021 EVENTS INDUSTRY INTERVIEW I t’s now been a year since the pandemic hit, as a business what was its impact in those first few weeks? BC: It was a pretty incredible time for us. We had literally announced the re-brand to Sunbelt Rentals. So, at a time when we were navigating the associated challenges that come with a major re-brand we were also dealing with what seemed the single biggest hurdle that the business had ever faced in a global pandemic. Having made the commitment, we had to deliver on it and the biggest test of our Sunbelt Rentals values was pretty much instant. For the Trakway division it became clear very quickly that events weren’t going to happen and that sector accounts for a significant percentage of our work each year. We also didn’t know what was going to happen with the industrial and infrastructure projects at this time. As a Trakway arm, we have 83 lorries on the road and 400 colleagues. In those early weeks when everything paused and there was no clear indication of what and when it would return, I must admit it was a fairly daunting starting point but being part of a big family at Sunbelt Rentals was reassuring. We were pleased that green shoots of recovery came almost immediately. The government began driving large infrastructure projects and our depot, logistics, projects, engineering teams were back in action. Our teams were involved in the NHS Covid response, supplying trakway, fencing and barriers (amongst a much wider product offering through group) to testing centres initially and now in the last few months to vaccination hubs and we’re very proud to have done so. THE BIGGEST TEST FOR THE EVENTS SECTOR - AND THE GREEN SHOOTS OF RECOVERY In a frank interview with Sunbelt Rentals’ Head of Commercial Development – Trakway and EHA board director, Ben Chambers - we learn how the business has navigated through the pandemic and, as we emerge from lockdown, how his team is planning for the return of outdoor events later this summer. ‘The biggest test of our Sunbelt Rentals values was pretty much instant.’