Brexit does not need to have any detrimental impact on the industry, James Heappey , chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Events, has told International Confex.
Speaking at a panel debate at the show, Heappey said that there were four areas of the process of leaving the EU of concern for the industry: access to the European workforce; access to the European market; what sort of place the UK is to visit; and what we do if the situation becomes detrimental.
He said: “We should be careful not to be overly critical of our offer. I was always told that Barcelona was hallowed ground for the events industry. When I went there the airport hadn’t been cleaned for weeks, it was a pain to get from the airport to the convention centre. I’m not sure the convention space is any more appealing than the ExCeL Centre here.
“Provided we are smart in the way we continue to compete aggressively, I don’t think this needs to have any detrimental impact on the choice of the UK as an events location.”
Heappey added that he believed that a business visa scheme would be implemented in the wake of Brexit, but that event professionals were justified in feeling uncertain about the future.
He said: “It’s inconceivable to me that we will not come up with a business visa scheme that makes the UK very easy to visit. Part of this vision for a global Britain I think will bring with it a far more straightforward business visa process.
“The availability of the labour force is absolutely key. Plenty of countries around the world are not part of a trading bloc, Australia for example. It’s not impossible.
“You are entirely justified to be uncertain. I’ve met a lot of event professionals that are very nervous. There’s now inevitably, sadly, a period of uncertainty.
“We could pore over the result of the referendum, but we have the result. I think my job as your representative is not to fret over results. My job is to accept it, engage with people and understand what needs to be done.”