BVEP reviews three main Party Manifestos ahead of election

Industry body prepares to publish its own manifesto and issue to new government and newly elected MPs.

Conference Centres of Excellence are among the members of the Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP), the umbrella organisation for the UK business tourism and events industry.

The BVEP has reviewed all three of the main political party manifestos and is set to issue its own industry wide document to the new government and parliament following the forthcoming elections on May 6th.

Chairman of the BVEP, Michael Hirst OBE, said the contents of the party manifestos were “encouraging” with “a recognition that the importance of events to the economy and the community is beginning to gain some political traction and the creative industries, of which Events are a part, should be further supported.”

The BVEP’s own ‘Manifesto for Business Visits & Events’ which has been created by a separate government affairs group within the BVEP after extensive consultation with all of the major UK industry associations in membership of the Partnership, is to be published at the end of May and distributed to all incoming Ministers and MP’s following the general election.

Michael Hirst concludes; “Whilst we still have a long way to go to establish business visits and events firmly in the minds of politicians, the three main manifestos are certainly encouraging, and demonstrate that the work we have done over the past 12 months has, at the very least, caught their attention. The publication of our own manifesto will continue to push forward that message and ensure the industry receives the recognition and support it deserves”.

The publication of the ‘Manifesto for Business Visits & Events’ comes ahead of the event at the House of Commons on 20th October, during National Meetings Week, where all new MP’s are being invited to attend a reception and presentation on the sector.