Industry insight Archives

30th July 202430th July 2024

EDGE Venues at miaConnect, International Planner Sentiment Report, Elevate NewGen, and more

This month’s news round-up brings you some of the industry and association news from July 2024, including EDGE Venues at miaConnect, International Planner Sentiment Report, Elevate NewGen, and more.

EDGE Venues and ESG highlights of miaConnect Day agenda

The Meetings Industry Association’s miaConnect Day took place at Cloth Hall Court – University of Leeds, on 9 July.

Event Highlights include:

A business insights presentation from EDGE Venues’ CEO, Jacqui Kavanagh. This session provided a deep dive into the latest business trends and strategic approaches within the events industry.

“As predicted at the beginning of our EDGE Venues journey, digital tools to support the procurement of venues are really gaining popularity, as we move forward with a generation of people who are digital natives. Our industry needs to lead the way on this otherwise we will be left behind.”
Jacqui Kavanagh, CEO, EDGE Venues

An insightful case study, presented by University of Leeds’ Chelsea Rolfe. This focused on the challenges and successes of Cloth Hall’s efforts toward achieving net zero targets. Its particularly emphasised the challenge of using geothermal energy.

A panel discussion on ESG. Here, experts such as Nteractive’s Kerrin Honey and The Brighton Centre’s Emma Thurlow stressed the importance of measurement. They also looked at involving everyone in sustainability initiatives.

A panel discussion sharing best practices for fam trips and site visits. The panel highlighted the importance of effective communication and relationship-building with clients.

An ask the agents table session gave attendees the opportunity to engage directly with booking agents. Guests gained valuable insights into current industry trends and client expectations.

A team building event by ClueGo UK offered an interactive icebreaker session. This engaging start to the day set the tone for collaborative learning.

The Business of Events publishes latest International Planner Sentiment Report 2024

The Business of Events has published its latest annual International Planner Sentiment Report for 2024. The annual report is in partnership with Meet in Ireland and IBTM World.

First published in 2020, the report uses desk-based research to track planner sentiments in ten specific areas. This is used to determine the key factors influencing their choice of destination. The audiences surveyed include planners from corporate, association, agency and incentive & reward across the UK, Europe and North America.

Key findings in this year’s report include:

Cost and value for money all tracked one point higher in every region surveyed. This reflects increased event costs and pressure on overall budgets through higher inflation.
The increase in importance of Destination Brand is up one point overall. This also reflects the need for a more personalised experience for brands and delegates.
Equity and Diversity, is tracking higher, more so across the UK and Europe. This reflects an increase in the wider conversation around DEI issues.

“Our International Planner Sentiment Report continues to be used by marketers and sales teams across the world to fine tune strategies and messaging and to increase competitive advantage. Once again, the report has shone a strong light on those factors that are influencing destination choice. While cost, brand and diversity have all increased in importance, it is becoming clear that sustainability, while still an extremely important topic, is becoming much more of an expected requirement rather than something which is seen as value added.”
Martin Fullard, Director of News & Content, The Business of Events

The study took place between 22nd April –10th May 2024. It covers three key geographical territories of the United Kingdom, Europe and North America.

Download The Business of Events’ 2024 International Planner Sentiment Report, here.

AEO (Association of Event Organisers) launches working group for independent event organisers

According to Meetings and Incentive Travel, AEO has a new working group for independent event organisers.

The private independent entrepreneur (PIE) working group will meet for the first time ahead of the AEO Conference.

“The launch of the PIE working group recognises the increasingly important part independently-owned organisers play in AEO membership and the broader industry. Connecting this community to encourage collaboration and sharing of best practice will help support their growth and create a strong foundation for these organisers to thrive.”
Chris Skeith OBE, Chief Executive, AEO

CHS Birmingham Announces 2024 Educational Theme

CHS Birmingham has announced the theme of its award-winning educational content, with a focus on ‘How to be an Event Organiser’. Following CHS Leeds’ ‘How to Organise an Event’ theme, the content will continue the show’s back-to-basics approach. It also continues a commitment to support organisers’ professional and personal growth.

The programme will move slightly away from the more practical CHS Leeds sessions. It will look to how event organisers need to go about their work in 2024 and 2025. The approach considers how to safeguard event organisers roles, and how this supports better delegate outcomes.

CHS Birmingham can already confirm keynotes, with more speakers and sessions to come throughout the summer. These include an Event Psychologist, and Intimacy Coordinator with insight from some of the biggest Hollywood film sets. Both sessions will share how event organisers can create positive cultures and environments for themselves, their teams, and their guests.

“We’re so proud of our educational content, it’s one of the many reasons our visitors come to our show and we’re once again looking forward to introducing them to some really exciting, unique, and insightful sessions.”
Lou Hindley, Commercial Director, CHS Birmingham

UKEVENTS appoints Tom Clements as Executive Committee & Outdoor Events Working Group Chair

UKEVENTS has announced the appointment of Tom Clements as Vice Chair and Chair of the Outdoor Events Working Group.

Tom brings a wealth of experience, as President of the National Outdoor Event Association and member of the Event Industry Advisory Group. He is a key voice behind the importance of retaining and growing talent and skills within the industry.

“We are delighted to welcome Tom Clements to the Executive Committee and as Chair of the Outdoor Events Group. Tom’s extensive experience and passion for the events industry will be invaluable as we tackle the challenges and opportunities ahead. His leadership will play a crucial role in driving forward our mission to support and grow the outdoor events sector.”
Chris Skeith OBE, Chair, UKEVENTS

Elevate launches NewGen

According to Conference News, Elevate, the not-for-profit mentorship programme, has announced the launch of Elevate NewGen. The new initiative will ‘provide equal access to the events industry for underrepresented talent aged 18-25’. Read more…

https://www.conference-news.co.uk/news/elevate-mentoring-opening-doors-with-newgen-initiative/

View from the EDGE

EDGE Venues’ Commercial Director, Scott Ford, summed up this July’s monthly Insights:

“It’s great to see that net zero and sustainability remain high on the agenda within the meetings and events industry. Corporate clients often have carbon budgets they must not exceed in the meetings space. With many organisations now taking firm action to address this important area, it is becoming expected rather than a ‘nice to have’ for many professional meeting procurement teams. This view is reflected in the 2024 Business of Events report, so venues offering robust data on carbon impacts will lead the way.
“Something else we are passionate about at EDGE Venues is helping up-and-coming talent in the meetings and events industry. So it’s fantastic that when CHS Birmingham returns in October, its focus on education continues with sessions on how event organisers can effectively go about their work in 2024 and 2025. We also applaud Elevate for launching its NewGen, which provides much-needed equal access to the events industry for underrepresented talent aged 18-25.”
Scott Ford, Commercial Director, EDGE Venues

Missed June’s news round-up? Check it out here!

Book your next meeting or event venue on EDGEVenues.com

26th June 202412th August 2024

Events industry contributes £10.9bn, party manifestos and the events sector, and more

This month’s news round-up brings you some of the industry and association news from June 2024, including events industry contributing £10.9bn, party manifestos and the events sector, and more, and more.

Events industry contributes £10.9 billion to UK economy.

The business events industry helped to boost the UK economy by £10.9 billion in 2023, according to a new economic report by the Events Industry Alliance (EIA).

