Representatives

from the Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP), the umbrella

organisation for the UK business tourism and events industry, met with officials

from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) this week to put forward

the events sectors case for further government support.  Chairman of the BVEP,

Michael Hirst OBE, said the talks were “constructive and far

reaching.”

The

meeting comes ahead of a further initiative taking place later this year at the

House of Commons as part of the annual National Meetings Week campaign. On

20^th October, the BVEP will host an event attended by the new intake

of MP’s to lobby for a greater voice in parliament and within constituencies

where business events play a vital role in the local economy. The event is being

sponsored by Confex Group, and is expected to attract over 200 MP’s and

guests.

Michael

Hirst concludes; “"the

meeting enabled a substantial overview of the many issues confronting the

sector, and whilst the General Election is likely to cause a delay in taking

some of these forward, we now feel well placed to capture the attention of

whatever Government is elected.”

The

meeting also took place at the same time as new figures released show that

events are now worth an estimated £24.6bn to the UK economy.

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