Conference News Spring 2023 | Page 26

26 Feature

CENTRE STAGE

The UK & I competes on the world-stage for events , so what makes it unique ? Cameron Roberts finds out more
he events industry the world over is awakening , with the UK & I , North American , European and much of the Asian markets recovering and China reopening its doors to international visitors , the UK & I now takes its seat at the table of global event destinations .
If we look to the exhibitions industry as a comparison , UFI published a report showing that operating profits are better than 2019 for more than half of UK organisers , compared to 31 % globally . This shows that we are bouncing back stronger in comparison to its global counterparts .
Because of this , the region must rely on its strengths and begin to rectify its weaknesses in order to continue to be a premium events destination . To find out what makes our community unique I spoke to Nick de Bois , chair , British Tourist Authority ; Paul Black , head of business events , VisitBritain ; and Martin Fullard , associate director , The Business of Events .
Pros and cons
Like any destination UK & I has its own set of pros and cons , with strengths being the creative nature of many businesses based within the islands as well as its diversity of regions and businesses .
“ England boasts a highly professional and creative events industry with world-leading event cities , from London to Birmingham , Liverpool and Manchester to Newcastle , coupled with global airline connectivity , rail connections to mainland Europe and ease of domestic access ,” said de Bois .
“ Its diverse strengths range from well-established and accessible sectors including life science and medical , tech , creative and finance to fast growing transformative sectors such as cleantech , digital manufacturing , AR , VR and
“ The industry is evolving quickly , despite the challenges of the last two years , and is expanding its reach into areas including public policy and sector growth , working with regional administrations and stakeholders .”
- Paul Black biopharmaceutical ,” he added .
However , this diversity and number of sectors served can lead to an events community that is spread quite thin . As Black says : “ The UK events community is quite fragmented , given the diverse layers and supplier base across types of events as well as how business is ‘ booked ’. This is quite similar in the US , some of our EU neighbours less so .
“ The industry is served by several industry associations that support UK events as the recognised voice of the industry , to engage and raise awareness of the sector with the UK Government .”
The strength that is perhaps more unique to UK & I than its neighbours on the world stage are the groups and communities that exist within the markets . Black continues : “ There are a number of strong community groups and networks , with a very active group of collaborative event professionals in the UK .
“ The industry is evolving quickly , despite the challenges of the last two years , and is expanding its
Paul Black
Nick de Bois Martin Fullard www . conference-news . co . uk