Marija Erzen, co-owner, Solutions 2 (UK) Ltd, ESSA and EIA chair, commented, “We are delighted with the results of our latest economic impact report. A 17% growth in the events industry between 2022 and 2023, demonstrates that, whilst other areas of the economy are struggling, the events industry is growing exponentially in a challenging economic environment and with little help from the Government.”

Erzen added, “These figures bring us just shy of our pre-pandemic levels of economic impact (£11bn) and the events industry’s strong growth really demonstrates our potential and resilience as an industry during an economically challenging year for many. We hope that these positive figures encourages the next Government to really notice and pay attention to our industry.”

Particularly promising is the increase in the number of events. The recent Size and Scale Index for Exhibitions (SASIE) report, published earlier this year, revealed over 1,000 exhibitions were held in 2023, demonstrating the industry’s resilience and innovation in the face of economic challenges.

Rachel Parker, director, AEV and EIA said, “The number of exhibitions over the last year is really promising, including both new and long standing repeat exhibitions. The dynamism of the sector to move with new trends and trades when they emerge in the economy is a particular strength and one that we hope to see more of in the future.”

Parker continued, “The positive growth in the industry feeds into other areas of the economy and helps explain the dynamic and far reaching potential of the industry, so it is not only the events industry that benefits from the growth of the sector.”

Beyond the events themselves, the 6.9 million attendees generate substantial spending in hospitality, travel and hotels. In 2023, the events industry made a significant contribution to the UK GDP, valued at £5.5 billion, and helped to support 114,000 jobs, both directly and indirectly.

Working on behalf of the events industry associations, the Association of Event Organisers (AEO), the Association of Event Venues (AEV), and the Event Supplier and Services Association (ESSA), the Events Industry Alliance (EIA) provides a secretariat and platform to work together to achieve common objectives for the good of the events industry.

Lime Venue Portfolio (LVP) has partnered with Stress Matters to launch a new neurodiversity toolkit.

The toolkit launched at The Meetings Show in June 2024 and is now be available to support clients and customers across the group’s 80+ venues.

In the last few years, the brand has bought new intelligence to the industry, including insight around ‘sustainability through food’, ‘event legacy and impact’, and is now looking towards accessibility, specifically Neurodiversity.

Within this toolkit, you will find practical strategies and resources to ensure that your events are accessible and enjoyable for all participants. From sensory-friendly environments to clear communication practices, each recommendation is grounded in the principles of empathy, understanding, and respect for neurodiverse perspectives.

The Meetings Industry Association (mia) has unveiled its new identity at The Meetings Show 2024.

Attendees visiting the mia pavilion (stand D51) on 19-20 June were first to experience the mia’s refreshed identity. This new branding is designed to celebrate collaboration, networking, and fostering positive relationships, reflecting the core values and objectives of the mia in supporting and bringing people together.

Kerrin MacPhie, chief executive of the mia, said this about the mia Pavilion at the Meetings Show: “The mia pavilion always provides the perfect platform for us to meet, educate and inspire visitors, but this year is even more exciting as we debut our new and yet to be revealed brand identity.”

IBTM has launched its Exceptional Experiences programme at a a pop-up event at Cannes Lions.

IBTM has introduced a new addition to its flagship IBTM World event that next takes place in Barcelona 19-21 November. The team says the programme has been developed as a direct response to the challenges faced by in-house event professionals and marketers, and intends to showcase innovative strategies to help this community create event experiences that fuel business growth.

Strata acquires Trinity Event Solutions

Strata, the award-winning brand experience agency, has acquired Trinity Event Solutions, the venue procurement and event management agency. This latest acquisition boosts Strata’s ambitious growth plans, cementing its commitment to providing clients with full-service support and delivery.

Founded in 2006 by Jacqui Kavanagh, Trinity Event Solutions is a venue finding agency with extensive experience and a strong customer base in the pharma, legal, financial and retail markets.

Strata is on a mission to strengthen and broaden its client offering, adding new divisions and businesses to the group that complement the agency’s already wide-ranging breadth of services.

The agency has always understood that the right venue choice is paramount to the successful delivery of events. Therefore, its acquisition of Trinity Event Solutions – with its deep venue insight – is both a strategic and pivotal move for the group.

The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) is celebrating a 30 per cent growth in membership

The achievement was announced at its annual general meeting, where it also named two new co-chairs, Sammy Connell and Pauline Beattie.

The appointment of Sammy Connell of The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers and Pauline Beattie of Conference Care, follow the successful tenure of outgoing chairs Emma Duffy from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and Sarah Byrne from Mosaic Events.

Looking forward, ABPCO has laid out a plan to further enhance its value and reach within the professional conference organising community. Key initiatives can be found on Meetings and Incentive Travel.

Meeting Needs celebrates big boost in fund-raising at showcase event

Event industry foundation Meeting Needs celebrated their best fund-raising result for eight years at their annual showcase event at the Radisson Blu Bloomsbury.

Current year income has topped £150,000 for the first time since 2016, reflecting a return to growth for the industry and the foundation, said chair Chris Parnham, when he welcomed guests including original founding trustees, Peter Rand MBE and Charles Blowfield.

It was an event to connect 110 trustees, founders, donors, fund-raisers, beneficiaries and sponsors, from Axiom for providing the superb venue and hospitality to Cvent for sponsoring the Royal Parks Half Marathon team and Media Mirror, for providing video and photography on the night.

“Our aim is to channel all fundraising activity within the M+IT Industry through Meeting Needs and then award these funds to small charities, loved, championed or supported by colleagues in our industry. Anyone here can help their favourite charity to benefit from a grant. We like to help small charities, the ones who find it so hard to raise funds or awareness, and some of those wonderful charities are in the room tonight,” said Parnham.

A further £1460 was raised on the night.

What do the party manifestos do for the events sector?

The Business of Events reviews the three major parties’ manifestos – from an eventprof’s perspective.

Read it on Meetings and Incentive Travel.

Conference programme announced for the CN Sustainability Summit 2024

Now in its third year, the event will take place on Wednesday, 24 July 2024 at Chicago Booth London Conference Centre.

Conference News is delighted to confirm the conference programme for the CN Sustainability Summit 2024.

The summit aims to bring together sustainability-driven event organisers, innovative suppliers and industry experts to discuss the latest best practices and establish next steps towards a greener events sector.

The 2024 agenda features a series of keynote sessions, panel discussions, roundtables and organised one-on-one meetings, curated to equip event planners with tangible takeaways and new industry connections to support the delivery of more sustainable events.

Find out more on Conference News, including links to full agenda and how to register.

London Policy Forum postponed following announcement of UK General Election

Following the confirmation that a UK General Election will take place on 4th July 2024, The Business of Events and The Meetings Show has elected to postpone the London Policy Forum until the Autumn. It had been due to take place on the 19th June 2024.

Martin Fullard, director of The Business of Events issued the following statement: “With the UK General Election catching most commentators by surprise, we have elected to postpone the London Policy Forum.

“The Business of Events exists to facilitate dialogue between industry stakeholders and policymakers, and since Parliament is dissolved, there are restrictions on what government officials can and cannot do.”

“With a new Parliament being due to sit on 17th July, this means we will be able to enjoy a more stable autumn period and look forward to working with The Meetings Show in bringing together industry stakeholders and what will be a new-look political landscape. We look forward to announcing new details surrounding the London Policy Forum in due course.”

