The gathering, due to be held in Birmingham from 29 September to 2 October, would usually attract corporate attendees willing to pay tens of thousands of pounds to get close to MPs with influence over policy.
But Labour's landslide election victory means this year's event is on track to be the least popular in living memory, according to several public affairs firms and business leaders.
They said it was likely to be less well attended by business leaders than the one held after Tony Blair's 1997 victory and even Labour conferences under Jeremy Corbyn.
"The lack of appetite among business for the Conservative party conference is no doubt fuelled not just by the attractiveness of Labour, but also a realisation that the Conservative party is at a real inflection point," said Katherine Morgan, the head of public affairs for Europe at the global advisory group DGA.
"The challenge for the Conservatives will be ensuring that September marks the beginning of the journey towards re-establishing their credentials as 'the party of business'." Several agencies are understood to have cancelled dinners they were due to host or scaled back delegations, with one saying that only one of its 70 clients was planning to attend.
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Denne historien er fra July 24, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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