By Steve Hartridge, published 12/08/20
UK industry associations and leaders in the events field have joined forces to support a new ‘live and virtual event’ designed to restore some confidence in a sector that has been badly hit by Covid-19.
Scheduled for Tuesday September 8, UKickstart Event 2020 is being billed as a free-to-attend nationwide multi-hub initiative that will bring together meeting and event leaders and professionals for the first time since lockdown.
The event, which is being spearheaded by etc.venues, a provider of city centre non-residential event venues in London, Birmingham, Manchester and New York, has signed up industry bodies such as BVEP, HBAA, MIA, Visit Britain, ILEA, MPI, ABPCO, EMA, AEO, ESSA, EVCOM, AEV and the London Convention Bureau.
It will utilise LIVE in-room venue hubs across the UK “to showcase the power of events and the industry’s role in the economy and its plans for the future”.
A discussion panel of influential leaders will include a minister from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), Tracy Halliwell MBE (Director of Tourism, Conventions and Major Events at London and Partners), and Simon Hughes (Chairman of BVEP).
Topics will feature ‘Government Guidance for October’ 1, ‘How we got here as an industry’ and ‘What the future holds for business events’. Additional sessions and guests will be announced in due course.
Confidence levels for events and meetings are now on an upward climb, according to Adam Simpson, Director of Marketing of etc.venues.
“We want to continue to inspire confidence and this was why we felt it was important to be the driving force for a united industry-wide effort by creating UKickstart Event 2020,” he said.
“We hope this event will demonstrate the power of face-to-face events and act as a catalyst to kick-start the events industry.”
Attendees can register to attend the event at their nearest Live Hub, which are located in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Farnborough, Liverpool and Belfast, with more locations to be announced soon. Up to 30 people will be able to attend in person at each venue.
UKickstart Event 2020 will take run from 14.00-16.00.
Register at: eventbrite.co.uk