Jack Marczewski, Portfolio Event Director at Northstar Travel Group, said: “The Meetings Show remains committed to supporting The Business of Events with its ongoing work to raise the importance and profile of business meetings and events as an economic, policy, and community driver. We look forward to helping to facilitate its London Policy Forum when it takes place in the autumn.”

Missed May’s news round-up? Check it out here!

And book your next meeting or event venue on EDGEVenues.com

28th May 202429th May 2024

Employee wellness demands, IMEX success, Power of Event’s new app, and more

This month’s news round-up brings you some of the industry and association news from May 2024, including delegates demanding employee wellness, IMEX success, industry app pilot, and more.

Employee wellness tops the corporate agenda for offsite meetings

A new survey has revealed that 77% of event planners are prioritising employee wellness facilities in response to delegate wishes.

Research by Hand Picked Hotels polled five hundred event planners and also found that events are now increasingly being planned last minute. Just under half, 43% say they are booking offsites between one and four weeks out from the meeting or event date, with just 2% booking six months in advance.

The top five planners’ priorities are big on employee wellness:

Nutritious food and beverage offerings (48%) – in number one position is food and beverage, booking event caterers that not only deliver delicious food, but healthy menus too are key with delegates expressing their wish for it to be healthy.
A wellness walk (34%) – walking is one of the easiest ways to improve wellbeing. It is also free and accessible and an effective way of building in a business break for delegates.
A wellness experience (25%) – a quarter of respondents cite breathing and relaxation techniques as important to delegates. Many venues can offer on-site massages as well as mindfulness and yoga classes for delegate / employee wellness.
Access to spas and health club facilities (24%) – keeping fit with regular exercise is desired by many delegates and for those who travel a lot, maintaining a routine is welcome if they can fit in some exercise while attending an event.
Outdoors activity (19%) – being outside is beneficial for mind and body and in fifth place is the desire to do some events outdoors. For planners, this can be challenging because inclement weather may make planning difficult but where a wet weather plan is possible and in the summer months more certainty can be reached, outdoor activities are welcomed.

With more companies leaving remote working behind, the popularity of face to face meetings in 2023 has returned to pre pandemic levels; and with it the focus is now ensuring meetings and events support and aid employee wellness – physical and mental.

The study also unveiled the 2024 market is all about late bookings, with 43% of planners admitting to booking offsites between one and four weeks out from the meeting or event date and only 2% booking six months out, evidence of more spontaneity in the marketplace.

IMEX Frankfurt welcomes 12,000 global suppliers and event professionals

IMEX 2024 saw 12,000 global suppliers and event professionals come together, for 63,000 buyer-exhibitor meetings over three transformative Frankfurt days.

Updates on imex-frankfurt.com news pages share that the past few years have, “challenged us all to reimagine every aspect of what we, as event professionals do. IMEX Frankfurt 2024 reflected this transformative journey, showcasing where events are heading, and how we can, as a global community, work together to shape a brighter future.

“The IMEX events microcosm saw big-name, star-turn, up-and coming and ground-breaking suppliers ignite our show floor; stand-out speakers and standing-room only sessions tap into the hunger for learning; and a whirlwind of business meetings, exchanges and transformative connections bring a dynamic energy to every corner of the halls.”

What’s more, M&IT Magazine has reported that encouraging the next generation of event planners entering the sector was the focus of many conversations at the show. IMEX CEO Carina Bauer told the publication:

“We’ve been really pleased with the number of young people attending our Rising Talent programme for those with up to three years’ experience. It was also great to see the launch of a complementary programme – Young Stars – part of our broadest ever range of German language education and an integral part of the hugely successful MICE Impact Academy.”

University of Northampton commissions Power of Events research app pilot

The Power of Events has announced the launch of its first research project through the Events Industry Insight App, in collaboration with Claire Drakeley from the University of Northampton.

From May 22nd to mid-July, industry professionals can participate in this pioneering study, which aims to improve decision-making in event management.

The Events Industry Insight App is the first digital app tool available for all commissioners of research in the UK Events Industry.

Download the app, register, and engage, via The Power of Events.

EVCOM London Live Awards announces new agency-focused categories

As the EVCOM London Live Awards readied to open its entries on May 23rd, it announced a new roster of agency-focused categories.

As agencies often work on events that are outside their control and are often unable to share the incredible work they do due to client permissions, EVCOM’s new categories celebrate agency cultures and workplaces instead.

Entrants are invited to answer three questions on the initiative or strategy, the journey to its creation (how they identified the need for the initiative and shaped it to ensure it met the needs of the team and agency) and the impact (what the effect has been on the individuals in the agency, and the agency as a whole).

Plus, a new free-to-enter category recognises an agency’s overall culture. The new agency-focused categories include Best People Engagement Initiative, Best DEI Initiative, Best ESG Strategy Initiative, and Best Agency Culture of the Year.

Find out more, here.

RWS Global Acquires Great Big Events

RWS Global, the world leader in live moments, today announced the acquisition of Great Big Events (GBE), a leading sports event production company known for its work on the world’s biggest sporting events. Past credits include over 100 World Championships, World Cups, Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth and multi-sport Games.

As a result of this transaction, the company is launching RWS Global Sports, a new division of RWS Global that will provide an unrivalled, comprehensive range of offerings, including venue design, entertainment, sports production, merchandise and more. The new RWS Global Sports division will serve as a one-of-a-kind solution for clients, offering best-in-class, end-to-end live experiential offerings for audiences worldwide.

“This exciting acquisition redefines the possibilities for integrated, live sports and entertainment experiences on a global scale and propels us into a new realm of innovation and creativity,” said Ryan Stana, Chairman and CEO of RWS Global. “Fusing together our teams, resources and talent strengthens our position as leaders in the live experiential sector and allows us to deliver unprecedented live sports and entertainment experiences for our clients and their audiences across the globe.”

GBE co-founder Kim Henshaw will join and lead the RWS Global Sports division, bringing extensive industry expertise and knowledge that will be invaluable as RWS Global continues to expand its presence in the live entertainment and sporting events market.

IACC publishes Meeting Room of The Future trends report

IACC has published a report combining research and insights from 275 meeting planners worldwide into the future role of hotels and venues and trends in areas such as physical attributes, food and beverage, technology, and social impact. These evolving trends in conference attendee behaviours and needs will shape the future of conferences, meetings, and events with up to 250 attendees for the next three years and beyond.

The report, the first to seek the opinions of those arranging business events since 2019, supports the widely held view that the creative experiences and relationships built at live events cannot be replicated through technology alone and that Digitally Live Events will remain a feature for successful companies and communities.

Some key insights of the report include:

Food and beverage are still evolving. Many venues are reporting lower consumption of alcohol. Additionally, venues are dealing with increasingly complex and specific requests for dietary accommodations.
Venues are prioritising sustainability. Many venues have implemented programs to reduce food waste and single-use plastics, producing social responsibility & sustainability statements.
Demands and requirements are continuing to change. Breakout rooms are often requested, emphasising informal, comfortable seating that encourages team building and creativity.
Venues are starting to adapt to the next generation’s behavioural differences. Some venues are breaking up their events with more time for breaks and personal time and leveraging smaller groups to encourage more one-on-one engagement.
Adaptability to changing client needs is becoming a standard. 71% of venues have three-quarters to 100% of their meeting rooms equipped with flexible equipment and furniture that can roll quickly on wheels or be re-configured to turn a room quickly and efficiently.

