Olympic code for event management under development

Friday 15th of February 2008

Event management companies in the UK are being encouraged to recognise a voluntary code concerning their policies in the run up to the 2012 Olympic Games.

A framework for the code of practice is under development by Visit London and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and is intended to ensure that event management firms help to promote a positive image of London and the UK to businesses.

David Hornby, commercial director of Visit London, remarks that significant opportunities are presented by the games for the event management industry.

"The challenge is to avoid the mistakes of previous host cities and to promote the positive message that London and the UK can reflect the values of the Olympic stakeholders," he observed.

Those bodies that have already made a commitment to the charter include the British Association of Conference Destinations, the Meetings Industry Association and Unique Venues of London, among a number of others.

Firms that apply the charter to their operations are set to benefit from the promotional efforts aimed at the International Olympic Committee as well as other associated sectors and the world's media, meetpie.com reports.

Visit London runs a Business Tourism Monitor which this time last year celebrated the continued success of event management, with operations based in the city predicting increasing demand in the months ahead.