Jane Longhurst, outgoing chief executive of the Meetings Industry Association, looks at the challenges ahead as the industry recovers.
As an industry forever kept on its toes in one way or another, we’ve always been well-equipped to deal with varying situations efficiently and effectively.
While Covid-19 isn’t yet behind us, the latest challenges – be that supply chain management, recruitment, or Brexit – have only reinforced the ongoing alertness and agility required of event professionals.
Foreseeing such challenges can feel like a burden in itself. In an industry where service standards are essential to protecting reputations and securing vital repeat business, there really is no room for error and foresight will forever rule over hindsight. Now, while making such a statement, I can’t proclaim to own a crystal ball, nor can we always predict what’s around the corner – take a global pandemic for instance – what we can do is ensure that we are best equipped to evaluate and adapt to the ever-evolving events landscape.
It’s not just business policies, processes and practices that keep us in a constant cycle of change either. In a globalised and increasingly boundless world, consumer needs continue to develop at an exponential rate.
Both these business and consumer considerations continue to feed the constant event evolution and will do so for the foreseeable, so it’s essential that organisations remain informed and tuned in to the latest insights and forecasts. It wasn’t all that long ago that e-tickets became a staple of event attendance and delegate management – fast forward to today and we’re not just accessing tickets through out smartphones, but accessing the full event itself.
With an overarching mission to drive standards across the business meetings and events sector, including a proactive approach to supporting its Covid-19 recovery and beyond, we’ve remained in close communication with the Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) among other leading industry stakeholders to reinforce our newly developed 18-month strategy, which commenced in August 2021.
Whether providing government with a deeper understanding of the industry’s needs, performance, and economic position, or delivering first-class resources to reinforce sector standards, we remain committed to take a proactive, hands-on role in supporting the future of organisations across the entire events landscape.
We’re continuing to work hard behind the scenes to deliver not just the upmost value to our members, but meaningful representation for the whole industry. While this means regular communication with government, it also means the delivery of pertinent resources such as our latest venue contract guidance, or the development of an informative education programme that once again meets the needs of the industry and serves as a primary source of insights and training.
Showcasing our close relationship with government, which we have tirelessly nurtured throughout the pandemic, we’re delighted that the minister for tourism, Nigel Huddleston, will be the opening guest speaker at our conference, which takes place on
4 November 2021 at Park Plaza London Riverbank.
Aptly entitled ‘Ignite’, our conference has been designed to fuel the next chapter of the business meetings and events sector’s recovery, demonstrating how venues, booking agents, corporates, suppliers, and destinations should be developing robust and pioneering long-term strategies.
Following Huddleston’s address, a series of pioneering futurists will take to the stage to reveal how venues can attract more bookings, understand the latest consumer needs and forecast recovery scenario, as well as the future of wide-ranging event elements, from sustainability and people to the future of foodservice.
I hope to see many returning faces at the conference, which will be proceeded by our annual miaList celebration. As you may be aware, after 17 years serving as chief executive of the mia I will be stepping down in November as part of my semi-retirement, and while I will remain working to support the sector and its recovery in the background as a non-executive director, it would be wonderful to connect and catch-up once
again.
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