The sic of it

CN editorial director Martin Fullard says event businesses must review their SIC codes and use existing ones
We don't know what we want
SHARE
DBpixelhouse
DBpixelhouse

CN editorial director Martin Fullard says event businesses must review their SIC codes and use existing ones.

Standardised Industrial Classification (SIC) codes, which are managed by the Office for National Statistics in the UK, are vitally important to the events industry.

I’ve seen several posts on social media over the past month or so about ‘events’ not being an option on dropdown menus or recognised more generally. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone: it’s been the cause of the industry’s problems even before the pandemic and something I’ve been writing about a good deal for the past few years.

In the eyes of Government, the sector does not exist (certainly on the scale we say it does). The reason the events industry is not recognised by governments around the world (and, let me remind you, this is a global and not just a UK problem) is that it is not correctly coded on the UN’s ISIC system. The framework’s main purpose is to provide a set of activity categories that can be used for the collection and reporting of statistics according to these activities.

The UK’s SIC code system has been aligned to the EU’s system, ironically since leaving the EU the UK is now able to make granular changes should it have the impetus. The ONS told me earlier this year that a consultation on updating the codes was on the table (I will check for an update on this after summer).

There are only five codes that represent the wider events industry but, by my own investigation, fewer than 20% of event businesses use the available codes. If you’re not using one of the five, you are making the events industry smaller. These codes are the only way a government can measure an industry, and therefore having correct data is vital in recognition. To help strengthen the case for change, you can add one or two of the existing codes to your tax return at the end of the tax year. This may give the Treasury a nudge in the right direction.

What codes you need to know

They are:

• 68202 Letting and operating of conference and exhibition centres

• 82302 Activities of conference organisers

• 82301 Activities of exhibition and fair organisers

• 56210 Event catering activities

• 90020 Support activities to performing arts

Caroline Jackson, who as part of the Business Visits and Events Partnership has done a lot of work on this, tells me: “This is a global concern and one that is not going to be solved by the latest revision where, in Europe and the USA, there has been little recognition of an events industry. We therefore must make our own case and use the codes that exist.

“Please do this and we can continue to work on UK Government Departments to use the data related to them. We won’t change the codes, but we are trying to change the narrative. Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes now include 3557 ‘event managers and organisers’. We are trying to get DCMS to include this in their Economic reports for the Creative Industries.”

Go and check your codes. 

Add to favorites Remove from favorites
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Email
Print
DBpixelhouse
Drapers Hall
Drapers Hall