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“Now we are thinking about adopting digital event planning to bring changes under the ‘new normal’ situation,” Azam added. According to the managing director, event management companies organise various international conferences, cultural events, social awareness programmes and corporate events but now the industry was totally inactive.

As a result, some smaller firms have already been forced to shut down their operations due to a lack of working capital. Rashid Khan, chief executive officer of Creato, echoed the same, saying that the service sector has also been seriously affected by the pandemic.

To help the industry survive the Covid-19 fallout, Khan urged the country’s banks to provide loan facilities at low interest rates.

Similarly, the EMMAB demanded deferrals on VAT payments and a reduction in advance income tax to help the event management sector pull through.

“We contribute towards business development by providing different ideas and programmes but the current situation is unfavourable for our industry,” he said.

Khan also said his company organises at least 150 events each year but this time around, almost 80 per cent of their work had shrivelled up.