BVEP - Business Visits and Events Partnership

We Create Experiences campaign brand launches

One Industry One Voice, the coalition of events industry associations and businesses supporting the coordination of individual sector campaigns, are now planning a national and regional media campaign #WeCreateExperiences, aimed at the public and corporate buyers.

The campaign planning work started in September and is aiming to launch before the end of the year, subject to the prevailing national situation and any developments in relation to the consumer/business market guidance for events re-opening into 2021.

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One Industry One Voice: more campaigns join and social media channels launch

One Industry One Voice – web and socials launch with three more key campaigns aligning to boost unique cross-industry mandate. One Industry One Voice is a coalition of events industry campaigns, associations and businesses, coming together to ensure strong alignment and more effective communication in fighting for awareness and financial support for the whole industry. Objectives include:

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VisitBritain launch new business events campaign: Events. Reimagined.

VisitBritain have launched their new international recovery campaign, ‘Events. Reimagined’, as part of their international hosted buyer partnership with The Meetings Show.

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EVENTS INDUSTRY MAKES DIRECT PLEA TO GOVERNMENT £30 billion industry faces ruin over winter months

The outdoor events industry, which provides entertainment for millions each summer, is on the verge of collapse following the lockdown this year, according to the Events Industry Forum, the organisation that represents the sector.

Already some 50 percent of the full-time workforce have been made redundant and another 25% will lose their jobs when furloughing ends at the end of this month (October). In addition, thousands of freelance operators and part time employees have had little or no income this season.

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New Research Provides Baseline for UK Meetings Market Recovery

New research into the UK’s conference and meetings sector, entitled the ‘UK Conference and Meeting Survey’ (UKCAMS), provides a baseline against which the future recovery of the UK’s meetings and conference market can be measured.

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BVEP Partners Update w/e 9th October 2020

By Simon Hughes, BVEP Chair. Suspense and Strain - The constant media references to Churchill when the PM makes a speech or addresses the nation in this moment of national crisis are wearing very thin with me, particularly as I’ve been ploughing through Churchill’s ‘The Second World War’, which I quoted from in the last update. There is simply no comparison between these two leaders once you learn how the former used expert advice, dealt with the detail, delegated effectively and built a Cabinet around him based on trust, strength, unity and talent. I realise these updates are reading more and more like the manic thoughts of deranged blogger, but I’m trying to keep it real despite everything that’s going on, so please either bear with me or just stop reading now.

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EIA Delivers Open Letter to PM and Chancellor

On 2nd October, the EIA, comprising ESSA, the AEV and the AEO has delivered an open letter to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak after the continued lack of support provided to the event industry, despite DCMS having communicated approval of both guidance and a pilot exhibition.

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EIF Funding Survey

With furloughing due to finish at the end of October, and little prospect of any return to normality before next Spring, we are urgently seeking funding support from the Government to keep the outdoor event industry afloat over the winter. We are working with DCMS to put our case to HM Treasury but need your input to build a viable case. Please can you complete the following survey and return it to us by 12 noon next Monday, 5th October.

To complete the survey click here

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Guest Blog - And So Onwards to The New Season

Post by Steve Heap, General Secreatary AFO, Chairman EIF - The Covid-ravaged 2020 festival season is best put behind us for those of you who can. May I now encourage you to get moving as soon as possible on your planning cycle for 2021. Clearly, we may not know whether Covid is over and done with but if we don’t start planning now we will be too late for another season and as we all know, that would be devastating.

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Event First Steps and C&IT Launch Research on Racial Diversity in Events Industry

Event First Steps (EFS) & CIT have released a sector wide survey on Racial Diversity in the Events Industry. EFS is an initiative for industry newcomers founded by Caitlin Kobrak, Elena Clowes and Priya Narain.

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Latest mia research reveals the true cost of COVID-19 on the sector

The Meetings Industry Association’s (mia) latest research reveals the business meeting and events sector has been decimated by the impacts of COVID-19 and is urgently calling on government intervention.

