The Big Five | ConferencesUK | Issue 9

5 THE BIG FIVE

Interesting and inspiring venues in the public and private sector

Issue

09

COMPLIMENTARY AIRPORTTRANSFERS Hi lt on Lond on He at h r ow Ai r p or t Te r m i nal 5

A N N O U N C I N G U P G R A D E D D D R A N D 2 4 H R PA C K A G E S , W I T H C O M P L I M E N TA RY R E T U R N A I R P O R T TRANSFERS AND TEMPTING NEW THEME BREAKS. At Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5, our conference delegate packages now include complimentary return airport transfers* and one upgraded theme break, in addition to our popular standard offerings.

Facilities include —

CHOOSE FROM THESE TEMPTING NEW THEMED B R E A K S : Afternoon Tea, Citrus

Complimentary wi-fi

1,474 sq metres of flexible meeting space Accommodate meetings of up to 1,400 guests 350 spacious guest rooms

500 car parking spaces

Delight, Chocolate Fondue, Chocolate Indulgence, Muffin Madness, Cheese Trolley, Pancake Delights, Popcorn.

C L A I M YO U R F R E E L U X U R Y G I F T Any booker or company confirming a new booking between now and 31 December 2014 worth at least £75,000 + VAT will receive a fabulous free gift such as a Bose® SoundDock®, KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer, Apple iPad, or Nespresso Machine.

Call the Meeting & Events Team on 01753 766 521 and quote “Airport Transfers” to receive this offer.

* S U B J E C T T O AVA I L A B I L I T Y Limited number of complimentary return transfers available per day. Ts & Cs apply. Please contact the hotel for further details.

Inside this Issue...

Editor’s Letter

4.

Welcome to the summer edition of our newsletter.

OP FIVE PUBLIC T SECTOR EVENTS

7. T OP 5 PRIVATE SECTOR EVENTS 11. 5 MOST INSPIRING MEETING ROOMS 15. Q&A

This month we are focusing on events in the Public and Private Sector, exploring the differences and commonalities between the two.

Given the growth in the economy and the positive impact it is having on our business and many others, it seemed timely to spend some time looking at how the last few years had changed activity in both sectors.

Even though growth has returned, the last few years do seem to have had a lasting impact and this is something that industry professionals Nicola Hackett and Shirley Cook explore in the Q&A section.

I hope you enjoy this edition and we will be back in July with our Christmas special in late Summer.

Simon Thompson, Managing Director, simon@conferencesgroup.com

TOP FIVE PUBLIC SECTOR EVENTS Think corporate events are rather boring?

Well a lot of it is down to the theme.

The public sector covers a variety of industries from education to health – here are just a few interesting events that have either taken place or are due to happen in 2014.

1

COMPETITION IN HEALTHCARE CONFERENCE With continued debate about the future of the NHS; this conference open to everyone - aims to tackle the ‘myths’ and questions surrounding the NHS and patient care. In addition to key figures from the NHS as speakers; the Dutch Healthcare Authority will also be discussing how they are managed. With the British healthcare system affecting all of us in some way; this conference is really useful to attend to find out more about the legislation and legal jargon used, so you can get the most out of the NHS. Capita Conferences - Competition in Healthcare Conference

2

PUBLIC SECTOR SHOW An annual show, this sector aims to show you (a public sector leader or manager) how to improve service delivery, efficiency and value for money to make your business even more successful. Conferences and seminars are also held throughout the day, covering topics on everything from recruitment to the new digital era. An estimated 2,500 people visit each year; and whilst it was held in May 2014, you can always keep a look out for the event in 2015 – it’s definitely worthwhile attending if you are employed in the public sector.

Public Sector Show

4

3

CONSERVATIVE PARTY CONFERENCE When: 28th September – 1st October 2014 Where: ICC, Birmingham What with the elections coming up in 2015, the political parties are increasingly trying to get their policies across to the public.

The Conservative party’s conference will be held between 28th September – 1st October 2014, and is open to anyone who would like to attend. Details haven’t yet been released regarding the programme of events; although there will be talks and an exhibition – so it’s worth checking out the website for updates.

Conservative Party Conference

4

EDUCATION SHOW An annual event, with the next one to be held in March 2015, this 3 day event caters for primary, secondary and higher education institutes.

