Association
GETTING THE BALANCE ON BEAM
Paul Colston talks to the incoming 2025 chair of national industry associaton beam, Louisa Watson
W ith you taking on the role as chair of beam this year, what is your No. 1 challenge and what are you most intent on championing? The biggest challenge for my year as chair will be advocating for the industry amid economic pressures, including rising costs such as National Insurance increases, tourist taxes, and business rates, among others. These factors make the UK one of the costliest destinations, creating hurdles for attracting international events. I’ m most intent on championing the sector through greater collaboration, innovation, and advocacy. Working closely with our members, government and stakeholders, I hope to ensure the industry’ s voice is heard and its value recognised.
beam, and more so its forerunner HBBA, was predominantly a UK association for agencies. Your appointment as chair signals the first leader from the venue side of the membership. How is that balance and how do you bridge those two important classes of membership? beam has successfully transitioned into a truly inclusive association, balancing the interests of both agencies and venues. While I represent a venue, my leadership hope is to reflect the broader commitment to unity and collaboration that beam encourages across its membership. We currently have 545 members from across agencies, hotels and venues and other sectors. The balance between these
Louisa Watson
groups strengthens beam’ s position as a collective voice for the industry, with shared challenges like economic pressures, sustainability and talent shortages.
How does beam see its USP? beam’ s USP lies in our ability to unite a diverse membership to address shared challenges with practical, innovative solutions. Our focus on resilience, innovation, ethics, and quality defines us as a benchmark for excellence in the industry. By combining expertise with advocacy, we represent our members’ interests while driving initiatives that help the sector thrive.
Tell us about some of the projects and programmes now running. beam’ s key initiatives include collaboration and membership of the APPG for Business Events – supporting reform and advocating for greater government recognition of the sector’ s value. We also focus on sustainability initiatives to help members adopt green practices, meeting client demand and future-proofing businesses. And we provide educational programmes with training and resources to address talent shortages and support professional development.
Is business fully back to 2019 levels, how are members negotiating new challenges and how can beam help? Many members are returning to well over the pre-2019 levels of activity. However, inflation, operational costs, and changes in client expectations remain significant hurdles. beam supports members by providing advocacy, resources, and platforms for collaboration. We’ re enabling them to share solutions and adapt to these challenges together, and to deliver exceptional value despite economic pressures.
How do you see beam working more closely with other associations? Collaboration is crucial for maximising our impact, and we’ re proud to work alongside organisations such as UKEvents, MIA and BTA to bring great value and unity to our all our members.
How would you define success in your role as beam chair? Success is creating tangible value for our members – whether through advocacy wins, impactful educational programmes, or facilitating collaborations with agents and suppliers that lead to real business growth. Ultimately, success means leaving the association stronger and better positioned to face future challenges and opportunities.
The UK business events sector is resilient and brimming with potential and I’ m confident that we can overcome obstacles and achieve remarkable growth. n
ISSUE 135 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 63