19
Big Picture
Event professionals get to learn more
about the South West’s event offering
ore than 350 event industry
professionals attended MEET South
West at the Mercure Bristol Grand
Hotel on 31 January. The regional
event is now in its second year and saw a 31%
increase in delegate registration.
Over 60 companies from across the South West
region took part in the event, ranging from venues
and suppliers to event and entertainment
agencies.
The MEET South West programme included
industry experts running practical workshops and
presentations on a range of topics essential to
event managers. With the UK events industry
worth an estimated £43bn, keeping up-to-date
and being able to demonstrate the value of events
is essential for today’s planners.
“MEET South West is a perfect example of
achieving success through collaboration. The
event brought together top event professionals
and suppliers throughout the region to facilitate
networking and knowledge exchange,” said Amy
Bramhall, Meet Bristol convention bureau
manager.
Thomas Heiser, co-founder of MEET South West,
commented: “Now in its second year, the show has
evolved. We listened to our delegates from last
year, offering a show with more diverse content
and exhibitors. The venue to supplier ratio at the
exhibition was equally split, as was representation
from Destination Marketing Organisations (DMO)
within the South West. This gave the delegates the
opportunity to discover the fantastic MICE offering
we have across the region.”
In addition to the publicised programme, MEET
South West showcased entertainment curated to
spark further conversations and highlight the
breadth of talent available in the region to enhance
events.
MEET South West was a great example of
regional collaboration with many of the region’s key
suppliers and agencies coming together as show
partners to make the event happen. Show
partners included: Alliance Partners: Meet Bristol,
Visit Bath, VisitWiltshire and the Event Organisers
Network. Delivery Partners included: Mercure
Hoteles, Evans Audio Visual, Floating Harbour
Films, Event Reference, EventsCase, Glisser,
Colour Studios and Jon Craig Photography.