Reminder – On the homepage of the UKEVENTS website, you will find boxes signposting to key information including boxes dedicated to: Brexit Guidance; and Covid-19 Guidance.
Partners News
VisitEngland – Annual week dedicated to celebrating England’s tourism industry fast approaching, 9 Mar.
UKEVENTS welcomes new members to Working Group for Advocacy & Government Relations, 23 Mar.
UKEVENTS confirms changes to Executive Committee, 23 Mar.
Latest Research News
Events Industry Alliance launches the 2022 SASiE report, 27 Mar.
APPG News
VisitEngland – Annual week dedicated to celebrating England’s tourism industry fast approaching, 9 Mar.
APPG Events Announces Annual General Meeting & Policy Unity Briefing, 22 Mar.
APPG for Events Re-Elects Rt Hon Theresa Villiers as Chair, 29 Mar.
Working Group pages
Advocacy & Government Relations Working Group – UK Events – Advocacy & GR
Business Events Working Group – UK Events – Business Events
Outdoor Events Working Group – UK Events – Outdoor Events
Skills, Talent & Diversity Working Group – UK Events – Skills Talent & Diversity < Events Apprenticeships – UK Events – Events Apprenticeships
Research & Business Intelligence Working Group – UK Events – Research & BI
Material shared with Partners as well as the TIER, Tourism Alliance Weekly Updates and TIC Updates
9 March 2023 – BTA Report ‘Understanding the benefits of business travel and in-person meetings’.
16 March 2023 – Updates on Martyn’s Law (Protect Duty).
23 March 2023 – Hospitality & Tourism Skills Board | ETAs Scheme | DCMS Tourism Recovery Plan Progress Report | Latest survey results from PLASA
27 March 2023 – Message from DCMS on Martyn’s Law Workshops.
30 March 2023 – APPG for Events | SASiE Report | Scottish National Events Strategy Review Public Consultation.
Events – https://ukevents.org.uk/events
| 2023 |
| 1-2 Mar – Event Production Show |
| 1-2 Mar – International Confex |
| 2 Mar – UKEVENTS Full Partners Meeting (at Confex) |
| 17-26 Mar – English Tourism Week |
| 23 Mar – Tourism Insights Conference, followed by English Tourism Week Parliamentary Reception |
| 25 Apr – ABPCO Festival of Learning |
| 9-10 May – PLASA Focus Leeds |
| 23 May – IMEX Frankfurt |
| 20 Jun – UKEVENTS Full Partners Meeting (Zoom) |
| 18-19 Oct – The Showman Show 2023 |
| 19 Oct – UKEVENTS Full Partners Meeting (at The Showman Show |
| 12 Dec – UKEVENTS Full Partners Meeting (Zoom) |
Material shared along TIER, Tourism Alliance Updates, TIC Updates
9 March 2023
New study ‘Understanding the benefits of business travel and in-person meetings’ commissioned by The BTA to CBI Economics. Press release – here | Full report – here.
16 March 2023
Update on Martyn’s Law (Protect Duty)
Update from AEV – The AEV was invited to a workshop with the Home Office alongside LIVE last week to discuss the draft legislation due in spring 2023. The purpose of the session was to try and ensure that the drafted Martyn’s Law Legislation works for us as an industry when it gets published. The legislation will be subject to scrutiny via evidence sessions at Select Committee hearings over the summer after which a report will be published. At the session we advised that, as an industry, we are seeking clarification on responsibility in a number of areas (eg grey space / police support) to ensure consistency is applied across events and venues in the UK.
Update from EIF – Purple Guide Update – Martyn’s Law (aka Protect Duty)
While there is much talk around the events industry about the implications of Martyn’s Law, there remains considerable uncertainty over the extent it will be applied and it is still likely to be a couple of years before anything becomes law.
Although event organisers should always seek to do all they can to protect their staff and the public, there is as yet no legal requirement to apply anything proposed under ‘Martyn’s Law’ and, indeed, current discussions suggest that the law many not apply to open air events.
Russell Phillips, counter terrorism advisor who is close to the current discussions on Martyn’s Law, recently presented to the AFO conference on the subject – you can see his presentation here
NaCTSO (National Counter Terrorism Security Office ) are also advising everyone not to pay money to companies offering training on a law that does not yet exist and will have many bumps along the road before it reaches Parliament.
However, there is an argument for event organisers to start thinking about the issues around this area and a good starting point can be found at https://www.protectuk.police.uk/ and its app for all mobile phones where they can stay up-to-date and start thinking about what they can do now to prevent or respond to an attack.
23 March 2023
Hospitality & Tourism Skills Board – Please find attached the minutes of the last HSTB’s meeting (07.03.2023) and related material (first three attachments).
UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETAs) Scheme – Please see the fourth attachment for details on the introduction of ETAs being rolled out starting this October and eventually applying to all overseas visitors who do not need a visa. Obviously business visitors and overseas attendees to events in the UK will be affected and partners are encouraged to play their part in ensuring that visitors from overseas are made aware well in advance of their travel dates of the changes that are being brought in.
Tourism Recovery Plan Progress Report – DCMS has announced the publication of the Tourism Recovery Plan Progress Report. This sets out how the government has addressed the commitments we made in 2021 to support the tourism industry. It explicitly recommends continued support for the visitor economy through the framework of the Tourism Recovery Plan; and it outlines the steps that will continue to be taken to support the future of the industry in the medium to long term.