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DCMS Coronavirus Impact Business Survey - Wave 2

DCMS invites you - and the businesses that you represent - to take part in a second round of a survey being conducted to understand the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on organisations in the digital, culture, media, sport, gambling, telecoms, and tourism sectors. This survey has been commissioned by DCMS to better understand the needs of its stakeholders. Your answer will remain anonymous and will be used to inform DCMS’ preparedness efforts. The survey should take around 10-20 minutes and can be found here. The deadline for responses to the survey will be at 23:59 GMT on 8th September 2020.

VisitBritain to Start Promoting The UKickstart Event 2020

Be part of the LIVE Event to inspire our nation – Visit Britain supports The UKickstart Event 2020 (8th September 2-4pm) FREE to attend opportunity for meeting professionals to demonstrate the power of events. Don’t miss out. Register for The UKickstart Event 2020 here and share as much as possible.

#UKickstartEvent2020 #GetBritainMeeting #ProjectConfidence

One Industry, One Voice Campaign Update

Over the last couple of weeks the news from government continues to hold large scale activation across our industry back, although small steps have been taken in some areas. Both the deep frustration being felt has increased, as has the focus on the need to reassure our teams, suppliers, stakeholders and, above all, our clients that we can deliver Covid-19 secure meetings and events of all types and that we are ready to do so. Yet so much lies outside our direct control that it was inevitable that any number of campaigns to support the event industry would spring up.

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HBAA survey finds Venues will be more flexible on cancellation terms but are adding more robust contract clauses after Covid-19 experience

Venues will be more flexible on cancellation terms but are adding more robust contract clauses to cover potentially similar issues, according an HBAA survey on venue attitudes to commercial terms following the Covid-19 crisis.

The survey of 35 member venues, including 18 venue groups and 17 independent venues, also revealed that nearly all are still planning how to handle the additional costs resulting from social distancing and extra cleaning at present.

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PLASA - Watch and share the latest #WeMakeEvents campaign video

While the world re-opens, the events industry is still left in the shadows without the support we urgently need.

The £1.57bn arts rescue package and the re-opening of outdoor events only addresses the tip of the iceberg and will do little to support the weakening supply chain.

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AEO, AEV, and ESSA Launch the All Secure Standard

A combined group of members from the Association of Event Organisers (AEO), the Association Event Venues (AEV) and the Event Supplier and Services Association (ESSA), led by the associations, has today launched the All Secure Standard, a risk assessment based framework of Covid-19 secure industry best practice and guidance for business events and consumer shows which take place in meetings, conferencing and exhibition centres.

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NOEA - Events Festival Industry Left on the Shelf

- Industry will lose major festival brands
- Half of event businesses face losses of £100,000+
- Job Losses could reach tens of thousands.

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Business events and conferences given go ahead to resume from 1 October

• Government to begin pilots to help plan how best to restart indoor business events.
• New guidance outlines how the nation’s conference venues can get back up and running safely.

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MeetEngland preparing to welcome back international business events following UK Government announcement

MeetEngland today welcomed the news of a timeline for the business events sector reopening in England.

English destinations, venues and business event suppliers are preparing to welcome conferences and other business events from October.

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30,000 UK job losses if UK Government fails to provide a clear date for reopening of exhibitions sector from COVID-19 lockdown

30,000 direct jobs in exhibitions sector currently at risk.

Estimated £8bn loss to the UK economy if remaining exhibitions are cancelled in 2020, and 60% of supply chain companies will not reopen in October as furlough comes to an end.

Sector is able to deliver safe events using ‘controlled’ environments and can play a vital role in getting the UK economy moving again.

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EIF - Events industry welcomes guidance for restarting

The Event Industry Forum (EIF) and the Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) have today agreed guidance for restarting some elements of the UK’s £30.4 billion outdoor events industry.

New guidance, compiled by EIF in consultation with Government departments, sets out how event organisers can restart some outdoor events this summer.

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Events Industry Senior Leaders Panel - Meeting Note of 23rd June 2020 Meeting

Please click here for the notes of the meeting which took place via tele/video conference on 23rd June 2020.

BVEP welcomes three new members

The Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP) has welcomed a number of new partners to the organisation including Unique Venues of London (UVL), International Association of Speakers Bureaus (IASB) and Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA).

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