The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Events (APPG) held its first Parliamentary Dinner of the new Parliament last night at the House of Commons, bringing together key figures from across the UK events sector and senior political stakeholders.
Hosted by Shaun Davies, Member of Parliament for Telford and Chair of the APPG, the dinner welcomed Members of Parliament – including several serving APPG Officers – alongside Group and Individual Corporate Members.
Attendees included representatives from beam, the Scottish Event Campus (SEC), Togather, Event Hire Association, Experience Oxfordshire, Raccoon Media Group, Manchester Central, the Association for Event Venues (AEV) and the Meetings Industry Association (MIA).
Senior figures from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, VisitBritain, ICC Wales, Northstar Travel Group and industry think tank The Business of Events also joined the evening.
The dinner served as a vital platform for strengthening ties between the UK events industry and Parliament, enabling industry leaders to directly engage with policymakers and discuss the sector’s priorities, challenges, and opportunities for growth.
Mike Seaman, Group CEO of Raccoon Media Group, said: “It was a really interesting evening at the House of Commons for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Events. It restores a lot of your faith in politicians when you get to engage with them in this way – most of them are truly in it for the right reasons and are trying to help. We were there to talk about our world-class events industry and to ask for recognition and support at the highest level.”
The APPG is managed by The Business of Events, an independent industry think tank, which also acts as special advisor to the group.
Mike Fletcher, Director of News and Content for The Business of Events, said: “This dinner was a timely and important opportunity for the events industry to come together with government in a spirit of collaboration. The APPG plays a crucial role in ensuring the voice of the sector is heard in Westminster, and evenings like this are invaluable in building the relationships that underpin effective advocacy.”
The APPG, which has been in operation since 2011, continues to champion the UK events industry by increasing its profile among Members of Parliament, Government Ministers, and senior officials across Whitehall.
For more information on the APPG for Events, visit: www.appgevents.com
