Experience Oxfordshire has launched a new promotional video to boost Oxfordshire’s appeal within the UK’s thriving business events sector.
The event industry, which contributes over £61 billion in direct economic value to the UK, is a key target for Oxfordshire’s diverse venues and high-quality visitor experiences. The video, part of a comprehensive suite of assets, aims to attract business visits, meetings, incentives, conferences, and events (BVE/MICE) to the county, showcasing its offerings in this competitive market. Despite operating in a highly competitive global marketplace, Oxfordshire is a destination which attracts great interest from this sector and activity in this area delivers tangible results.
Earlier this year, the Experience Oxfordshire team exhibited at CHS Leeds, a one-day show for business visits and event organisers and the largest MICE exhibition outside London. Joining forces with The Delegate Wranglers® as a stand partner, a mix of pre-scheduled appointments and walk-ups on the day delivered some quality requests for proposals from Oxfordshire venues, and many new connections were made.
International business visitors spent £5.2 billion in the UK in 2023 and accounted for 17% of all trips and spend made by inbound visitors in that year. The value of these travellers has grown over time and has shown a swift recovery post-pandemic with spend up on 2022 and only just behind that achieved in 2019.
November will see the Experience Oxfordshire team on the MeetEngland stand at IBTM World in Barcelona, the leading global event for the meetings, incentives, conferences, and events industry. With 4,700 registered buyers, the event provides Experience Oxfordshire with an opportunity to present the county’s venues and attractions to a high-value sector.
In February, more than 1000 organisers, agencies, and corporate buyers are expected to attend International Confex at London’s Excel, where the Experience Oxfordshire team will represent the county and share updates on its Venue Partners’ offerings. Oxfordshire’s Local Economy Partnership partly supports the team’s participation at Confex through the Visitor Economy Renaissance Programme, an initiative to revitalise and strengthen the county’s visitor economy. This presence at Confex allows Oxfordshire to connect with key stakeholders in the business events sector.
Hayley Beer-Gamage, Experience Oxfordshire CEO said, “Business visitors have shorter stays, but have a higher value. In Oxfordshire our business visitors stay on average three nights, accounting for 23% of all visits and 20% of spend. This is because in Oxfordshire we have the right mix of product and experience to deliver beyond the expectation of this market. For our local businesses to continue to thrive it’s important to communicate effectively with agents and buyers to ensure they are aware of all we can offer. Exhibitions provide the opportunity to meet one-to-one with these key influencers and we are delighted to have this new video with which to showcase our county and the wonderful range of Venue Partners we represent.”
These outreach activities are supported by the core Experience Oxfordshire team, including the Experience Oxfordshire Venue Finding Service, which handles requests for advice and information for free on an ongoing basis from enquirers from across the globe. During the last 18 months, the team handled a range of enquiries from event organisers based in the UK, Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, Spain and the USA worth about £1 million.
The latest edition of the Digital Experience Oxfordshire Venues Guide – a comprehensive, 62-page resource – offers buyers an in-depth look at the range, diversity, and quality of venues, incentives, and experiences available in Oxfordshire. An accompanying promotional video showcases the county’s venue selection, with options spanning sleek, modern facilities to sites steeped in history and heritage. The video highlights Oxfordshire’s top-tier facilities and inspirational settings, providing a compelling overview for buyers seeking business event locations.
Click here to find out more about Experience Oxfordshire.
