Tourism is the 5th biggest industry and the 3rd largest employer in the UK, generating £127 billion per year. 35% of the UK visitor economy is made up of events and London remains the most popular choice in the UK.
London was hailed most popular visitor destination in the world by Mastercard’s Global Cities index report in 2014 thanks to its great attractions, and it has been named the leading European city for meetings and events by the American Express Meetings & Events 2015 Global Meetings Forecast.
According to the HBAA’s latest trends and spends survey, London attracts twice the number of corporate and association events than Birmingham, its strongest competitor, with 67.9% of corporate and 76.7% of association events compared to 33.3% and 35.2% within a 12 month period.
The capital has won bids to host a number of high-profile sporting fixtures up to 2020, including being the first city to host both the 2017 World Athletics Championships and 2017 IPC Athletics World Championships.
According to London & Partners, the official London Convention Bureau, event planners have rated London as the top destination for return on objective compared to similar events held elsewhere.
So what sets this city apart from the competition when it comes to hosting large-scale events?
With five international airports, direct flights to 348 destinations and its position at the heart of Europe’s low-cost airline network, London is the most connected city on the planet.
As the home of global financial, media, advertising and ICT hubs and the largest cluster of European company headquarters, the city offers visitors the opportunity to build business networks and meet future partners.
London has some of the greatest attractions in the world. In their downtime visitors can explore the 2000 year old city, visiting Royal palaces and parks, three of the world's top five museums, galleries, theatres and much more.
And when it comes to meeting and event venues, London’s unique spaces are unparalleled. From historical sites to modern skyscrapers, river boats to underground war bunkers, or palaces to state-of-the-art exhibition centres, London has it all. There are green venues that can help companies meet their sustainability agenda, venues designed to inspire creative thinking and hospitality venues that offer everything from sporting action to historical tours.
If you are interested in finding event venues in our revered capital city, we can help. Contact our team by email: admin@Venues.org.uk, speak to one of our live chat agents or fill out our venue enquiry form and receive information, availability and prices directly from suitable venues.
