Conference and meeting venues urged to take part in UKCAMS 2019

Conference and meeting venues are being urged to take part in the 2019 UK Conference and Meeting Survey (UKCAMS), now in its 26th year.

Sponsored by VisitBritain, the UKCAMS 2019 report is scheduled for publication in June and has a specific focus on the value and volume of the market and the performance of meeting venues. It also highlights key market trends identified by venues.

The 2018 research found that the conference and meetings sector was worth an estimated £18.1 billion to the UK economy, with some 1.29 million meetings taking place in 2017.

Kerrin MacPhie, head of business events at VisitBritain, said: “We are pleased to be supporting the Conference and Meeting Survey to enhance our understanding of the work and activity undertaken by UK venues in the international business events market. We are also keen on using the survey to discover how UK venues and destinations are performing in securing international events.

“Industry initiatives such as this are great for encouraging as many UK venues to get involved in contributing to the research, which helps to ensure Britain remains a competitive destination in the global business events marketplace.”

The 2019 survey asks UK venues to provide data on their conference and meeting business during the calendar year 2018. It includes questions on the number of events hosted, rates achieved, event duration and size, client type, levels of residential and non-residential business, origins of business, and investment plans. UKCAMS 2019 also includes a section on the targeting and securing of international events by UK venues.

Participating venues will receive a complimentary, personalised summary report enabling them to benchmark their performance against other comparable venues. The research is being carried out by Tony Rogers of Tony Rogers Conference & Event Services and Richard Smith of RJS Associates via an online survey.

Tony Rogers said: “The UKCAMS research has a proven track record as a source of reliable and robust information and market intelligence. It helps venues and destinations, as well as other industry stakeholders, to understand the latest and emerging trends in order to target their marketing and investment decisions to greatest effect. UKCAMS also plays a key role in highlighting the significance and value of the conference and meetings sector to the national economy.”