UK Modern Slavery Act for Events in Hotel RFPs (Plain English Definition + Examples)

Definition

The UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires UK businesses with £36M+ turnover to publish an annual statement disclosing the steps taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains — which, for events, includes hotel staff (cleaning, F&B), AV contractors, and transport providers.

In European MICE sourcing, uk modern slavery act for events sits inside a broader workflow that includes the brief, the longlist, the shortlist, the contract negotiation, and the post-event reconciliation. Understanding it in isolation is not enough — what matters is how it interacts with the other levers a planner can pull. The definition above is the textbook version; the sections below explain how it actually behaves in real RFPs.

Why UK Modern Slavery Act for Events matters

Most enterprise event RFPs now include a Modern Slavery Act questionnaire — covering hotel employment practices, sub-contractor labour, recruitment fees, and audit history. A hotel that cannot answer 'yes' to standard MSA questions often gets disqualified from preferred-supplier lists. The Act also reaches the event production chain (build, decor, transport).

Example

UK financial corporate sources a Paris event. RFP includes MSA section: 'Does the hotel use sub-contracted cleaning/F&B? What audit do you perform on those contractors? Have you found any non-compliance in the past 24 months?' Two of 8 invited hotels can't provide audit evidence — disqualified. The other 6 progress.

Where UK Modern Slavery Act for Events appears in contracts

MSA compliance is in the RFP and the supplier vetting process, not usually in the hotel contract itself. UK corporates' MSA statement (public document) references the policies that flow into RFPs.

Related terms

Deeper reading