Britain for Events, the annual marketing campaign promoting Britain as a world class destination for events, has received the endorsement of John Penrose MP, the Minister for Tourism and Heritage.

Penrose said: “Any campaign that showcases the excellent work done by the UK events industry should be celebrated, and I’m delighted to support Britain for Events and its mission to encourage organisers of events to buy British. Already the UK has shown its expertise and creativity in some of the largest and most recognised events on the planet; spanning festivals, sporting, cultural and large scale business events and meetings.

“This campaign targets not just the people that create and bring events to these shores, but also the people that attend and enjoy them, that seek inspiration and learning from them; this is critical in underlining that this is a country that believes and values the power of events.”

Now in its tenth year, the campaign will focus on every aspect of events, from live music, sport, festivals and cultural events to meetings, conferences, exhibitions and trade shows. Running from September 2011 to March 2012, the campaign culminates in a week of events and activities, including the International Confex trade show, taking place at ExCeL London.

The campaign is supported by the Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP), VisitBritain, International Confex and a stakeholder network of more than 27 UK based trade bodies and associations; plus venue, destination, event supplier and corporate supporters.

Michael Hirst, chair of BVEP, added: “We are delighted and honoured to have secured the minister’s endorsement. It underlines the importance of events to the UK’s economy as well as highlighting the campaign’s credibility within the wider business community.”

Pictured: John Penrose MP, the Minister for Tourism and Heritage