MWB Business Exchange sponsors of THE MEETING PLACE IN BRIEF


• THE InterContinental London Park Lane has launched a new meetings programme for bookers and delegates. 'InterContinental Meetings' includes a commitment to respond to all enquiries within two hours and to follow up with a proposal within 24 hours. Meeting planners will have access to new online planning tools and an 'Insider Collection' that enables bookers to arrange tailored team-building activities or off-site experiences unique to London. It is one of 20 InterContinental hotels across Europe that will be offering the new programme.


• MarylEbonE Cricket Club, the owners of Lord’s, has confirmed the opening of the Harris Garden to the corporate market for summer parties. Located close to the grade II listed Pavilion and on the site of a former lawn tennis court, the Harris Garden can accommodate up to 150 guests. Menus have been put together by Lord’s head chef Stephen Smith and make the most of locally produced goods and suppliers. Lord's has also made the 250-capacity Pavilion Roof Terrace available for events.


• in iTs 25th year, Elite Hotels’ Tylney Hall Hotel, near Hook in Hampshire, is offering a special meeting delegate rate of £59 per day until the end of 2011. The 112-room Victorian country house hotel, which is set in 66 acres of gardens, offers 12 suites with a maximum capacity of 120 people. The hotel is adjacent to an 18-hole golf course while other facilities include heated indoor and outdoor pools, gym and spa.


• a Major new hotel and conference venue is due to open in northern Croatia this summer. Hotel Lone in Rovinj will become the Istria region's first true conference hotel when it opens in July, and is also the first Croatian hotel to become a member of the Design Hotels group. The hotel is situated close to the sea, surrounded by forest, and all 248 rooms and suites have sea views It has nine conference rooms, including an auditorium for up to 600, and, when combined with neigh- bouring sister hotels, can host up to 3,000 delegates for major events.


• THE Executive Boardroom at the Arora Hotel Heathrow is now open for bookings. Located on a private floor at the very top of the hotel, the Boardroom has impressive views across the airport to one side and green fields to the other. It can accommodate up to 20 delegates boardroom style or 60 theatre-style. Breakout space is available on the ground floor of with four meeting rooms with capacity for up to 40.


➔ Five-star Durham HBAA UPDATE


PETER DUCKER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HOTEL BOOKING AGENTS ASSOCIATION (HBAA)


AS PART of our recent Agency Summit – held at the Lygon Arms in the sunny Cotswolds – we set up a business scenario where delegates became the collective management of a fictitious hotel booking agency called Uber HBA. Uber HBA was keen to expand,


THE fledgling Meet in Durham organisation has welcomed its first five-star hotel member, Rockliffe Hall in Hurworth-on-Tees. Launched last year by Visit County Durham and the Durham Hoteliers Association, Meet in Durham in a one-stop-shop for all meeting and conference organisers planning events in the region, an industry that is worth over £40million to the county. Located on the banks of the River


Tees, Rockliffe Hall opened in 2009 with 75 luxury guestrooms, meeting space for up to 250 people, spa facilities and a golf course.


Melanie Sensicle, chief executive


of Visit County Durham, says, ”The meetings industry is vital to fill the gaps left by leisure visitors, occupying hotel rooms midweek and in the quiet shoulder seasons, bolstering the local economy. ”From experience I also know


that destinations that have a strong meetings market help support the whole tourism industry by helping to disperse leisure visitors widely throughout the county.” Other members include Marriott, Barcelo and Radisson Blu hotels, as well as many independent hotels and venues.


WHATEVER FLOATS ONE'S BOAT...


and planning towards that was the challenge. The first task was to establish just what the USPs and strengths of an HBA are. Specialist expertise was one because most agency management comes from hotel management or up through the ranks and have years of experience. Good technology was another, both in managing trans- actions effectively and in providing good MI. And flexible business models – working on either a fee or commission model – was another. Perceived HBA weaknesses included concerns about the future of commission, which still plays a large part in the HBA business model. It was felt that the highly fragmented nature of the hotel sector played against this, and also that the roller coaster economy of the last three years has reinforced the model’s value to both hoteliers and clients. Opportunities and Threats were closely related: The impact of procurement taking greater interest in meetings and events was raised as a threat but seen by most as a great opportunity. Dynamic meetings management – integrating a client's internal meeting space into an agent's remit – was another area seen as holding great potential. Competition was neither a threat nor an opportunity, just a fact of life. The biggest concern was economic stability and the impact of unforeseen disasters such as ash clouds, earthquakes and terrorism. So, hotel booking agencies are


AN EVENTS venue with a difference, Pontoon, a five-berth yacht moored in London's St Katherine Docks opened for business in May. Its operators – PURE pop-up restaurants and events, part of the Evensus group – claim it is the only private hire yacht available on the Thames, and will be open until the end of 2012 for corporate


events for up to 80 guests or dining for parties of up to 20. The classic motor yacht was built


in 1975 by Camper Nicholson and was updated with high-end fittings last year. The operators have also teamed up with prestigious brands such as Relais & Chateaux, Wine Story and Pommery to complete the luxury experience.


really just like every other business then! It’s a shame that Uber HBA was only a made up scenario for two days – because with the experience, professionalism and energy gathered in that room it would certainly be among the best out there!


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