VisitBritain is set to showcase the very best of business events in the UK with a free virtual trade show that will take place from Feb. 15-17.
Registration is now open for MeetGB Virtual 2022, an online event hosted on VisitBritain’s own dedicated platform, which will invite international buyers to connect in real time with UK destinations and venues. The virtual event will feature 70 participating UK suppliers including some of the country’s leading destinations and venues.
The new online format will offer both buyers and suppliers the flexibility to create their own schedule, while helping to create business opportunities and support the UK MICE industry build back demand for live events as it reopens.
The first two days of the event (Feb. 15-16) will allow attendees to create their own flexible schedule of one-to-one meetings, followed by an educational day (Feb. 17) where delegates may drop into the platform and explore how the UK is shaping the future of business events.
MeetGB Virtual 2022 will offer a space where business connections can grow, keeping the UK front-of-mind as a leading destination for international meetings, in order to help drive back demand and bookings.
Over the past 18 months, the UK business events industry has consistently shown, on a global scale, its resilience and collaboration, working together to ensure it is ready to safely welcome back visitors. The UK has also been recognized for its ability to adapt to the restrictions posed by the pandemic, with UK destinations, venues and agencies enhancing their hybrid and virtual event technology during this period to provide planners with alternative ways of staying connected and doing business.
During 2021, the UK hosted the G7 Summit in Cornwall in June and the recent COP26 in Glasgow, two globally significant events that focus on key challenges of our time. The UK is also set to host a summit of Foreign and Development Ministers from the G7 in December in Liverpool. These events all demonstrate that the UK is ready to meet again, and can host large-scale, world-class business events.
In 2022, the UK will host several major events that will be significant global tourism draws, such as HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and ‘UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK’ 2022—promoting the UK’s creativity and innovation to the world.
As well as offering planners a portfolio of contemporary convention centers, historical stately homes and castles, sporting arenas and unique venue options, the UK’s expertise in key sectors such as Health & Life Science, Finance and Tech, and fast growing sectors such as MedTech, Robotics-AI, Cyber and Cleantech, is also a draw for leading association, trade shows and B2B conferences.
New facilities in the UK include the £260 million convention center Gateshead Quays, which will open in 2023. NewcastleGateshead has seen major investment, and as a result has been named “the UK’s smartest city” thanks to its pioneering work in technological innovation. London ExCeL is set to expand with more than 82,000 sf of additional space, while the NEC Group is poised to create more than 45,000 sf of new outdoor space in Birmingham as part of its campus redevelopment.
The UK is shaping the future of events, and the upcoming MeetGB Virtual 2022 online trade show will offer a deep dive into everything it has to offer.
For more information, go to eventsaregreat.com.