Download and read the full report here.

Birmingham is shortlisted to host Invictus Games 2027

The Invictus Games Foundation has revealed that Washington DC, USA and Birmingham, UK have been shortlisted to host the Invictus Games in 2027. This shortlist has been confirmed after a detailed process which was launched last year. A final decision by the board of trustees will be made by the end of July.

The bid from the city of Washington, led by Events DC, has outlined several potential venues in and around the city, with a focus on the George Washington University campus, alongside an indicative sports schedule which includes the nine core Invictus Games sports, plus the addition of esports.

The UK government-backed bid focuses on the NEC, Birmingham, and draws the connection to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Selly Oak and wider Defence Medical assets in the region. Birmingham also seeks to utilise the nine core sports alongside e-sports, as well as exploring the addition of a team triathlon as a potential new sport.

This could lead to a surge in hotel room and venue space bookings in the city, so don’t delay and book your event in Birmingham today to avoid disappointment.

Missed April’s news round-up? Check it out here!

And book your next meeting or event venue on EDGEVenues.com

30th April 2024

IMEX Frankfurt 2024, Edinburgh business events, ISO 20121, HOSPA report & more

This month’s news round-up brings you some of the industry and association news and views from April 2024, including IMEX Frankfurt 2024, Edinburgh business events, ISO 20121, HOSPA report, and more.

Headlines

4,000 buyers are expected at IMEX Frankfurt 2024.

The event takes place at Messe Frankfurt on 14-16 May.

Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group told M&IT, “We know that face to face events are where some of the most valuable business conversations take place – according to EIC research as many as 22 per cent of new customers are generated through in-person events. Our show’s carefully designed to facilitate this and, from the demand we’re currently seeing from both buyers and suppliers, the appetite to meet and do business as we head into the second quarter of the year is impressive.”

Suppliers representing destinations, venues, hotels are ready to do business at the show. And an area of the show floor devoted to technology will showcase solutions covering payments, virtual events and content management among others.

Find out more at IMEX Frankfurt.

Convention Edinburgh has partnered with Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce to showcase the power of business events for the city.

At an inaugural partnership event – ‘Why business events matter: the economic power and impact of events’ – on Tuesday 30th April at the EICC, speakers from across Edinburgh’s events, technology, and academic sectors will discuss how a collaborative cross-sector approach can pay dividends for the city.

The speakers lined up for the event are Professor Gary Hutchison, Dean of Applied Science at Edinburgh Napier University, Turing Fest’s chief operating officer Tanya Gaxiola, and Lesley Williams, Director at Caellium and former Managing Director of Best Cities.

Marshall Dallas, EICC, CEO, said: “We’re excited to partner with the Chamber of Commerce, and we fully expect next week’s event to be insightful given the calibre of speakers we have in place. Importantly, it also reflects on the shared passion we have for Edinburgh and how business events can have an outsized benefit towards local economic impact.”

VisitScotland’s Business Events Association Report in March revealed that business event visitors to Scotland spend more per head than any other kind of visitor, with an International delegate spending approximately £450 per day. By contrast, leisure visitors from Scotland’s highest-value international market, the USA, spend around £180 per day according to latest data.

The EICC took on the guardianship of Convention Edinburgh on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council in May 2022, with a remit that includes attracting conferences and events to Edinburgh, supporting city bids, and assisting event bookers during the destination and venue selection process for their conferences.

During this time, Convention Edinburgh has received over 400 enquiries, confirming 60 events which will attract over 21,000 delegates to the city, equating to £47 million of economic impact.

Amanda Wrathall, Lead at Convention Edinburgh said: “The small but agile team we put together for Convention Edinburgh has done a fantastic job over the last couple of years, with their performance reflected in the positive numbers that have come through. Credit must also go to the multiple city partners who have supported and contributed to the business event outcomes to date.”

Liz McAreavey, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, added: “The £47 million economic benefit clearly illustrates the value that the convention bureau brings to the city. In addition to this, the bureau’s work supports jobs across a wide range of sectors in the city, both directly and indirectly.
“It is vital that our policy-makers understand the role and impact of business tourism, which attracts high-spending visitors, many of whom will return to the city for holidays after attending business events here, and some even to live and work. It is a crucial component in promoting our city to the global community and has proven to be extremely successful.”

AGF (A Greener Future) has published its latest Festival Sustainability report for European festivals.

The 2024 report compiles a year’s worth of research and analysis from over 40 festivals across Europe into sections covering mobility, food and drink, water and sanitation, power and fuel use, waste and recycling, and carbon emissions.

There have been some significant areas of improvement, such as the increase in bans on single-use plastic serve ware from 54% in 2022 to 75% in 2023, the reduction in average waste per person per day from 0.75 kg to 0.5 kg, and more festivals going fully vegan or vegetarian.

AGF also expanded its carbon footprint breakdowns for festivals and compared emissions by type of festival. The results further highlighted the significant impact of travel and transport and that food and drink are often the second largest source of emissions after audience transport. Festivals that moved to a fully meat-free event reduced their food-related emissions by over 60% on average.

Claire O’Neill, AGF CEO, Says: “2024 is the 18th year that AGF is assessing festival impacts worldwide. It’s good to see improved understanding, data, and performance from events. We are seeing progress, but more still needs to be done to now additionally adapt to changing and more extreme weather. There is a huge opportunity for collaboration with other sectors such as transport, energy, water and food who all have targets for net zero and protecting ecosystems. New ways of doing things need dynamic and attractive platforms to reach people, which is what festivals are. While progress is good, the background is changing, adversely – We’re on a path to net zero but the path just got steeper, so we need to keep upping our game.”

Anyone interested in how the festival sector compares to corporate events can read AGF’s full report, here.

The SITE GB board has announced that Deborah Crosswell and Joe O’Connell will be stepping up to the role of co-presidents in 2025.

The pair will take over from Anthony Kelly and Leigh Butterfield who will stand down at the end of 2024 but remain on the board as immediate past presidents.

Since January 2023, the chapter has been led by co-presidents Kelly and Leigh, who with the support of the board, have seen the chapter achieve its largest membership level since inception and attract a record-breaking attendance at the now-renowned Annual Christmas Lunch in 2023, raising over £26,000 for industry charity Meeting Needs.

Crosswell, client relationship director at creative communications agency Top Banana, and O’Connell, founder and CEO of growing events agency Black Book, are both currently serving as directors on the board and between them bring many years industry experience to their co-presidency.

“We are delighted to be taking the reins from Anthony and Leigh and look forward to working with the board to build on their strong legacy and continue growing and developing the SITE GB chapter,” they said.
“It’s been a privilege to be serve as co-presidents of SITE GB over the past 18 months, during which there has been many highlights for the chapter. There is still plenty of work to do before the end of the year, and we’re looking forward to continuing to lead the board as we deliver more fun and inspiring events for the UK incentive travel community over the next few months,” added Kelly and Butterfield.

Report shows a 14% total revenue increase in UK conferences and events.

The sector overview, compiled by HOSPA (The Hospitality Professionals Association), is based on data from sources such as Hotstats, Venue Performance, and De Vere Hotels.

