Associations
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Associations At a Glance
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From venue bookers to marquee providers, technical production to live music and festival organisers, there will be an association that celebrates and supports all sectors, skills and services.
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From formal training to informal networking, awards, workshops and member discounts, there is a broad range of benefits they offer to both individual and corporate members.
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Associations often fulfil key roles in representing their sectors with the UK government and other key stakeholders.
Overview

Associations

The UK Events Industry has a very dynamic and progressive heritage, so it is not surprising that there are a very large number of trade associations that operate across the 7 core sectors, with long established guilds and professional membership organisations representing the variety and diversity found across the industry.

From the Showman’s Guild (established in 1889) to beam – which celebrated 25 years with a refreshed and repositioned identity – the UK Events Industry associations provide services and support to a very wide range of individual and organisation members.  Navigating your way around these associations to find out what they have to offer and what type of membership model they work on has been challenging in the past – which is why The Power of Events is showcasing all of the major UK event industry associations in order to help you make an informed choice about which association membership would be of benefit for you and/or your business.

Most associations tend to offer membership services that attract people working in either specific sectors or multiple sector service delivery, enabling them to share continuous professional development, best practice, discounts on products and services such as insurance, regular education and networking events and the opportunity to volunteer for working groups or even helping to run the association itself.

Associations also have the remit to engage with government departments such as BEIS, DCMS and the Treasury to promote their sector and the wider industry’s socio-economic contribution to the economy and their positive impact on society and communities. They also lobby for inclusion in either long term targeted growth and development programmes or critical targeted tax, regulatory or other financial support policies.

The complex eco-system that makes up the UK Events industry is mirrored in the number of different trade associations available. From venue bookers to International Convention Centres, show ground owners to concert promoters and comedy clubs there will be an association that celebrates and supports very specific categories of skills and services. Choosing the right trade association to join will be determined by the sector that you work in and the professional development that you are looking for. Some offer individual memberships and others corporate.  Being clear about what you need and what they have to offer you is key to that selection process. From formal training to informal networking, awards, workshops and member discounts, the range of benefits and value offered by many trade associations is frequently comprehensive. They often fulfil key roles in representing their sectors interests with the UK government and other key stakeholders, so active membership gives you the chance to help shape those conversations.

Associations News
Registration for the 10th Anniversary edition of Event Tech Live London is open!
Event Tech Live (ETL) returns to ExCeL London on the 15th and 16th of November 2023 with its usual mix of outstanding educational content and the very latest in event tech innovation. Exhibitors from all corners of the globe will showcase their technology with new launches and never before seen tech hitting the show floor. Content is once again king, and the carefully curated conference programme will see sessions from the likes of FT Live, Belkins, Cvent, George P Johnson, Bloomberg and many more. Visitors are encouraged to register early in order to plan their visit and gain the most from the event. Event Tech Live’s Platform Partner Entegy makes registration quick and easy, so there’s more time to spend browsing the programme and prioritising networking opportunities even before stepping foot in the hall.
Registration for Event Sustainability Live is now open
The first ever Event Sustainability Live (ESL) will take place at ExCeL London on the 15th & 16th of November 2023. Organised by Event Industry News (EIN) and brought to you by the team behind its Sister exhibition, Event Tech Live. ESL aims to help event professionals to reach their sustainability goals. The ESL show floor will deliver the latest trends, innovations, and products from companies and venues providing eco-conscious solutions developed to make events more sustainable.
How to achieve record breaking profits amidst rising costs
ATPI Group’s CEO, Ian Sinderson, explains how the corporate travel company achieved record profits whilst straddling rising costs and labour shortages.
Inside the Floral Olympics: The Interflora World Cup 2023
Top Banana were tasked with planning the world’s biggest floristry competition taking place in Manchester’s Convention Complex.
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Research

The event industry’s reliance on data to help it plan for the future, increase its resilience, manage risk and justify investment decisions, is growing year on year.

The engagement and access that The Power of Events (UK) has across all 7 sectors of the industry, enables data gathering and in-depth research projects to be delivered confidently and consistently. This will be primarily facilitated through the new insight app to be launched on 28th Sep 2023.

By bringing the industry and university partners together, research projects will be designed to deliver real benefits to the industry in terms of trend analysis, insights and performance improvements.

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