Industry leaders have expressed urgency in the need for a reopening date to be set, in order to avoid any further damage to an already fragile industry.
Their pleas were heard by Minister of Tourism, Nigel Huddleston at the most recent Senior Events Industry Leaders panel. Industry leaders said a go date was essential as for many events, at least eight to 12 weeks was necessary for planning purposes.
Nigel Huddleston MPAt the meeting, Huddleston indicated that everything was being done to ensure that the industry’s plight was fully recognised within the recovery process being progressed by the government.
The meeting was held as the government announced some parts of the visitor economy could reopen from Saturday 4 July, including restaurants and bar, but made no mention of when conference and exhibition centres will reopen or when business events can be held.
The damage to the industry in terms of business failure and lost jobs by not identifying an advance date for reopening was set out at the meeting.
Industry leaders made it clear that the continued failure to reactivate events risks major corporate and trade events being lost to international competitors who are already opening up.
It is set to severely limit UK businesses from showcasing their products and services and communicating the strong message that global Britain is open for business.
Michael Hirst OBE, chair of the Events Industry Board, within which the Senior Industry Leaders Panel sits, said: “The industry has worked tirelessly with DCMS officials to develop Covid-19 Secure Guidelines. These were developed taking into account the need to have internationally recognised standards and represent the extensive nature of protocols being adopted in competitor nations. Despite this, they are yet to be published.”
Member participants in attendance:
Michael Hirst OBE, chair, Events Industry Board
Ian Edwards, CEO, ICC Wales & Celtic Manor Resort, and the Welsh Government’s nominated BTA board member
Darren Johnson, CEO, Reed Exhibitions
Simon Kimble, chair, Clarion Events
Helen McCabe, managing director, BCD UK
Nigel Nathan, managing director, Olympia
Oonagh O’Reilly, ICC Belfast
Simon Parker, executive VP, Informa
Dale Parmenter, managing director, DRPG
Julian Pullan, vice chair, Jack Morton
Jeremy Rees, CEO, ExCeL Centre
Gareth Rogers, CEO, Farnborough International
James Selka, CEO, Manufacturing Technologies Association
Mark Shashoua, CEO, Hyve Group
Rick Stainton, group executive director, Smyle
Paul Stoddard, managing director, CWT Meetings & Events UK
Mark Taylor, CEO, Queen Elizabeth Centre II
Dan Thurlow, director of exhibitions, Scottish Events Campus
Paul Thandi, CEO, National Exhibition Centre (NEC)
Michael Wyrley-Birch, CEO, TRO Group
Observers:
Hannah Duffy, Economic Response Directorate, DCMS
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
