Association Voice
Making
waves
AEO chief executive officer Chris Skeith
says the events industry is making waves
– but is it enough to turn the tide of
government opinion?
E
“We want to be
integral to any
policymaker’s
decision-making
process that
might positively
or negatively
impact the
industry”
56 — September
ven as Brexit looms and geopolitics continues
to throw us all into a spin, the events industry
shows no sign of wavering. In fact, with a reported
£11bn economic impact and over 1,000 exhibitions
taking place up and down the UK, the industry
has never felt more resilient or been more
resolved to achieve necessary representation at
government level.
If you’re asking: “Why all the noise about
government representation?” think about this:
if decisions were being made about your growth
and future, how much of a say would you want
in it? That’s essentially the point. Any legislation
or policy made without industry representation,
while well-meaning, is misguided. We want to be
integral to any policymaker’s decision-making
process that might positively or negatively impact
the industry, safeguarding our progress and
spurring on our growth.
The UK events industry is one of the biggest job
providers and contributors to the UK. Last year’s
Global Event Study revealed £2.1bn in turnover
is generated by just 23 UK-based AEO members
from their overseas events. That figure presents a
36 per cent increase, year-on-year, since the first
report in 2012.* This would place the events sector
in the top ten of largest service exporters in the
UK** making a huge impact on our economy.
We have the perfect platform to promote UK
businesses at home and abroad and draw in
international trade and visitors, which lends itself
to an abundance of business opportunities.
This is not a new strategy. AEO has lobbied
the UK government consistently over the years
to ensure that the events industry is firmly on its
agenda. We have been working tirelessly to receive
ministerial recognition and have already taken
huge strides forward.
AEO and its members have relationships
with regulators and policy influencers such as
HSE and BSI, where opinions are sought on the
everchanging regulatory landscape. This is hugely
beneficial to AEO and cross-association working
groups, where those opinions are filtered down to.
2015 also saw the formation of the Events
Industry Board (EIB), on which AEO has a seat
alongside representatives from government
departments including Department for Digital,
Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the
Department for International Trade (DIT),
VisitBritain and other destination marketing
organisations – a huge win for our sector.
Why would more representation be such a big
win? For one, it means having a representative
board advising government on implementing the
new UK government’s International Business
Events Action Plan (2019-2025). The plan outlines
how the government will support the business
events industry in attracting, growing and
creating international business events to bring
greater numbers of business travellers to the UK.
Additionally, the EIB has created working
groups including one focussed on talent, with
a brief to review, attract and retain talent. All
positive steps in the right direction. There’s
little doubt the events industry has been making
waves. We are beginning to get recognition for
the contribution our sector makes and while we’re
always happy about progress, we feel we deserve
more. And greater support to make an even
deeper impact.
*FaceTime Economic Impact 2012
**2016 ONS Service Export Stats