The Meetings Industry Association (MIA) has reacted to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Spring Statement 2025, which was presented in the House of Commons yesterday.
The MIA’s chief executive, Shonali Devereaux, said on the following areas:
Economic Growth
“While yesterday’s statement offered little for specific industries such as events, the Office for Budget Responsibility’s decision to cut the UK’s growth forecast for 2025 from 2% to 1% highlights the urgent need for government to recognise the role of events in stimulating economic growth.
“As a white label industry, business meetings and events don’t just generate direct revenue, they underpin growth across multiple industries, from pharmaceutical and technology to automotive, finance and beyond. Every conference, exhibition and meeting fuels wider business activity, attracting inward investment, inspiring innovation and supporting job creation.
“To stimulate UK economic growth, policymakers must acknowledge and support the vital role of the events industry, often the invisible industry, as a catalyst for business, trade and inward investment. Whilst playing this role, business meetings and events directly contribute £16.3bn a year to the UK economy, so the power of the UK’s £61.6bn events industry mustn’t be overlooked.”
Employers National Insurance Contributions
“Since the Autumn budget announced the increase in employer National Insurance contributions from 13.8% to 15%, set to take effect next week, the sector has continued to grapple with severe recruitment and retention challenges. Our recent research found that two thirds of the sector are struggling to fill roles.
“While we recognise that many industries are facing cost pressures, the business meetings and events sector is uniquely impacted due to its reliance on a flexible workforce, including part-time and temporary staff to meet fluctuating event demands. Higher employment costs could discourage businesses from maintaining these vital roles at a time when staff shortages are already a major challenge.
“At the same time, rising costs may limit an organisation’s ability to offer competitive salaries, making it even harder to retain experienced professionals. Without intervention, we risk losing more skilled workers to other industries, as seen during the pandemic, while also diminishing the sector’s appeal to the next generation considering their career paths.”
“As we continue ongoing discussions with government, we remain committed to presenting innovative solutions that support our sector, including a sector-specific Employment Allowance. This week we will be writing to MPs directly to ensure our sector has a voice in decisions that impact how we operate. We strive to be consultants, not just respondents, in shaping policies that affect our sector, and welcome government engaging us and other industry organisations in any decisions that can be informed through our own insights.”
MP & Industry Collaboration
“The recent parliamentary exhibition hosted by UKEVENTS provided a provoking platform for event industry representatives to present to MPs the impact and value of our business to the UK economy. Our discussions highlighted the need to engage MPs on a local level, extending our conversations beyond the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and the Department for Business and Trade.
“Recognising this, we will soon be launching a collaborative initiative with UKEVENTS, The Business of Events, Beam, ABPCO and other like-minded member organisations within the industry to put events on the agenda across all 650 UK constituencies. By using a collective voice – the voice of our organisations and our members – we are confident that we can demonstrate the vital role events play in driving economic growth, job creation and community development, ensuring that policymakers across all consistencies recognise and support our industry.”
