UKEVENTS, the umbrella organisation representing the UK events industry, attended a reception hosted by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) for key stakeholders in Manchester on 31 July. Michael Hirst OBE, UKEVENTS’ Lead for Advocacy and Government Relations, had the opportunity to speak to the newly appointed Secretary of State, Lisa Nandy.
Lisa Nandy’s speech focused on her vision for growth and opportunity across the various sectors under DCMS’s purview. Her speech touched on a wide range of topics, including broadcasting and museums, but made few specific references to tourism or events. Nevertheless, her comments laid the foundations for the events sector to become more central to the delivery of Departmental policy.
UKEVENTS is excited to play its role in supporting the Secretary of State’s policy objectives. The events industry is a vital part of the creative and tourism economy, positively impacting economic prosperity, social change, community well-being, regional growth and place-making solutions. Business, cultural and sporting events help shape perceptions of the UK, promote cultural exchange, stimulate trade, regeneration and inward investment and build a more equal society across the country.
In a letter to the Secretary of State and Tourism Minister, UKEVENTS emphasised the importance of a unified and collaborative approach to the events economy and outlined its main requests as follows:
- Develop a comprehensive national events strategy: Coordinate government resources across multiple departments and agencies, along with events industry resources, as well as the English Sport and Arts Council.
- Adding value to the UK events offer.
- It will attract more businesses to the UK, showcase key industry sectors and extend the tourist season across the country.
- Implement incentives, similar to those in place for TV and film productions, to encourage new events, especially in areas and times where additional demand is needed.
- Stimulate local growth and fill capacity during off-peak periods.
- Linking major events to government priorities:
- It will align major UK events with government priority areas such as the creative industries, science, innovation, technology and culture and the arts.
- We work with VisitBritain (and its Business Events Growth Programme) and a range of government departments, in particular the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Science, Technology and Innovation, to use events to increase international visitors to the UK and boost exports, inward investment and soft power.
Michael Hirst OBE commented: “I have had the opportunity to speak directly to the Secretary of State and am encouraged by her vision for growth and hope to demonstrate that the events industry can make a significant contribution to her goals. We look forward to working closely with DCMS and the Ministers for Tourism, Lisa Nandy MP and Chris Bryant MP, to deliver these plans. The events sector is vital in driving economic and social growth and we stand ready to play a major role in supporting the Government’s policies.”
