THE MEETING PLACE IN BRIEF
• London's Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington has launched a new campaign: ‘Independent Thinking. Imaginative Results’. It highlights the need for meetings venues to be more flexible and underlines the hotels' own bespoke packages. The property has recently completed a £45million investment, including a refit of its conference and banqueting product.
• Great Hotels of the World recently revealed its predictions for the most popular MICE destinations in 2011 and beyond. They are: Montenegro, Croatia, South Africa, India, Lisbon, Turkey, the Greek islands, Iceland, Sardinia and Seoul, South Korea.
• tHe West Ham United Hotel and Conference Centre is introducing catchment conferencing, meaning local companies get the best rates for events. Until the end of July, those within five mile boundaries pay the least for day rates. Standard day delegate rates are normally £52 per person, but companies within five miles will pay just £25, those within ten miles pay £28, and those within 20 miles pay £32 (all rates are plus VAT). Rates are valid for up to 300 people and include refreshments, buffet sandwich lunch, hire of a meeting room and some AV equipment.
• WorLdHoteLs has launched a new online portal for meetings bookers. The site features an online search tool that filters the brand's 450 properties by requirements such as delegate numbers, accommodation, hotel facilities and location, as well as finding venues for specific events like team building activities, social gatherings, board meetings, seminars, conferences and conventions. Planners can also fill out a form to receive proposals with guaranteed rates within 24-hours. Visit: www.
worldhotels.com/event-planner.html
• ACC Liverpool, the city's Arena and Convention Centre, has announced a project to add an extra 8,100m² exhibition and events complex, scheduled to open for business in September 2014. Costing £40million, the space will be sub-dividable into three interlinked pillar-free exhibition halls. The venue will also see the development of an on-site, upscale 200-bedroom hotel directly connected to the ACC via a sky bridge. Leader of Liverpool City Council, Joe Anderson, says, “This is great news for the city and a huge statement of confidence in Liverpool. A new state-of-the-art exhibition hall will enhance the excellent waterfront facilities of the Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre, making Liverpool a top UK venue for exhibitions, events, meetings and conferences.”
➔ Budgets blossom
HBAA UPDATE
PETER DUCKER HOTEL BOOKING AGENTS ASSOCIATION
GOOD NEWS for meetings buyers – budgets are on the rise, according to the fifth Meetings Industry Report from meetings, events and communications division of Grass Roots. The automotive, financial services and professional services were among the sectors recording growth in budgets. In other findings, nearly a fifth of respondents’ companies do not calculate ROI on meetings spend, while cost reduction remained at the top of the agenda for nearly 80 per cent of professionals. Des McLaughlin, Grass Roots’ managing director of venue procurement, says, “Emerging trends include companies looking
to better utilise their internal space for meetings, as well as a steady rise in the use of unusual venues.“ Other predictions for 2011 include growth in the incentive travel market and demand for ‘exclusive to the destination experiences’, but the report concluded that companies will remain rate sensitive. Nick Bender, Grass Roots’ global head of events, says, “The outlook for 2011 is good with more meetings and, in spite of the widespread pessimism we saw across the industry last year, the true picture is that business actually increased across all venue types in 2010.“
HAND PICKED REWARDS
COUNTRY house specialist Hand Picked Hotels has launched its new corporate events brand, 'meetings etc', across its 17 properties, with rewards on offer for bookers. The new brand will see product improvements across the portfolio, as well as improved access to Hand Picked's loyalty scheme The Club. Meetings bookers that are awarded 'Associate' membership will earn points that can be redeemed for high street shopping vouchers. Associate members receive one
point for every £15 of business booked, with rewards starting from only 25 points for afternoon tea. A weekly prize draw will also take place for bookers to win an over- night dinner bed and breakfast stay. New product being introduced at
the properties include the latest audiovisual equipment, a new food
concept and, for bookers, an electronic quote generator system. The group offers a 24-hour rate
as part of a residential meetings package, starting from £145 per person and including meeting room hire, three-course dinner, overnight stay and breakfast. The rate is available at selected hotels and for a minimum of eight dele- gates. Day-only delegate rates start from £40. Hand Picked promises to respond to a single site enquiry within two hours and a multi-hotel enquiry within four hours. Hand Picked Hotels' operations director, Douglas Waddell, says, “We work hard to build relation- ships with our bookers and on-site organisers. ‘meetings etc’ will help to ensure we create an inspirational and rewarding experience for them and their delegates.”
THERE have already been articles in the papers about 'rip off' hotel rates around the 2012 Olympics. I imagine we all thought they would appear, but I can’t help feeling a little despondent. Obviously hotels are going to charge full prices, but I have neither seen nor heard any suggestion that any of them are 'gouging'. Some 58,000 rooms have been contracted by LOCOG for the Olympic 'family' and a further 50,000 will be committed to additional rooms for sponsors, competing nations and Olympic packages. This takes a massive bite out of London’s room stock of around 120,000 rooms. It stands to reason that we can expect premium prices during the key periods. We had a session on the subject at our members meeting this month, where much of the talk was about the need to plan and anticipate. Agents in particular are encouraging their clients to have an Olympic plan, arranging trips and events on dates before and after the Games, considering alternative venues, or staying in convenient locations outside London and commuting in. What everyone agrees on is that the corporate client should be looked after. Hotels are looking at their clients' demand history over the key period to anticipate their require- ments and, most important of all, talking to them about their needs. In the months ahead, as business needs become clear, good communication from client to agent to hotel is vital. I ran into the chairman of one of London’s largest groups in a hotel lobby last week and we talked about this. He said categorically that firm business offered now would be given fair prices. All hoteliers want to be full during the Games but not at the risk of alienating their business clients who are coming back after the downturn. One very positive factor is the much talked of Olympic Legacy. There is a lot of cynicism around this subject generally, but in our sector the legacy is real, viable and fantastic. London’s hotel and venue stock has never been better. New and exciting places have opened or are being finished now, and they will be with us for years to come. They will provide employment, help businesses expand and keep London an exciting and vibrant city long after the Games have moved on.
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