BVEP - Business Visits and Events Partnership

Northern Ireland unveils £1m conference support scheme in major boost to business events

Tourism recovery lift for association conference organisers with £50 per delegate offered as extra incentive to bring business events to the region. Northern Ireland’s Department for Economy today announced a £1 million conference support scheme to help secure more business events in Belfast, Derry and the region.

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VisitBritain’s Domestic Support Fund awards a total of £200,000 to help kick-start the UK business events industry

VisitBritain’s Domestic Support Fund awards a total of £200,000 to help kick-start the UK business events industry

Applications have now closed for VisitBritain’s Domestic Support Fund, an initiative that was designed to help kick-start the recovery of the UK business events industry.

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New Research Quantifies the Catastrophic Impact of Covid-19 on the UK Meetings Market

Long-running research into the UK’s conference and meetings sector, entitled the ‘UK Conference and Meeting Survey’ (UKCAMS), throws into stark relief the huge impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, while also providing some tentative timelines and a baseline for the sector’s recovery.

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Business events industry forecast to be worth £27.6bn by 2026, but measures to support rapid post-Covid recovery are critical

• New economic impact analysis by Tourism Economics suggests the UK’s business events industry is forecast to grow 43% by 2026
• However, research also predicts business events sector unlikely to rebound to 2019 levels until 2023 at the earliest, indicating a slower recovery than for the rest of the economy
• With spending on business events plummeting by around 80%of 2019 levels due to Covid
• Attracting more international inbound delegates is key to turbo-charging sectoral recovery, with international delegates estimated to be worth six times more than domestic delegates by 2026 (£1078 for inbound delegates versus £180 for domestic delegates)
• Business leaders call on Ministers to do more to support sectoral recovery, including measures to boost inbound international delegate market by further easing international travel restrictions safely

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BVEP publishes its ‘Shape of Events’ Report

The Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP), the umbrella body and advocacy group representing the UK events sector, has today published its Shape of Events Report.

The report was compiled using responses from over 300 professionals and organisations from across the UK events sector and authored by Richard Smith from Team Tourism Consulting and John Gallery, Chair of the BVEP’s Research Group.

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ERP Data Dashboard

The ERP Data Dashboard has now been published: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/events-research-programme-phases-i-ii-and-iii-data-release.

The Data Dashboard shows how many people with positive PCR test results (cases), reported through the NHS Test and Trace system, reported that they had attended an event that was part of the Events Research Programme. No policy recommendations are being made at this time with respect to this data.

BVEP to Launch The Shape of Events Report

The Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP), the umbrella body and advocacy group representing the UK events sector, is to launch its Shape of Events Report.

The report, which is sponsored by brand communications agency davies tanner, will be published in early September and has been produced to support both BVEP partner organisations and the wider event industry in the UK. It will provide an insight into the complex eco-system that currently exists and the continuing challenges that the events industry is facing because of the pandemic.

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BTA reveals £4.45 billion loss to UK GDP

The Business Travel Association (BTA), has revealed the UK has lost £4.45 billion in GDP last week due to the decline of business travel trips following Covid-19*.

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Government-backed insurance scheme to give boost to events industry

The live events sector is set to get a boost with a world-leading government-backed insurance scheme worth over £750 million, which will help them plan events with confidence through to next year, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced today (5 August).

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HBAA - 65% of event professionals are seeing a boost in business confidence to book events

A new HBAA poll has revealed that almost two-thirds of event professionals (65%) in the business events, meetings and accommodation industry are seeing a boost in client confidence to book and confirm events, following the UK government’s “Freedom Day”, which is when many Covid restrictions were relaxed.

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Statement from the Business Visits & Events Partnership

Following the announcement from the Prime Minister yesterday, the Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP) has today issued the following statement:

“While we welcome the news announced by the Prime Minister yesterday that all legal restrictions are due to be lifted on July 19th, we continue to engage with Government at all levels to push for additional targeted support, the introduction of more measures to aid a long term sustained recovery and, most importantly, a binding assurance that the industry will not face further restrictions on their ability to operate, both on a local and national level, as a result of a further rise in infection levels. On this vital point, we have today written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, asking for his department to work collaboratively with the sector, to ensure events of all kinds, and the industry as a whole, can operate safely and fully into the future.”

