Mailbag

Please click here to post a new thread


Michael Foreman of Kenes UK Ltd 22/12/2011 [0]

Calling senior London hoteliers! Are you interested in long term association congress business?

Are London Hoteliers only interested in short term business? In recent times we have seen the meetings industry coming under severe threat from the financial crisis, last minute cancellations and trends in delegates booking extremely late.
Moving into 2012 we are all facing uncertain times. Are we in the double dip, is there a recession or are we out the other side? One thing is for sure – There is a remarkable business sector – The International Association Congress Business. The amazing thing is that these clients never ever cancel, the delegates pay deposits in advance, the group sizes are large and they stay an average of 3-4 nights.
Of course we have ups and downs but in the last 12 months there have been some incredible success stories of association congresses outstripping all previous events. Examples include EULAR which was held in London and attracted 19,000 delegates and I have just heard that the International Diabetes Federation hosted 15,000 participants in Dubai earlier this month, their biggest ever Congress.
It has been really surprising for me as chair of The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers to come up against a brick wall when inviting hoteliers to take part in a conference to explore London’s performance in the Association market. The point of the meeting is to reach a consensus on a city wide approach to attracting this amazing business to the capital. We would welcome senior hoteliers reading this to contact me, through this mailbag, to join their place with all the other stakeholders on the panel discussing this important topic at Confex on the 7th March.


 

Please note that your comment is restricted to a maximum of 3500 characters
Rob Allen of Chairman, Eventia 02/12/2011 [2]

Enough awards already?

I attended the recent inaugural Brand Event Awards – produced as a collaboration between Event and Marketing magazines, both Haymarket publications. While I can understand the appeal of the concept, the event didn’t quite live up to expectations. This was possibly because it was poorly attended - by an audience of no more than 200. This may be a sign of the economic times, or simply because this is the Brand Event Awards’ first outing. Or possibly because they coincided with a competing ceremony, the UK Event Awards, held on the same night by publishers Carnyx.

These two were the latest in a flood of award ceremonies. In addition to these, over the last six weeks we have seen the Event Awards (Haymarket), the Eventia Awards (independent), the CIT Awards (Haymarket), the Field Marketing and Brand Experience Awards (Frank Publishing) and the MIMA Awards (CAT Publications). Still to come in the next few weeks are the IVCA’s Livecom Awards.

Haymarket Publishing alone were responsible for three of the above events – all targeting the live events and experiential marketing sector. Some people may not see much in common between, say, the MIMA and the Field Marketing and Brand Experience Awards, but many agencies are progressively broadening their sphere of activity to embrace B2C as well as B2B business, and could quite easily consider entering any or all of the above.

The mild inconvenience of having to get togged-up for so many awards events on a weekly basis masks two much more disturbing commercial implications. Firstly, all of them rely heavily on sponsorship from industry suppliers. These companies’ marketing budgets are already stretched paper thin and may well be reduced for 2012 in the light of the dire economic forecast. The collective pot just isn’t deep enough to go round.

Secondly, for those companies that believe in the excellent third-party endorsement that award wins provide, it is becoming increasingly difficult to know which to enter and where to draw the line. The entry periods for all these awards are between May and July – which puts agencies and their clients under immense pressure to prepare multiple submissions during a busy period. Our clients are beginning to lose respect and patience at being asked to approve the avalanche of entries landing in their inboxes.

I realise that as a seasoned award entrant on behalf of experiential agency TRO and as Chairman of Eventia I could be criticised for having one or more vested interests here, but this boils down to a matter of basic economics and common sense. We have reached the stage where the kudos surrounding awards programmes is becoming diluted by an over-crowded market place.
Perhaps it’s time for the industry to say 'less is more' and to consider a change of tack - either in the number or the timing of these programmes.

Rob Allen
Executive Chairman, TRO Group
Chairman, Eventia

Mark Dodds of Roythornes LLP 05/12/2011

Well said Rob - on a regional scale we are also flooded with awards and I think it is indicative of the regional media looking to alternative routes for income (and who can blame them?) Our local paper has awards for schools, arts, children, businesses, property, food, sports and community - all backed by sponsors and 'buy a table' award ceremonies. Whilst it's great for the award winners to get recognition, the poor companies who keep getting asked to sponsor must get a little tired, and need to questions the value of their sponsorship and targeting of their investment. I fear however the horse has bolted on this one and they will be here to stay.

Mr John Fisher of Fisher Moy International (FMI) 05/12/2011

Rob's comment is very well made. Although I completely endorse the idea that public recognition of a job well done helps clients and agencies think more deeply about what they should be doing, it can be quite irritating to be tripping over award ceremony trophies, certificates and press releases as you enter the reception areas of large agencies, knowing full well that it has taken their marketing department several weeks and not inconsiderable sums of money to put the submissions together. Perhaps there should be less glitz and glamour and more education about what actually works? I'm not sure much 'learning' goes on at award ceremonies apart from how to make it to stage quickly enough to pick up your award before the half-hearted applause dies down from those who didn't win.


 

Please note that your comment is restricted to a maximum of 3500 characters
Mark Dodds of Roythornes LLP 25/11/2011 [0]

In the words of the great Sir Cliff Richard…..

It was Sir Cliff who sang ‘It’s so funny, how we don’t talk any more’, and the events industry is in danger of doing just that as it ties itself up in knots over ‘interaction’.

