Committee publication · Correspondence · 24 June 2026
Letter from Stephanie Peacock MP, Minister for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth, regarding business event, 24 June 2026
From: Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Inquiry: State of Play: Business events
Summary
Minister Stephanie Peacock responds to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee's questions about the Department's decision to end the Business Events Growth Programme (BEGP) and remove ringfenced funding for business events. She defends the move as a budget prioritisation decision by the British Tourist Authority, commits to publishing a wider Visitor Economy strategy, and states the government will maintain support for UK business events through restructured arrangements and the MeetEngland brand.
Key findings
- UK conferences and meetings generated £22.5 billion for the national economy in 2025, up from £19.3 billion in 2024, demonstrating sector resilience despite funding cuts.
- The BEGP ending and ringfenced funding removal resulted from a flat cash settlement to the British Tourist Authority following the last Spending Review, not a deliberate strategic withdrawal.
- Government will publish approaches to the Visitor Economy and Major Events, and plans to take a list of business events to Cabinet to secure cross-government ministerial support.
- UK-wide coordination will no longer be centrally undertaken by VisitBritain; funding focus shifts to England via the MeetEngland brand, with Devolved Nations managing their own convention bureaux.
- No specific projection of the decision's impact on economic growth or export earnings has been requested by HM Treasury, though DCMS continues close liaison with HM Treasury on visitor economy funding.
Government position
The government partially accepts the concerns raised but defends the restructuring. It acknowledges the sector's economic importance and commits to ongoing engagement and strategy development, but maintains that budget constraints necessitated the British Tourist Authority's prioritisation decisions. It rejects the premise of a strategic withdrawal, instead framing the changes as a refocusing of resources toward England and a shift toward local authority-led bidding, while preserving cross-departmental support for business events.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Stephanie Peacock MP, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, British Tourist Authority, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, HM Treasury, Department for Business and Trade, VisitBritain, MeetEngland
Notable line
“UK conferences and meetings generating an estimated £22.5 billion for the national economy in 2025, up from £19.3 billion in”
Key Quotes
“UK conferences and meetings generating an estimated £22.5 billion for the national economy in 2025, up from £19.3 billion in”
“DCMS gave the British Tourist Authority (BTA) a flat cash settlement following the last Spending Review.”
“We are due to publish our approaches to the Visitor Economy and to Major Events, both of which will consider the role of business events.”
“UK-wide coordination will no longer be undertaken centrally by VisitBritain in the way it was previously.”
“DCMS and VisitBritain are working closely together to ensure continuity throughout the transition and to protect the existing pipeline of business events already in development.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