The newly formed Protect Duty Events Industry Group will ensure
event professionals are prepared for the upcoming government-proposed
legislation on event security.
International Convention Centre (ICC) Wales established the group
following the publication of its Protect Duty Report, which had
a significant impact in raising awareness of this issue within the meetings
industry.
The Protect Duty legislation, also known
as Martyn’s Law, is the direct result of years of campaigning by Figen Murray
OBE, the mother of Martyn Hett who was killed in the Manchester Arena terrorist
attack in 2017.
The new legislation formalises the
responsibilities and actions that venues must take to mitigate the risk of a
terrorist attack.
The Group is made up of conference
organisers, destinations, associations and suppliers and will work
collaboratively with organisations across the UK events industry including the
Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP) and the Association of Event
Venues (AEV).
The first meeting will take place
virtually on Monday 17 October, and will report its findings directly to BVEP’s
Government and Advocacy Working Group.
Safety and security remain a key focus
for event planners across the world, as identified in the International
Planner Sentiment Report, conducted by The Business of Events. The
study, which was taken by planners from the UK, Europe and North America were
asked to rank out of ten what they considered to be important when selecting a
destination or major venue in a post-pandemic environment. Safety and security were considered a high
priority for planners, particularly the North American market which rated it
with the highest score of 10, with Europe scoring it an eight and the UK
ranking it a seven.
“From our initial study on Protect
Duty, it was apparent that there remains a lack of knowledge about the
legislation across the events industry,” said ICC Wales sales director Danielle
Bounds.
“Our aim is to ensure that event
venues and organisers can fully comply when Protect Duty comes into effect. We
all have an important part to play, and the Protect Duty Events Industry Group
will continue those critical conversations around the legislation and feed its
findings directly to the BVEP to ensure that both industry and government are
aware of what is taking place.”
The ICC Wales Protect Duty Report can
be downloaded here and provides an informative starting
point for events industry professionals to prepare their response to the
upcoming legislation.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
