The Living Wage Campaign gathering pace

By ABPCO - The Living Wage Campaign is continuing to gather pace within meetings and events following a debate bringing together some of the industry’s leading professionals.

The debate, hosted by both M&IT and the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO), took place at Church House Conference Centre on Friday 16th October and discussed the benefits of the Living Wage as well as how to urge event buyers to put it on the agenda.

Representatives from agencies, corporates, venues and associations, as well as the Living Wage Foundation acting director Sarah Vero, gathered to discuss the campaign and a working party has now been formed to take it forward. The working party, involving those who attended the debate, will now work towards pushing the message out to the entire industry.

One of the main points to come out of the debate was that the Living Wage is not just an ethical and moral action but one that actually makes business sense. The benefits will be stronger employee engagement as well as an increased staff retention rate. The reduction of recruitment costs will only serve to aid businesses in the long run but it can also have a positive impact on client retention rates.

One of the major challenges facing the campaign is that of education. Many businesses need to understand the process, which is why the campaign is aiming to not only promote the Living Wage but to educate business leaders about it. Educating the events industry will be integral in the coming months and the aim is to have agencies and bookers sign up for themselves so it becomes an agenda item at client meetings.

To aid the education process a launch event will be created in the coming months. If you’re interested in learning more or playing a part in this event then please contact us by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you’d like to learn more about the campaign itself then head over to www.livingwageforevents.com.

As much as 70% of London-based employees in the hospitality industry are paid below the living wage, while that figure is around 65% UK-wide. The Living Wage will help to professionalise our fantastic industry by reflecting good service by service professionals. Isn’t it about time we began to recognise those benefits to both employees and employers?

To learn more about the Living Wage Foundation and obtaining accreditation, head to: www.livingwage.org.uk