Conference News February 2022 | Page 8

8 One Industry One Voice

REVOLUTION

One Industry One Voice is evolving to become a data-led communications hub for the industry . Founder Rick Stainton explains the next step
ince its formation in July 2020 , cross-sector coalition One Industry One Voice ( OIOV ) set about bringing together the seven core events industry sectors , defined as business and consumer brand experiences , live music , exhibitions , outdoor events and festivals , weddings and private events , sports and cultural activations , government / third sector events .
Its aim is simple in principle : to promote an active coalition of events industry associations , businesses , and event professionals to ensure stronger alignment and more effective communication , to champion wider awareness , understanding and engagement of the whole events industry – both internally and externally .
Now it is time for the next step : to harness the power of data and connections .
OIOV is transforming into a dynamic , forward-thinking , more structured , and appropriately
Rick Stainton
Juliet Price , consultant executive director HBAA / beam
financed organisation , developed in partnership with the University of Surrey , whose events management faculty is rated first in Europe , to deliver a comprehensive communications hub alongside an industry research and evaluation platform .
This will enable OIOV to showcase the power of events and range of sectors , expertise and networks . Secondly , it will demonstrate the broad range of skillsets and career opportunities , alongside diversity , inclusion , and sustainability programmes .
Thirdly , it will support existing trade associations and organisations by signposting to their information , resources , and campaigns . It will also research and communicate the social and economic impact of events across the UK .
Lastly , it will apply for circa £ 1m funding from independent sources , including the EU Horizon fund , which has been successfully granted to the University for
“ It ’ s great to see these exciting plans as the legacy of OIOV . HBAA , soon to be beam , wholeheartedly supports and welcomes these underlying ambitions of elevating our sector through collaboration , resource , education and communication to achieve a cohesive identity ; these are principles which align perfectly with our own association ’ s vision . Robust data and information capture will help us all in demonstrating our value and viability to government and will reinforce the appeal of careers within our industry .” associated projects and programmes . OIOV ’ s new revolutionary digital platform will essentially be the go-to comms hub for anyone that wants to learn more about the wider industry .
Rich in content and kept current , it will work in parallel with an engagement app that all event professionals will be encouraged to download to their phones once launched later in the year .
This comms hub will promote the variety of tools and resources available from across the whole industry , providing insights and connections that will build on existing industry content sources brought together in one place , rather than conflict with or duplicate them . It will be used to promote closer collaboration , as well as supporting trade associations by signposting to their sector specific organisations , resources , and content .
It will concurrently support better engagement with wider communities and key stakeholders outside the core industry , including educating next generation talent and encouraging inbound investment from a more robust understanding of the value of events .
This multi-platform approach also allows industry-led input of data from the app users into the www . conference-news . co . uk