Moral Fairground has announced they are closing.
In sad news, Moral Fairground has announced it is closing, after 13 years of creating wonderful events and communities in the for-purpose sector.
Susan Bevilacqua, Founder and Director announced recently:
"It's been a while since our last communication, and I thought it was appropriate to send this message now, as I have received numerous inquiries over the past few months about the status of Moral Fairground conferences and events.
The past few years have been extremely challenging for Moral Fairground. Our purpose of creating spaces for people and communities passionate about ethical business practices, and sharing this with the broader community, has meant that most of our events were either free to the public or charged minimal fees to encourage participation from the broader community. Additionally, our goal of providing platforms for many of you to share your thoughts and knowledge has remained independent of sponsors' agendas.
As a result, we have had to rely heavily on grants and in-kind contributions, with minimal financial support from sponsors. Due to significant price increases for venue hire and other services required to run events, we are no longer able to organize these events. For many years, I and many others have mostly volunteered to create these opportunities for community and social engagement, but it has now become almost impossible to deliver quality events as costs continue to rise.
I am saddened to announce that Moral Fairground will no longer be able to actively contribute and deliver the events we have done in the past. Over the past 13 years, we have worked hard to educate, advocate, and create opportunities to raise awareness about fair and ethical trade practices, bringing people together to learn from each other and collaborate. However, we are no longer in a position to continue this work.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many contributors and supporters over the years. The journey has been amazing, from those I met in 2009 when we did our first events to raise awareness of fair trade and continued to collaborate with throughout the years, to those who were there to help with advice along the way, and the advisory board members who have been the backbone over the years. From meeting trailblazers to creating creative and interesting programs and events, to all the volunteers who became good friends and to all the enterprises doing good, your support has been invaluable. Moral Fairground has been part of my life for the last 13 years. My whole family has been vested in it, with my son attending his first event when he was born and later helping out or participating at every event. My partner has continuously contributed with branding and design and also volunteered over the years. This has been a big part of our life, and we are grateful that collectively we have been able to contribute to spreading the message and sharing the many wonderful stories of people who have done wonders.
While this is the end of this journey, I hope that down the track, we will find a way to continue. Bringing community and people together and organizing and planning is a passion of mine; it's in my blood. So while I think this is the end of this journey, I hope to see you all on a different journey.
A sincere “THANK YOU” from Susanna Bevilacqua / Founder and Director Moral Fairground."
