A second public affairs executive at a major trade body said their mid-term presence had been subject to a big debate in the office, but the Burnham bounce meant that “what looked like a bit of a gamble has turned into a good bet.”
“We’ve definitely pared back our presence at the opposition conferences, as much because we can’t justify the time out of the office as much as the cost of going,” that lobbyist said.
One public affairs company with event space in the Liverpool secure zone at Labour conference is charging between £10,000 and £15,000 to host a one-hour panel session, a pricing document seen by POLITICO suggests. Multiple public affairs executives said that is standard pricing, and often doesn’t include prices for catering and AV support.
Even the most basic presence at Labour conference is getting increasingly expensive.
A commercial guest pass now costs £1,820. That’s up from £1,600 last year, which in itself was a rise of over £500 from the previous year. The ticket price for a third-sector attendee — including charity staff — has now hit £645, up from £552 last year, which was already more than double the cost from 2023.
Alexander Gray, deputy director for external affairs at Energy UK, said: “The thing now, compared to previous years, is obviously having to split conference budgets potentially up to five or seven ways if you need to be present at all the major ones.”
Gray said the cost “that stung the most recently” was the “£500 plus” charge for a microphone — without a lectern — for “what you know is a three-minute speech.”