41 UK events industry
Rick Stainton , Power of Events and Heather Lishman , director of the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers ( ABPCO )
In terms of social and economic impacts , Lishman says the community is getting better at measuring for a legacy piece . “ And ,” she says , “ OK , maybe it did cost us some carbon to come here , but there are positive outcomes from that and real positive multiplier effects to balance things out .”
In terms of changes she ’ d like to see over the next 12 months in the market , Lishman points in the direction of legacy and sustainability . Post-Covid , she notes , we have been able to come back better and in a different form and , with convention bureaus getting much
more involved , that is helping the PCOs . “ They don ’ t have to start from scratch each time and think : ‘ Oh my gosh , I need a legacy project . How the heck do I do that ?’ says Lishman .
DEI is providing codes of conduct , ensuring we ’ re attracting a wide group of people that everybody is getting a positive experience , she believes , describing it as “ a sort of democratisation of conferences ”. But , a lot of thought is required for formatting and transport and speaker panels , she notes .
Does she think the relationship between meeting planners and DMOs has changed ?
Lishman is quick to praise the job being done by Paul Black at VisitBritain , who she says , is joining the dots between the PCOs , the convention bureaus and VisitBritain . “ He ’ s been a great convener for that .”
Once you start to break through some of these barriers , you start to realise the kind of legacy work that can be done , Lishman adds . “ As with anything , the first people that are innovators in the market pay more . If you want the newest iPhone , or whatever , it costs you more to do that . But hopefully , as more people share what they ’ ve done and what ’ s been successful , then the greater majority will also be able to benefit .
People can pick and choose how to give back , whether it ’ s charity , or making a difference in specific areas , such as kidney or liver research or whatever . CN www . conference-news . co . uk