Simon Hughes, Chair, Business Visits & Events Partnership

Please download below a Copy of letter to Secretary of State for health and Social Care.

Events Research Programme Report Published

The Government has published the report for phase 1 of the Events Research Programme (ERP). While additional ERP events continue to gather further evidence, no decisions have been taken on the full reopening of mass events. The government will set out its position on this ahead of Step 4 in the roadmap.

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#WeMakeEvents roadmap delay and reopening briefing

Please view briefing below on consequences of the roadmap delay for the live event supply chain; the #WeMakeEvents urgent asks of Government; and why do we need this all now?

Urgent Question on the Events Research Programme, House of Commons on the 22nd June

An extensive discussion was held in the House of Commons todays on the plight of the Events Industry following an urgent question to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport as to why the results of the Events Research Programme had not been published.

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Chris Skeith recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours List

Chris Skeith, chief executive of the Association of Event Organisers and treasurer of the Business Visits and Events Partnership, has been included in the Queen’s Birthday Honour’s List, recommended for an OBE, for services to the events industry.

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New Plan to Drive Rapid Recovery of Tourism Sector

Tourism Recovery Plan to help sector build back better from the pandemic

Plan aims to recover domestic tourism to pre pandemic levels by 2022 and international tourism by 2023 - both at least a year faster than independent forecasts predict

New initiatives to boost tourism include £10 million National Lottery Days Out scheme to support attractions and a new rail pass to encourage domestic breaks

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Event Guidance for Wales

New guidance for event organisers of regulated gatherings in Wales during the coronavirus pandemic has been published. Please see guidance at https://gov.wales/keep-wales-safe-creating-covid-safe-events-html

VisitBritain launches new Domestic Support Fund to kick-start the return of business events in the UK

Applications have opened for VisitBritain’s Domestic Support Fund, a new initiative to kick-start the recovery of the UK business events industry.

The £100,000 Domestic Support Fund is available for not-for-profit organisations and charities hosting meetings, conferences and events in the UK from 21 June to 17 December 2021. Events from 100 to 500 delegates taking place in the UK are eligible to apply, with the fund opening for bids from 9 June 2021. The financial support available is based on the number of delegates attending with up to £15,000 available for each event.

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VisitBritain/VisitEngland sets out priorities to support tourism recover and rebuild

National tourism agency VisitBritain/VisitEngland is bringing tourism industry leaders together at its annual review event on Tuesday 25 May to set out its priorities to support the sector to recover and rebuild.

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Applications for the Business Events Growth Programme 2021/22 are now open!

The Business Events Growth Programme support the attraction of international business events and the growth of the international profile of business events in the UK. The programme has two funding strands: ‘Bid Enhancement and Support’ for UK cities bidding for international events; and ‘International Delegate Growth’ which supports existing business events to boost international delegate profile and attendance.

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Tourism Alliance - Tourism employment survey (deadline 28th May)

With the reopening of the tourism and hospitality sectors, one of the main issues that is arising is staff shortages with many businesses reporting that they are finding it difficult to recruit the staff they need. As such, at a recent Tourism Alliance Board meeting, it was agreed to undertake a short survey across the industry to gauge the extent of the problem so that this can be fed through to Government.

Please distribute this short survey (10-question-survey for businesses which takes less than 5 minutes to complete) to your members and ask then to complete it by 28 May 2021.

Here is the link - https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/9NBT6XX

BVEP Calls on Industry for Contributions for 'Shape of Events to Come' Report

The Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP) is seeking contributions from businesses and organisations across the events sector for its upcoming report, ‘The Shape of Events to Come,’ which it plans to launch next month.

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Statement of Support on COVID-Status certification

The live events and music industry will work with the Government on COVID-status certification to support full reopening and sector recovery.

Please see below the Statement of support. 

Information on the Event Research Programme.

Information about the Event Research Programme (ERP) has been published on GOV.UK on 19th April. The guidance covers measures in place, information for attendees, how to travel to a venue safely and staying overnight. Find out more information at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-about-the-events-research-programme-erp-paving-the-way-for-larger-audiences-to-attend-sport-theatre-and-gigs-safely-this-summer.