Alongside the exhibition, there were 107 seminars from 147 guest speakers, including a Q&A with Brian Cox, and comedian Dara O’Briain, who discussed the importance of maths and science.

Education Show 2015

5

PROCUREX Procurex Live travels the country, with events in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Dublin and Cardiff; with a particular focus on supporting the delivery of public services by providing anyone buying or supplying to the public sector with trading. The event includes talks from industry experts on applying new skills to their roles and the challenges in procurement; along with a training and development zone – with specialised sessions for buyers and suppliers.

Procurex Live 5

A UNIQUE VENUE FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT.

One of the largest and most impressive conference centres in the Midlands for meetings, exhibitions and events.

Modern, flexible event space is combined with a fascinating showcase of British motoring history – making it a truly unique event experience for up to 5000 guests.

Minutes from Junction 12 of the M40, our facilities include a combination of 25 versatile meeting rooms forup to 600 delegates.

2000 sqm of internal exhibition space and 9,000 sqm of external hard standing event space, all set in 65 acres of landscaped grounds.

Quality and service are at the heart of everything they do. Competitive rates, great food, free Wi-Fi and free parking.

Heritage Motor Centre - Banbury Road - Gaydon - Warwickshire - CV35 0BJ Conference Team - 01926 645040 - conferences@heritage-motor-centre.co.uk - www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk

5 Top 5 Private Sector Events

2014 looks set to be an exciting year for private sector events, with annual favourites returning and innovative new shows emerging – be sure to check out our top five!

7

TOP FIVE PRIVATE SECTOR EVENTS

1

CLOTHES SHOW LIVE, BIRMINGHAM NEC – 5-9 DECEMBER 2014

“5 days of fashion, catwalk shows, celebrities and designer guests, makeovers, champagne bars and lots more!” is how the Clothes Show Live describe their event, and that’s exactly what it is! 2014 sees its 26th year running, and it’s set to be a good one. Whilst details haven’t been confirmed as of yet, expect to see previous exhibitors including Vero Moda and All Saints return, alongside up-and-coming British designers, offering their goods at knock-down prices. What’s more, is the spectacular fashion and dance show lasting for 45 minutes, with a special celebrity guest performance (previous singers include Amy Winehouse, The Saturdays and The Wanted).

Tickets go on sale this summer!

Clothes Show Live

2

ADOBE SUMMIT DIGITAL MARKETING CONFERENCE

In a world where everyone and everything has a presence online, it’s never been more important to successfully go digital. Adobe’s digital marketing conference helps you to get ahead of the crowd and maintain a successful online presence. Held on the 14th-15 May at ExCel, London; there were more than 80 sessions to attend, ranging from social marketing to targeting and optimisation; with guest speakers including industry leaders from the likes of L’Occitane, Sky and Nestle, talking about their success stories. And possibly the best thing about the summit was the cocktail reception on Wednesday evening followed by the Summit Party, featuring a performance from Rudimental – who said networking was dull?!

Adobe Summit

8

3

TESCO WINE FAIR 13-14TH SEPTEMBER

Organised by Cube Communications in association with Tesco, the wine fair visits Earls Court on the 13th-14 September 2014. The three sessions held over the weekend will offer hundreds of wines from over fourteen countries, allowing you to taste and compare your favourites. Wine walks will be held for eight at a time, where an expert will explain in detail about the many different types of wine; and the wine workshops will allow you identify which wines around the world suits your taste the best. There will also be a 15% discount off all wine there, making it the perfect excuse to stock up on your favourites!

Tesco Wine Fair

4

A PLACE IN THE SUN LIVE

This popular TV show will be hosting an official exhibition at the Birmingham NEC in October, dedicated to helping find property hunters their dream home abroad. There will be live performances from the show’s presenters, who will give their tips on finding and buying your dream international property; in addition to over 150 property agents showcasing their accommodation. There’s also an emigration forum, providing all of the information you’ll need to know if you’re planning on leaving the country for good; in addition to the chance to screen test with the possibility of appearing on the show.

5

BBC GOOD FOOD SHOW

Returning again in June 2014, the BBC Good Food Show sees celebrity chefs including Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry and the Hairy Bikers cooking up a storm with demonstrations over four days. Additionally, there will be hundreds of food and drink exhibitors; with a special area dedicated to baking.

