The performing arts and professional sports industries are often perceived as polar opposites when it comes to entertainment, but when the coronavirus forced a shutdown of large gatherings they both found themselves in a similar situation – unable to stage live events in front of ticket-buying crowds, leaving them without essential revenue.

And so, putting rivalries aside, some of Australia’s leading live entertainment and sports businesses have united to form the Live Entertainment Industry Forum (LEIF), with the mission of safely restarting an estimated $150 billion industry, and returning around 175,000 people to work.

LEIF has been formed by some of Australia’s biggest promoters, venue managers and peak bodies from the sports and live entertainment sectors. The executive committee has appointed former Cricket Australia Chief Executive James Sutherland as Chair to lead its development strategy.

The executive committee includes the bosses of entertainment promoters TEG, Live Nation, Frontier Touring, Chugg Entertainment, AEG Presents, WME and the Michael Cassel Group; venues including Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground, Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Olympic Parks, Adelaide Oval, and ASM Global; and industry bodies including Venues West, Venues Live, Live Performance Australia, Venue Management Association and the...