WE ’ RE GOOD TO GO
Kerrin MacPhie , head of business events at VisitBritain , outlines what the organisation has been up to during the pandemic here is no doubt that the business event sector , both in the UK and globally , has been tested like never before . With business events generating more than £ 31bn in direct spend [ the total value of the UK events industry is £ 84bn ], it is imperative we do everything we can to help recover from Covid-19 ’ s impact on our destinations , venues and suppliers .
With more than 95.3m delegates usually attending conferences and meetings in the UK every year , we have had to adapt to meet new ways of working , thinking creatively to stay connected and engaged with industry buyers and suppliers to continue to keep the UKs events offering front-of-mind . Whether it has been through virtual exhibitions including MeetGB , a hybrid meeting , or small , socially distanced live meetings of up to 30 people , the UK business events industry has shown its resilience , agility and innovation as it continues to respond to this incredibly challenging time .
Covid-19 acts of support As soon as we went into lockdown , we saw many acts of kindness from across the UK events industry as efforts quickly turned to support local communities and the medical fight against Covid-19 . Many event caterers donated food to vulnerable people and housing for key workers was provided by hotels . A number of major venues were also rapidly deployed as temporary Nightingale hospitals for the National Health Service ( NHS ). In recognition of this work the business events industry was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Tourism award in this year ’ s VisitEngland ’ s Annual Awards for Excellence .
Open letter of support campaign Our ‘ Open Letter of Support ’ campaign in April quickly extended a message of unity , reassurance and support from the UK to the international events community , with the industry coming together to deliver the ‘ We ’ re Stronger Together ’ message . The video message of support was widely amplified by UK industry , resulting in 33,000 video views and reaching more than 158,000 event professionals .
Staying connected Throughout lockdown , a key ask of us was to ‘ stay-connected ’. VisitBritain quickly pivoted its plans to deliver MeetGB Virtual , a two-day virtual tradeshow welcoming over 500 people with one-to-one online meetings , virtual stands and roundtable . It also delivered its virtual discoveries content series , keeping the UK ’ s world-class business events destinations and offering front-of-mind with digital content and virtual tours .
Reassurance is a key element of our message to the international market . Therefore , it has been fantastic to see over 35,000 tourism and events businesses display the ‘ We ’ re Good To Go ’ industry standard , demonstrating that they are adhering to government and public health guidance , have carried out Covid-19 risk assessments and have the required processes in place to safely hold business events .
Image : Kerrin MacPhie , head of business events at VisitBritain www . conference-news . co . uk