he UK events industry has an immense offering , particularly when it comes to business events . To understand our industry ’ s value and how it is being supported , we spoke to Paul Black , newly appointed head of business events at VisitBritain .

Roles , responsibilities and objectives “ The role of the business events team at VisitBritain is to showcase the UK internationally as the number one destination for business events , whilst supporting our destinations to secure future congresses and meetings , trade shows , exhibitions and incentive programmes ,” reveals Paul Black , head of business events at VisitBritain .

Alongside this , the team strives to support the industry through government funding schemes , including the Business Events Growth Programme and the Domestic Support Fund . These funds , Black tells me , have supported the team in establishing the UK ’ s reputation in the business events market as “ a diverse and dynamic destination , able to host business events of the highest calibre ”.

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“ VisitBritain is also committed to the UK Government ’ s ambition , set out in its Tourism Recovery Plan , to improve the attractiveness of our strong business events offer and to position us as the ‘ World ’ s Meeting Place ’,” adds Black .

More specifically , in his new role as head of business events , Black reveals his key objective is to “ connect the destinations across the UK , as well as industry bodies , to deliver effective support for the business events industry , aiding in driving back demand for business events ”.

This support is even more significant now , he stresses , as

Paul Black

before the pandemic . “ The events industry was worth more than £ 31.2bn annually in direct visitor spending ,” he says . Clearly , this statistic shows just how crucial the UK business events industry is to the visitor economy , and how it not only supports jobs and growing trade , but also how it delivers income and legacy . “ The UK business events industry provides a vital platform to promote the UK on a global scale ,” adds Black .

Perception of the industry Considering the value that the UK business events industry brings , I ask Black how we are currently