Covid 19 pandemic caused a major standstill in most industries globally. Most businesses were badly affected and may not have achieved stability to date. Different sectors of the economy suffered due to the lockdown and while some areas have picked up, others are still struggling.

Despite the drastic effects of COVID-19, some countries like the US have recovered significantly, but this article is based solely on Seattle and its recovery. Seattle has recovered greatly after COVID-19, especially compared to most of the cities in Washington. The recovery is not so solid in some areas but there are still some significant improvements.

The Mayor of Seattle, Bruce Harry, has put in so much effort to ensure the restoration of the city after the pandemic. The recovery agenda was tagged as ‘Downtown Activation Plan’.

Here are the seven activation plans created by the Mayor to help Seattle recover;

Public safety

This plan was set in motion to help combat gun violence and drug dealers and also repurpose vacant Storefronts. The rate of crime increased during and after the pandemic. With few people walking on the sidewalks or streets, crime perpetrators can easily prey on unsuspecting victims. Better lighting on the sidewalks aided significantly in the reduction of the crime rate in the city. With their safety guaranteed, most people moved back to the city.

Residential occupancy

Covid forced so many people into becoming hybrid workers. What this implies is that most workers in the city work from home. Increasing residential occupancy is a plan that was designed to increase the number of residents living downtown in Seattle. A childcare or an educational facility will be built to encourage the residents to move back to the city.

Retail recovery

A lot of retail businesses closed down during the lockdown period, and only a few were able to resume after the pandemic. The Mayor of Seattle, Bruce Harry, launched the Liberty Project To support small businesses. Currently, retail and other businesses in the city have improved and increased significantly. Residents can now easily get a reliable wash and fold laundry services, professional exterminators, or home essentials from stores or companies around.

Downtown works

One of the areas that have witnessed severe changes during COVID-19 is the private and public sector business. Many workers lost their jobs, while some worked from home. This has created a void in the corporate world of the city. Part of the Mayor’s plans in this sector includes the repurposing of vacant offices. However, there is a need to recover the corporate sector as this will help create a balance in the business world and provide job opportunities. The private and public sector business have not recovered like other areas but there are improvements.

Arts, culture and events

Seattle is the most populated city in Washington making it a fun and lively place. The pandemic affected most areas regarding the affairs of the city and that includes arts, culture, and culture. The Mayor’s plans in this sector include creating a director-level position to lead special events in the city. Different events have taken place in the city after the pandemic, but the goal is to experience a total recovery, and that is exactly where Seattle is headed.

Tourism and local visitors

The number of tourists and local visitors reduced due to COVID-19, but there is a visible recovery in that area presently. The Mayor already has some working plans dedicated to increasing tourist attractions in the state. Tourism is a major source of income in cities, states, or countries; hence, there is a need to improve that sector. Tourism in the city has not gotten near to what it used to be before the pandemic but it has attained a good level of recovery.

Environmental efforts

The Mayor has made a strong impact in the city by creating different avenues to aid in environmental improvement. Some of the measures include improving existing parks and making green efforts. One of the best ways to get people back to a particular location is by creating a better environment. Due to the relentless efforts of the Mayor to improve the environment, Seattle is going through a strong recovery process.

Conclusion

Seattle’s recovery after COVID-19 is highly commendable, especially considering how hard the downtown cities in America were hit by the pandemic. Seattle is one of the most populated Cities in the US, so controlling its residents to contain the spread of the virus wouldn’t have been an easy task. A recovery of this level, despite the obvious challenge, shows that it was a joint effort by the government and the citizens.

The Eventbrite Partnership

In July of 2024 TikTok announced that they were officially partnering with Eventbrite, the event hosting and ticket selling platform launched back in 2013. Eventbrite has been a consumer favorite for years, both for event planners and consumers. With a streamlined service, efficient customer support, and fair prices.

The TikTok partnership is a huge step forward for both companies. The deal will allow TikTok users to integrate ticket selling functionality for their events directly onto their content. And users will be able to buy tickets directly from TikTok using the in-app browser.

Naturally both companies have been promoting this partnership as a revolutionary step forward for event planning. But what does this partnership mean for you as a user?

Easier Event Planning

The Eventbrite partnership is a huge boon for influencers. It isn’t uncommon for influencers to try to plan meetup days with their fans. These events would usually have to be organized through another social media platform like Facebook or Discord. The Eventbrite partnership will allow influencers of any caliber to more effectively plan fan events.

This partnership is also making it far easier for people to focus on using TikTok as their primary platform while building their social media career. Between creating content, managing admin, purchasing TikTok views and dealing with marketing firms, new influencers have a lot on their plates. The Eventbrite integration will effectively help streamline a lot of their in-person commitments. Allowing them to focus more on growing their follower count and interacting with their fanbase.

For larger events like music festivals or gigs, the partnership provides new sources of revenue. A lot of people are often deterred from buying tickets due to the hassle associated with using numerous apps and websites. This integration allows event organizers to reach a new demographic without much extra work.

The Consumer Benefits

This partnership is a huge milestone for consumers. One of the biggest issues facing the event industry is the fact that there are so many competing ticket sellers and resale sites. It becomes a logistical nightmare for consumers to keep track of it all. This deal should hopefully encourage all event planners to start using Eventbrite. This will save consumers a lot of time and hassle.

