Guiding Light

The events industry is intrinsically intertwined: there are no events without organisers, nothing to see without suppliers and, with no venues, there’s nowhere to stage an event.  Events and suppliers can move but how do you know what you’re getting when you go from one venue to the next?

This used to be a minefield, but for the past 16 years, the Association of Event Venues (AEV) has provided the eGuide, encompassing a wide range of topics relating to event operations and management, to help organisers, exhibitors and suppliers meet industry standards, best practice and current legislation.

For the past six years, I have had the privilege of chairing the eGuide working group and have been on the committee since its inception in 2007. It is a positive forum for achieving consensus and best practice amongst venues and means the eGuide is compiled and updated by people with in-depth knowledge and experience of the events industry, who recognise the importance of ensuring that everyone working at or visiting our venues is kept safe. By following the eGuide, users can be confident that they are legally compliant and meeting venue requirements.

We review the eGuide annually to ensure it remains current and continues to provide an invaluable resource for our customers and partners in the industry while working in any of the UK’s eGuide-adoptee venues.

Olympia London is proud to be an adoptee. Our clients tell us that, if something new arises or knowledge needs refreshing, the eGuide is the first place they look for guidance; we know that suppliers also find it a useful resource.

In the spirit of collaboration across our industry, the eGuide is available to everyone via the AEV website; a version with highlighted changes and the option to download five sections independently is offered for added convenience.