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focused on the present , adapting their teams to suit evolving needs and internal changes , we as an industry must also now be considering the future , where the next generation of talent is coming from and how we can avoid the potential for a depleting population of event professionals .
Recent research conducted by PLASA and # WeMakeEvents - based on 1,948 survey respondents in over 40 countries - shows that 74 % of event professionals lack confidence in the availability of skilled workers in the future . So , not only do we need to promote and showcase the events industry to inspire the next generation , but we also need to ensure that we can provide necessary training , tools and opportunities to facilitate their development .
To support with this , we are already speaking with universities and
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“ Now is not the time for the sector to rest on its laurels . Events are still evolving today , and at a pace faster than ever before ” |
educational institutions to see how we can inspire the next generation and drive future career opportunities . Whether providing work experience and placements or subsidising training and education , now is the time to drive such initiatives . We are working behind the scenes to develop industry-level strategies that can help organisations across the entire supply chain in supporting this .
Demonstrating with data As a sector we tirelessly lobbied for support during the pandemic , quoting our economic contribution and more as a means of encouraging government intervention packages . Similarly , we called for greater recognition of the events industry , which often found itself incorrectly associated with neighbouring industries such as hospitality and leisure .
Gaining recognition as a stand-alone industry is central to putting events high on government agendas and supporting our best interests for the future , including investment and initiatives . To reinforce this much-needed recognition , it is essential that we can demonstrate the size and scale of the industry to government , and we therefore join our neighbouring associations in encouraging industry organisation ’ s use of multiple of government ’ s Standard Industrial Classification ( SIC ) codes .
Through our conversations with the Department for Digital , Media ,
Culture and Sport ( DCMS ), we are
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Kerrin MacPhie
acutely aware of the power of data and the need for organisations to not just be monitoring and measuring business performance , but feeding this back to government . Inspiring and demonstrating this process will be key in ensuring that such data is effectively and efficiently harvested , and that it provides a representative reflection of the industry . We are therefore developing systems such as miaTouchstone to support with such processes , making it one of our missions to drive the data and get more organisations on board .
In what can be considered a new era of events , there remains a range of questions that we need to think about . What are the emerging challenges ? How is the role of the venue manager evolving ? How can we attract new candidates and get back who we have lost into the industry ?
These are just a few key focus points that we continue to discuss with senior leaders and our members across the UK regions , and questions that we should all be thinking about today before they face us tomorrow .
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