Site visits will be allowed to take place from Monday 29 March, it has been confirmed.
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed to the Meetings Industry Association (mia) and the Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP) that site visits will be permitted after March 29 - when the stay at home restriction is lifted.
An mia statement said: "The Meetings Industry Association has just received confirmation from DCMS that after Monday 29 March, visiting a business event venue for a site visit for a future booking for a work based event will be permitted, if this cannot be carried out remotely.
"These site visits can take place even if the venue is otherwise closed.
"Site visits where there is not a permitted exemption for work purposes or otherwise for instance leisure, should not be taking place in closed venues at this time.
"Whilst we are still waiting for further clarification on when viewings for non-work related events can take place, this is a positive step in the right direction for the #reopening of the sector."
Simon Hughes, chair of the BVEP, said: “This is another positive step forward for the reopening of the events sector, and follows some extensive lobbying by the BVEP to Government on behalf of our partner organisations, many of which have been desperate for clarity on this issue. Being able to conduct site visits in just a couple of weeks will now enable marketing activity to fully recommence and for the industry to begin to rebuild its pipeline of business.”
Juliet Price, consultant executive director of the HBAA, which also contacted DCMS about the issue, said: “This is terrific news and just the boost that the business events, accommodation and meetings industry needs to kickstart its recovery.
“This has been a concerted effort in recent weeks by many industry leaders not just HBAA and we are hugely grateful to BVEP and DCMS in helping the industry achieve this business-critical point of guidance for the meetings and events sector.
“We can all be pleased that not only has our voice been heard at the highest level but, most importantly, we have the decision and action that we’ve campaigned for. It’s a very significant step forward for our industry.”
M&IT editor Paul Harvey is a journalist with more than 15 years of experience. He began his career in the local press, working for various titles across the north. Since joining M&IT in 2013, he has become a trusted and respected voice in the sector, championing event professionals and reporting on all aspects of the events industry for the brand.
