As part of the first ever British Tourism Week, Eventia, in association with the British Tourism Partnership and supported by VisitBritain, hosted a top-level breakfast briefing on 14 March. The presentation was conceived to show politicians and the wider public how the events industry sustains and supports Britain’s business community. It was attended by 70 business leaders and journalists.

Speaking at the Breakfast Briefing were:

• Nigel Cooper, Chairman, Eventia and MD P&MM Travel - click to view presentation
• Joss Croft, Head of Business Visits and Events, VisitBritain - click to view  presentation
• Trevor Foley, Group Chief Executive Events Industry Alliance
• Michael Hirst, OBE, Chairman Business Tourism Partnership - click to view presentation
• Tom Hulton, Director of International Relations, IMEX - click to view  presentation
• Robert Wright, MD Davies Tanner - click to view  presentation

The event’s moderator was Kurt Janson, Policy Director of the Tourism Alliance, the umbrella trade association for the tourism and hospitality sector. A welcome address was given by Sir John Butterfill, Member of Parliament for Bournemouth West.

The speakers shared a number of statistics relating to the business tourism sector, including the fact that annual spend on business tourism - embracing conferences, exhibitions, incentive travel and corporate hospitality is now valued at £22 billion.
Click here for the full range of statistics

They also gave their own views on the state of the business tourism market, and its competitive environment; challenges faced by the sector; opportunities presented by the 2012 Olympics; the role played by the UK Government and ways in which opportunities for future growth could be maximised.
Click here for the full range of comments

Click here for pictures of the event

Said Eventia Executive Director Izania Downie: “When the creation of British Tourism Week was announced, those of us who work in the business tourism sector felt that it would be a crime for the tourism industry to be celebrated without some recognition of our own contribution.”

The speakers were united in their aim to gain governmental support for the sector, including financial assistance in the bidding process for major events; attendance by ministers at large incoming business events; and adequate promotional budgets to enable the UK to compete effectively against other destinations. Click here to read the full list of recommendations.

The event was sponsored by Visit London, National Meetings Week, Davies Tanner, VisitBritain and the Park Plaza Riverbank London.

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales was Patron for the series of inter-related events for British Tourism Week, which aimed to raise the national awareness of the size, value and importance of Britain’s £74 billion visitor economy.

Eventia is one of 11 trade associations that collectively form the Business Tourism Partnership. Together with the leading UK tourist boards and several government agencies the Partnership works to promote and support a competitive, high quality and profitable business tourism sector in Britain.