The ‘back to business’ issue of Progressive Party Europe is available to read now, bringing all the latest long-awaited news, views and great content to celebrate and inspire the party and costume industry.
To say that 2020 hasn’t quite been the year we were expecting is something of an understatement. What started off as a vague concern about a virus possibly affecting Halloween fancy dress supply chains on the other side of the world soon came to dominate our daily lives, with the pandemic seeing major suppliers, key wholesalers and established indies having crisis talks on an almost daily basis.
But the party industry is both creative and tenacious and so we saw suppliers getting hands-on while retailers were mixing things up by offering deliveries, arranging appointment-only services and even setting up e-commerce websites for the first time. Making the best out of a bad situation while navigating the Governmental guidelines was the best many of us could hope for – until now.
Recent weeks have (finally!) shown that there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Restrictions are being lifted across much of the world, with a cautious return to work, school and daily life seeing many of us making a gradual return to ‘normal’; athough what exactly that will mean for the party industry is yet to be seen
Which brings us to the not-insignificant matter of the Saturday Halloween that we have been looking forward to for the last few years! Suppliers and retailers are both cautiously optimistic about the possibility of a Halloween boost, although it is not yet clear what form that will take. Take a look at our Halloween preview for more inspiration – and don’t forget to top up your orders of hazmat suits and masks.
Elsewhere in this ‘back to business’ issue of PPE, we have also included a special extended feedback section to allow businesses and retailers alike to share their Covid-19 responses, experiences, thoughts and plans and have also paid homage to the extraordinary part balloons have played in keeping many party businesses afloat.
With all that said, we would like to offer a personal thank you to all of you who have sent us your stories, answered our emails, taken our calls, been involved in our online Zoom conferences and helped us uncover the true picture of the party industry’s response to the global pandemic. It’s been a difficult time for everyone, but by continuing to support one another and share our experiences we can come out of this the other side, still helping people to come together, connect and have fun.
As ever, please drop us a line with any news, views or anything else you’d like us to look at in the future.
