Opinion
Does the UK events industry have too many associations?
THE CROWDED, SILOED MASS OF ASSOCIATIONS IN THE UK IS WEAKENING ITS VOICE, SAYS THEO REILLY, WHILE MAX FELLOWS ARGUES IT’ S TIME FOR AN“ ALIGNMENT” TO CONSOLIDATE AND GARNER GREATER GOVERNMENTAL SUPPORT.
I n the UK, we have a diverse but overwhelming number of event associations. It’ s a known fact, and a topic that has been discussed many times before. As a result, challenges go unaddressed and entire groups are overlooked. Whilst the market is consolidating from an agency and organisational perspective, associations are not following suit. Stand-alone associations are struggling across the board as agencies and suppliers come under increasing financial pressure, and increasingly the question is being raised: is it worth it?
What already exists Key industry figures and bodies are doing their best, with the likes of Chris Skeith OBE and UKEVENTS notably making waves. However, while they represent around 20 industry associations and play a fundamental, impactful role, there are more than 80 associations across the UK. So, although this is a positive and important step forward, significant numbers within the industry remain unrepresented. Entire tiers of business, including agencies, venues, and suppliers( some of the UK’ s largest independents), sit outside any association, alongside a raft of unaffiliated groups.
What’ s needed now is not just a wave during challenging market periods but a tsunami of change and reform. The question is: how can that be achieved?
Centralised bodies and initiatives do exist outside the UK, and whilst not perfect, take BEFuture( European) as an interesting example of what can be achieved. Their recent Ignite Programme saw 80 + entrepreneurs within the business events space able to apply to secure some 20-30,000 Euros to support their early-stage start-ups / scale ups. This was only possible due to the consolidated representation( not to mention the European Union seeing events as a key priority area for investment)
The solution? With so many siloed cooks in the kitchen and so many different associations, the UK industry perhaps lacks a clear focus or at least needs greater unification. And a louder voice to boot. The core issue is recognition( which has long been known without tapping into the well-versed SIC code argument), but also partly down to the inability to present the government with a unified set of clear strategic industry data, including employment, reach and revenue generation.
Many leading industry figures have raised this problem over the years, with Covid only magnifying the issue. Adding his name to that list is Max Fellows, founder of allpoints and Elevate Mentoring, the world’ s largest mentoring and training provider in the events industry. CMW spoke to Max about this lack of centralisation in the UK, and how the industry and business owners and entrepreneurs suffer as a result.
“ It’ s fairly absurd,” Max said.“ These associations were set up with good intentions, and for many, still have a positive impact, but for most, maintaining and even growing membership is proving harder than ever. The market is down, budgets are
30 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 141