Cover Feature stepping on each other ’ s toes ?
“ We shared messaging with UK Hospitality but there needs to be a voice from people who actually run their own businesses ,” Downey explains .
Is this what the UK events sector has been missing – a counterpart to the association lobbying ?
Jo Tanner , CEO of political communications firm iNHouse Communications and PR mastermind for Boris Johnson ’ s 2008 Mayoral campaign urges caution .
“ There is a natural frustration with how Associations support the wider sector but working remotely means that ministers have limited time to meet different people from the same sector ,” she says . “ Fires are going off everywhere so how do they determine who to meet and who is the voice of the sector ? Negotiations may be proceeding with the Association and then the guerrilla movement steps-in with something the government then has to respond to . It can easily derail sensitive negotiations . It can work extremely well in raising awareness but it can also shoot the industries cause in the foot .”
# MEANWHILE IN THE USA
One country that has had to streamline all of the various association and movements into one voice is the USA as Doug Emslie , chair of the Society of Independent Show Organisers ( SISO ) explains .
“ There is a complicated government structure in the U . S as decisions are taken at state and local level . No-one was leading the advocacy effort so “ Go Live Together ” was set-up by Freeman CEO , Bob Priest-Heck .
“ He wanted to bring all the associations together to lobby government to get shows open . SISO was approached as it is commercially focused so can get things done
quickly . We agreed to hire the top lobbying firm in Washington DC and a communications company to work on a programme , which required one-off funding of $ 500k .”
However , Emslie concedes that , as with the UK , there has been limited success so far .
“ Huge effort has gone in but the sector is still not open so there ’ s more to be done and it ’ s become clear that this is not a one-off problem ,” he continues . “ We need something longer-term that advocates for the industry as neither the government nor the individual states understand us .
“ We are lobbying at a federal level for loans and insurance but what will get shows open now is testing so we have a task-force working with the experts at Columbia University to put a similar programme together and then work to roll it out worldwide .”
# THE TRIPLE WHAMMY
The UK exhibition industry starts with three disadvantages :
There is no government vested interest in our sector . In Germany many of the Messes are owned by the state so they are more involved at a policy level .
There has also been success in Hong Kong as Stuart Bailey , chairman of the Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association explains .
“ COVID-19 started in Hong Kong in late January and by February there was a subsidy scheme whereby organisers of international exhibitions and conferences got their venue rental fees back from the government for a period of 12 months from October this year . The reason for the speed was because the Hong Kong Trade Development Council owns half the exhibitions and , as a semi government department , lobbied hard .”
The UK government operates at a national rather than regional level . Kai Hattendorf , CEO of global association UFI , is clear about why lobbying has been more successful in the main European countries .
“ The key to success in Germany was conversations at regional level , which then came to the federal level . There was competition between the states so when Nordrhein Westfalen said they would open , Bavaria reacted so as not to be left behind . The same happened in Italy where the regions pushed the Italian government for an opening date .”
December — 23