Seven prime ministers in a decade. Will this one finally get events?
Warm words are no longer enough, argues Paul Harvey – the business events industry needs a government that recognises events as economic infrastructure and acts accordingly.
So, here we are again. Another prime minister, another cabinet reshuffle, another round of speculation about what it all means for the events industry.
Andy Burnham is Britain’s seventh prime minister in just over a decade. Since Theresa May replaced David Cameron in 2016, the revolving door of Number 10 has become so familiar that even the choreography feels routine. The farewell speech. The drive to Buckingham Palace. The arrival in Downing Street. The inevitable promise that things will be different this time.
Burnham was keen to signal exactly that.
Standing outside Number 10 without the traditional lectern (what does this mean for Hot Podium Guy?), he spoke warmly and without notes. He acknowledged the extraordinary turnover of recent prime ministers, promised to provide “a circuit breaker” for Britain and pledged a more collaborative style of politics built around a 10-year plan. Above all, he spoke about restoring hope.
It was an accomplished first appearance. But speeches are the easy part.
For our industry, the more interesting question is whether Burnham’s instincts will translate into government policy.
Unlike many of his predecessors, Burnham arrives in Downing Street with genuine experience of the sector. As a patron of the Institute of Event Management, he has previously said he “recognises the importance of events to our economy, our places and to our residents and is committed to ensuring the sector has the tools and people it needs to thrive.”
More importantly, as Mayor of Greater Manchester, he didn’t simply talk about the visitor economy – he built much of his regional growth strategy around it. Under his leadership, Manchester strengthened its position as one of Europe’s leading destinations for conferences, exhibitions, live entertainment and major sporting events. Events were not treated as an add-on to economic development; they were part of it.
That matters because, for years, the events industry has been making exactly the same argument to successive governments.
Too often, Westminster has viewed events through a narrow lens: something that happens after the “real” economy has done its work. A tourism issue, a cultural issue, occasionally a security issue. Rarely an economic one.
That is why Burnham’s arrival feels different. Not because he is guaranteed to deliver everything the sector wants, but because he appears to understand instinctively what many of his predecessors had to be convinced of: that successful places use events as a catalyst for regeneration, inward investment and civic pride.
However, this is also where the industry should be careful.
Every incoming government is greeted with optimism by our sector. Over the past decade, we’ve produced economic impact reports, commissioned research, built coalitions, secured meetings and drafted strategies. Yet we still find ourselves explaining our value more often than influencing policy.
On the face of it, Burnham may be the most events-friendly prime minister Britain has had in a generation.
But friendliness is not policy.
The real test will be whether his government follows through with decisions that genuinely improve the UK’s competitiveness as a destination for business events: investing in transport, backing skills, supporting international bidding, and recognising that events cut across economic growth, trade, education, innovation and regional development - not simply culture or tourism.
Perhaps the bigger question is not whether Andy Burnham understands the events industry. It’s whether the events industry is in a position to convert that understanding into lasting political influence.
After seven prime ministers in just over a decade, the sector doesn’t need another leader who appreciates its value.
It needs one who governs as though it matters - and sticks around long enough to deliver.