New research into the impact of business events to the West Midlands reveals that the region is recovering from the pandemic quicker than the UK average.
In its latest report for the West Midlands Growth Company, data compiled by RJS Associates shows that the region’s business events performance in 2022 – which includes meetings, conferences and events held in the West Midlands – was at approximately 78% of 2019 levels. This demonstrates a significant recovery when comparing data to the national average of 73%.
Last year, the West Midlands hosted 8.3 million local, national and international delegates (82% of 2019 levels) – equating to 11.6 million delegate days – at 81,700 business events. The business events sector in the region generated £1.9bn of direct spend, supporting 43,000 full-time equivalent jobs.
Neil Rami, chief executive of the West Midlands Growth Company, said: “The world meets in the West Midlands. Our business events sector has long been a feather in the region’s cap, thanks to unparalleled connectivity, an outstanding variety of venues, and the warmth, authenticity and expertise of our staff and ambassadors.”
With a full calendar of events now back at West Midlands venues including the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) – part of the NEC Group – it is expected that the region’s business events sector will return to normal during the 2023/24 financial year.
Ian Taylor, managing director for conventions and exhibitions at the NEC Group, added: “The MICE sector is an integral part of our business across NEC Group venues including the NEC, ICC and Vox Conference Venue.
“We’ve seen a strong appetite for events of this kind in the past year, with the ICC having hosted more than 400 in the last 12 months, welcoming over 350,000 visitors from around the globe to the West Midlands.”
