He said the appointment of Maria Miller as the new Minister for Culture, Media and Sport should also be seen as a good sign for the industry. "It is within her home constituency of Basingstoke that we have seen such positive support for events at a local level."
Hirst added that the inclusion of Seb Coe into a shared responsibility with the ‘Great’ events programme, and the appointment of Locog chief executive Paul Deighton into the Treasury, should again be seen as a "positive for the industry" given their collective efforts in delivering the London 2012 Games.
He said: "We're obviously sorry to see John Penrose leave DCMS. Having worked closely with John over the years we have seen him become a big fan of the UK events industry and a proactive advocate. However we are equally confident that the new ministers will continue the good work."
He said BVEP and the Britain for Events campaign will be looking to speak to the new ministers as soon as possible to gain further support for the industry.
It’s a task that industry association Eventia also intends to support.
In a letter congratulating Robertson on his new role, Eventia Chairman, Simon Hughes, has asked who the industry needs to engage with in government to maximise on the Olympic halo effect?
Hughes said: "In the portfolio of responsibilities that the DCMS has, the event industry as a major employer in the creative industries sector does not appear by name. Whilst many of our members work on both tourism and sports related activities, many also deliver services and expertise in events that extend far beyond this narrow remit."
He questioned where best the association should be developing partnerships with government to ensure it can help deliver on many of the legacy promises relating to economic growth prospects.
"One of the clear lessons learnt from this success is that having a fixed focus on outcomes and delivering in partnership are the only ways to achieve world class results," said Hughes. "To that end we extend a warm welcome to the new Tourism and Sport Minister with a hope that we can work together in the future to make sure this continues to happen."
Last week, Hughes said the reshaping of the Cabinet presents a "real challenge" for the event industry when it comes to getting the right messages across to key government ministers and departments.
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