The UK market for conferences, exhibitions and trade fairs is thriving, according to new reports from members of the Business Tourism Partnership.
In 2002, 1.5 million conferences and events were organised, generating an estimated direct income of £7.3b, according to the British Association of Conference Destinations. These figures showed no reduction on the previous year, despite the economic gloom and the threat of the looming war in Iraq.
The report, British Conference Venues Survey 2003, also highlighted the steady growth in residential conferences, which accounted for 24% of the total, compared with 19% in 2001.
The number of exhibitions held in the UK last year rose to 855, close to the 868 reported in the peak year of 2000, according to the Association of Exhibition Organisers and the Exhibition Venues Association.
Their Exhibition Facts report found that exhibition visitor numbers rose by 14% to more than 10 million in 2002. The number of international visitors rose by 40%, to account for 10% of all trade-fair visitors, while overseas exhibitors represented 18% of the total.
A third study, by the Meetings Industry Association, underlined how associations had outstripped the corporate sector in both spend and number of events. The UK Conference Market Survey 2003 also pointed to the growing use of online information and of intermediaries to source venues and organise events.
Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 17 - 23 July 2003