This exhibition is perfect if you’re looking to improve your technique, or just want to sample some delicacies; with tickets granting you free access to partner show BBC Gardener’s World Live, held under the same roof.

BBC Good Food Show

A Place In The Sun Live

9

Cavendish Venues offers you award-winning, sustainable London Conference Venues backed by the best event support team in the Capital. Host your best event yet and discover our unique, modern event spaces, recommended by over 93% of clients

The Cavendish, Oxford Circus Tiered seating for up to 250 Web-stream and latest technology.

Refreshment area and exhibition space.

The Hallam, Marylebone

The ICO, Noho/Soho

Grade II listed, offering high ceilings and

Hosts a delegation of 188 in

traditional oak panelled walls Council

classroom style

Chamber available for up to 250 guests

Sophisticated built-in translation system.

America Square, City of London State of the art technology for conferences, exhibitions and presentations Up to 270 attendees.

Each venue offers a separate room for catering and a Hot Fork Buffet on all Day Delegate Rates

www.cavendishvenues.co.uk

5 Most Inspiring Meeting Rooms We’ve all been in this situation before: sitting in a boring meeting that seems to be going nowhere; when you’ve got plenty of work to be getting on with, working towards strict deadlines! Maybe we can’t help with the deadlines, but we can help you find the perfect meeting room that will inspire you and your employees to visualise great ideas, resulting in your most productive meeting ever.

The following are our top five venues.

11

FIVE MOST INSPIRING MEETING ROOMS

1

CENTRAL LONDON MEETING ROOMS

The range of facilities on offer including a SMART interactive whiteboard with digital pens and HD video conferencing equipment will allow all meetings to run smoothly, with ideas able to be fully planned out. Not only that, but its central Marble Arch location will allow you and your employees to easily explore London when you’re looking for a well-earned break from the office. However, most inspiring about this venue is the breathtaking views of Hyde Park… if that doesn’t make your meeting, then what will?!

Conferences UK - Central

12

2

TALENTINO MEETING ROOM, READING

The décor in this meeting venue is much more fashionable New York loft than a typical meeting room, with oak wood flooring, natural light, and clean white walls with pops of lime green, designed to inspire delegates and encourage new ideas.

Its location – five minutes away from a large number of riverside restaurants and bars – will only further encourage you and your employees to make the most out of your meeting so you can relax and enjoy your evening.

Conferences UK - Talentino

3

MANCHESTER CENTRAL

This award-winning venue, with its vaulted arches and station clock has been an iconic feature in Manchester for over 130 years; and inspires all businesses that use its corporate facilities. With six different meeting rooms (some of which can be combined), Manchester Central is wellequipped for your meeting; and dedicated planners to help make sure you and your employees enjoy your most inspiring meeting yet.

Conferences UK - Manchester

VENUES

4

DRAPERS HALL LONDON

Seeped in history, this venue is guaranteed to inspire your company, surrounded by its impressive background.

On the site of the present Drapers Hill, Oliver Cromwell built his palace in the 1530s, which was rebuilt following the great fire in 1666, and again, partially rebuilt by the Victorians. Not only this, but its palatial décor – grand chandeliers and gilted wallsis extremely majestic, inspiring you and your employees to make the most out of your meeting.

Conferences UK -Drapers

5

ALEXANDRA PALACE

This venue states “anything is possible at Alexandra Palace” which is most definitely true. The seven acre palace, surrounded by 196 acres of charming parkland, a year round ice rink, a pub, restaurant and boating lake sure is enough to inspire even the most reluctant of delegates. There are eight meeting rooms in total – all designed to motivate you and your employees to holding a productive meeting: surely just the realisation of a quick twirl across the ice rink is enough to help you drum up some inspiring corporate ideas!

Conferences - Alexandra Palace

13

Meetings • Events • Training • Conferences

truly unique spaces

for 6 to 650 delegates

across 21 iconic hotels

The Imperial Hotel, Blackpool

The Hinckley Island Hotel, Leicestershire

The Walton Hotel, Warwickshire

For more information or to book at any of our hotels please contact Central Events on 0800 652 8412 quoting Summer14.

thehotelcollection.co.uk/meetings Tweet us @MEETHotels

Follow us on LinkedIn

Like us on Facebook

Q&A This month the Conferences UK team caught up with Nicola Hackett, National Account Manager of the Hotel Collection and Sheila Cook of The Heritage Motor Centre.

