MEETINGS your business
&2012
If you are running a venue or planning an event or meeting in 2012, there is nothing more important than the next show.
The pages that follow introduce a number of prestigious and practical venues for corporate meetings and events for the year ahead.
Meetings
2010.indd 1
2012 is a year of spectacular events and anniversaries – and we want the whole world to come and celebrate with us
Spring is approaching, and so is International Confex, the meetings industry’s showcase event, which takes place at Excel, London, from March 6–8.
And conference organisers and venues should be meeting in a state of enthusiasm and excitement, what with the London Olympics dominating schedules this summer.
However, the economic downturn has meant a patchy picture for the hospitality and events industries in the UK. London is buoyant but in the provinces, the scene is more muted.
The hospitality sector employs more than two million people in 206,000 outlets across the UK and accounts for nearly 5% of the UK’s total economic output.
In 2009, the sector had a tough year, and shed jobs significantly, but employment levels have recovered since then, and the Olympics will boost jobs even further.
In fact, the combined effect of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be, according to some, a major boost to the hospitality industry, including the conference and meetings sector.
2010
2
Not only will hotel occupancy rates improve this year, but many believe that the UK will prove a big attraction for corporate events in this period.
Here, in the south, a number of venues have invested in upgraded facilities. And there are some new players in the region – including the former Napoleonic Spitbank Fort, which opens its doors as a truly different venue for corporate meetings and events. Just a mile offshore from Portsmouth harbour, Spitbank, which was purchased by Amazing Retreats, has been transformed by English Heritage and PLC Architects of Portsmouth into a luxury destination.
Waddesdon Manor is another new location, with the newly- built and architecturally dramatic Windmill Hill building on the estate, commissioned by Lord Rothschild, now open for business.
International Confex has moved from its traditional home of Earls Court to Excel, London, for 2012. The proximity of London City Airport, attractive to foreign delegates to the exhibition, was a key driver in the change.
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