CN asked industry professionals what policies and initiatives eventprofs should be looking out for over the coming year and how they can better communicate with government

Martyn ’ s Law and mia Kerrin MacPhie , chief executive of the Meetings Industry Association ( mia ) believes event professionals should be busy preparing for Martyn ’ s Law , which , she says , “ will enhance public safety by ensuring there is better preparedness for , and protection from terrorist attacks ”. The bill has recently completed pre-legislative scrutiny and is awaiting introduction to Parliament .

“ Speaking at our December Connect Day , Figen Murray OBE – the force behind the law and the mother of Martyn Hett , who was tragically killed in the terrorist attack at Manchester Arena in May 2017 – said the bill is expected to receive Royal Assent before the end of 2024 ,” Macphie notes , but cautions that , despite this , the November 2023 mia Insights report revealed that over a third ( 37 %) of business meetings and events venues did not feel they were prepared for the introduction of the new legislation .

“ Venues should be establishing a Counter Terrorism Plan and creating a good security culture – no matter what size they are . Even if a venue ’ s capacity is under 100 , we are recommending they adopt the Second Tier recommendations as best practice ,” says MacPhie . “ This includes conducting risk

assessments inside and out , mitigating any risks and documenting and communicating the processes , so everyone is aware of their individual roles and responsibilities should something happen .”

And the mia chief executive points out there are plenty of resources available to the industry on the ProtectUK website and App – including the Action Counters Terrorism ( ACT ) awareness e-learning .

In terms of communicating with government , the mia is confident it has the ear of government and MacPhie stresses the association is regularly providing ongoing sector insight and counsel . “ During the pandemic , for example , our Roadmap to reopening was the one cited by government for the business meetings and events industry to follow ,” she notes and points out that the quarterly mia Insights surveys are designed to demonstrate to government the value , challenges and opportunities currently being faced by our sector .

Danielle Bounds , sales director at ICC Wales , also believes Martyn ’ s Law is a key piece of legislation for the events industry in 2024 . She is keen that “ the right balance is struck between enhancing public safety without overburdening venues and conference organisers ”.

The Nighttime Events Association has expressed worries about the affect on nightclubs , so CN asked Bounds where she thought the balance lay ?

She says it is hard to get to grips with a45-page

Kerrin MacPhie

Danielle Bounds

Rick Stainton

draft and advocates a much more simplified process . “ What we need to make sure is that things are mandatory , that they ’ re not recommended , because if something ’ s mandatory , the best in class will do it , but others will just do the minimum .”

A few things in the draft bill concern Bounds , including terrorism training and protection . “ If you go into the Protect website , there ’ s a huge amount of free literature and information and yet we ’ ve had people approaching us saying , ‘ If you pay me £ 6,000 , I ’ ll put together a counterterrorism plan for you and I ’ ll advise you on Martyn ’ s law ’, yet we probably know as much as them , if not more .”

Just educating yourself on the subject of security is what is really important , says Bounds , who believes there is a lot that we can start doing now to prepare for the coming law . “ After all , as an industry , we always like to plan and be prepared .”

One big worry , she identifies , is the possibility of fixed penalties if you don ’ t adhere to the new regulations , which is why she thinks the Martyn ’ s Law event industry working group made up of different event professionals from agencies , corporates and industry bodies , is important for feeding back to government some concerns about the draft , not least because the industry is still in recovery and venues should not be overburdened , she believes .

Being an election year could also impact the the event industry ’ s development , Bounds notes .