Britain’s business events sector has moved fast to deliver a clear message to the new Prime Minister: do not leave meetings, conferences and trade shows outside the room where growth policy is made.
Andy Burnham became UK Prime Minister on 20 July 2026. In his first speech at Downing Street, he promised a “circuit breaker for Britain” and said a 10-year national plan would follow later this year.
The Meetings Industry Association believes that plan must give business events a firm place at the table. The MIA is the leading association supporting Britain’s business meetings and events industry.
Shonali Devereaux, Chief Executive of the MIA, said Burnham’s appointment marked “another significant moment for the country” after a long spell of political change.
Shonali Devereaux
“If that means taking a fresh look at how government works with business to deliver economic growth, then the business meetings and events sector must be part of that conversation from the outset,” Devereaux said.
The case is hard to brush aside. The MIA says business meetings and events add £33.6 billion to the UK economy each year. They also help every region by bringing in visitors, filling hotels, supporting venues and creating work for thousands of suppliers.
Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee has placed the broader value of the sector at more than £33 billion a year, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs.
This is not just a tale of name badges and lukewarm coffee. Conferences bring buyers and sellers together. Exhibitions help firms launch products and win orders. Major meetings can spark new ideas, trade deals and long-term investment.
The MIA’s call also follows a report from the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, released on 6 July. MPs warned that the UK could lose events to overseas rivals unless the government acts.
The committee called for a long-term national plan for business events. It also urged the government to keep funding overseas promotion and rethink cuts to VisitBritain’s business events team. The report further called for action on cost pressures and simpler visa rules for international delegates.
Jobs are another key part of the case. The UK unemployment rate was 4.9 per cent in the three months to April 2026. Yet the rate for people aged 16 to 24 was much higher, at 16.2 per cent.
The events sector can offer young people a practical first step into work. Roles range from catering and venue service to sales, production, technology and event planning. Yet the MIA says rising staff costs are making it harder for firms to hire and train new workers.
Devereaux called for talks on Employer National Insurance Contributions and other job costs. The aim, she said, should be to help firms keep hiring, training and building careers.
The message for Burnham is plain. Britain already has the venues, skills and demand. It now needs clear policy, sound funding and a government that sees events as a driver of trade, jobs and regional growth.
“This is a genuine opportunity for our sector’s voice to be heard, and we intend to make the most of it together with our partners across the industry,” Devereaux said.
Burnham has promised a circuit breaker. The events industry would rather not be left holding the extension lead.
By: Alison Jenkins – © 2026.
Read Time: 2 minutes.
Author Bio:
Alison Jenkins has lived most of her working life in the slipstream of aviation, where timetables matter, and people matter more. In airline sales, she built a reputation the old-fashioned way: by knowing her clients, her routes, and never missing the human detail.
Quick with a smile, quicker with a solution, she made deals with warmth and kept her edge intact.
Trade shows, FAM trips, airport lounges, and hotel lobbies became her second address. And somewhere along the way, notebook in hand, she began writing the journeys rather than selling them. Her reports grew lively, observant, full of the small truths only travellers notice.
That was the moment it dawned on her: she wasn’t simply travelling. She belonged in its stories.