The UK hospitality industry appears healthy, with a positive outlook for ‘2024 and beyond’ – by the end of 2023, reported revenues ‘bounced back to be more or less in line with 2019 levels’.

What’s more, when comparing 2023 against 2022, ‘hospitality businesses, typically, enjoyed a more than 14% increase in Total Revenue – and a 13.7% growth in Gross Profit.’

According the The Business of Events, Jane Pendlebury, CEO of HOSPA, said: “As we recently passed the four year anniversary of the start of the pandemic, in some respects it feels like a distant memory. But the effects on the hospitality industry were so profound, it left scars on the sector that will take longer to heal. Analysing conferences and events though has presented a refreshing and reassuring picture – which shows that recovery, in some instances, has been very positive.
And while some aspects have returned to 2019 levels, others, specifically conference and banqueting have been reinvigorated and revitalised to the point they’ve surpassed previous performance. This is fantastic to see.

As a sector, it’s important we take stock and look at areas of strength and weakness. And whilst parties have declined –impacted by economic factors as well as post-pandemic optics – the fact that other areas of hospitality have come to the fore in their place, just serves to underline the resilience of the hospitality industry. It’s something we should all be grateful for!”

Download the full report from hospa.org.

The Events Industry Alliance has published its eighth Size and Scale Index for Exhibitions report.

The Events Industry Alliance (EIA) – the collective associations of AEO, AEV and ESSA, has published the eighth Size and Scale Index for Exhibitions (SASIE) report.

The total number of event days and total gross space sold has increased since 2022 and is now broadly on a par with pre-Covid figures. However, average duration and average gross and net size of exhibitions were slightly down on the previous year.

Marija Erzen, co-owner, Solutions2, ESSA chair and current EIA chair, commented, “The report provides vitally important market insight for our industry and includes cumulative comparative data from 2015.”

Rachel Parker, AEV director, said, “The report is now the only one of its kind providing in depth analysis of UK exhibitions and is of great value for both our members and in discussions with government. As always, we are appreciative of the time and resource contributed by the participating AEV and AEO members, many of whom have been providing data since the report’s inception in 2014.”

Erzen remarked, “With over 1,000 exhibitions, the 2023 report shows the number of exhibitions were up significantly and at comparable levels to the pre-Covid period. Visitor and exhibitor numbers also showed signs of recovery although not yet reaching pre-Covid levels. We have seen some venues reporting their highest number of new show launches helping to truly underline the positive impact of the exhibitions industry on UK trade.”

The increase in events in 2023 is partly explained by a significant upturn in conference events (with minimum 500m2 of exhibition space) but also many new consumer events, impacting positively on totals.

Parker added, “The UK exhibitions industry will continue to play a crucial role in driving international trade and prosperity for business event destinations across the UK while, at the same time, supporting the government’s growth agenda. We will continue working with policy makers to reduce trade friction and ensure greater access to markets for the industry.”

The report is compiled annually by RJS Associates and Tony Rogers Conference & Event Services. Participating AEV and AEO members submit the data which is then weighted and analysed to produce the report.

Read the full report via the EIA, here.

BSI has published updated ISO 20121 sustainability standard for events.

BSI has published an updated version of the event management sustainability framework, ISO 20121, with increased focus on climate change, supply chain, and human rights.

Find out more in from the YouTube clip below, from Positive Impact – the not for profit organisation set up to provide education, training and inspiration for the event sector on how to operate sustainably:

Power of Events Schools Engagement Programme is back for summer.

The Power of Events, the not-for-profit platform that provides an overview showcase of the UK Events Industry, event analysis and data evaluation to support the community, has reported significant progress in its Schools Engagement Programme, launched in January 2024. In the three months to March, it has engaged over 2,750 pupils at 15 schools in the East of England pilot, supported by EIF grant funding.

The programme has received positive feedback from ambassadors who have witnessed first-hand the impact the programme has on pupils.

The pilot has reported a 63% growth in pupils’ understanding of what the events industry is and linked consideration of a career in the events industry. It climbs from an initial 2% pre-presentation to 65% post-presentation.

There are a further 35 school engagements booked in during the summer term which PoE says should result in total engagement of over 9,000 pupils.

Plans are being initiated for expanding across the UK into new regions in the autumn with more information promised soon.

Andy Rice from MEI, one of the Schools Engagement Programme ambassadors said, “Supporting the Power of Events with their schools initiative has been very rewarding. It has been heartening to see glazed faces of indifference transform to engaged enthusiasm when the breadth and depth of the events industry is shared and the opportunities which exist for young people and the multitude of paths to entry are explained.”

Email: hello@thepowerofevents.org for details on how to get involved.

ITB China 2024 returns, matching the exhibition’s 2019 scale.

ITB China 2024, from 27 to 29 May at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, marks a pivotal moment for the global tourism community. Boasting +600 exhibitors, over 1,000 hand-selected buyers, the ITB China Conference running alongside the exhibition, and numerous networking opportunities, ITB China 2024 is set to be another landmark event.

ITB China 2024 has surpassed the scale of 2019, signalling a robust recovery for the industry. With more than 600 travel and tourism organisations and companies from over 80 countries confirming their participation, this represents a remarkable 60% scale increase compared to the previous year, demonstrating the event’s growing success.

Lydia Li, Deputy General Manager of ITB China, said: “ITB China 2024 is a testament to the resurgence of China’s travel market. Despite ongoing challenges, the overwhelming participation of our exhibitors, buyers and trade visitors reflects renewed confidence in the industry. With strong partnerships and an unparalleled number of international exhibitors, including many newcomers, this year’s event marks the return to pre-pandemic levels in China.”

ITB China’s travel think tank, ITB China Conference, will offer content and insights tailored to address the information needs of exhibitors and visitors, providing an in-depth understanding of the Chinese and global tourism market. With a line-up of around 100 outstanding speakers covering some 50 thought-provoking topics, attendees can expect valuable discussions on industry hotspots and emerging trends and foster meaningful connections with industry key opinion leaders.

Highlights include a round table conference co-hosted with the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), focused on raising professionalism and international influence of China’s MICE industry. The conference will also feature a keynote address by Trip.com Group, the Travel Service Partner and content partner of the ITB China Travel Trend Report 2024/25, offering unique insights into emerging trends, Chinese traveller behaviour, and market opportunities.

For more information about ITB China 2024, visit www.itbchina.com

28th March 202430th April 2024

UKEVENTS UK Spring Budget wishes, mia’s latest survey, Conference News DEI market research, & more

This month’s news round-up brings you some of the industry and association news and views from March 2024, including UKEVENTS UK Spring Budget wishes, mia’s latest survey, Conference News DEI market research, and more.

Headlines

UKEVENTS shared its UK Spring Budget wishes.

Ahead of the 2024 Spring Budget Michael Hirst OBE, Chair of UKEVENTS Working Group for Advocacy and Government Relations, shared his views on what the industry needs to meet its potential.

Writing on the UKEVENTS blog, he commented: “Ahead of the Spring Budget on the 6th March 2024, it is important that UKEVENTS lays out its recommendations to His Majesty’s Government on what the events industry can offer the United Kingdom.

“While the events industry continues to underpin so much in terms of cultural vitality, societal advancement and trade, there is much more it can offer the Government in terms of supporting its own policy agenda.”

