VisitBritain chief executive Sandie Dawe has outlined the support needed to help grow the international demand for UK events.

In a paper presented to the Business Visits & Events Partnership, VisitBritain defined a list of measures it can provide to help grow business visits and events.

These include profiling incentive travel where opportunities exist as part of a strategy to build the luxury market and using the organisation’s overseas offices to provide insights, trade engagement and bid support to assist the promotion of business visits and events, and business extender travel.

“VisitBritain reduced its support for business tourism following a reduction to budget and subsequent restructure in 2011. Simultaneously other national tourist boards, city convention bureaux, and the sector itself have continued to promote business visits and events with positive results,” said Dawe. “The challenge, therefore, is to build on this strong basis by working with bodies to assist in areas where partnership approaches can add value to the work already being done.”

In addition, VisitBritain will seek to work with Britain For Events to grow the offering of business extenders programmes and pre- and post-event visits.

“We naturally welcome any positive contribution that VisitBritain can make to the UK events industry,” said Michael Hirst, chairman of the Business Visits & Events Partnership. “There is a great deal of excellent work being done at country, region and city level, but the resource of the national  tourism organisation for Britain with its strong network of overseas offices and invaluable market insights should add more opportunities to attract more events and attendees to Britain.”

The Britain for Events campaign recently had the PM’s backing.


VisitBritain chief executive Sandie Dawe has outlined the support needed to help grow the international demand for UK events.

In a paper presented to the Business Visits & Events Partnership, VisitBritain defined a list of measures it can provide to help grow business visits and events.

These include profiling incentive travel where opportunities exist as part of a strategy to build the luxury market and using the organisation’s overseas offices to provide insights, trade engagement and bid support to assist the promotion of business visits and events, and business extender travel.

“VisitBritain reduced its support for business tourism following a reduction to budget and subsequent restructure in 2011. Simultaneously other national tourist boards, city convention bureaux, and the sector itself have continued to promote business visits and events with positive results,” said Dawe. “The challenge, therefore, is to build on this strong basis by working with bodies to assist in areas where partnership approaches can add value to the work already being done.”

In addition, VisitBritain will seek to work with Britain For Events to grow the offering of business extenders programmes and pre- and post-event visits.

“We naturally welcome any positive contribution that VisitBritain can make to the UK events industry,” said Michael Hirst, chairman of the Business Visits & Events Partnership. “There is a great deal of excellent work being done at country, region and city level, but the resource of the national  tourism organisation for Britain with its strong network of overseas offices and invaluable market insights should add more opportunities to attract more events and attendees to Britain.”

The Britain for Events campaign recently had the PM’s backing.