Seat Out to Help Out is a new scheme which could soon be introduced to help encourage people to visit theatres and stadiums. The Eat Out to Help Out scheme was hugely popular and saw Britons indulge in 64 million discounted meals in the first three weeks alone. But how exactly would the Seat Out to Help Out scheme work?
What is the “Seat Out to Help Out” scheme?
A Seat Out to Help Out scheme has been proposed and is being looked into by ministers to encourage people to start attending theatres and sports events once again.
Theatres were officially reopened with socially distanced audiences at reduced capacity on August 15.
However, the majority around the country remain closed.
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The new scheme is believed to be designed by the same team as conceived Eat Out to Help Out.
One idea being looked at would see theatres and restaurants encouraged to team up to offer cut-price deals on Mondays.
Therefore those with a ticket for that day could save on the cost of a meal before or after the show.
A government source told day Times: “It could be tickets for a tenner on a Monday, with a link to local restaurants.”
Ministers want any new schemes to be in place before the winter pantomime season, which is a key money-maker for theatres across the country.
Currently, venues can only operate at 25 percent capacity.
But many West end theatre owners said their audiences will have to be around 70 percent to 80 percent capacity to be financially viable.
Sport stadiums have also said they require to have a 60 percent capacity to keep financially viable.
Under the Government’s roadmap, social distancing is unlikely to be lifted until November 1 at the earliest.
However, a Government source has said Mr Johnson wants to move more quickly to help kickstart the economy.
An official source told the Sunday Times: “Rapid testing is seen as the thing that can unlock the issue of getting audiences back. There have been meetings this week.
“Direction has been given at a very senior level to work at extreme pace on this. The PM is keen on making rapid progress.”
The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak created a £1.57 billion cultural recovery fund to help save theatres, museums and other cultural institutions which were hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Government has said there will be no new money or funds for theatres, but the Government will help devise new means to help.
