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Ocean Media

02 Feb 2011

Event Production Show welcomes industry’s big hitters

Vibrancy of UK’s live event sector represented by opening day visitorsEvent Production Show welcomes industry’s big hitters

Vibrancy of UK’s live event sector represented by opening day visitors

The 2011 Event Production Show opened today (Wednesday 2nd February), displaying a visitor demographic which highlights an upbeat outlook for the UK’s live event sector.

A 34 per cent share of visitors exercise budgets exceeding £500,000 came through the doors of London Olympia. Some 25 per cent boast a buying power of between £100,000 and £500,000.

The figures hint at the demand in the live event sector as the UK gears up for the next Decade of Events to include: the London 2012 Olympics, Diamond Jubilee, Royal Wedding, 2014 Commonwealth Games, 2015 Rugby World Cup and the UK’s thriving summer festival scene.

Pre-registered visitors from the music sector included representatives from 2010’s Best Major Festival, Bestival including promoters Rob and Josie Da Bank along with representatives from Womad and V Festivals. The corporate market is also well represented with event buyers from Informa, London Underground and the BBC. IMG, Red Bull, LOCOG and RPM were among the visitors from the sports sector, while the likes of the Metropolitan Police and Westminster County Council flew the flag for the public sector.

Zanine Adams, Head of Event Solutions at Visit London, introduced the show with a presentation looking at how London and the UK will benefit from the global draw of the upcoming series of high-profile events on British soil.

Sarah Brownlee, organiser of the Event Production Show said: “We were delighted with the quality of the visitors that came through the doors for the first morning of the show. The live event industry turned out in force and we have already received some very positive feedback from the visitors, exhibitors and media figures present.”