The week in events: business confidence, sustainability and insurance

Your weekly exhibition industry news round-up from ExpoPlatform. We highlight five top stories so you don’t miss out on what’s been happening – including announcements, insights, opinion and more.

UK Chancellor confirms £750m events industry insurance scheme

The UK Government has announced a £750 million insurance scheme for the events industry, covering costs of cancellations due to public health measures.

Exhibition companies will be able to purchase cover from September – alongside standard commercial events insurance – with a number of insurers who are supporting the initiative.

Ministers said the scheme, announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak on Thursday, will support live events across the UK that are open to the general public, such as music festivals and business conferences.

🎡We're backing the events sector with a world-leading insurance scheme🎡

I’ve heard the calls from organisers and this new scheme, worth over £750 million, will help them plan events with confidence through to next year.

Read more here: https://t.co/jUFHLwnwEy #PlanForJobs pic.twitter.com/spOkXrL21b

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) August 6, 2021

One-third of event professionals see no boost to booking confidence

Around one-third of event professionals have not seen an increase in client confidence to plan exhibitions despite lockdown restrictions being eased across the UK, according to a story published by EIN.

The poll reveals 65% of players in the business events, meetings and accommodation industry have seen a boost in willingness to book and confirm productions.

However, this still leaves more than one-third who have seen no uplift in confidence to put on events, including 7% who said faith in making a book was declining.

Visa-free short-term touring allowed in 19 EU member states

Touring professionals from the UK will not need visas or work permits for short-term tours in 19 EU countries, it has been announced.

Authorities in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden have all confirmed that performers, creative professionals and support staff can now be in their countries for up to three months without extra paperwork.

Standout Magazine also reports that Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport ministers have also approached Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Malta and Cyprus with similar requests.

Meanwhile, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Business Travel Association (BTA) gave mixed responses to updates on travel restrictions to the UK.

Read the BTA’s response to today’s Traffic Light Update below:#YourBTA #BusinessTravel #Covid19 pic.twitter.com/1ih8l0fcbN

— BTA (@TheBTAorg) August 5, 2021

Conference News reports how Virginia Messina, WTTC acting CEO, called for the “unpredictable” traffic light system to be dropped and demanded more action rather than positive “rhetoric”. CEO of BTA Clive Wratten praised the scrapping of the amber-plus status and the UK Government’s decision to abandon watchlist plans.

EN awards celebrate best of industry

More than 600 people attended the EN Events Industry Awards for an evening of celebrations in what has been a difficult period for the sector.

The night in London, UK – hosted by comedian Tom Allen – shone a spotlight on success stories over the pandemic as well as those who made an impact in how the industry operates.

New categories were introduced to reflect Covid-19 activities – including virtual events, fundraising and safety plans.

What a night! After a long long wait – the @ExhibitionNews #ENAwards Here are our #quickturnaround highlights #EventProfs pic.twitter.com/6PjT03sHz6

— Silverstream TV (@SilverstreamTV) July 31, 2021

Sustainability body isla appoints growth lead Toni Griggs

Finally, isla announced its newly appointed growth lead Toni Griggs, as the organisation works to become the leading event industry sustainability body.

Toni will be responsible for building its 80-strong membership, while driving partnerships and projects to accelerate event businesses environmental sustainability performance.

Anna Abdelnoor, co-founder, said “With Cop26 in less than 100 days, we see the next few months as a critical time for both industry recovery and global action on sustainability.

“This context also makes it a critical time for isla’s continued growth, ensuring we are fit for purpose to lead the industry in the transition to a net-zero future.”