Events Industry Alliance

What Events Industry Alliance does

The Events Industry Alliance (EIA) is a UK-based trade association and group secretariat formed in 2021 by three constituent associations: the Association of Event Organisers (AEO), the Association of Event Venues (AEV), and the Event Supplier and Services Association (ESSA). It serves as a single platform through which these associations coordinate advocacy, research, and policy engagement on behalf of the UK business events industry. EIA's headquarters are at 119 High Street, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, with a combined secretariat staff of 19 (8 AEO, 5 AEV, 6 ESSA). The legal entity is Events Industry Alliance Ltd, a private limited company jointly governed by the three constituent associations on an annual rotational board chair system.

EIA's core "products" are not technology platforms but rather institutional outputs: the annual SASIE (Size and Scale Index for Exhibitions) report, the Economic Impact Study (showing the UK business events industry adds £11.5bn to the economy and supports 126,000 jobs), the VisitBritain Business Events Report, parliamentary advocacy services, the EIA Manifesto (covering World's Meeting Place, Growth, Skills & People), and cross-association working groups spanning H&S, HR, eGuide, Security, Technology, Sustainability, and Diversity & Inclusion. Its distribution channels include LinkedIn, research publications, parliamentary engagement, press releases, and industry events.

EIA's business model is membership-fee-based: the three constituent associations fund the secretariat via subscription/recurring fees paid by their respective member organizations. Members are event organizers (e.g., dmg events, Easyfairs, Informa Markets), venues (e.g., NEC, Excel London, Manchester Central, ACC Liverpool), and suppliers (e.g., Solutions2, Creative8, ESM, Beechwood Event Flooring). The primary GTM is community-led advocacy: government and parliamentary relations, industry research publication, cross-association working groups, and networking events. EIA supplements internal capacity with retained public affairs (Henham Strategy from March 2026) and communications partners (Cavendish, Davies Tanner).

Name

Events Industry Alliance

Legal name

Events Industry Alliance

Website

https://eventsindustryalliance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Events Industry Alliance is a UK trade association secretariat formed in 2021 by AEO, AEV, and ESSA to coordinate advocacy, research, and policy engagement on behalf of event organizers, venues, and suppliers in the UK business events industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM)

Keywords

• Trade association services
• Industry advocacy representation
• Events industry research
• Government affairs engagement
• Member association secretariat

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkhamsted

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Association Membership Fees: EIA operates as a collective secretariat for three trade associations (AEO, AEV, ESSA). Revenue comes through membership fees from event organizers, venues, and suppliers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Events Industry Alliance (EIA) is the collective secretariat body for three UK trade associations (AEO, AEV, ESSA), providing a unified platform for industry advocacy, parliamentary engagement, market intelligence research (Economic Impact Study, SASIE, VisitBritain Business Events Report), cross-association working groups, and a published policy manifesto to advance the UK business events industry.

Product overview

The Events Industry Alliance (EIA) is an alliance of three trade associations (AEO, AEV, and ESSA) that provides a group secretariat service for the UK events industry. Rather than a software product, the EIA offers a portfolio of research publications (Economic Impact Study, SASIE reports, VisitBritain Business Events Report), parliamentary advocacy services, policy development frameworks, and cross-association working groups. These services work together to represent the collective interests of event organizers, venues, and suppliers to the UK government while providing market intelligence to members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Economic Impact Study

Quantifiable outcome

• UK business events industry adds £11.5 billion to UK economy
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Henham StrategycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 March 2026Appointed as retained public affairs adviser following a competitive process to support the alliance's engagement with government and parliament, strengthening the sector's profile in policy discussions on growth, trade and investment.
• CavendishcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunications consultancy group of over 100 specialists, PRCA National Awards Specialist Consultancy of the Year and No.1 in PRWeek's Public Affairs rankings. Provides ongoing communications and advocacy support for EIA's government engagement.
• All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for EventscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-party parliamentary group chaired by Shaun Davies MP for Telford. AEV joined as corporate member. EIA engages with APPG to advocate for industry interests in Parliament. Has 41 members including 34 Parliamentarians and 7 corporate members.
• European Exhibition Industry Alliance (EEIA)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between two major associations uniting Europe's trade fair organisers, venue operators and service partners. EEIA backs EIA's campaign for UK-EU Mutual Recognition Agreement.
• VisitBritainstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to publish the Business Events Report providing insights into the trade show industry in Britain, highlighting key trends, statistics, and promising sectors for investment and business collaboration.
• Davies TannerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPR and Communications agency that manages the APPG through its The Business of Events Think Tank and Advocacy Network, acting as Special Advisor to the group.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Meetings Industry Association (mia): UK membership association for the meetings, events, and conference sector. Provides accreditation, training, and advocacy — overlaps significantly with EIA's AEO/AEV member base.
• Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO): Trade association for independent exhibition organisers, providing networking, education, and advocacy. Closely comparable to the AEO/AEV function within EIA's structure.
• International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE): International trade association representing exhibition and event organisers, suppliers, and venues — directly analogous to EIA's combined AEO/AEV/ESSA function but with a US/global footprint.
• Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP): UK umbrella body for the business visits and events sector, providing advocacy and representation to government on behalf of its member organisations — directly comparable to EIA's UK policy-advocacy role.
• European Exhibition Industry Alliance (EEIA): European-level alliance of trade fair organisers, venue operators, and service partners — directly comparable in form (umbrella alliance) and function (advocacy to EU institutions), and a current strategic partner of EIA.

Regional players

• UKinbound: UK trade association representing the inbound tourism sector. Adjacent to EIA in that both advocate to UK government on visitor-economy issues, including inbound business events visitors.
• Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA): Regional trade association for the exhibitions and events sector in Australia and New Zealand. Comparable in mission and member structure to EIA, but serves a different geography.

Others

• VisitBritain: UK national tourism agency. Comparable as a partner and data-publisher in the UK business events value chain (EIA co-publishes the Business Events Report with VisitBritain) rather than as a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO): UK association for professional conference organisers and the meetings industry. Smaller scope than EIA but addresses an overlapping segment of the UK business events market.

Broad incumbents

• UFI (Global Association of the Exhibition Industry): Global trade association for exhibition industry operators, venues, and service providers. Operates in the same sector as EIA but at global scale and with broader industry-data programmes, making it the dominant incumbent peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/events-industry-alliance-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Events Industry Alliance