The UK's marketing agency VisitBritain is taking control of management of the annual National Meetings Week campaign from Meetings and Incentive Travel magazine (M&IT) in a bid to widen the project's scope and broaden its appeal across the UK meetings and events industry.

The campaign, now in its eighth year, has grown rapidly and is now looking to take another step forward for the industry.

"VisitBritain has supported National Meetings Week for the past few years and recognises the important part it plays in raising awareness of the value of meetings to the UK economy," said Joss Croft, VisitBritain's head of business visits and events. "Taking on the campaign is a natural fit so we are delighted to be taking it forward.

"Through VisitBritain we can spread the campaign further through our public and private partnerships, as well as our relationships with industry and the media, ensuring it continues to grow as an all inclusive event that the whole of the industry can back."

Meanwhile, M&IT managing editor Martin Lewis said: "Our agreement with Visit Britain will ensure the long-term future of this outstanding campaign. It is right and proper that our national tourist office's business tourism division should drive it. There are now National Meetings Weeks around the world and, in every case, these are driven by the tourist boards."