The rumours have been swirling and the bets hedged, and finally the IVCA and Eventia have announced the merging of the two organisations. Both organisations voted at yesterday's IVCA AGM to officially create a new membership organisation representing the two audiences.

Eventia members voted 94% in favour of the merger and 93% of IVCA members voted in favour. Eventia, the official trade body of the events and live marketing industry came to being from a 2006 merger of a trio of organisations. In joining the IVCA’s 25 year history, the two associations will be able to better represent all of their stakeholders in future.

Simon Hughes, chairman of Eventia, says the association had been courting the IVCA for some time in response to concerns about the fragmentation of the events sector due to emerging digital platforms. He says, “This positive endorsement of a merger with the IVCA puts us in a much stronger position as an integral part of the creative communications sector. I'm delighted that our members have supported this, as it demonstrates once again their appetite for progress and willingness to embrace the challenge of change."

Ryan Curtis, marketing executive at DRP Group, which is a member of both organisations, says the merger is a positive move for both the IVCA and Eventia. “There was a lot of overlap between the associations, so [the merger] brings double the amount of knowledge together, double the amount of resources together and unites us to help develop and progress the industry to be better than it already is.”

Though the details are yet to be announced, the move will eliminate a lot of the repetition and overlap in the areas covered by the two trade bodies, Curtis says. He adds that, during the transition, both organisations will focus on ensuring that all members feel included in the new body.

IVCA CEO Marco Forgione says the unification of film, video, digital and live and experiential communications will be worth £40 billion to the UK economy. He says, “This is a really exciting moment for both our associations and both our management teams are really looking forward to blending our talents to further improve the range and quality of the services that we offer to our members.”