SHAPING A BETTER the boxes . Alongside the DCMS , the industry has channels at the Department for Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy ( BEIS ) and the Department for International Trade ( DIT ), which incidentally is where former tourism minister Nigel Huddleston is now working .
TOMORROWsense ,
The Business of Events Policy Forum returned in November , and Theresa Villiers MP , chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Events , said the government should make full use of the sector . Martin Fullard reports
here are no shortcuts when it comes to building relationships with Government , and for the events industry there are no exceptions . Politics isn ’ t a game , and while there are rules , there exists plenty of ambiguity also .
“ There is no one particular strategy ,” said Theresa Villiers MP , chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Events . She was speaking at the Business of Events , the UK ’ s events industry policy forum , which took place on 2 November at the QEII Centre in London .
She was asked how the industry should be engaging with Government and how best to advocate . “ I give the same advice that I give to any kind of campaign . It very much helps to put the time in to build relationships with MPs and with ministers ,” she said . “ In a there aren ’ t any sort of easy shortcuts , you just need to take every opportunity to engage with MPs and ministers to explain what great businesses they have in their constituencies , how important it is , and what sort of the huge potential benefits exist in what you do .”
One of the topics of debate at the forum was very much where the wider events industry sits in terms of Governmental department . Presently , it sits within the remit of the tourism minister ( the incumbent , Stuart Andrew MP , was appointed on 3 November ), itself under the under the sponsorship of the Department for Digital , Culture , Media and Sport ( DCMS ).
There were five representatives from the DCMS present at the Business of Events , and they will have heard calls for the industry to be repositioned , but the problem is there is no one place that ticks all
What is The Business of Events ?
TBOE is a not-for-profit policy forum , which brings together government , civil service and industry stakeholders . In 2022 , the forum was opened with a keynote from Dame Judith Macgregor , chair , British Tourist Authority , and included talks from Bruno Murray , VP – commercial , AMEX GBT , Anna Abdelnoor , founder , Isla , and representatives from VisitBritain , VisitScotland , and VisitWales .
A clear voice
It is true that all Government departments should support ( not just recognise ) the events industry more openly since it will always enhance their areas , from healthcare to the environment . Yet the fact remains the industry involves moving people around , and that means it is joined at the hip with what the Government calls the ‘ visitor economy ’.
“ I think it is taken seriously , I ’ ve obviously raised it on a number of occasions [ in the House of Commons ],” said Villiers on whether she thinks the sector is well regarded . “ We had a particular champion in Nigel Huddleston , it ’ s a shame he ’ s no longer in that role . But there is undoubtedly a recognition in Government of the crucial role that events play in our economy .”
Conveying the narrative of all the social good the sector facilitates has always been a problem for the events industry . There are a lot of voices , often overlapping , chirping contradictory numbers , and struggling to articulate the case clearly in Westminster-ese . Even the name of the
Dame Judith Macgregor www . conference-news . co . uk