Michael Begley, managing director of venuedirectory.com, comments on the UK’s new PM:
“Whether pro-Rishi Sunak or not, the business events industry must get behind our new PM and his remit to unify the party and, most importantly, the country.
“These are challenging economic times for the UK and the rest of the world and we need a confident hand at the tiller of our economic strategy. The business events industry is always the first sector to catch a cold when things change economically and we’re already seeing repercussions with the independently owned venues on our database. In our conversations with venues, we’re aware that they’re spending their marketing budget with a greater degree of caution than say a few months ago.
“Thankfully, and contrary to the mood on the street, we’re seeing enquires continue to increase week on week at the moment. As the largest UK distributor of venue data and meeting & event bookings, we’re already on track to exceed our 2019 figure of £280m – a healthy sign of business confidence and the ongoing strong appetite to meet face to face.
“Today’s appointment of a new PM has already seen the markets give their nod of approval and if Sunak can use the same skills and teamwork that he helped us navigate the pandemic, I am confident he can get us through this next challenge.”