The blog highlighted championing innovation, Facilitating trade and investment, preserving vibrancy, and more.

Read the blog in full, here.

A researcher at the University of Northampton (UON) is asking event planners how they make decision to avoid disaster.

Claire Drakeley is a senior lecturer in Events Management at the UON and part way through a PhD in which she explores how critical decisions are made as events are taking place.

She is now asking event professionals to complete a 25min survey in which she presents different scenarios and asks survey participants how they would react to them.

Claire said: “…what if you’ve organised an event for 5,000 ticket holders, and then your audio-visual contractor doesn’t turn-up, there are major technical issues or the weather turns your venue into chaos?

“There’s a good chance you’ve been to an event where there have been major issues behind the scenes, but did you notice anything? These scenarios playout all the time, often combining to make it even more challenging, and it is usually up to the experience and knowledge of the Event Management Team to solve the problem before anyone notices.

“I hope this research will end up as a decision-making tool for new, and experienced event managers, which will help bring calm to the chaos and enable them make better decisions when faced with these complex situations.”

This is the first phase of Claire’s research and ahead of the next stage she is inviting survey participants to be part of an expert panel process with three rounds of online input over a four month period to record their feedback on the research and its findings.

The survey includes an invitation to participate in further research activity and to add an email address if they would like to receive the results of the research when it is completed next year.

If you would like to know more, or have any questions, please email Claire via – claire.drakeley@northampton.ac.uk.

mia’s (Meetings Industry Association) latest survey, conducted in February 2024, has shown a positive financial industry outlook and rising future bookings.

Yet, as Kerrin McPhee, mia’s chief executive highlights, “…there are still a variety of matters that we as a sector must keep on the radar. We cannot ignore the vast evolution of events that we are anticipating taking place over the next 12 months.”

Some of the survey’s highlights include:

73% of organisations are forecasting greater revenue in 2024 than they did for 2023
59% have more confirmed future business as of 1 January 2024 than they did as of 1 January 2023
Overall costs to the sector increased 14% on average in 2023
50% of venues are currently prepared for the introduction of Martyn’s Law

View the report in full, via mia.

Conference News has launched market research to explore social responsibility, diversity, equality, inclusion (DEI), accessibility, and mindful language and content in event planning.

The publication, in partnership with Marketing Manchester, has shared that its aim is to uncover how organisers incorporate these values to foster more inclusive and responsible events.

You can support the research by providing your insights via the link in this feature on Conference News.

The Business Travel Association (BTA) is calling for an end to unfair and excessive airport pick-up and drop-off fees.

The BTA told TTG Media that “fees were earning UK airports £300 million a year and singled out Stansted, where a combined drop-off and pick-up is £17, as the most expensive in the UK.”

Details of fees were revealed in a BTA whitepaper, Drop the Drop Off Fees, alongside calls for a government investigation into the charges.

Clive Wratten, BTA chief executive, said: “It is utterly illogical that these fees have soared to such unprecedented levels. To get dropped off and picked up kerbside is a necessity for so many travellers.

Read TTG’s feature, here.

The Business of Events (TBOE), the Think Tank and Advocacy Network for the global events sector, has published its plan of activity for 2024/5.

It will see a significantly expanded schedule of work and activity as the next 12 months is set to be a critical year for the global events economy, with several high-profile elections taking place around the world.

In the UK, as well as a general election likely to be held towards the end of 2024, local government and mayoral elections will also be held around the country, potentially changing the local political landscape.

All of this means that it is going to be even more important to engage with politicians and policymakers, creating content, briefings and holding events to promote the value and benefits of having a strong business events economy.

As well as engaging with what will be one of the largest intakes of new MPs in a generation, the activity will also connect event planners, both domestic and international, with TBOE partners. These connections will help ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of the global business events industry and continues to meet the needs of planners and delegates.

Working alongside strategic and content partners, the plan also includes an expanded programme of regional, national, and international events. These events will be predominately invitation only, bringing together senior event industry leaders to connect with politicians, policymakers, stakeholders and planners to look at ways in which together we can build better local and national economies through business events.

Martin Fullard, Director of News & Content at TBOE said; “The need for increased advocacy to highlight the opportunities available by having a strong event economy has never been greater, which is why this year we are significantly expanding our sphere of activity; more research, more events, more insights and more engagement.

“In the UK, we have a limited but critical window of opportunity to tell our story, as the focus shifts towards a general election and a much-changed Westminster landscape. This is why we have been focussing on engaging with those who are likely to be in parliament and in positions of influence, as well as continuing to connect with the corporate and association planners and agencies, to ensure our partners have real-time insights into how the UK can become even more competitive as a world-leading event destination.”

This year, a number of regional events will also take place, along with specific Advocacy Forums, which will be held within existing events and trade shows. Due to the UK general election likely taking place in the Autumn of 2024, the signature Global Policy Forum will now be held in February 2025 in Westminster.

Full details of the plan can be downloaded via the Business of Events, here.

C&IT has published a feature on how to get the data stakeholders actually want for event ROI.

The feature claims that even though 73% of event marketers are confident in their data, there is a gap when it comes to useful metrics.

Read more here, including details of a reaport that asked 500 brand decision-makers across Austria, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States working in the Alcohol, Beauty, FMCG, Retail and Technology categories about the live event marketing KPIs that matter, how they would use quality data and the developments they hope to see in the future.

Northstar Meetings Group has revealed that event professionals’ shift to hybrid working is making them more productive and improving company culture.

The group’s latest First Look Research survey reveals that 87 per cent now work from home for part of the week (61%) or work remotely all of the time (26%), with just 13 per cent describing themselves as office based.

Most (72%) were ‘happy’ with their working arrangements and 58 per cent said they thought the increase in hybrid working post-pandemic had increased productivity.

Download and read all the key findings, including thoughts of Northstar Media Group UK’s editorial director James Lancaster via M&IT.

View from the EDGE

EDGE Venues’ Commercial Director, Scott Ford, summed up this March’s monthly insights:

Image of Scott Ford, with his comment: "It's great to see Conference News's focus on diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI). DEI is an essential and often overlooked area in organising successful events. As society grapples with this vital area, seeing our industry's leading role in pushing these crucial discussions is heartening.

The mia's latest survey on the business outlook for the events industry lends weight and substance to what we experience daily. It can only be good news for UK events as the post-pandemic recovery gains momentum.

2024 is seemingly the year of political change at home and globally, and more people than ever are exercising their democratic rights. So, it's encouraging to see the likes of The Business of Events pushing our mutually beneficial agenda of a strong events economy and engaging with policymakers at every level to advocate for a dynamic and successful domestic and global event marketplace.

With the 'total cost' of events becoming more important than ever as event planners try to balance the cost versus return on investment for their events, we were encouraged to see the BTA focusing on some of the hidden costs of events like the seemingly excessive charges at some UK airports for the simple and necessary act of dropping off and picking up delegates. Couple this with C&IT's work on what data is useful when obtaining an accurate and actionable event ROI. 2024 will be the year we will finally start to see some quality metrics for ROI on events."

27th February 202412th August 2024

CHS Leeds 2024, EventWell® Buddy service, The Power of Events Careers Hub, & more

This news round-up brings you some of the industry and association news and views from February 2024, including CHS Leeds 2024, EventWell®’s Buddy service, ABPCO’s 2024 Festival of Learning, IMEX Frankfurt’s Sustainable Event Report, and more.

