Tickets for the Labor Conference’s “Business Day” Sold Out Within Hours

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Labor sold out its party conference “business day” in less than 24 hours after 500 top managers paid £3,000 for a ticket in a “Glastonbury-like” rush.

The high demand for access to the event, where business leaders meet potential future ministers, reflects the opposition party’s strong lead in the polls.

“Getting a ticket to Labor Business Day has become the equivalent of going to Glastonbury for businesses,” said Tim Snowball, head of public affairs at MHP Group, citing the rush to secure a place at one of the biggest events each year to secure music festivals in the world. Sir Keir Starmer’s party had increased the prices for the cheapest tickets by more than 50 percent compared to the previous year.

Entry to the late September event in Liverpool went on sale at 2pm on Tuesday and sold out within 24 hours, Labor officials said, raising more than £1m for party funds ahead of a possible general election in the autumn.

One lobbyist joked: “I was told that if I didn’t get two traffic tickets I would be out of a job. I went online at 2 p.m. but it was nerve-wracking.”

Last year, 200 business people attended the event at the party’s annual conference, paying between £1,620 and £2,100 plus VAT. This year Labor organizers have more than doubled capacity and each participating business will have to pay £2,500 before VAT.

The business day will offer attendees access to “key Labor politicians” at a “networking business lunch” and drinks reception, according to promotional materials, with tickets limited to two per business.

The event will also feature “conversations” and question-and-answer sessions with Starmer, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves and shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds.

Interest in Starmer’s plans for government, particularly the economy, has surged in business circles as the election approaches, with Labor holding an average lead of 20 points over the ruling Conservatives in the polls in recent months.

Although relations are generally warm, business leaders have concerns about some policy areas, such as labor rights reforms, a crackdown on tax breaks for private equity firms and new rules for non-doms.

Labor said business day participants would include executives from a range of industries, including financial services, life sciences, technology, energy and retail.

“We are delighted that so many businesses are interested in learning more about our policies and working with Labor to deliver better outcomes for the UK economy,” Reynolds said.

“We are serious about working hand in hand with business because we know that only when business and government work hand in hand can we grow our economy, create good jobs and deliver better public services.”

Labor raised almost £400,000 from British corporations for an economic conference held at the Oval Cricket Ground in London in February; The event sold 400 tickets at £995 each within four hours.

The Conservatives said corporate interest in their party conference in Birmingham at the end of September was also higher than last year, despite their poor showing in the polls.

The party said some FTSE 100 companies that had not previously taken part had signed up for the event. The commercial space for the event was now 85 percent fully booked and hotel reservations increased by 30 percent.