Self-Assessment Tool for Business Events
Intro to Business Event toolkit
This self-assessment questionnaire is designed to encourage you to think about your destination, resources and budget to help you gain a realistic understanding of what it entails to identify, attract and secure business events for your destination.
Answer the questions and keep a note of your score. At the end calculate your total score and see the responses below.
Questions
1. Does your destination have an international airport within one hour of the main convention centre or city/town centre? | |
| Yes, it is within 30 minutes | 2 points |
| Yes, it is within 60 minutes | 1 point |
| No, there isn’t one | 0 points |
2. Does your destination have a purpose-built convention and/or exhibition centre? | |
| Yes, a modern purpose-built facility | 2 points |
| Yes, but it is a multi-purpose venue | 1 point |
| No, we do not | 0 points |
3. What educational establishments (post-16 education) does your destination have? | |
| Major universities and research institutions | 2 points |
| Colleges or vocational schools | 1 point |
| None or very limited | 0 points |
4. Do you have a business events strategy (either stand-alone or part of a Destination Management Plan)? | |
| Yes, a comprehensive stand-alone strategy | 2 points |
| Yes, but it is part of a larger plan | 1 point |
| No | 0 points |
5. Do you have a dedicated resource for proactively targeting business events to your destination? This could be a single person or a team (e.g., Convention Bureau). | |
| Yes, a dedicated team | 2 points |
| Yes, a single individual | 1 point |
| No dedicated resource | 0 points |
6. Do you have a dedicated website for business events? (This could be part of the leisure tourism website, for example, Visit West has a page for Meet Bristol.) | |
| Yes, a dedicated website | 2 points |
| Yes, a section on a general tourism site | 1 point |
| No website presence | 0 points |
7. Do you have a business events brand? (For example, Meet Cambridge.) | |
| Yes, a strong, recognisable business events brand | 2 points |
| Yes, but it’s not well established | 1 point |
| No | 0 points |
8. Do you have a subvention fund for business events? | |
| Yes, with significant funds available | 2 points |
| Yes, but with limited funds | 1 point |
| No | 0 points |
9. Do you have public sector funding for your staff / activities relating to business events? | |
| Yes, more than 75% of our funding is from the public sector | 2 points |
| Yes, but we rely more on private sector funding (commission/membership) | 1 point |
| No, we receive no public sector funding and are 100% reliant on private sector income | 0 points |
Calculate your results
16-18 Points: An Advanced Business Events Destination
You’re already well-established in the business events sector. Most likely you have an international airport nearby, purpose-built facilities, and a strong business events infrastructure and your destination is primed to attract global attention.
The combination of dedicated resources, a clear strategy, and a robust brand shows you’re serious about attracting major conventions. You have well-established partnerships within your destination, for example, with universities, or inward investment teams who support you to win business and deliver impact.
Add in a subvention fund, and you’re likely competing with the best international locations for high-profile events.
12-15 Points: A Strong Contender
Your destination has solid foundations for business events success. With key infrastructure like a nearby airport and a convention centre and university, as well as resources to support event attraction, you’re already a successful contender for national business events and potential to explore international markets.
A few gaps — perhaps a dedicated business events website or the absence of a subvention fund — might limit your reach, but overall, you’re a reliable and attractive choice for business tourism.
9-11 Points: A Growing Business Hub
There’s definite potential in your destination. Some key elements are in place, like a convention centre / large meeting space and you’re already focusing on business events with a basic strategy.
Investing in dedicated resources, being proactive in identifying and pursuing new business event opportunities, creating a distinct brand, and online presence could elevate you further. With a little more development, you could soon be a major player in the domestic business events scene.
5-9 Points: A Budding Destination
Your destination has some features that hint at potential but lacks the infrastructure needed to truly compete with top business event locations.
You might have educational establishments and a few venues, but a dedicated business events strategy, resources, and branding are currently missing. Building a stronger identity and infrastructure will attract more interest and could lead to higher-impact events.
0-4 Points: In the Early Stages
You’re just beginning to tap into the business events market. There’s a lot of room for growth, but starting with a clear strategy, investing in dedicated resources, and building a business events brand could make all the difference.
It may also mean that business events are not necessarily the best approach for your location and your focus may be better placed for attracting alternative business, for example, from leisure visitors. It will require some serious investment to move forward including resource and infrastructure development.
Ensuring that you have sufficient funding to cover adequate staffing and activity relating to business events is essential. A mix of public and private sector funding is key — a heavy reliance on commission income is not a sustainable model.
Now that you have your score, it is intended to help guide your next steps. Throughout the toolkit, you will find references to Essentials, Established, Advanced within each section, making it easier to identify content most relevant to your destination.
This framework is not designed to rigidly define your current position but rather to act as a flexible guide, highlighting areas to focus on as you work towards advancing business events in your destination. Use it as a starting point to prioritise actions and develop your strategy.