OIA claims landmark moment for UK outdoor industry
29/05/2012
The forum was organised by OIA chief executive, Andrew Denton, with support from one of the members of Parliament, David Rutley, who gave the keynote speech during the event. Contributions were also made on the night by many leading names from the outdoor sector, including Dave Turnbull, chief executive of the British Mountaineering Council, Ian Harris from the English Outdoor Council, Louise Stewart, director of partnerships and performance at Visit England, Kurt Janson, policy director for the Tourism Alliance, and Mark Held, secretary general for the European Outdoor Group.
The event lasted three hours and covered a wide range of topics. One of the key conclusions was that the outdoor sector has a large number of reasons to engage with government and the general public; the challenge is to focus down to specific issues and actions.
After the event Andrew Denton commented: “The forum at Westminster was an incredibly useful event and I believe it represented a landmark moment for the UK’s outdoor industry. By bringing all of those senior figures together in parliament, we were able to demonstrate to both ourselves and to the government, that the sector is united in its desire to put the outdoors at the heart of the national political agenda. The role of the Outdoor Industries Association is crucial – we are co-ordinating a united approach that can have a profound and long-term impact on our sector and on society in general.”
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