Jane Longhurst, chief executive of the mia
The meetings industry has welcomed the government’s announcement that indoor business meetings and events for up to 1,000 delegates will be permitted in Tier 1 and 2 areas of England from 3 December, but has urged the sector not to look for loopholes and, instead, operate “in the spirit of the guidance”.
Jane Longhurst, chief executive of the Meetings Industry Association (mia) said of yesterday’s announcement: “The clarification from government that venues in Tiers 1 and 2 will be able to host business events for either up to 1,000 guests, or 50 per cent of the venue’s capacity, whichever is the lower number, is a massive step forward for the sector and one that is likely to save jobs and businesses as we start out on the road to recovery.
“However, we only have one chance to get this right. So, it is now vital to take the time to understand the stipulations and abide by the new regulations before rushing forward with plans to host gala dinners, office Christmas parties and team building events.”
Longhurst said it was already clear that business social events – such as a gala dinner following a residential conference – will not be permitted.
She called on the sector to “ensure you are promoting only what is legally permissible and not what you think you can ‘get away with’”.
The mia CEO said: “Instead of looking for loopholes, we should all be operating in the spirit of the guidance and always with safety and business reputation in mind.
"To help us build sector confidence, we need to assure our clients that we have solid reliable Covid-secure, risk averse environments and we must follow the new rules, having fought so hard for such a break-through.”