Business Tourism Partnership Mission

worth with client companies under pressure to demonstrate return
on investment. The challenge now facing the sector is to find
appropriate methods to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of
events being organised. At the same time, clients are looking for
innovation and creativity with an emphasis on participation and,
where events are of a more passive nature, they are looking for
exclusivity and style.
g) OUTDOOR EVENTS
Definition and Background
Outdoor events have taken place in the UK since time immemorial,
but the first real information on such events, jousting tournaments
and village fairs, for example, developed from the times of the
Crusades in the 11 th and 12 th centuries. Nowadays, although not all
falling within the strict parameters of business tourism, high profile
outdoor events cover a breadth of activity from major festivals
(such as Edinburgh International Festival), music events (e.g.
Glastonbury), agricultural shows, sporting and charity events
through to small village and craft events. From the beginning,
outdoor events have drawn large gatherings whether local, national
or international; more so than ever today, the visitor from abroad is
attracted to a myriad of events in the UK, many of them being
steeped in tradition and history.
The world of outdoor events has developed into a highly
professional and quality standard industry made up of local
authorities, show organisers, event management companies,
promoters, venue owners together with suppliers of equipment and
services, entertainment agencies, consultants and practitioners in
general.
Little research into the value of the segment has been undertaken
but a few years ago the National Outdoor Events Association
(NOEA) carried out a survey and conservatively estimated that the
outdoor events industry had an annual turnover of up to £1 billion.
There are probably some 5000 main suppliers of equipment and
services in the UK, plus around 1500 show organisers, local
authorities and event management companies involved in many
thousands of events over the whole country.
The outdoor events industry is a dynamic segment of business
tourism. The NOEA represents many companies generically but
some are also members of specialist trade associations representing
their particular interests eg. Mobile Catering, Production Services,
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