by Martin Palicki, InPark Magazine Publishter
With alarming headlines grabbing our collective attention every day, it might be worthwhile to remind people that – as of this writing – just one month ago whole swaths of Los Angeles were on fire.
As someone firmly rooted in the American Midwest, it’s easy for those of us outside of Southern California to regard wildfires as a sort of near-regular activity that is, at the very least, part of some cycle of growth and regeneration. To some extent, that is true.
But this was different. I think we all know the levels of devastation that befell entire neighborhoods. Now, with our attention moved on to other news, it almost feels like we’ve forgotten what a big deal this is to our industry. The creative attractions community has long called that region home and countless professionals and businesses were directly impacted. Even more are likely to be affected indirectly in the coming months and years.
I envision the fires having an effect of being a trend accelerator, much in the same way the pandemic hurried along shifts that were already beginning (e.g., online ticketing, digital reservation and payment systems, etc.). I imagine this will further hasten the ongoing decentralization from the L.A. region for our vendor community – whether that’s to Central Florida (which has its own natural disaster considerations) or elsewhere. I expect the trend of consolidation that we’ve seen in the last couple of years to continue. Some businesses may not recover at all or choose closing up shop as the simplest succession planning option. From the operator side, one must wonder if new development will avoid the area or if high insurance rates will disincentivize locating new businesses in the region.
I think it’s important to realize the potentially large impact this event (along with other extreme disasters and economic shifts) will have on our industry and to try and prepare for further disruption. It feels like the industry – or at least the vendor community – seems to be holding its collective breath, waiting to see what will happen. Between the fires, concerns over trade wars and global uncertainty, a solid dose of stability would be really helpful right now, though that seems unlikely in the short term. In the meantime, let’s be there for one another – for those who lost everything, for those struggling to find employment in our industry, and for everyone just trying to get by.
For resources and options for how to get involved, visit artsforla.org/ wildfire-relief.