Headlines

CHS Leeds 2024 has announced speakers and content for its educational seminars which will take place at The Royal Armouries, 23rd April.

It claims the programme will be one of the most comprehensive guides to organising modern events, with an A-Z, available to delegates, produced by the speakers live at the event.

Beginning with ‘Event Organising 101’, presented by Neil Thompson, The Delegate Wranglers, Louisa O’Connor, SEEN Presents and Justine Bruce, QHotels Collection, and finishing with a challenging session on Accessibility from Orla Pearson, MyClearText Ltd and Acessloop, the sessions will summarise key take away points and add them to a working compendium that will be shared with all delegates at the end of the day.

Julie Phillips, Operations Director, CHS Leeds, said: “In essence, they [visitors] want to go back to basic event organising, but through the lens of a massively evolving event world here in 2024. I really think we’re going to deliver, and what’s more, we’re giving them something to take away with them. So, if they do miss a session, they can still have the key take outs in our A-Z.”

CHS Leeds will also continue to follow its values of looking after event organiser’s personal and professional growth with each speaker asked to ensure their sessions are as empathetic and practical as possible. The team will write the A-Z throughout the day and make it available to download via QR code.

Find out more, here.

Julie Shorrock, the newly-appointed chair of trade association beam, has spoken to M&IT about her plans for 2024, the state of the sector, and more.

Julie told the magazine, “I’d like to see more collaborations between associations. I think we work better together. When another association’s doing something good, I think we could do a lot more sharing and collaborative work. We’ve already started with IACC, with BTA, and I look forward to developing those relationships this year.”

Read the full interview, here.

Ahead of IMEX Frankfurt in May, the team has published a Sustainable Event Report revealing the successes, experiments and learnings from last year’s show.

The report lifts the lid on sustainability planning in the run-up to and execution of IMEX Frankfurt 2023, sharing notable achievements in waste diversion and energy use, as well as highlighting opportunities for improvement as Carina Bauer CEO of the IMEX Group explains:

“This is the second report we’ve produced, working with our sustainability consultants MeetGreen®, meaning we can now benchmark our progress against 2022. It’s an opportunity to share our successes and our challenges with the wider industry so that they can take what we’ve learned and weave these into their own events.”

ABPCO has announced its 2024 Festival of Learning “Fit for the Future” content.

The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) has finalised the programme for the 2024 ABPCO Festival of Learning, taking place at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow on the 29th and 30th of April. This year’s theme, “Fit for the Future,” reflects ABPCO’s commitment to preparing the event industry for the challenges and opportunities of the future.

Monday, 29th April kicks off with an exclusive networking session for new members and first-time attendees at the Crowne Plaza, followed by an evening at the Glasgow Science Centre with food, drinks and a fireside session titled “Cultivating Success: The Transformative Impact of Mentoring” featuring Cally Willoughby-Ward of Chatty Penguin, Sammy Connell of NASUWT, Sarah Vaughan of CITMA, and Rebecca Towell of Full Circle.

Monday afternoon attendees will also have an opportunity to take part in an Invisible Cities Walking Tour of Glasgow.

Tuesday, 30th April includes: Event Power – A Force for Good, The Winning Combination, Tips and Hack, Adapting to the Future with Limited Resources – The BEST Example, Accessibility – The Next Frontier in Event Management, Avoid the Pitfalls and Dodge the Disasters – Stay Future Fit by Minimising Risk, and Closing Keynote – Unlocking a future of heightened productivity and reduced stress.

Heather Lishman, ABPCO’s association director says: “Our carefully curated sessions and workshops are designed to empower attendees with the knowledge, tools, and insights needed to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape. This is a unique opportunity to explore future trends, network with peers, and drive positive change in our industry.”

EventWell is expanding its support services.

The charitable social enterprise will launch its EventWell® Buddy service at International Confex 2024 in February.

Helen Moon, EventWell founder and chief executive, explains, “It is currently estimated that 15 – 20% of the population are neurodivergent, with approximately 8 out of 10 of those individuals choosing not to attend events due to anxiety, uncertainty around accommodations, communication challenges and more.

We created the EventWell® Buddy service to help reduce potential barriers for neurodivergent attendees by having trained professionals on-site to provide information, comfort and a friendly face to those needing extra support at events.”

EventWell® Buddy Meeting Points provide a designated space at exhibition and conference entrances, Quiet Room or other key locations where attendees can seek assistance from EventWell representatives.

EVCOM, the event and visual communication association, has launched EVCOMference 2024.

The EVCOMference is the association’s annual conference, which gathers industry leaders, experts and next-generation talent together for a programme of keynotes, panels and discussions. It will take place on 22nd April at RD Studios, London.

This year, the programme is underpinned by facilitated discussions across three core areas: Harnessing Tech, Business Solutions and Building a Better Industry. Within these streams it will be touching on topics such as virtual production and AI, preparing for growth and maintaining a hybrid workforce, neurodiversity and apprenticeships.

Find out more about the event, here.

The Power of Events has launched a new Careers Hub.

The not-for-profit company – which aims to showcase the UK events industry – has designed the hub to showcase the depth and range of career opportunities available across the seven sectors that make up the UK events industry.

The hub states: For people looking to change roles, those looking to start their careers and those interested in events currently working in other industries, the hub is packed with information and links to advice, insight, and support. This includes the five main routes into the industry and a glossary that reveals the breadth of job roles across all the different sectors. It also includes links to some of the key support organisations that have helped curate the content and can provide more support and information.

Check it out, here.

Meeting Needs has rebranded as a charity foundation.

Chris Parnham, Meeting Needs chair, said that the refocus is “to better clarify what we are and what we do.” The brand’s new strapline reads: Meeting Needs is a foundation that awards life-changing grants to small charities, with funds raised from within the meetings and events industry.

View from the EDGE

EDGE Venues’ Commercial Director, Scott Ford, summed up this February’s monthly Insights:

Image of Scott Ford, with his comment: "“beam’s new focus on collaboration is something the whole world of M&E could benefit from so we look forward to what comes next from the industry association. And it’s great to see industry events like IMEX Frankfurt keeping an eye on sustainability with its event report – it isn’t going away, rightly so, but how meaningful are many of the new ‘developments’ we often hear about in our space?”

30th January 20247th February 2024

UKCAMS research, beam 2024 Chair, industry AI white paper, & more

This news round-up brings you some of the industry and association news and views from January 2024, including UKCAMS research, beam’s new Chair, IMEX Frankfurt’s new talking point, industry AI white paper, and more.

Headlines

UK conference and meeting venues are being encouraged to take part in the 2024 UKCAMS research.

In its 31st year, The Conference and Meeting Survey (UKCAMS) has a specific focus on the value and volume of the market and the performance of meeting venues. It also highlights key market trends identified by venues.

The 2024 UKCAMS research asks UK venues to provide data on their conference and meeting business during the calendar year 2023.

UKCAMS research’s questionnaire covers the regular questions on the volume and value of the sector but also includes important questions on trends and key issues (for example, venue sustainability practices and policies, AI activity in the business events sector, international business trends).

