Unique Venues of London has unveiled the result of their annual events industry survey which show a positive outlook for 2017 following a year of uncertainty.
This bespoke piece of research is undertaken in the autumn of each year, and aims to provide a comprehensive look into the current industry climate and what the forthcoming year has in store.
This year’s survey was made particularly interesting in the context of the EU referendum in June 2016, and provides an important snapshot of current business attitudes, event management strategies, enquiry rates and sales and marketing statistics in the unique venues sector.
Key observations include:
- 73% of venues identified Unique Venues of London as the partnership which produced the most business
- 80% of London venues are generally optimistic about 2017 business prospects
- 75% of venues predict revenue increase in 2017
- 33% of venues are planning to increase headcount in 2017
- In 2016 all the key event categories – Dining events & Receptions, Conferences and Meetings, Private Parties and weddings showed growth
- In 2016 conference and meetings business grew fastest, followed by private parties and dinning events
- In 2016 25% of venues added a new event space
Commenting on the survey results, Lisa Hatswell, general manager of Unique Venues of London said, “Despite a year of global uncertainty, our membership has shown a strong resilience and a positive outlook for the year ahead. Our annual survey aims, not only to recap the year previous, but also to see how we can improve, develop and grow in the future. This highlights the heart of what Unique Venues of London is, a system of support and collaboration that is designed to benefit the members as much as their clientele. We’re looking forward to the challenges of the year ahead”