Industry service charges were a key discussion point at beam's Autumn All-Members Meeting.
The event, at Woughton House Hotel in Milton Keynes, included discussions on key industry topics, including a panel session on service charge in the meetings and events sector.
During the panel, members addressed the need for a consistent and transparent approach if discretionary service charges are used across event venues. Panellists and guests agreed on clearly communicating any service charges from the outset, ensuring they are optional for clients, and guaranteeing that any funds collected are fairly distributed to the event delivery staff.
The discussions reflect beam's new set of service charge guidelines, which will be launched alongside beam's revised Code of Conduct in early 2026.
Jonathan Read, Leonardo Hotels' director of global sales & partnerships UK&I, and one of the day's panellists, has been actively involved in shaping the service charge guidelines and shared that internal preparations are already underway across his hotels.
"We are proactively training our events teams now so that when beam's new guidelines launch in the new year, we'll be fully aligned," he said. "The service charge policy will be clear, fair, and visible to every client from day one."
Beam chair Louisa Watson said: "Seeing such engagement and willingness to take part in shaping better practice across our sector has been extraordinary. The service charge guidelines are not a recommendation to charge or not, but guidelines to support all parties for any venue considering it and step forward for transparency and trust in the MICE industry.”
The event concluded on a celebratory note, with attendees raising more than £1,000 for Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity through a raffle.
