Association of Event Venues hosts 15th anniversary conference

The Association of Event Venues welcomed over 200 venue professionals to the AEV Conference at Manchester Central on Thursday, 4 July. The theme of the event was ‘New Horizons’, looking back at the association’s 15-year history, and looking forward to the next 15. Dan Thurlow, chair of the AEV board, gave a rundown of the associations achievements and milestones. Clare-Lena Miller-Davis from P&J Live also revealed how Aberdeen City Council and Henry Boot invested £333m in its new state-of-the-art event campus. Graeme Codrington of Tomorrow Today Global spoke about the future of the venue sector, while Phil Jones MBE, managing director of Brother UK Sale, also delivered a keynote address.

After the conference, delegates attended the AEV’s 15th Anniversary Party at Dirty Martini. Michelle Baldwin senior event manager at NEC, said: “We’ve heard some fantastic material today, and I’ll be taking ideas about brand perception, changing visitor profiles, and attracting young talent, back to the NEC to discuss with my colleagues. “It’s also a great chance to catch up with other industry peers and colleagues, and get a sense of the state of the industry at large.” AEV director Rachel Parker added: “It’s been an exhilarating day, and I’m incredibly grateful to Manchester Central for providing us not only with a superb venue for this special, 15th anniversary edition of our conference, but also our brilliant conference chair, Shaun Hinds.”