Cover Feature
As the Association of Event Venues celebrates its
15th birthday, we take a look back at the formation
of the association and the evolution of the UK’s
major venues
I
f you want to track the evolution
of the exhibition industry in
the UK, you could do worse than
starting with the industry’s three
key associations. And, if you wanted
to understand the changing face of
the UK’s exhibition venues, a good
place to start would be with the
Association of Event Venues (AEV).
Since the AEV is celebrating its
15th birthday in the summer of 2019,
EN decided to take a trip down
memory lane, and reflect on both
the formation of the association and
also the key moments and trends that
have shaped the UK’s key exhibition
centres.
As in many other areas of the
industry it’s been a period of
evolution and growth – with the
notable exception of the loss of Earl’s
Court in London – characterised
by significant M&A activity and
competition, alongside collaboration.
And, arguably, collaboration is at the
root of the AEV’s formation, all the
way back in 2004…
AEV origins
To learn more about the formation
of the AEV, EN caught up with Trevor
Foley, former MD of the Association
of Event Organisers (AEO) and
current MD of exhibition recruitment
company tfconnect. It all began, he
recalls, when frustrations with the
previous venue association, the EVA,
began to boil over.
“It was a classic sleepy trade
association,” he tells EN. “There was a
lack of co-operation with organisers,
and what really kicked it off was when
we started a promotional campaign
for the industry. We wanted to
raise money for a big ad campaign
for promoting exhibitions, and we
found that the venue association was
dragging its heels.”
Foley met with Andrew Morris,
former CEO of Earl’s Court and
“The AEV allows us to talk together
to find best practices that aren’t just
beneficial to venues but can also
become beneficial to our customers.”
– Kathryn James, MD – conventions &
exhibitions, the NEC Group
“On behalf of everyone at
ExCeL, I would like to extend our
congratulations to the AEV on their
15th anniversary. I would also like
to say an enormous thank you for
their years of service, hard work
and dedication.”
“We derive great value
from the AEV across the
business. As part of EIA,
the open dialogue with
ESSA and the AEO on
wider industry issues
and representation is
really important, not
just for the SEC.”
– Jeremy Rees, CEO, ExCeL London
– Dan Thurlow, head of
exhibition sales, the SEC
“The AEV provides an invaluable service
representing UK venues of all sizes and profiles, both
in Britain and internationally. It is a hugely relevant
platform converging and promoting the industry’s
interests; being it in lobbying, sharing expertise or
encouraging best practice.”
– Nigel Nathan, MD, Olympia London
Olympia London, and Jamie Buchan,
former CEO of ExCeL London,
to gauge their frustrations, and
discuss an umbrella organisation
representing the three key industry
groups – organisers, suppliers and
venues – and their associations.
“That’s how we created the Events
Industry Alliance, which still exists
in more of an administrative function
now,” he continues. “The industry
had designs on promoting itself, and
there were associations that were too
small or ineffective to achieve it. And
so, I launched the AEV. There was
a meeting, which was just industry
networking, and I was presenting the
plans for the promotional campaign,
and Andrew Morris said, ‘next year
my subscription is going to the new
association’. At the next meeting
of EVA, it didn’t have any London
members. The rest is history; it died
quite quickly.
“That’s my main legacy from the
AEO – bringing the associations
together under one umbrella, which
allowed us to promote the industry as
a great place to do business.
“It became an incredibly
collaborative state of affairs between
the three sides of the industry.”
The association at 15
From that somewhat contentious
beginning, the AEV has grown into an
association that offers a wide range of
benefits to its members. In the early
days, says director Rachel Parker,
there were several key goals.
“It was about trying to get the
organisers and the venues to work
together, but it was also about getting
venues together to share knowledge,”
she tells EN.
“Any industry that takes itself
seriously has associations in it,” says
Kathryn James, MD – conventions
and exhibitions at the NEC Group.
“Having an association says that we
don’t just take our own businesses
seriously, but we take the collective
seriously as well.
“The best way to do that is to
July — 17