One of the many challenges the events industry experienced when engaging with the Government during the pandemic was providing evidence of the size of our industry. From a statistics point of view, our industry is currently “invisible” due to the lack of data tracking our businesses.

To generate data, and in turn statistical presence and awareness of the events industry, it is essential for us to use relevant Standard Industrial Classification of economic activities (SIC) codes.

These codes differ from your standard tax code; they are used purely to track the size of your business and its contribution to the industry. By supplying this data, it enables the tracking of the number of companies operating in the industry and gives an indication of emerging trends and the strength of the UK economy.

EIA has been working with other BVEP partners (Beam, PLASA and others from the EU and USA) in campaigning for some changes to these codes to make them more relevant – but it may take years. For this reason, we are suggesting an interim solution.

There are over 600 individual SIC codes to choose from so we have made a selection of five which, although may not match your business exactly, do represent the events industry. The more of these five you use, the more likely our contribution will be seen and measured.

You are required to provide at least one code but can submit up to four codes.

We have discovered that the most commonly used code among our event members is 68202 and we ask that you add this to your companies house registration as soon as possible. This can be in addition to the codes you already use but it would further the cause if you would also use as many of the remaining four codes (56210, 82301, 82302, 90020) as possible.

68202: Letting and operating of conference and exhibition centres

56210: Event catering activities.

90020: Support activities to performing arts

82301: Activities of exhibition and fair organisers

82302: Activities of conference organisers

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