vote to leave the European Union. London & Partners, a convention bureau, recorded a 41 per cent rise in meetings enquiries in the three months after the referendum – no doubt fuelled by a drop in sterling’s value. But there is a sense that demand for London has returned to more typical levels, as other leading European MICE destinations have upped their game in the competition for business.
BUOYANT MARKET Mark Bevan, head of strategic relationships for Business Travel Direct, says: “London is still a key destination for events for both domestic and international-based companies. The weak pound and the fact that rates are staying reasonably flat are helping to keep things buoyant. “We are seeing more interest back in
popular cities across Europe such as Paris, Frankfurt and Barcelona as they push some extremely good pricing out into the market for high-quality hotels and venues.” Like any major global city, London does
have some challenges when hosting events, including high hotel rates, a transport infrastructure that can make moving del- egates between venues tricky, and a lack of suitable conference facilities in central London that can cater for larger events. “I would love to see what the average car
speed is in London,” says Stoddart. “How long will it take to transfer people between a hotel venue and restaurant? This limits your options when organising an event. “There is also the lack of a really world-
class congress centre in the city. Excel is a fantastic facility, but if it was more central that would make a huge difference.” Bevan agrees: “Central London remains a challenge for high-capacity events as some
locations, especially around Westminster and the City, are booked for months, even years, in advance. Organising events with 1,000-plus participants is a challenge.” This situation could be about to get
worse in central London with the future of the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westmin- ster in doubt because the House of Lords may relocate to it for several years when the Houses of Parliament undergo essential refurbishment from 2025. While no final decision has been made
about the status of the QEII Centre, organ- isations such as the Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP) are continuing to lobby for the centre to remain available to host larger events. BVEP chairman Michael Hirst says: “This
is the time for parliamentarians to consider the critical role that venues such as the QEII Centre play in hosting international gatherings of the highest profile. “These important business events show-
case Britain to the world and support our country as a destination for high-level discussions on trade, scientific research and international diplomacy. All this becomes even more imperative after Brexit.” The debate over the QEII Centre’s future
plays into wider fears that the government and politicians do not take the meetings sector as seriously as other countries do. “There needs to be more recognition of
the contribution that the meetings industry makes to our GDP so that we make sure we attract more global events,” says Stoddart. “To come first in global bids requires
more of a coordinated approach from both the industry and the government. When you’re competing on the European and global stage, it’s just like trying to win in the Olympics or the World Cup.”
New venues in London
• The Science Museum is creating Illuminate, a meetings
space on its fourth and fifth floors, that will open in January 2019. The venue will be available for daytime and evening events with a capacity of up to 400 for dinners and conferences, 450 for receptions.
sciencemuseum.org.uk
• Leake Street Arches is to feature a range of event spaces,
restaurants and bars within the refurbished arches and vaults beneath the former Eurostar terminal at Waterloo station.
leakestreetarches.london
• The National Theatre on the South Bank has closed the
Deck for refurbishment and will open a new rooftop meetings venue this summer.
nationaltheatre.org.uk
“There needs to be more recognition of the contribution that the meetings industry makes to our GDP so that we make sure we attract more global events”
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM BBT May/June 2018 139
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