This also adds a new level of security for consumers. TikTok and Eventbrite have spent a long time building up a reputation for being trustworthy. Which means you can guarantee that events being hosted through Eventbrite are legit.

Previously we have seen a number of scammers promoting fake events on TikTok and using phony ticket sale sites to fleece consumers out of their money. Now there is no reason for anyone on TikTok to not be using Eventbrite to sell tickets to their event. So, if someone is, consumers can more easily identify it as a scam.

Greater Event Variation

TikTok has become quite the popular platform for activists to spread awareness about important causes and global situations that require our attention. But it isn’t always easy for these activists to get enough attention for their events. Marches, fundraisers, charity gigs. All of these events often go under the radar. With this partnership, any TikTok user, no matter how many followers they have, can host an event and sell tickets. Making it easier for activists to market their events.

And it isn’t just activists that will benefit. Many niche sections of TikTok will benefit from this. Most major ticket selling sites focus on musical events. Fans of BookTok and FoodTok will start to see a huge new range of event possibilities laid out before them. This level of event variety will be a huge boon, not only to consumers, but to TikTok itself.

The Eventbrite partnership is likely to bring a lot more people to TikTok. Currently TikTok is only the fifth most popular social media app on the planet. Or fourth if you don’t count Whatsapp. But this partnership could see it finally overtake Instagram.

Future Deals

We would like to hope that this is only the start of a bright future for TikTok in regards to partnerships. This move is a strategic one that shows TikTok understands how people are using their app, both from a consumer and influencer perspective. It is a kind of awareness that is all too rare these days.

Ideally we would love to see TikTok partner up with Twitch to allow users to seamlessly livestream on both platforms at once. Currently this is only possible with the use of a third party program. But complete integration between the two platforms would be a game change for TikTok.

Sports have always been a key source of entertainment that attracts many fans, business people, and mare spectators from across the world. Each year, fans get to witness great spectacles, surprising upsets, and tales of courage from athletes worldwide. As the year continues to unfold, it has been very interesting to see that the year is loaded with amazing moments in sports.

As major sports roll on the big screens, you may want to know what has been trending and the expected high level events. In this article, we will take you through the accomplishments in the sporting arena of the year up to this point and what awaits in the next months.

Monaco Grand Prix

Among the most famous and popular events of Formula 1 remains the Monaco race, which was held on the 26th of May. The special car race is famous for its demanding street track, which takes place on the narrow streets of Monte Carlo.

The Monaco GP is more than a car race. It is lit by celebrities and high-profile personalities. Just like in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing, this event is also packed with media and automobile experts ready to give their motor fans bike and car focused news. They are also eager to capture every moment and analyze the performance of the different car models for their website reviews.

In addition, Monte Carlo’s beautiful environment contributes to its appeal, making it attractive to fans and participants. The battles and the strategies used by the participants created one of the most unforgettable days of the Formula 1 race in 2024.

Paris Olympic Games

Paris will host the Summer Olympics for the third time in its history. The 33rd Olympics will unite thousands of athletes from different countries in various sports. The Games will run from 26 July to 11 August and take place in six French cities, offering a splendid show to sports lovers across the globe.

The opening ceremony of the games will take place for the first time in the Olympics’ history not inside a stadium. The spirits of the athletes and delegations are expected to be high as they parade from the boats along the Seine River. The course will begin and end at the Austerlitz Bridge.

Paralympic Games

The actual fully inclusive Paralympics will begin on August 28th and end on September 8th. For the first time, it will emerge from the shadow of the Olympics and feature different sporting activities for disabled people. These games are loved for their focus on appreciating athletes’ talent and adoring their success rather than their disability.

What was also observed during the last Paralympics was the rising interest in media attention and fan base that promotes inclusion for persons with disabilities in sporting activities. Wonderful stories are told, such as those of Tatyana McFadden, a wheelchair racer, and David Brown, a visually impaired sprinter. The Games are a stark eye-opener on the ability of sports to heal and the outstanding abilities of such athletes.

Euro Fever in Germany

The 2012 UEFA European Cup for football was organized in Germany, involving 24 national football teams, all aiming at the coveted trophy. Thus, this year’s tournament formed part of the outstanding list of football events, together with the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast and the 2024 Copa América held in the United States of America.

The event also lacked Russia because of a ban associated with the current political climate. Other big personalities who were competing well were Mbappé of France, Kane of England, De Bruyne of Belgium, and Musiala of Germany. Selecting between England and Spain, the two teams considered to be the strongest teams that would fight for the championship, did not leave the viewers disappointed as they cruised to the semis.

The Masters Golf Tournament

The Masters Golf Tournament of 2024 was the 88th of its kind and one of the most significant turnovers in the grand tour. Organized for four days from 11 to 14 April at Augusta National Golf Club, this annual tournament had 81 players, including novice and expert golfers.

Since this edition, the NCAA individual champion and full FedEx Cup point-awarding fall events on the PGA have become part of the tournaments that qualify for the event. These changes gave the competition a new face and meaning and introduced talented people to the sport.

Among the contenders of 2023, the winner of that year was Jon Rahm from Spain, Scottie Scheffler from America, and Rory McIlroy from Great Britain. Rahm was going for a back-to-back victory, and the main storyline was clear, with Scheffler and McIlroy making a lot of noise as well, eager to unfurl much of their potential in Augusta.