This report from UFI in association with Oxford Economics summarises the direct, indirect and induced impacts of the exhibitions sector within the UK economy in 2025. It highlights 1,154 exhibitions involving 6.8 million visitors and 139,000 exhibitors, supporting more than 127,000 jobs, generating £11.7bn in economic output and contributing £6.1bn towards the country’s GDP.
The International Association for Relationship Research Conference turned research into conversation through a community event at Social Bite. More than 660 delegates gathered in Glasgow for the International Association for Relationship Research (IARR) Conference 2026, but some of the conference’s most meaningful conversations took place away from the main programme.
Anthony Cassidy from Manchester Convention Bureau dissects the process of identifying targets, building ambassador capacity and bidding teams, and establishing trust with decision-makers in targeted organisations and events – a useful guide for destinations developing a bidding strategy linked to their economic development strategy, or looking to compare and benchmark their approach with others.
The UK and Ireland ICCA Chapter represents 75 members spread across England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. These cover all aspects of conference management from venues and convention bureaus to hotels, PCOs. The Annual Chapter Meeting 2027 will be held in Newcastle, UK, on 27-29 January 2027. Stay tuned for more exciting news about the event!
Business events generate £33.6bn annually for the UK economy, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs, and driving trade, innovation and business relationships. Despite this, the report highlights that the sector is not consistently recognised within government, with fragmented engagement, and growth constrained by the absence of a clear national strategy, coordinated leadership and sustained funding.
For years, the UK’s BE sector has been making the same case to government: we are more than tourism. Now, Parliament has said it too. The Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s new report is arguably the strongest political endorsement the sector has received, warning it risks falling behind without Government commitment to funding. From M&IT…
An industry asked its government for attention, got it, and watched the government defund it mid-conversation. Parliament formally objected, demanded the cuts be reversed, and proposed moving the entire sector out of the culture department and into the trade department. David Adler translates the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee report into plain English…
In partnership with The Meetings Show, event sustainability platform TRACE by Isla has created this series of interactive response cards to assist meeting planners in overcoming objections and making the case for management commitment to and investment in sustainable practices. Each card gives a comeback line with proof behind it and a practical next step.
From M&C/ASIA: An event aimed at tackling extreme heat was cancelled amid a record-breaking heatwave, turning a policy discussion into a live example of the risks climate experts have long warned about. The session, titled Extreme Heat: Improving Governance and Strengthening Action Around the World, was due to take place during London Climate Action Week…
Paul Coulson despairs at cuts to the business events team within VisitBritain whilst the sector is attracting major investment and widespread recognition of its utility as a driver of economic and societal value. It’s time for joined-up thinking by policymakers that respects the essential role business events marketing plays at a national level. From CMW…
The Policy Forum examines the current economic and political climate and reviews the latest policy developments affecting the events sector. In 2025, it attracted 300 senior leaders from destinations, venues, exhibition organisers, event agencies, associations and trade bodies. Attendees are joined by MPs who serve on the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Events, plus Ministers, officials…
University of Exeter research is being used to enhance the world’s only annual sustainability tourism and events benchmark since 2025. The GDS-Index Systems Map shows destinations how specific actions may create knock-on effects across environmental, social, supplier and destination management areas, empowering cities to make more effective decisions for a more sustainable visitor economy.
AI is increasing the need for human meetings, not reducing it, according to new research commissioned by The Meetings Show. Challenging assumptions about the role of technology in improving efficiency, almost two-thirds of business leaders (62 per cent) say AI is increasing the need for human discussion and alignment. From M&IT…
This is the Edinburgh International Conference Centre’s (EIC) third annual Impact Report. This time, they decided to look at environmental, social and economic impacts together. The report doesn’t just track what happened inside the EICC, it reflects what events should do: create lasting value beyond the venue, the people who visit and the events themselves.
The UK’s leading event for meetings and events professionals, where the industry comes together for two days of fresh ideas, powerful connections, and unmissable opportunities. Exhibitors come from all corners of the globe, with over 80 international destinations represented, and a diverse exhibitor base, including hotels, destinations, destination management companies, conference centres, venues, technology suppliers…
This high-level advocacy event will bring business events leaders together with UK national parliamentarians and policy influencers who will consider the strategic challenges and set the policymaking agenda for the sector in the UK over the coming years. Over 300 leaders gathered together at the previous edition in 2025. Register your interest here…
Scotland’s capital is set to become the first city in the UK to fund its convention bureau through a mandatory tourist tax – or ‘visitor levy’ – in what could herald the start of major changes to how cities across the country attract business events and conference tourism. From M&IT…
The launch of the MeetEngland Impact Network at Sheffield’s Cutlers’ revealed why intellectual capital is one of England’s biggest advantages on the international business events stage. It was a genuinely significant industry moment — not just another announcement, but the start of something that could reshape England’s global competitiveness. From M&IT…
VisitScotland’s Rory Archibald outlines the ambitious thinking behind Scotland’s new business events strategy: deep conversations with association clients to understand what knowledge is being generated and exchanged, long-term data-gathering plan, fast and flexible integration of past mistakes, strong alignment with policy goals for Scotland and its aspirations for citizens’ wellbeing.
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Mike is the Founder and Chair of the Centre for Events & Festivals (CEF); CEO of Legacies (the official consultancy arm of CEF); and a Professeur des universités at the University of Paris 1. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Event Management Journal – the leading academic journal for the study and analysis of events…
It’s been a year since Destination North East England launched the first-of-its-kind Regenerative Visitor Economy Framework, developed in partnership with the Global Destination Sustainability Movement. Check out progress and the toolkit used to achieve a wide range of positive outcomes, relating to both business events and general tourism. Stories from North East England: Travel that…
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