The Business of Events (TBOE) has partnered with Marketing Manchester and Manchester
Central to host the very first TBOE North of England Advocacy Forum.
The forum, set to take place on Thursday 23 January 2025, aims to bring together
senior stakeholders from the business events industry, policymakers, and
government representatives from both national and local levels. It hopes to be an influential platform for dialogue and collaboration, setting the stage for innovative solutions and policies that will drive the region’s economic and social progress.
The forum will spotlight TBOE's newly published policy agenda, which outlines seven key
policy initiatives designed to turbocharge the north of England’s event economy
and transform its towns and cities into vibrant hubs for skills and knowledge
exchange.
The content will be built around these seven key policy
initiatives:
1. Updating SIC codes: Ensuring
accurate representation and targeted support for the events industry.
2. Easier visa schemes: Facilitating
international collaboration post-Brexit for both inbound and outbound events.
3. Event tax credit scheme: Attracting
new events and supporting existing ones through financial incentives.
4. Attracting international events: Providing more support to position the UK as a top destination
for global events.
5. Practical support for competitiveness: Using events as a catalyst for growth across various sectors.
6. Investment in convention bureaux: Empowering national and regional bureaus to drive economic
development.
7. Leveraging events for policy objectives: Using business events as
platforms to deliver and promote government policies.
Martin Fullard, director of The Business of Events, said: "We are delighted to partner with Marketing
Manchester to host this crucial forum. Our policy agenda aims to address the
key challenges and opportunities within the events industry, and we believe
this event will be a significant step towards realising these goals. The north
of England is an industrial powerhouse, and we believe a strong events economy
will only make it stronger. It is vital that we have an open discussion with
policymakers to demonstrate the potential of this sector."
Victoria Braddock, managing director of
Marketing Manchester, added: "Manchester
has long been a leading destination for business events, and we are excited to
collaborate with TBOE to further enhance our region's capabilities. We recognise
the significant economic benefit that hosting events like this brings to
Manchester and the entire north of England, and this forum provides an
exceptional opportunity to discuss and implement strategies that will continue
to drive growth and prosperity in our region."
Lori Hoinkes, CEO of Manchester Central, said: “Hosting the TBOE North of
England Advocacy Forum at Manchester Central underscores our commitment to
being at the forefront of the events industry. We look forward to welcoming
industry leaders and policymakers to our venue and contributing to the development
of a robust, future-ready business events sector.”
The forum will be invitation only, but prospective
delegates may register their interest to attend here.
