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The Events Industry Alliance launches its manifesto with a reception at the House of Commons .
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EIA presents ‘ policy asks ’ to Government
Mike Fletcher attended an EIA reception at the House of Commons to hear the association ’ s key asks of the Government and to pick up a copy of its new manifesto
The Events Industry Alliance ( EIA ) launched a manifesto and three key ‘ policy asks ’ for the Government during a reception held at the Houses of Parliament last month .
The manifesto details the EIA ’ s mission to ensure that the interests of business events in the UK are effectively represented , understood and communicated to MPs across three pillars of ‘ Growth ’, ‘ Ensuring the UK is the World ’ s Meeting Place ’ and the ‘ Development of Skills and People ’
The three ‘ policy asks ’, which were given to attending MPs including Sir John Whittingdale , Minister for Media , Tourism and Creative Industries and Lucy Powell , Shadow Leader of the
House of Commons , detail ways in which the Government can help the events industry increase efficiency , bolster advocacy and incentivise growth .
It also calls on the Government to recommit to the Business Events Strategy , launched in 2013 by the then Secretary of State for Culture , Media and Sport , Sajid Javid . To deliver on this , the Government would need to commit to cross-departmental collaboration and increased engagement with the business events sector .
The ‘ policy asks ’ for increasing efficiency and ensuring an attractive UK supply chain in the business events sector , includes the creation of a shortterm , non-seasonal worker visa tied to attendance of a specific event , plus a foreign travel advice database to provide clarity for outbound work and visa requirements .
The ‘ policy asks ’ for bolstering advocacy , includes dedicated representatives in each government department with the responsibility for ministerial attendance and support of key business events across the four nations , delivery of trade missions and the use of events to articulate government strategy .
Additionally , it asks for “ increased collaboration with industry to attract new events to the UK from other destinations and ‘ Government support for a bidding process ’.
The ‘ policy asks ’ for incentivising growth include tax reliefs similar to those given to the UK film and TV industry ; the creation and funding of ‘ regional hubs ’ to recognise the economic impact of events that regularly take place in the same location such as the Farnborough Air Show ; plus initiatives to promote the events sector as a career path .
Pre-pandemic , the exhibitions industry steered £ 11bn of trade into UK business . In 2022 the impact was £ 9.4bn , according to the EIA ’ s Economic Impact Study - bringing 99,000 jobs and 6.1 million visitors to the UK .
The EIA ’ s Economic Impact Study also calculates that in 2022 , UK exhibitions generated around £ 34,000 in direct spend per exhibitor .
Marija Erzen , newly appointed EIA chair said : “ We are a resilient industry and though we have not yet reached 2019 levels , we are close . That said , we need the right support and better recognition of our potential to grow this resilience further and allow the industry to contribute to the UK ’ s economy , on a national and global level . The EIA brings together organisers , venues and the supply chain . This unity is what enables us to have a significant impact .”
Winter — 09