Hey, you with the attitude

You will have read, or at least be about to hopefully read, two interesting articles in the MIA newsletter which clearly emphasise the point I am about to make; that, like it or not, the meetings industry is facing a number of public relations challenges at the moment.

On the one hand, the recent MIA Survey, which shows public sector business rapidly declining as a result of savage cuts, is balanced with a degree of hope resulting from the launch of the UK’s first Manifesto for Meetings & Events. We have been heavily involved with the collation and launch of the Manifesto in recent weeks, as part of our work with the Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP), and the impact it will have on the meetings and events sector should not be under estimated. However, both the Manifesto and the decline in public sector business will need to see a steep change in attitude and opinion from a wide variety of groups and individuals before they begin to influence decisions and buying habits, and that’s where the pr challenges can be found.

But as always, with challenge comes opportunity. In a recent study of UK consumers, over 87% said that they trusted editorial comment far more than advertising, and that they would be more inclined to change attitude as a result of news content rather than adverts, whether in print, online or on radio or tv. This may also go some way to explain the growth in pr in recent years, and the fact that more than 32% of businesses in the meetings sector now use pr as part of an overall integrated sales and marketing plan. In your world, consumers can also quite easily be business people, agents, chief executives, marketing directors and other buyers, and in mine they have the potential to influence change for our clients within the meetings sector, so at least 87% of them are suddenly even more important to me.

So, what next? Well, we already have two existing platforms which I believe we can use to do a great deal to influence change. Firstly, the aforementioned BVEP is working hard, with the support of the MIA and other associations, to directly target MP’s, Ministers and other Government officials with the message that meetings and events are good for Britain; economically, socially and culturally. This message will be taken to them directly when we host an event at the House of Commons on 20th October, during this year’s National Meetings Week, and the current pr campaign will build as we head towards that event. Secondly, the newly created Destinations Group, headed by Catherine Walker at Visit Manchester, provides the perfect example of how vital meetings and events are to regional destinations and local communities, whether they are venues, hotels, restaurants, florists or taxi drivers. Over 25,000 small businesses rely on a strong and buoyant meetings industry, and so straight away we have the opportunity to recruit over 25,000 champions to fight our cause.

Can pr change the world? Regrettably, no. History has proved that far too often. But, can it change attitude and opinion amongst people that matter to you and me, help us meet the challenges we are facing and build a better, stronger and more resilient meetings industry? I genuinely believe it can, and so we all have to keep on trying to do just that.

Robert Wright
Managing Director