THE MEETING PLACE IN BRIEF
• The London Film Museum and the five-star Marriott County Hall, both located in the riverside County Hall, have teamed up to offer a series of bespoke meetings and events packages. A drinks reception at the Marriott’s Library Lounge can now be followed by a screening in the Film Museum’s historic Debating Room, or planners can arrange a banquet in the latter’s riverside rooms that is catered for by the Marriott. Sioned Parry-Rudlin, director of sales and marketing at The London Marriott County Hall, says, “The riverside location, views, space, history, food, service and quality – it all amounts to the perfect venue for meetings and events. We are thrilled to be working with the London Film Museum to deliver a unique experience to the MICE market.” ‘Dine and Wine’ packages start from £82 per person and ‘Dine, Wine and Party’ packages are from £87.
• The University of London's Senate House has introduced a day delegate rate for groups of 30 or more following an increase in enquiries for one day events. The rate, £50 +VAT per person, includes room hire, three servings of tea and coffee and a freshly prepared working lunch provided by in-house caterers. Event planners can select rooms, offering state-of-art AV equipment, suited to the number of delegates, from the Court Room which caters for meetings of up to 30 delegates, to the Beveridge Hall, accommodating up to 450 guests theatre style.
• OFFICe space provider MWB Business Exchange has launched a Signature Office range, allowing customers to design their own rented space from a choice of 12 distinct styles. MWB says its research shows that 43 per cent of businesses believe serviced offices are more about the office space provider’s brand than their own company identity, with 93 per cent wanting an office to ‘wow’ their clients. MWB Business Exchange operates a portfolio of 65 centres throughout the UK, providing more than 18,000 workstations and over 250 meeting and conference rooms.
• BuCkInghamshIre's Lane End Conference Centre is undergoing a major refurbishment of its conference venues, dining facilities and residential accommodation following 12 months of continuous growth. Improvements to Lane End’s facilities include: a new private boardroom for small meetings and dining, a new bistro-style restaurant for Wycombe Hall, new floor-to-ceiling glass doors at Wycombe Lodge, and a rolling refurbishment of all bedrooms.
➔ Seaside expansion
HBAA UPDATE
PETER DUCKER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HOTEL BOOKING AGENTS ASSOCIATION (HBAA)
BRIGHTON'S portfolio of meetings and events venues has received a welcome boost in the last 12 months following a series of refurbishments and new openings, with more to come this year. There is ongoing investment in
the beachfront Brighton Centre – regular host to political party conferences – with a new glass façade, extended foyer area, modernised interiors, and a new meeting space with panoramic views of the famous seafront all due for completion this spring. Meanwhile, the Hilton Brighton Metropole has refurbished all 140 rooms and created a new Park Suites event space in a separate, self-contained area – with invest- ment totalling £4million – and The Grand Hotel has refurbished its largest event space, the Empress Suite, catering for up to 800 guests. Blanch House, a boutique hotel
set in a classic Regency building, has re-opened after an extensive refurbishment and the addition of the new Belle Époque suite for up to 40 delegates. Also this year, the University of Sussex is due to open a new 500- seat lecture theatre (pictured) while 250 additional ensuite bedrooms will be available for summer conferences and events. Julia Gallagher, VisitBrighton convention bureau manager, says, “Brighton has always offered a great diversity of venues to delegates coming into the city. Investment in the city on this scale and frequency enables us to continually enhance the delegate experience. We are delighted to add additional and newly refurbished venues to our portfolio and hope corporates and buyers enjoy new experiences of the city within them.”
A MIXED OUTLOOK FOR MEETINGS
SIXTY per cent of meeting suppliers expect business to increase in the year ahead, though one third of hoteliers expect budgets to decrease per individual meeting. The inaugural American Express Meetings & Events 2012 Meetings Forecast also revealed that the number of attendees per meeting is likely to decrease, as will the number of days. Suppliers also noted a trend for more local meetings, with over half saying clients are holding external meetings closer to their offices. The survey also showed that although 73 per cent of planners said clients are showing increasing
interest in reporting green measures, only 47 per cent of hoteliers said clients have green requirements for their events. Issa Jouaneh, vice president and general manager, American Express Meetings & Events, says, “Evaluating each meeting and its goals is essential to delivering the strongest, most engaging meeting with the highest possible return on investment and experience, whether that is through an internal virtual meeting, or a face-to-face client event. Optimising spend means not just knowing where money is being spent, but knowing when to spend.”
IT'S ABOUT this time that we all make our predictions for 2012. I’m not sure whether to say “where did last year go?!”, or “thank God that’s over”. The one thing I am sure about is that this year is already shaping up to be another roller coaster ride, with plenty of highs and lows in store. Whether you enjoyed last year depends largely on where you are and who your clients are. Everyone knows that London has been a 'bubble' of high occupancies and corresponding rates, as have key regional centres, other locations have not been so fortunate. Client budgets have reduced and agencies have felt the pressure to deliver more for less. They have had to sharpen up their businesses to be more efficient than ever before, and clearer in their articulation of their qualities to clients. Corporates are looking for ways
to leverage their activity without increasing their overheads – so outsourcing is a more attractive option than ever. Finally, technology delivers real efficiencies to the meetings and events sector now, both in terms of MI and streamlined procurement, and the gatekeepers to the most available technology are agencies. No predictions for 2012 would be complete without reference to the Olympics – without doubt the biggest event that will hit the UK in my lifetime. Pressure on accommodation during the key weeks will be extreme and rates correspondingly high, but long-term relationships will come in to play and loyalty will count in both directions. Travel during the games will be a challenge, while the period after the show leaves town will be turbulent, when availability and rates will be less predictable. One thing we can already thank the Olympics for is the investment in hotel stock across London. So many new builds and refurbishments at this stage of a recession is unusual, to say the least. Looking back at 2011, it was a shame to see the name Jarvis disappear as Ramada Jarvis morphed into Jupiter and rebranded as Mercure. John Jarvis has been a significant influence on the UK hotel industry for many years. So then, 2012 – bring it on!
WWW.THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM I 49
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96