Earlier this week, Theresa Villiers MP addressed a virtual summit on the events industry hosted by Major Events International, about the work of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Events which is due to be re-established on Tuesday. The MP for Chipping Barnet is due to take over the chairmanship of the group and used the speech to reflect on action to be taken to enable events, conferences and international exhibition to re-open following the prolonged shutdown caused by the Covid outbreak:
"I want to start by expressing my support and sympathy to anyone logged into this session whose business has been hit by the Covid pandemic.
I know that the events, conference and exhibitions sector has been devastated by the virus. I appreciate that this is causing real hardship, especially for freelancers and others who have missed out on Government support programmes.
One of the reasons why I decided to get involved in the APPG for Events is because I want to help my constituents working in the sector whose livelihoods have been damaged so greatly by the outbreak.
APPG for Events was established in 2011. It’s a cross party group made up of members from both Houses and its aim is to engage with MPs and provide voice for the events industry in Parliament
The APPG conducts Parliamentary enquiries, holds debates and events in Parliament, asks questions in the House, and works with Ministers and civil servants.
The APPG has been widely credited with establishing stronger links between the Government and the industry, ably led first by Nick de Bois and then James Heappey. I hope we’ll be able to do the same when the group is formally reconstituted next week.
I’m conscious that I’m addressing an audience with a far more in-depth knowledge of the events business than I have been able to acquire during the month or so since I agreed to take on the APPG.
But what I do know is how important events are to the lives of millions of people in this country. Some of my most memorable days over the years have been days spent attending events, whether it’s Farnborough, the Balmoral Show, the Glastonbury Festival, or the Conservative Party Conference.
There are so many crucial moments in people’s lives that just wouldn’t happen without events, large and small. And I know that amongst my friends and colleagues, these important annual gatherings are something they have missed hugely during these long months of Covid shutdowns, tiers and cancellations.
And the reading and discussions I have carried out over recent weeks has left me in no doubt that the UK events sector is world-class, something I witnessed for myself as part of the Ministerial team tasked with delivering the London 2012 Games.
I’m also conscious of the huge amount of trade, exports and inward investment that is facilitated by conferences, events and exhibitions in the UK. The jobs and economic opportunities supported by a successful events industry clearly go far beyond those directly employed in the sector.
As we shape our future outside the EU, the soft power global reach of this country’s events businesses is going to be crucial in seizing the opportunities we will have as a newly independent trading nation.
I totally recognise how desperate current situation is for this industry. The Government’s package of support for jobs and livelihoods has been larger than anything ever attempted in this country’s history:
- £40 billion for the furlough scheme supporting 9.6 million jobs.
- £13.5 billion to support three million self-employed people.
- £1.5 billion for the creative sector
- £61 billion on business interruption and bounceback loans.
- £11 billion in business grants.
- £27 billion in VAT deferrals.
But despite all of that, there is still a case for further targeted support for the events industry, given the appalling hit that it’s suffered. And of course we all need to work on longer-term plan for re-opening, recovery, and renewal.
It’s welcome that events and conferences can, in theory, start up again following the end of lockdown. But obviously there continue to be big practical barriers still standing in the way.
A key question for this summit, and I hope for the APPG and ministers too, is how can we create sufficient certainty to enable businesses to start planning and investing in live and outdoor events from next spring? That has to include serious consideration of Government support for pandemic insurance.
We also need to focus what can be done to maintain supply chain for the sector because there is a real danger that it simply won’t be there any longer by the time things hopefully start to open up again.
And we should reflect on what needs to be done to ensure that the industry keeps its people and has access to the pool of skilled workers it needs, obviously a crucial element for recovery, but also for future competitiveness.
The first meeting of the revived APPG is due to take place on 8th December. After that, I hope we’ll develop and publish our plan of work. I want to thank the consultants Davies Tanner, who are kindly providing advice and performing a secretariat role as they have done since the group’s inception in 2011.
Despite the fact that the current situation continues to be grim, I hope we don’t lose sight of the longer-term opportunities for the sector, especially if vaccines can start to be delivered soon.
So I hope that the APPG will be able to look at the following questions.
- How can events, in particular business events and trade shows, help the economy to recover?
- What lessons can we learn from the pandemic and what can we do to ensure that the events sector has a stronger voice in the future?
- How can events help build our communities and contribute to the Prime Minister’s levelling up ambitions across the UK?
In closing I would emphasise that I hope the APPG will engage across the four nations of the UK.
My time as Northern Ireland Secretary made me acutely aware of how conferences, meetings and major events can play an enormously valuable part in a successful economy.
The G8 summit in Fermanagh, which I helped oversee, was instrumental in changing perceptions of Northern Ireland on the global stage, showcasing both the stunning natural beauty of the place and a political and security situation transformed for the better.
So I look forward to working with you all in the future as the new APPG chair."
