8 Association View
TIME TO ENGAGE ALL ROUND TO ENHANCE THE EXPERIENCE
Educating politicians at all levels is vital to the industry ’ s future , says Julie Shorrock , chair of industry association beam ; while vice-chair of the Master Innholders , James B Clarke says thinking creatively can beat supply chain challenges and alleviate inflationary anxieties
pearheading representation to government and policymakers and elevating the sector voice ’ is beam ’ s long-standing commitment to its members and the industry . As she recently began her year as the new chair of industry association beam , Julie Shorrock recounts speaking about this with three board directors – David Tremmil of Inloco Events , Krishna Pastakia from Edgbaston Park Hotel and Linden Beattie of Down Hall Hotel – to gather views from both agency and venue members about what needs to be done to ensure that the industry ’ s voice is heard :
Discussing how the industry can achieve greater understanding among politicians and senior civil servants , David captured our overall view saying that educating is the key to change . Linden said we must continue to educate on the importance the sector plays within the wider economy , while Krishna added that education plays an important part in encouraging young talent into the industry .
Julie Shorrock
SIC codes are an issue for our sector , but we must educate our government first , and the whole industry should contribute by helping to educate our local MPs . Our strength is speaking with ONE collaborative voice .
The issues with which we would particularly like government help for the industry are recruitment and technology . Actually , our industry doesn ’ t have a
“ Our strength is speaking with ONE collaborative voice ” recruitment issue , it has an attraction issue !
It would be valuable to have support to start promoting this incredible industry to younger generations and demonstrate why it is an inspiring place to work . It ’ s fun and sociable and offers fantastic career opportunities .
Linden highlighted that we are struggling to attract enough talent to maintain service levels and at times deliver events . Krishna suggested that building partnerships between industry organisations and educational institutions can address skill gaps .
David pointed out that the costs associated with adopting and maintaining technologies for event management , registration , and engagement can be a barrier for smaller organisations . More grants to help these companies would be helpful .
We also considered what single issue we would raise with a government minister . We need to highlight how much and how often the industry contributes to daily working and personal lives and that higher standards boost the economy with greater UK and incoming expenditure from overseas .
David would , following the experience of the pandemic , emphasise the importance of our sector and the contribution it makes to the Treasury .
Krishna and Linden would both focus on education . The industry needs to capture young talent and so needs a wider and more financially supported educational system that facilitates growth within our industry ; one that highlights the progression and development opportunities while appealing to current and future generations is key to the industry ’ s success . www . conference-news . co . uk