Outdoor events contribute more than 拢30 billion to the UK economy each year, new research by 天美传媒 (BU) has found. The report, launched at the House of Commons on Thursday 24 October, was commissioned by the Events Industry Forum (EIF).
The research, carried out by BU academics Dr Caroline Jackson, Professor Adam Blake and Jon Hibbert, revealed that outdoor events have been undervalued for the contribution they make to the economy.
In the South West region, outdoor events including the Bournemouth Air Festival and Arts by the Sea contributed 拢2.3 billion to the local economy in 2018.
According to the research findings, outdoor events provide employment for 589,000 people and are attended by 141,500,000 people who spend 拢39.5 billion at events.
The research shows that outdoor events have a raft of positive benefits including creating a positive image for the community where they are located, offering a feeling of optimism for all involved and creating a sense of community spirit.聽A minority of people reported concerns around events including congestion, antisocial behaviour and waste. But most people thought that outdoor events were safe,聽secure and of good quality.
Steve Heap, chair of the EIF, called the research a piece of valuable work.
Dr Jackson said: 鈥淥utdoor events happen all the time and we don鈥檛 always recognise that they are happening around us. There鈥檚 year-round activity and no down time any more.
鈥淭he temporary nature of events makes them a higher risk. They are potentially under threat because of austerity so we needed to argue their case 鈥� socially and economically.聽In terms of income generated, the outdoor events industry is larger than forestry and fishing, agriculture, air transport and recreation.鈥�
To download the full report,聽
