Associations Are Feeling the Royal Wedding Fever, Too
From catering trend-spotters to tourism organizations, lots of associations will have their eyes on the Royal Wedding this weekend, just like seemingly everyone else.
Royal weddings, like Saturday’s union of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, don’t come up very often, but when they do, often the run-up to the nuptials seems like it lasts forever.
On the plus side, that creates a lot of opportunities for all kinds of organizations to prepare for the big moment. And, of course, associations are all over it. Among the myriad ways associations are acting upon, talking about, or at least showing that the British royal family is on their minds:
An obvious tourism boost. In comments to CNN Money, the British travel group UKinbound is psyched for the boost of attention the wedding will offer. Deirdre Wells, the head of the group, told the outlet that the wedding was “the best free advertising we can wish for as a country and reminds people that they should come to the UK.”
A charitable wedding gift. In honor of the royal nuptials, the car company MINI created a special car that celebrates the couple, complete with a one-of-a-kind design that features a fancy roof and 3D-printed details. But Prince Harry and Markle will not keep the gift. Rather, per the couple’s wishes, it will be donated to The Children’s HIV Association, who will auction off the vehicle after the wedding, according to De Zeen. Check out the video above if you’re in the market for a one-of-a-kind car.
Drinking advice. There will likely be much revelry during Saturday’s wedding, and the British Beer and Pub Association is making sure that its members are aware of what’s different. The association released a Royal Wedding fact sheet [PDF] that explains the rules and restrictions that are put into place for the wedding.
Scouting design trends. Royal weddings are often trendsetters for weddings that don’t fall under the royal seal, and as a result, an industry group that’s likely to be directly affected by Saturday’s event is the National Association for Catering and Events. On May 29, the group will hold a virtual hangout to discuss what might be on the way for the field. Among the questions the association will discuss with design consultant Carrie Dayton: “How will Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding change our industry? What specific design features did we see? What cultural differences exist between British and American weddings?”
If you find yourself up in the middle of the night watching the big event, perhaps it’s something you can consider, as well, for your own events.
Even if you don’t put on weddings, there has to be something there, right?
(DavidCallan/iStock Unreleased/Getty Images Plus)
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