What is the balance between public and private sector events at your venue?

(Shelia Cook) Private corporate business accounts for about 85-90% of our business with the remainder 1015% being Associations and the public sector. We find most Associations require accommodation so as a nonresidential venue we tend not to suit many Associations.

Interestingly though during the key years of the recession, 2011/12/13, we saw the % of Association business go up by about by 4% as the corporate demand wavered.

What do you think the growth trends will be over the next few months – do you think one sector will be more vibrant than the other in terms of booking numbers?

(SC) We have seen direct bookings, particularly from the automotive and engineering sectors grow strongly. We are located next door to the headquarters of Jaguar Land Rover and we have seen bookings from them and their suppliers grow as they and their suppliers go from strength to strength.

Have you noticed any trends over the last few months in relation to the number of bookings from either sector?

(SC) The last few years have seen some major changes in booking activities. We get fewer general enquires and find lead in times considerably shorter than they used to be with no set busy months. We have definitely found that since the recession corporates have got more savvy about reducing their meeting spend. Many have reduced the number of events they hold, often condensing them to one bigger event rather than several smaller ones.

15

Q&A

Have you made any changes to your venues or marketing to attract events from a particular sector?

(Nicola Hackett) The 21 hotels that make up The Hotel Collection are each unique and individual and we realise that our customers are as well. As a result we have recently invested in training for our meetings and events teams and as a result we are most improved hotel group in BDRC (hotel benchmarking) For those working in the Healthcare and Life sciences sectors we have completed the Compliant Venues accreditation which gives our teams a deeper insight into the needs of these clients. We also have a team focused around working with associations and not for profit organisations with packages tailored to their specific needs and a focus on partnership with them.

(SC) We have made considerable investment in our Wi-Fi infrastructure, and now offer free CISCO hardwired connections at a guaranteed 20MBS, which has helped us grow business from all sectors, particularly the telecoms industry. But quality is key for us and we have refused to cut standards , so our prices may not be the cheapest around but we do offer a clear pricing policy with everything included in the quoted price so there are no hidden extras to come up and bite the organisers later in the day!

16

As we enter the summer months, do you do anything differently to attract business?

What are you particularly excited about for your venue(s) over the next 12 months?

(NH) Summer time at The Hotel Collection only means one thing and that is it’s time to launch our summer ‘Make me a Blush’ menu. We have a strong focus on fresh, seasonal foods and so change our menu in our bar and room service throughout the year to reflect the wonderful produce available. Make me a Blush centres around the upcoming summer of sport and will have guests dining al fresco enjoying the wonderful courtyards, gardens and terraces across the collection.

(NH) With our recent rebrand to The Hotel Collection the next 12 months will be an exciting time for our 21 properties including The Lygon Arms in Broadway, Hinckley Island Hotel in Leicestershire and The Imperial Hotel in Torquay.

(SC) This May was our 21st birthday so we have continued the celebrations by offering 21% off our Day Delegate Rates. For bookings made in July & August we are offering bookers a ‘Birthday Bundle’ of a family ticket to the Museum and a luncheon voucher for the Café. We also change our menus seasonally so we have introduced a new drinks and canapés package, ideal for drinks receptions on our roof terrace or amongst the cars in the Museum.

(SC) Our new conference website goes live in the next few weeks to coincide with our 21st Birthday celebrations and we start work on our new Museum Collection Centre building which will open in summer 2015.

Manchester Conference Centre & Hotel is the perfect choice for your next city centre event.

Boasting 2 professional tiered theatres, 16 meeting rooms, exhibition space, the latest audio visual equipment and 117 bedrooms, we are your one-stop-shop for all your conference, meetings and events needs.

We are located in the heart of Manchester, 5 minutes’ walk from Piccadilly and Oxford Road Station, 20 minutes’ drive from Manchester International Airport and moments away from the best shopping and bars the city has to offer.

We are also home to the Conservatory Bar & Courtyard, Hub Bistro and The Coffee Bean serving Illy Coffee, which are open daily to all guests and delegates.

Manchester Conference Centre & Hotel

T: 0161 955 8000

Sackville Street, Manchester M1 3BB

F: 0161 955 8050

E: conference@days-mcc.co.uk

The Old Church, Albert Hill Street, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6RF Telephone: 0845 351 9917