Eventia and BACD to merge (Industry)

The British Association of Conference Destinations (BACD) announced that its members have voted unanimously in favour of a proposal for BACD to merge with the trade body, Eventia. The announcement was made at Aston Business School in Birmingham earlier today.
(16 July '08)


The vote at the BACD AGM was the culmination of a lengthy series of consultations and discussions held between the respective Boards and members of the two Associations. Hamish Reid, Chair of BACD, spearheaded the discussions on behalf of BACD.

Hamish Reid commented: “The Board of BACD are delighted that the members of the Association have made the decision to merge with Eventia. The official merger takes place on January 1st 2009 but, in the meantime, we will be working closely with the Board of Eventia to build an association that represents a significant proportion of the multi-billion pound UK events industry. The motion was carried unanimously and I believe this demonstrates the high level of support across the British Isles for such a trade body.”

Combining the resources of these two major industry bodies will mean greater benefits for both sets of members. Eventia and BACD already offer a range of training and support options through a variety of educational and networking events – benefits that will be greatly enhanced when offered through a single major industry group. Each Association also has strong ties to Government. Speaking with a united voice will only strengthen the impact of messages put forward, raising the profile and the status of the industry as a whole.

Following the merger the BACD brand will disappear but collaborative marketing opportunities will continue to be offered to the community of British conference and event destinations.

Patrick Collins, Eventia Chair and former Chairman of Universal CIT said: “This is fantastic news for the industry. We shall be giving BACD members a very warm welcome into Eventia and working hard to develop the synergies between the respective memberships. With a higher proportion of UK-managed events remaining in the UK, a joining of the two groups will mean that British destinations in particular can be promoted even more positively to the wider business community.”

News of the merger was also welcomed by external parties. “It makes sense for some of the larger industry bodies to merge together as they are striving to achieve the same objectives," said Simon Thompson, MD of ConferenceVenues.com. "I think the merger between Eventia and BACD will only strengthen the BACD’s position and wouldn’t be surprised if more mergers took place in the near future.”

Eventia itself grew from the merger of the ITMA and the CEA in January 2006. It offers its membership a variety of networking opportunities, education options, social events, good practice guidance and benchmarks. Currently totalling over 270 members, this will increase by 50 with the addition of the BACD membership.

RK  _________________________________________