#Takethetimefor5 in December
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It's the holiday season and you're probably very busy. So, here's a round up of all this month's latest news in an easily digestible format.
1. Think sustainability in 2024
More event planners and industry suppliers will be able to put sustainability at the heart of their plans next year with the return of The Complete Sustainable Events Course.
The fourth edition of the six-week online course will start on 31 January 2024, where, through a combination of theory, tools and practical knowledge, event professionals will be equipped with the skills needed to plan and deliver sustainable events.
Already completed by over 270 event professionals, the modular course includes the chance to experience carbon measurement platform TRACE by isla, allowing participants to measure, reduce and report the impact of events.
For more information or to book a place visit: www.thecompletesustainableeventscourse.com.
2. How much?
£19.9 billion is what distracted minds are costing the UK economy each year, according to research by The QEII Centre.
In its report The Distracted Economy the London venue looked at why attention spans were declining and how best to engage delegates. Its research revealed that distractions are higher in online meetings (85% of the 1,000 desk-based workers surveyed) than those held in-person (83%).
“Despite the number of people who enjoy remote working, the preferred meeting format is in person over online,” says expert event planner Simon Hughes, who gives commentary in the report. “This is really good news for venues – but they will have to offer more flexibility with their spaces, formats and tools to capture attention.”
Download the full report here.
3. New LVEPs for England
VisitEngland has added four new regions to its Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) programme.
Marketing Lancashire, Visit Essex, Destination Staffordshire and Visit North Yorkshire have joined 22 existing LVEPs which will work in collaboration locally, regionally and nationally on shared priorities and targets.
The mission of the LVEPs is to support and grow the visitor economy through robust destination management, strong stakeholder relationships and clear planning.
4. Positive planning
Positive trends in booking enquiries and long-term investment strategies demonstrate more confidence in the sector, according to the Meetings Industry Association (mia).
The trade body’s latest quarterly mia Insights report reveals that between May and October 2023 organisations have seen conversion rates rise to 42% (up from 34.5% in May) while lead times have now risen from an average of 10.5 weeks to 15.2 weeks.
Simultaneously, compared to 12 months ago, the average value of an event enquiry has increased for almost half (49%) to £30,927.
Meanwhile, 76% of organisations are currently investing in their development, 75% are investing in technology, 55% in marketing and 54% in renovation.
Sustainability was also deemed to be a social requirement for firms with 9 in 10 (88%) seeing an increase in demand for more sustainable practices.
“The latest mia Insights provide a more optimistic outlook for the sector as it makes further steps towards recovery,” said the mia’s chief executive, Kerrin MacPhie.
Download the full report here.
5. Social anxiety
The Meetings Show's parent company, Northstar Meetings Group, has conducted a piece of research to find out more about the screentime habits of event professionals.
This latest First Look Research survey uncovered some interesting and sometimes shocking stats about how we're all using social media and how this may be effecting our mental health.
AMI Editor and NMG-UK editorial director James Lancaster said: “We know from talking to meeting professionals that many of them struggle to manage the amount of time they spend online, so we thought it was important to get a clearer picture of what’s going on.”
Access the full report here.
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