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UKickstart , an Big Picture event conceived and run by etc . venues , took place across the UK on 8 September . The event was billed as a hybrid model , with the core event based at etc . venues ’ County Hall property in London , and live feeds being shown in multiple events across the UK .
One of the key highlights was a short Q & A with Nigel Huddleston , the tourism minister responsible for overseeing the events industry . Responding to a question asked about how the business events sector was viewed in the eyes of Government , he said : “ The events industry may have been undervalued in the past but that is not the case now ; the industry has a real voice in government .”
He noted the professionalism of the industry and the safety procedures that have implemented , adding : “ The pilot events have shown that you know exactly how many people are coming in and venues are equipped to deal with new safety measures . The industry has done a great job on developing the guidance for reopening .”
Unfortunately , within 24 hours of this statement , prime minister Boris Johnson cast yet another shadow over the sector by revealing that 1 October restart date for larger events would be reviewed .
Conference News editor Martin Fullard was on hand to host a panel with agency experts ( pictured ), including CI Group ’ s David Watt , Smyle boss and One Industry One Voice champion Rick Stainton , and Micebook ’ S Chetan Shah , who stood in for HBAA chair Lex Butler at the last moment .
Watch the full interview on Mash TV ’ s YouTube channel .
Etc . venues ’ UKickstart event offered a glimpse of what hybrid event can look like , while the tourism minister praises events industry ’ s professionalism