The north economy lost out on over £3million after the Mod was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, councillors have heard.
But the success of a virtual online Mod which An Comunn Gàidhealach (ACG) organised in place of the ‘traditional’ event has been hailed a success.
Highland Council’s Gaelic Committee this week was told that even if the Mod was cancelled next year, depending on Covid restrictions, events should again be staged online – with a suggestion of some form of pay-per-view be put in place to generate income.
The Royal National Mod was due to be held in Inverness between October 9 and 17, but it fell victim to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
However, ACG were able to design an online version of the event which allowed them to be innovative in their approach to engage with both the Mòd and Gaelic community.
Caithness councillor Raymond Bremner, a keen participant in the Mod, revealed: “Income to the host Inverness was wiped out in a snap because of Covid. It lost £3.2million in direct and indirect benefit. There was a loss of 9,000 visitors.”
Councillor Dennis Rickson said that the future of live events are still uncertain, including next year’s Mod, and he suggested organisers should look at using online to generate income, with a possibility of pay-per-view for certain events – at a very low cost.
He added: “We should perhaps look at some sort of live stream charge.”