MICE & Business Travel: The Uk Vs The Emerging Markets

Chapter Areas

London and South East

Event Times

Start: Thursday May 10, 2012 6:00 pm

MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conference, Events) & Business Travel: The UK Vs the Emerging Markets

Thursday May 10th 2012 / 6-9PM
NEW VENUE: Queens House, 55-56 Lincoln's Inn Fields WC2A3BH
***TICKETS ON SALE NOW***

Please note the venue for this event has changed to: 55-56 Queens House, Lincoln's Inn Fields. The event is no longer at The Strand Palace Hotel.

The government is at last talking business tourism and there are signs that 2012 could be the turning point the industry needs. Clearly recognition that the MICE sector is a business generator and indications that there is a new impetus to promote the events industry to domestic and overseas markets is good news, but is it enough to compete with the emerging markets?…join the experts and find out.

Chairman: John Gallery FTS, Director, Great Potential

Speakers:
Alistair Turner, PR Director, Davies Tanner
Will update us on the Britain for Events campaign which has recently received backing from prime minister David Cameron.
Events in Britain, whether for business or pleasure, are now worth an estimated £36 billion. Additionally, the UK has a reputation for being world leaders in creating and staging events of all types and sizes globally. Now in its 10th successful year, Britain for Events is an annual marketing campaign designed to promote Britain as a world class destination for events of all types, and is a celebration of the knowledge and skill of those that host, produce and manage those events.
During the evening Alistair will address the size of the MICE market, the size of the opportunity and what teh campagin is doing to support the industry.

Howard Evans, Visiting lecturer on event management at the University of Greenwich, and Managing Director of The Conference Business Ltd

Douglas O’Neill, Chairman on The Meeting Working Party, Board Director of Institute for Travel and Meetings and Managing Director of Inntel.

Simon Hughes, Vice Chair, Eventia
Has been canvassing the views of Eventia members to formulate the following discussion points for the evening. They include:
- Long term funding and support for this sector is a key issue
- Work led by the BVEP on issues such as subvention is critical but requires much stronger commitment from both local and national government
- Understanding business practice and protocols of the BRIC markets is essential
- Outbound opportunities from BRIC to UK as important as inbound
- UK businesses need to adjust thinking from rules to relationships
- Perceptions on all sides are challenging and need careful handling to ensure long term success. (Some concrete examples coming through on ways of managing this)
- UK plc has much to offer based on our world class events sector - but must not create silo effect simply in pursuit of business tourism.