I read the article ‘In touch’ (Nov/Dec edition) with interest and whilst I appreciate that iPads and mobile devices are fantastic inventions, I question whether they are being over-used at events.

It made me smile to read ‘live events are about connecting with people’ and then in the same sentence see the argument that social media enhances the event experience. How can interacting with a glass screen be better than chatting to the perfectly normal (and probably lonely) company representative on the stand?

We now all have iPads on stalks on which delegates can rummage and stroke through 10,000 pages of information should they have the man or woman-years and inclination to do so and I sometimes fear we are at an ‘emperor's new clothes’ moment - because we have the technology we are determined to shoe-horn it into our events at whatever cost.

If you want to see humans in action (with barely an iPad in sight) go to an agricultural event such as Cereals which attracts over 26,000 visitors over two days. Farmers know how to talk and how it builds bonds and business relationships and you’ll see plenty of smiles on faces, hands being shaken and people talking.

So here’s two tests to see if your exhibition strategy works and will really build that all important personal relationship we all crave:

Try telling a joke to your iPad and see if it laughs.

At your next event, switch the power off your stand and watch the look of horror on your sales team’s faces as they realise their ‘electronic interaction assistance devices’ are now nothing more than fancy and expensive glass coasters.


 

Please note that your comment is restricted to a maximum of 3500 characters
Chris Parnham of Zibrant 21/11/2011 [0]

The risk imperative

The recent flooding in Thailand (Meetings and events continue to take place in flood-hit Thailand, www.meetpie.com, 8/11/11) is just the latest in a long line of international disasters this year which serve to demonstrate the need for the prioritisation of risk management expertise by agencies operating globally.

Never before have meetings and events been more international, adventurous and ambitious, and correlating with that is increased risk as well as greater operational challenges if things do go wrong. In addition to the potential for predictable problems represented by long-haul traveller health and safety, almost every week we are seeing political unrest and natural disasters which, on top of huge budgetary pressures, make it absolutely vital that agencies are properly prepared to help clients maintain their employees’ security and business continuity. This capability is now a fundamental driver of client confidence.

A proactive approach here is of critical importance, and as well as appropriate technology, significant investment in staff training should now be the norm. Scenario planning, case studies and a thorough understanding of how to conduct rigorous health and safety assessments are, for example, part of standard front-line employee knowledge at Zibrant. Local knowledge is also vitally important, and we routinely send staff on secondment abroad to help facilitate this. Equipping the team with appropriate skills is part of our own due diligence as employers and ensures that we can work effectively with clients to formulate and execute sound contingency-led policies and procedures.

Many events companies are already well-placed to provide in respect of crisis management, but those for whom it is less familiar territory should put it to the top of their agenda in order to continue to be of value and relevance in the global marketplace.

Chris Parnham
Managing director-operations, Zibrant


 

Please note that your comment is restricted to a maximum of 3500 characters
Mr Andrew Lund-Yates of Oxford Masonic Centre 17/11/2011 [3]

Re. News Item: Expotel under fire from venues for 100 per cent commission hike

I raised this issue with Expotel a few weeks ago and got pretty much an identical response. I don't see how this helps independents like ourselves when Expotel demands 20 per cent commission.......and on VAT inclusive rates! How do they justify claiming commission on a tax? I got a very waffley answer from Expotel when I challenged this, saying that 'that's the way it has been for many years', but that they 'do have the ability to do work with partners on a net basis also'. I don't mind being identified, and I wish some of the other perhaps well known operators would stand up and be counted on this issue.

Miss Denise Hudson of The Spa Hotel 18/11/2011

We would not be willing to pay 20 per cent commission, we would agree 8 per cent as previous years.

Mr Dan Visser of The Langdale Hotel & Spa 18/11/2011

The industry standard for third party intermediaries such as Lastminute.com is in the region of 20 per cent and I assume Expotel have the view that “if they can do it, why shouldn’t we?”
In my opinion what will happen is that enough suppliers will agree to 20 per cent for Expotel to continue with the proposed increase in commissions regardless. Many hotels are too focussed on turnover over profit, hence the use of flash sales such as Groupon and Living Social where commission rates are 50 per cent. If all suppliers to Expotel said no and gave no availability to them then they would have no option but to reconsider.

Ms Marion Rudloff of Business Solutions - Disneyland Paris 18/11/2011

Apparently they have increased it from 15 per cent in April.


 

Please note that your comment is restricted to a maximum of 3500 characters
Mr Nick Akerman of Cotswold Conference Centre 15/11/2011 [1]

Re. News Item: BVEP: 'Event tourism is firmly on the government agenda'

Evidenced by the ease with which inbound delegates can now get through our borders! Seriously, I'm pleased, if its true - talk is cheap... It needs to be easier for people from abroad to get in and attend conferences and training events. These days we need to get money in from anywhere and everywhere.

Mr Gerry Dawson of Destination Marketing SGL 15/11/2011

Long overdue this 'official recognition', but strongly suggest that Sports Tourism also be referenced/included as London's recent win of the 2017 World Athletics Championships will have a positive impact on business visits, as well as consumer...sport event related tourism accounted for almost 14 per cent of global tourism receipts in 2010 and continues to increase... joined up thinking required!


 

Please note that your comment is restricted to a maximum of 3500 characters

*<<   <<   Page 1 of 46   >>   >>*