The Power of Events platform launched at an event at Here at Outernet in London on 16 February 2023, which saw partners and supporters join the core team to explore the new UK event industry platform. Bringing together the seven sectors that make up the world-leading UK event industry, the launch event was an opportunity to thank 200 of the supporters and partners that have contributed to help deliver the platform.
Attendees represented all sectors, which included Notting Hill Carnival, AEG Europe, ASM Global, London Marathon, George P Johnson, TRO, ExCel London, WRG, Identity, DRPG, Wasserman, Smyle, Montgomery Group, Rego, Star Group, SunBelt Rentals, Creative Technology, JA Productions, Event Grads, SFL Group, Entourage Pro, alongside University, association, support organisation and media partners.
Also in attendance were representatives of freelance and online communities such as NOWIE, UK Live Event Freelancers Forum and event management students invited from University partners including Leeds Beckett, Westminster and Greenwich. The audience was also shown a few video messages sent in from Melvin Benn at Live Nation/Festival Republic, Jeremy Rees – CEO of ExCel London, Mike Kunheim – MD of Jack Morton Worldwide, Gill Tee – co-founder of Blackdeer Festival, Rachael McGuickin – Visit Belfast and Dodge Woodall, founder of Bournemouth 7s Festival.
The launch presentation touched on the origins of The Power of Events, which evolved from the One Industry One Voice campaign during the pandemic. As a response to the lessons learnt during that time and the need to improve the data and research required to support the UK event industry, the Power of Events was established to continue building on the cross-sector collaboration and commitment to showcasing all aspects of the industry.
The platform content showcases the 7 core sectors including overview videos, 100+ industry community organisations, 44 news articles referenced, 90+ industry calendar events profiled and 100s of business supporters recognised.
Founder Rick Stainton led the short launch presentation with a quick tour of the platform which allows people to explore the UK event industry across all sectors and with access to all the key industry communities. He was very clear that the effort and work undertaken to get to the launch was just the start of the mission.
“We’ve seen how bringing together some of our leading event businesses and organisations with academic support from our ten University partners has the potential to be a game changer in the way our industry is seen and understood. Making those connections was the first step – now we’ll be curating those relationships to help deliver robust data for the industry and evidence-based research. None of this would have been possible without the fantastic support we’ve had from all of our partners and supporters and we also wanted to acknowledge that and thank them for their commitment and belief in the mission we’ve set ourselves.”
Director of The Power of Events, Simon Hughes highlighted the importance of engaging with both students and the next generation of young talent as a critical element in the overall mission moving forwards. “We work in a world where our ability to deliver creative solutions to often complex and challenging requests sets us apart from many other career options. That diversity and the wide range of skills we require to maintain our world-class reputation is both an opportunity and a barrier. This resource has been designed to help us break down those barriers and make us more competitive when it comes to attracting new talent into the UK events industry.”
Stainton also confirmed that the web insight app will be launched later this Spring with a cross Four Nations roadshow and urged people to explore the platform, share it with others and give feedback to help make it as comprehensive, representative and current as possible.
The launch event received great support from Here at Outernet, Mediahut, HireIt Furniture and WeImplement.
To explore the platform in more detail visit www.thepowerofevents.org.