Parliament has finally said what the events industry has been arguing for years
M&IT editor Paul Harvey casts his eye over a new report that warns that the UK events sector risks falling behind unless there is a new focus and commitment to funding from government.
For years, the UK's business events sector has been making the same case to government: we are more than tourism.
Now, Parliament has said it too.
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee's new report on business events is arguably the strongest political endorsement the sector has received in years. More importantly, it validates almost every concern the industry has been raising - from the need for stronger government leadership, to the damaging decision to cut VisitBritain's Business Events Growth Programme (BEGP).
The report lands at a significant moment. Last month, industry bodies including UKEVENTS and the Tourism Alliance wrote to ministers calling for the restoration of BEGP funding after VisitBritain's specialist business events team was scaled back.
Parliament has now effectively backed that position.
Business events recognised as an economic driver
The report frames business events as an economic policy issue rather than simply a tourism issue.
The committee highlights the sector's £33.6bn annual contribution to the UK economy, its role in driving trade, innovation and inward investment, and the hundreds of thousands of jobs it supports. Yet despite that contribution, MPs conclude that business events are "not consistently recognised within government" and suffer from fragmented leadership.
That mirrors a long-standing frustration across the industry.
Conference and event organisers have never argued that they simply bring visitors into the country. They generate exports, investment, research collaboration and international business relationships. In many cases, the event itself is only the beginning of the economic value it creates.
The committee appears to recognise that distinction.
A challenge to government thinking
Perhaps the report's most striking recommendation is that responsibility for business events should move away from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and instead sit with the Department for Business and Trade.
That is significant. For years, many in the sector have questioned whether housing business events in tourism policy has limited their influence inside Whitehall. The committee clearly believes it has.
If adopted, it would fundamentally change how government views the industry - from a visitor economy activity to an economic growth sector.
Whether ministers accept that recommendation remains to be seen. However, putting it on the table is significant.
VisitBritain cuts under fire
When it comes to the withdrawal of funding for VisitBritain's Business Events Growth Programme, the committee doesn't mince its words.
CMS Committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage calls the cuts “utterly irrational and entirely counterproductive”.
Dame Caroline Dinenage
Dame Caroline Dinenage
The report itself describes the reduction in support as "short-sighted" and warns that it risks damaging the UK's competitiveness at precisely the moment rival destinations are increasing investment.
That echoes what M&IT has been hearing from destinations, convention bureaux and organisers for months.
Countries including Australia, Singapore and Canada are investing aggressively to attract international congresses and exhibitions. The UK, by contrast, appears to be stepping back.
Competitiveness is central issue
The report also highlights something many organisers have acknowledged since Brexit.
The UK's challenge is no longer simply promoting itself overseas. It must overcome growing perceptions that it is harder, more expensive and more complicated to host events here.
Higher operating costs, visa issues, transport concerns and post-EU trading barriers are all cited as factors affecting competitiveness.
Individually, each issue may appear manageable.
Collectively, they create a narrative that competing destinations are increasingly using against the UK during international bidding processes.
Recognition is welcome - action is what matters
It would be easy for the sector to celebrate this report as a political victory - and in many ways, it is.
Parliament has acknowledged that business events deserve greater recognition, clearer leadership and more strategic support than they currently receive.
But reports do not change policy on their own.
The real test is whether government acts on the committee's recommendations - restoring dedicated support, improving cross-government coordination and recognising business events as a strategic economic asset rather than simply another branch of tourism.
For an industry that has spent years arguing exactly that, the committee has delivered something hugely valuable: independent political validation.
The question now is whether ministers are listening.