Government to host two high-level meetings on boosting Britain’s events industry

The Government is to host two high-level roundtable meetings to explore ways of growing Britain’s events industry and ways in which events can support Britain’s export drive and industrial strategy.

Today (2 February 2017), Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, Karen Bradley MP, will chair a roundtable for senior executives from Britain’s major event organisers and venues to explore ways of growing the number and value of international exhibitions and trade shows held in Britain.

The roundtable will be followed by a further meeting on 20 February aimed at congress and conference agencies and organisers, to be held by Minister for Tourism, Sport and Heritage, Tracy Crouch MP.

Both events have been instigated by the UK Events Industry Board which advises government on the implementation of the UK’s Business Visits and Events Strategy and the ways in which government can support and grow the wider events industry in the UK.

Chairman of the UK Events Industry Board, Nick de Bois, said:
“The Board and the government both recognise that the exhibition, congress and events sector can showcase the UK’s industrial strengths, bolster exports and stimulate inward investment. But Ministers also want to hear directly from business about how the government can help deliver an even more attractive business landscape for events to be hosted in this country. It’s important for government to have an open and constructive dialogue with key professionals from within the sector to secure the most effective outcomes”.

Topics expected to be addressed at the roundtables include:

- Helping existing events in the UK to become more international in their appeal

- Using the government’s “soft power” (such as the presence of senior level Ministers) to strengthen the content of events

- How government may be able to help the private sector launch new events for UK destinations that support the UK’s industrial strategy and export UK event organiser expertise

- How government may help the private sector win existing events to be hosted in the UK where realistically possible to do so

- Other ways in which the government can help the events sector play a crucial role in supporting the country’s industrial strategy and help meet its exports and inward investment targets for the UK.

The meetings follow the Event Industry Board’s recent overseeing of the introduction of the Event Support Programme which invited applications for financial and government advocacy support for UK cities and companies bidding to host international events in the UK. The Board is also examining the barriers that may stand in the way of host destinations and organisers who wish to attract new exhibitions to the UK.

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For more information contact Ken Kelling at Davies Tanner 01892 619100 / 07941 218915 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.