Briefing Document: UK Live Events Industry

Prepared by the National Outdoor Event Association (NOEA)

Events stimulate business activity, community cohesion, cultural awareness, community spirit, fitness and health

The Value of Events (spend by visitors)

 “After the pandemic, we invested in events. We needed to give as many reasons as possible to get people out of their homes, onto the streets, to feed businesses and to come together as a community.”

London Breed, former Mayor of San Francisco

Supporting the Government’s Five Missions

1. Business events generate trade, exports and inward investment. (Est.£200bn).
2. Events employ approximately 700,00 people in highly skilled operational, marketing and technical roles and offer young people opportunities and apprenticeships. It as industry with a low bar to access and a high ceiling to flourish in
3. Event participation makes people more likely to be healthy, culturally and socially aware, and interested in knowledge exchange, self and professional development and less likely to create social problems.
4. The UK hosts international events that cover the priority sectors of the Industrial Strategy – Advanced Manufacturing / Creative Industries / Clean Energy / Defence / Digital and Technology / Financial Services Life Sciences / Professional Business Services.
5. Events drive the visitor economy, accounting for 50% of all tourism spend, projecting the UK, through business and outdoor events as a vibrant, innovative, successful, purposeful, forward looking and creative Nation.
6. Events represent the best of ‘Brand Britain’ and a large part of our outward identity; from the Coronation of King Charles III to the New Year’s Fireworks, Hogmanay, Wimbledon, Royal Ascot, Glastonbury, and The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Key Policy Asks

1. Development of a comprehensive national Events strategy, consolidating resources from various Whitehall Departments and agencies, akin to the stature of UKSport and the Arts Council.
2. Integration of major business and outdoor events with key governmental industrial and social initiatives.
3. Support across DCMS directorates for the Events Industry, while fully embracing the sector as part of the Creative Industries with support within the DCMS Creative Industries Directorate.
4. Introducing tax allowances, on a par with those available in TV & Film production, which would encourage new events to be introduced in places and at times of the year when capacity is available and additional demand is needed. This would stimulate growth in regions of the UK where additional content/product is needed and could be directed to times of the year when demand needs boosting.
5. Expansion of the Business Events Growth Fund to further support the attraction, expansion, and creation of business-to-business and outdoor events. Targeting strategic timing to capitalize on available capacity and spur additional demand is paramount.

NOEA is a representative association for the outdoor and live event sectors. Its members consist of businesses and individuals involved in the production of live events, including cultural, sporting, music, festival, and food, both domestically and around the world.