Downturn. The sweeping cuts in public spending that have already been announced by the new Government are already feeding through to meeting venues, according to a new survey published by the Meetings Industry Association (MIA). The online survey, which polled 1180 venues, shows that 58.4% of those surveyed reported cancellations in public sector bookings during the past two weeks. In addition, 47.7% of those who have not yet seen cancellations or reductions in bookings have been warned by government clients to expect reduced levels of business. A further 35.7% of venues also report public sector clients renegotiating confirmed or agreed rates. MIA Chairman, Peter Darnell, comments; “This is a worrying although not wholly unexpected picture for our members and the wider industry, and we will be doing everything possible to offer as much support over the coming months as we can. We will also be looking at ways in which our AIM accredited venues can be further promoted to both the corporate and not for profit sectors to minimise the overall impact of any public sector decline. Now more than ever we need to be selling back the benefits of face to face communication at every opportunity.”
