Incoming prime minister Rishi Sunak must do more to recognise the meetings and events sector and act fast on energy costs, according to the industry’s trade associations.
Sunak won the Conservative party leadership race unopposed on Monday (24 October) after rivals Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt pulled out of the contest. He replaces Liz Truss as party leader and prime minister following Truss’s resignation last week after just 44 days.
Beam called on Sunak to continue the energy price cap, while the Meetings Industry Association said Sunak must act fast on soaring energy costs.
Simon Richards, treasurer of beam and managing director of Convenus said: “What beam would most like the new prime minister and chancellor to do is to continue the energy price cap. Costs have already risen so much that, with bounceback loans to be repaid as well, some agencies and venues cannot afford to open and may close for ever. There is a limit to how much they can increase prices without losing business and remain viable.
“We would also like the prime minister to recognise the massive contribution that the events industry makes to the economy by appointing a minister within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to be responsible for the events sector and for our industry to be a priority within that role; and for the minister to be in post for a sufficient duration to be able to understand and work with us to re-establish our vital contribution to the UK recovery.”
The Meetings Industry Association chief executive, Kerrin MacPhie, added that the mia is optimistic the new prime minister will take the industry seriously.
“Having been recognised in 2021 by the then chancellor [Rishi Sunak] for our ongoing lobbying during the pandemic, we are optimistic that the new prime minister will recognise the value our sector and the support it requires to continue its economic contributions to the UK,” MacPhie said.
“It is critical that government now act fast in outlining its plans to address the worsening economic conditions and soaring energy costs,” she added. “As a sector there are multiple initiatives and interventions that we continue to discuss with government departments, including soaring and simply unsustainable costs as well as the well-documented and ongoing recruitment challenge.”
Liz Truss resigned as Conservative party leader and prime minister on Thursday (20 October) – less than 24 hours after the Events Industry Alliance launched its manifesto in Parliament calling for a national event strategy.
Source: M&IT Magazine
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