Events: the hidden engine of innovation
From predictive analytics to active travel, public sector events are quietly powering innovation across the UK. Championing collaboration, cost-effective learning and cross-sector breakthroughs, the Events Industry Alliance highlights how conferences and exhibitions help deliver smarter services and stronger communities
Imagine a council facing a surge in social care referrals. At a regional conference, its officers hear how a peer authority has used predictive analytics to manage similar pressures. Within months, the council applies the lessons learned, reporting faster processing and more efficient use of resources. Scenarios like this are echoed across the UK’s public sector – from councils and NHS trusts to central government departments. The catalyst? Face-to-face gatherings where practitioners exchange ideas, solutions and trust.
This network of professional events is championed by the Events Industry Alliance (EIA) – the collective voice of the UK’s conference, exhibition and events sector. EIA brings together the Association of Event Organisers (AEO), the Association of Event Venues (AEV), and the Event Supplier and Services Association (ESSA). Collectively, they shape best practice, advocate for professional gatherings, and ensure that events continue driving innovation in public services. Its directors, Anna Golden, Rachel Parker and Andrew Harrison are clear: the value of events for the public sector has never been greater.
The power of borrowed brilliance
As we face an era of complex social challenges, rapid technological change and rising public expectations, the public sector is under pressure to innovate, collaborate and adapt. Events provide a unique opportunity to meet those demands. When leveraged strategically, they are catalysts for professional development, knowledge transfer and meaningful engagement with stakeholders.
Rachel Parker, AEV & EIA director, explains: “Events create space for co-production and knowledge transfer at scale. The EIA represents world-class venues, helping organisers host high-profile shows across key business sectors serviced by accredited suppliers. We aim to be the voice of the events industry – representing business events. These events are about even more than that – they are about ideas, innovation and impact.”
Independent reviews, including by the National Audit Office, confirm that shared learning environments like conferences deliver skills development more cost-effectively than standalone training programmes. Councils and agencies frequently report that practical solutions gained at conferences – whether strategies for reducing waste or improving procurement – more than repay the cost of attendance.
Accelerating knowledge cost-effectively
For many public servants, a conference is a chance to step away from day-to-day pressures and focus on learning, new connections and fresh ideas. With training budgets under pressure and workloads rising, structured opportunities for development can be hard to come by.
CPD-accredited seminars, interactive training streams and targeted workshops offer a cost-effective way to upskill staff and share knowledge across councils, agencies and departments. Civil Service Live, for example, now welcomes thousands of delegates each year for workshops, peer problem-solving and innovation showcases. Participants hear success stories, test solutions and exchange ideas in real time.
Sector-specific forums such as NHS ConfedExpo at Manchester Central bring together policymakers, frontline workers, academics, private sector partners and service users. These gatherings allow professionals to step outside their immediate operational contexts and engage with ideas and innovations beyond their usual duties.
Breaking down the silos
Events provide the spaces for collaboration that daily routines often don’t allow. At GovTech and digital government summits, for example, housing officers have discovered tools developed by education or health teams that were easily adapted for their own services – reducing response times and freeing staff to focus on complex casework.
As Dr Sarah Chen of the Institute for Government observes: “Modern public challenges like climate change, demographic shifts, or digital transformation don’t fit within silos – and events are where cross-pollination happens.”
Public health teams attending transport conferences have gone on to support active travel programmes, while police working with housing forums have strengthened Neighbourhood Watch and local crime prevention partnerships. These kinds of breakthroughs flourish in shared spaces.
The ROI reality check
It’s reasonable to question whether events are worth the investment. But independent local government reviews have repeatedly shown that the savings and service improvements generated from knowledge shared at events can significantly outweigh their costs.
The benefits go beyond the financial. Conferences help build networks and relationships that last. Time and again, public sector leaders point to connections made at events as the reason they could find answers, share resources, or collaborate more quickly when challenges arise, speeding up progress in ways that simply wouldn’t happen otherwise.
Training and development: building for the future
Events also play a crucial role in future-proofing the workforce. Tailored gatherings provide opportunities for seasoned civil servants as well as early-career professionals. Some start even before full-time employment, such as ‘Step Up Expo,’ ‘What University? What Career? Live’ at Olympia and NEC Birmingham and the ‘London School & College Leaver Festival’ at Excel London.
By equipping young professionals with the tools and networks to thrive, these events support the pipeline of public sector talent. Sector-specific training – from procurement law and emergency response coordination to strategic communications – ensures public servants remain up to date with the latest information and regulations.
The trust dividend
Public sector conferences are not only inward-looking. They also serve as bridges to citizens, civil society and the private sector. Involving external stakeholders builds trust, demystifies policy processes and generates valuable feedback on service design and delivery.
Local youth summits, for example, have brought together council staff, young people and service providers to co-design employment and training initiatives – with some reporting significant reductions in youth unemployment and stronger community-led strategies.
Public-private events such as GovTech summits extend possibilities further, enabling partnerships with start-ups, consultancies and large technology providers. These collaborations can drive procurement innovation and better align public needs with market capabilities.
The collaboration imperative
The EIA itself plays a unique role in this landscape. Over the past four years, it has hosted two parliamentary receptions, giving Ministers, Shadow Cabinet members and MPs the chance to hear directly from organisers, venues and suppliers. These occasions also introduced the EIA manifesto, aimed at building understanding and collaboration across party lines.
The manifesto champions five pillars crucial to public policy and service delivery: maintaining recovery, supporting growth, positioning the UK as the world’s meeting place, embedding sustainability, and developing skills and talent.
Andrew Harrison, ESSA & EIA director, sums it up: “Our manifesto advocates for a stronger strategic role for business events. These events help shape markets, build professional capacity and support domestic and international trade – all priorities for public policy.”
Conclusion: events as catalysts
The UK events industry already drives £70bn of trade into the economy and supports 180,000 businesses – but its value to the public sector goes far beyond economics.
Think back to that council tackling social care pressures. Multiply that story across every department and agency, from housing and education to policing and climate resilience. Conferences and events give public servants the chance to share what works, avoid costly mistakes and build partnerships that make a tangible difference in people’s lives.
As Anna Golden, AEO & EIA director, notes: “Events give the public sector a chance to step outside daily pressures, share ideas and discover solutions that can transform communities.”
The public sector cannot afford to overlook the potential of conferences and events. Harnessed well, they are catalysts for progress.
