The power of events
hat do we mean when we say ‘ events industry ’? Whenever the term comes up in politics or on TV we find ourselves referring to popular events such as Wimbledon and Glastonbury . These are certainly fantastic events in their own right , but there is much , much more to it . Conferences and other business events may not sound so glamourous at the outset , but they are a vital economic component – and in the case of COP26 which comes to Glasgow next year , a vital environmental component , too . The UK is a successful service nation , and it is event services which have – quite literally – regenerated many of our destinations . What were once areas of manufacturing and industry now rely on business and consumer events for their local and regional economies , for growth , entrepreneurship , and job creation .
Look at places like Manchester , Liverpool , Newcastle , Hull , Leeds , Glasgow , Belfast , Birmingham and many more besides ; they are designed around their event centres , with hotels , restaurants and attractions all popping up as a direct result of the events industry . Not to mention all the creative and technical talent in many smaller companies servicing the sector .
As an industry it hides in plain sight , supporting these destinations , and facilitating growth across every other industrial sector , from retail to agriculture , and from healthcare to financial services .
Yet , we know as an industry we are misunderstood . One of the common complaints about this £ 84bn industry is its fragmentation , and the confusion this can bring isn ’ t restricted to the brains of decision-makers in Government : it exists among the industry itself .
With this in mind and forged by necessity of the times we are living through , we have worked hard during the pandemic to get our ‘ events ’ house in order and to try and foster a united voice across the multi-disciplined industry .
It starts with getting the numbers right . Events are worth £ 84bn to the UK annually in direct spend , employing 1.5m people . It breaks down thus : conferences and meetings , £ 18.3bn ; exhibitions and tradefairs , £ 11bn ; incentive travel , £ 1.2bn ; corporate outdoor events , £ 0.7bn ; arts and cultural events , £ 5.6bn ; festivals , £ 6bn ; music events , £ 17.6bn ; sporting events , £ 9.6bn ; and weddings , £ 14bn .
Now we have gone one step further with the creation of One Industry One Voice , an umbrella movement aligning the key messaging from the multiple campaigns that have fought for the multifarious events industry during Covid-19 . This unity , born at a Mash Media event , is unprecedented and will prove to be a useful platform in rebuilding the UK ’ s economy post-Covid and steering us towards renewed successes after the Brexit transition period is completed .
We are working hard . Now we call on all serving MPs across the UK to engage and join with us and help fully realise the events industry ’ s incredible potential .
Martin Fullard Editor Conference News www . conference-news . co . uk