With the UK hospitality industry now in lockdown with hotels up and down the land closed for all but essential travel, it is sobering to read the important contribution the industry makes to the UK economy. Figures published by Conference News Magazine show:
In 2018, there were an estimated 1.48million conferences and meetings in the UK. These events were attended by 95.3million delegates accounting for approximately 152.8million delegate days. There was an average of 428 conferences and meetings per venue in 2018 - up from 373 events the year before.
In 2018 exhibitions in the UK generated £11bn in spending and contributed £5.4bn in value-added to the UK economy. UK exhibitions attracted over 9.1million visitors in 2018 to almost 1,100 major events across a range of sectors - and this activity supported 114,000 jobs in the UK.
In 2018, there were 141.5million visits to outdoor events in the UK, with a total on-site and off-site spend of £39.5bn.
Full breakdown: https://www.conference-news.co.uk/coronavirus-updates-business-news/uk-events-report-executive-summary