OPINION
Celebrating the Power of Events
As the Power of Events reaches its two-year anniversary its founder Rick Stainton reflects on how it has been shaped by the industry for the benefit of the industry , and outlines its ongoing purpose
Launched in February 2023 , The Power of Events [ POE ] is a not for profit organisation that aims to better showcase , respect and value the power of the UK events industry – defining the seven core sectors as well as the partner organisations at its foundations .
The more than 350 supporters thanked on the platform for their essential help in advocating the organisation ’ s work including the biggest to the smallest event organisers , agencies and rights holders , the huge supply chain across hundreds of service areas , the essential freelance network as well an array of venues .
The 200 + showcased partners include online communities , associations , media publications and support organisations also showcased on the platform , offering new connections , insights and best practice – this is supported by the Events Calendar , the most comprehensive showcase of industry events .
The organisation is not an association , it is completely impartial to all sectors , regions and does not lobby government , leaving that to the associations on behalf of their specific members . It is designed to uniquely answer the question : Where ’ s the one place to go to learn , explore and discover all about the UK Events Industry ? It is in an unrivalled position to leverage this unprecedented collective community to collaborate and deliver on key aligned projects for the benefit of the whole industry .
Future Talent One of the few key challenges all sectors share , is to inspire and secure the best talent – so the industry suggested the launch of a UK-wide schools engagement programme which aims to engage with as many young people as possible in secondary schools education over the next five years .
Initially , the Events Industry Forum ( EIF ) funded a pilot in the East of England , which lead to four new regions being launched in 2024 – Birmingham , South Coast , Hertfordshire and Edinburgh , with a range of supportive sponsors enabling this to happen .
Several new regions are also being proposed to launch in 2025 , including London , the South West and North West regions among others .
The POE interactive presentation with its unique content , is delivered by anyone who is passionate about the industry and so can volunteer as a schools ambassadors . It is forecast to engage 75-100,000 young people across 500-600 school visits by the end of 2025 .
Having engaged 20,000 + young people as of January 2025 , at the start of the presentation only 1 % say they know what the events industry is or are considering a
Rick Stainton
“ ONE OF THE FEW KEY CHALLENGES ALL SECTORS SHARE , IS TO INSPIRE AND SECURE THE BEST TALENT .”
career in it – compared to an average of 65 % post presentation .
The Power of Events is not a research organisation , but it can help the industry by leveraging its unique cross sectors community and profile . Hence the Events Industry Insight app was suggested by the industry and launched in 2024 – it is designed to be a more engaging 21st century digital tool , available to help associations and academia maximise their engagement with their data and insight collation projects .
Together we can evolve the multiple projects proposed by the industry to better communicate its benefits to society and the economy . with the clear vision of being the most representative , effective and collaborative showcase of the UK events industry .
Join Stainton and a panel including The Human Network / Identity CEO Michael Gietzen , Trivandi director Alison Giles and London Marathon director Hugh Brasher at the Event Production Show mainstage conference on 26 February . accessaa . co . uk 17