The National Event Strategy for Wales
CLIENT: Event Wales, part of the Welsh Government, responsible for national event strategy, investment, and sector development.
THE PROJECT: To refresh Wales’ national event strategy and create a new, industry‑wide strategy to guide the sector through to 2030.
The opportunity:
Wales had evolved significantly since the original strategy was published. The country had entered the business events market, invested in new venues and capability, and delivered major events of scale. Wales had also enacted the Well‑being of Future Generations (Wales) Act, setting seven long‑term well‑being goals that now shaped national policy and investment. The refreshed strategy needed to reflect this new direction, capture the sector’s expanded capability, and shift from a government‑only strategy to one genuinely owned by the wider events ecosystem.
How we worked:
This work was contracted by Purple Moon, with Daylight as the associate. The project followed a five‑stage methodology:
Scoping and research: desktop research, background interviews, and early client engagement to define the project scope, consultation focus, and initial strategic outline.
Consultation: extensive one‑to‑one and group interviews with event organisers; arts, sport, and local authority partners; business events representatives; and venues across Wales.
Key themes development: synthesis of consultation insights and research into a set of agreed strategic themes.
Draft strategy: development of the new national strategy, iterated with Event Wales.
Refinement and launch: Finalisation of the strategy and presentation at the national events conference in July 2022.
The outcome:
The strategy is now in implementation and has begun shaping funding programmes and investment decisions. In his foreword, the Minister for the Economy highlighted the strong consensus for continued joint working and the strategy’s role as a shared plan between government and industry. It positions events as a contributor to Wales’ seven well‑being goals, as set out in the Well‑being of Future Generations (Wales) Act, and provides a focused framework for building on past successes and pursuing new opportunities through to 2030.
Other strategic and system-view work:
Halifax Regional Event Strategy 2035 and Major Event Policy (Discover Halifax, with Purple Moon, Eventyr Consulting and McLean Events)
Glasgow Events Strategy 2035 (Glasgow Life, with Purple Moon and Jo Coleman)
Major Events Implementation Plan and Prospecting Plan (Christchurch NZ, with Jo Coleman)
Liverpool City Region Events Strategy (Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, with Purple Moon, Eventyr Consulting and McLean Events)
Napier Facilities Review (Napier City Council, with Visitor Solutions and Jo Coleman)
Major Events Framework for prioritisation and funding (Tauranga City Council)
Events ecosystem assessment and framework development (Whanganui District Council, with Jo Coleman)
A three year operational strategic plan (adaptMTB)
Workshop facilitation for Strategy Development (NZ Choral Federation)
National Sport Facility Strategy Advisory Group (Sport NZ)
High Performance Funding (HPSNZ)
PNZ and NZOC Synergy Review (Paralympics NZ and New Zealand Olympic Committee)