The CEO of venuedirectory.com is urging meeting and event planners to support their agency colleagues as Covid restrictions are lifted.
With capacity restrictions for business events being relaxed from Monday (May 17) to allow indoor events of up to 1,000 attendees or 50% of capacity, Michael Begley called for the industry to join forces to help the whole events ecosystem.
He warned that business recovery may be slower for agencies due to the business event booking model, arguing that agencies are often the last to receive a fee from a booking despite being the first in line to receive the initial enquiry.
“This adds to the strain on an already fragile agency community with many professionals currently furloughed or redundant,” he said.
“I’m calling on venue event and meeting planners to support their agency colleagues by sharing revenue received prior to the event with all relevant parties. With most venues offering very flexible cancellation or rescheduling terms, they can plan ahead with confidence.
“Agencies are a vital part of the wider business events ecosystem and our industry needs to join forces and work closely together – supporting each other – to ensure a smooth path to recovery and a bright future.”
Venuedirectory.com’s meetings management system, GRATIS, is used by over 50 specialist businesses and organisations in the UK.