The Report sets out the mixed picture of recovery in the sector but overall, there has been good progress against the objectives of the Plan. In total, over £37 billion in support through grants, tax relief and loans was provided to the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors to help them survive through the long periods of uncertainty and adversity. However, it says the sector is still facing economic challenges from global inflation, labour shortages and high levels of debt, which are eroding profit margins and threatening the viability of businesses.
The Report states that the government has made good progress against the Plan’s objective for business events, which is focussed on further improving the UK’s reputation to attract more high-profile events here and champion UK industries on the global stage.
In terms of next steps, the government will continue to enhance the Ministerial Advocacy Programme, including
- increasing Ministerial attendance at business events and letters of support for event bids.
- The government will continue at appropriate fiscal moments to evaluate the case for expanding the VisitBritain Business Events Growth Programme.
- The government, working with the Tourism Industry Council Working Group, will produce a strategy for sustainable business events in line with the broader Sustainable Tourism Plan.
- The government will work to ensure the business events sector is fit for the future, including working with the sector to identify skills gaps, capacity gaps and potential improvements to accessibility.
At yesterday’s Tourism Industry Council meeting and the VisitBritain Annual Review, UKEVENTS urged government to consider the role events play in improving productivity in the visitor economy filling existing spare capacity as well as driving visitor traffic to create greater placemaking opportunities, helping with seasonality and geographical dispersal. It was suggested that there be greater co-ordination with events and the creative and cultural industries to produce future event programming, responding to the productive needs of the visitor economy, filling spare capacity in the right places at the right times.
PLASA Research – Latest survey results from PLASA, the technical services association for the Events Industry provides some insightful data on the impact of the pandemic and current economic circumstances on the Industry. Although business recovery is very much evident, debt, shortage of supplies, and depletion of technical skills are holding the full recovery back. Access report at https://www.plasa.org/plasa-wemakeevents-survey-report-2023/
27 March 2023
Martyn’s Law workshops – DCMS Message
The Home Office will be hosting a series of workshops around the UK in May on the upcoming Martyn’s Law, which will ensure stronger protections against terrorism in public places. Given the new duty will require venues to take steps to improve public safety, with measures dependent on the size of the venue and the activity taking place, this legislation is relevant to the visitor economy so we are extending the invitation to TIC members.
These will be full day workshops where the Home Office will provide attendees with information on Martyn’s Law, and help to scope how the legislation will work in practice. Officials will also be seeking your views on what is needed from the Home Office to make Martyn’s Law a success.
I have copied an invitation below and registration link – please share this with your stakeholders/networks with an interest.
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Invite
We invite all owners, operators, and those with responsibility for public premises to apply for one of a series of workshops around the UK covering Martyn’s Law.
Attending one of these workshops will allow you to hear about plans for the upcoming legislation and help to scope how the legislation will work in practice, including opportunities to contribute to requirements on advice and guidance.
Pre-reading will be required, and on the day members of the policy team behind Martyn’s Law will be on hand to answer questions and discuss specific issues. We encourage applications from those with an interest, regardless of whether you have any security-related experience.
Workshops will last for one day (0930-1600). There is no cost to attendees for the workshop, and tea, coffee, water and lunch will be provided. The Home Office will not fund any travel or accommodation costs associated with your attendance.
The dates and locations for the workshops are as follows:
| Date | Location |
| 02/05/23 | London |
| 04/05/23 | Cardiff |
| 09/05/23 | Birmingham |
| 16/05/23 | Carlisle |
| 17/05/23 | Durham |
| 23/05/23 | Belfast |
| 30/05/23 | Edinburgh |
Please apply for one of the workshops at the below link, if you have any questions in the interim, please email ProtectDuty@homeoffice.gov.uk.
The deadline for all applications is 07/04/2023. You will be notified if your application has been successful by 19/04/2023.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/martyns-law-workshops-may-2023-tickets-59589611030
30 March 2023
Latest News from The APPG For Events
Read the press released after its official Annual General Meeting on 29th March 2023: UKEVENTS – APPG for Events Re-Elects Rt Hon Theresa Villiers as Chair
Latest Research Update – SASiE Report
The latest report, released on 27th March 2023, shows that the number of major exhibitions held in the UK’s main exhibition venues in 2022 was almost back to pre-Covid levels, showing significant recovery with some indicators on a par or up on 2019 and highlighting the resilience of our industry. Read press release here: UKEVENTS – Events Industry Alliance launches the 2022 SASiE report
Details on the Scottish National Events Strategy Review – Public Consultation
The public consultation to support the review was launched on 24th March 2023. The consultation questionnaire can be found on the citizen space platform and will run for a period of 14 weeks, concluding on 30 June 2023. Alongside the main consultation we have published Easy Read and Gaelic versions as well as an accompanying BRIA (business and regulatory impact assessment). We hope partners across the private, public and third sectors all get involved in sharing their opinions and experiences.
VisitScotland’s Events Directorate is supporting the consultation exercise and will coordinate a series of in-person and hybrid Regional Event Industry Engagement Workshops across the country during the consultation period.
We hope you can see how your thoughts and ideas have helped shape the consultation. We still encourage you to respond to the consultation via the survey on the citizen space website. This will ensure that your views are included in the analysis of all responses to the consultation, which will shape the refreshed strategy. It also gives you the opportunity to reiterate any important points.
We look forward to receiving your response to the consultation. In the meantime, please share this consultation with your own networks. If you have any questions, please contact the major events mailbox.