Findings of the UKCAMS research are widely used to:

Demonstrate the volume of the UK conference and meetings sector and its value to individual venues and to the national economy
Highlight key trends from a venue or supply-side perspective
Ensure continuing support and investment for the industry at national, regional and local levels.

UK conference and meeting venues which take part in the 2024 research will receive a complimentary, personalised summary report enabling them to benchmark their performance in 2023 against other comparable venues. The online questionnaire can be accessed, here.

VisitBritain / VisitEngland Head of Business Events, Paul Black, said: “VisitBritain is pleased to support the ‘UK Conference and Meeting Survey’ in 2024, a valuable tool for us to demonstrate the importance of our business events sector to the UK economy and to Government. There are some important research questions for venues to answer alongside the business level assessment, so we would be very grateful for their participation in supporting this survey.”

The UKCAMS research results are expected to be published in June.

Melissa Cherry – chief diversity and inclusion officer/SVP for Miles Partnership – is moderating an MPI Academy webinar called Building an Inclusive and Equitable Meetings Industry on 13th February.

In advance of this webinar, MPI caught up with Cherry to discuss measuring inclusivity progress, the impact of leadership on DEI initiatives and creating a sense of belonging at events.

She said: “Achieving diversity and inclusion in leadership is an ongoing process that requires commitment at all levels of the organization. It’s not just about hiring diverse leaders but also creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels valued and has equal opportunities for growth and advancement.”

Read the full blog here, and access the link to register for the webinar.

Julie Shorrock, managing director of Hotel and Travel Solutions (HTS) has become Chair of beam, the industry association for business events, accommodation and meetings.

Shorrock has been a board director for many years and succeeds Sian Sayward. A new vice-chair position has also been introduced at beam. The vice-chair position aims to ensure the representation of both venues and agents at chair level and recognise longer-serving venue board directors for their contribution to the association. If the chair is held by an agent, the vice-chair will be a venue and visa-versa. The role follows the inclusion of venues in beam’s membership categories and board of directors.

Julie Shorrock said “What a marvellous honour! I’m taking over the reins at beam at a time when it is buoyant, thriving, and has plenty of momentum to grow further and continue to drive the industry and the association forward.

“That’s testimony to the wonderful leadership of Sian over the last 18 months and the hard work and commitment of all those who have contributed while simultaneously managing their ‘day jobs’. We’ve created so much value as a team, from new advisory boards resulting in achievements such as our Payment Toolkit to a partnership with the IACC, and more.

“I’m a great believer in collaboration, so I look forward to leading beam with so many supportive colleagues and members.”

Ahead of IMEX Frankfurt in May, the IMEX Group has announced its new Talking Point for 2024 and 2025 – Impact.

The company’s annual Talking Point forms a focal point for the year ahead, anchoring IMEX show content, research and storytelling as well as providing a topic for exhibitors and attendees alike to explore at the shows and throughout the year. Ahead of IMEX Frankfurt in May, the IMEX Group has announced its new Talking Point for 2024 and 2025 – Impact (Imp-ACT).

IMEX CEO, Carina Bauer, explains: “Impact sits at the very heart of our mission to bring the global events community together to do business, learn and drive positive change. We’re especially emphasizing the ‘act’ within Impact, forming a rallying cry for our industry to collectively address the big issues facing our planet and communities.

“Intention is one thing, but action is everything – it’s time to make a bigger, more positive Impact! Over the next year or two we’re inviting people and organizations from every corner of the global business events community to make a more positive impact through their events, their personal and professional actions, their commercial partnerships and more. We look forward to discovering how people embrace our Talking Point and incorporate the concept of impact across their whole lives.”

The IMEX team asked business event professionals to define what impact means to them. The powerful and varied responses were gathered into a short video:

SkyTeam, a global airline alliance, has announced that its data for January can reveal January’s top MICE destinations.

One offering, Global Meetings, is designed to cover MICE events in North and Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Greater China, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. According to SkyTeam, data from Global Meetings demonstrates the most popular MICE destinations for 2024 thus far – Barcelona, Cancun, Buenos Aires, Las Vegas, Milan, Nairobi, Paris, and Prague. Read more, on Conference & Meetings World:

SkyTeam Global Meetings reveals January’s top destinations

A new white paper highlights the accelerating integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the global association conference and event sector.

The paper, authored by The Hague & Partners Convention Bureau and Ottawa Tourism, underscores the urgent need for widespread upskilling in the use of the technology as well as a need to understand the ethical implications of its use.

The research, which investigates the current and potential impact of AI within the sector, is based on qualitative and quantitative methods, including a global survey with over 100* participants from the industry.

Key Findings:

63% of associations and not-for-profits are already utilising AI in event organisation.
A significant knowledge gap exists, with 72% not engaging in AI education
85% have no budget for AI training.

“The inevitability of AI in our sector is clear from our research. However, it’s not just about adoption; it’s about understanding and skilfully leveraging AI to enhance our industry,” said Ottawa Tourism’s Vice President, Meeting and Major Events, Lesley Pincombe.

“This upskilling is not just desirable; it’s essential for the sustainable growth and innovation in our sector. The research also highlighted the fact that there shouldn’t be fear associated with AI and the knowledge needed for its use. Ultimately, it is not for organisers to understand how to build or create AI tools, instead they should be working with technology partners and AI experts to see how AI can be integrated into the work they are already undertaking.”

The white paper not only presents a statistical overview of AI in the association events sector, but also offers in-depth analysis and actionable insights. It emphasises the importance of ethical AI use, especially in data management and privacy. The document serves as a call for industry stakeholders to not only engage in learning and applying AI in their operations but to understand the ethics behind its use and the implications for mismanagement of data and individual privacy.

“AI is rapidly becoming a key technology across so many different industries, ours is no different,” adds Bas Schot, Head of The Hague & Partners Convention Bureau. “Our industry must adapt swiftly to stay ahead, and this means investing in knowledge and skills that align with these technological advancements.

“However, we must be careful to protect our delegates and ourselves as we make the most of what AI has to offer – we already need to consider both the pros and the cons before we entrust vital information and data to third parties – AI usage is no different.”

In December, initial highlights from the research were revealed, including the fact that 63% of global association buyers are either very concerned or slightly concerned about the ethical implications of using AI in event organising. In response, although 63% think governments should legislate on the use of AI, 65% also think those same governments lack the required knowledge to be able to legislate effectively.

Ottawa Tourism and The Hague & Partners Convention Bureau advocate a proactive approach to AI education in the association event sector, emphasising the need for strategic partnerships, knowledge sharing, and resource allocation towards AI competency.

The full white paper is attached but also available for download below, offering valuable insights for association event organisers, technology providers, educators, and policy makers in the global events industry.

The research was conducted, and the white paper written by Adam Baggs from Soaring Worldwide on behalf of The Hague Convention Bureau and Ottawa Tourism. Download it here.

Key findings from an International Sustainability Report suggest sustainability is still not given a high priority in meeting planners’ dealings with suppliers.

The report, by ICCA and Destination Canada, surveyed of 248 meeting professionals, including 139 association planners. It showed that 21% of planners ‘somewhat’ integrated sustainability into RFP design, while only 20% said it was ‘very’ and 8% ‘extremely’ integrated into their RFPs.

Costs (74%), venue capacity (61%), range of accommodation (61%), and favourable contractual terms (59%) were the most important factors when it came to the RFP. Read more, here.