Conference eBook 2013

Issue Two January 2013

Emirates Stadium is one of the world’s most breathtaking sporting arenas; not only as a pioneering football stadium, but also as a groundbreaking meetings and events venue renowned across the UK and throughout Europe. Boasting an array of versatile, modern and luxurious suites it provides everything you would expect of a stage hosting one of the world’s most successful football clubs, and much more. Our dedicated and experienced events team will work with you to create events that are as inspiring as the setting, delivering tailored solutions to ensure every detail is perfected to create a truly memorable experience for you and your guests.

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Happy New Year Welcome to the second edition of the Conferences Group magazine.

I hope you are as excited as I am about the next twelve months, as I see positive signs of growth in the sector. 90% of venue managers anticipate a stronger business performance and 1 in 5 venues are planning capital investment of over £100,000 or more – all encouraging news.

The Future of Conferences & Events As this is the first edition of 2013, it seemed natural to focus on the future.

We have taken the opportunity to look at the future of conferences and events and how they might develop over the next ten years. We have also looked at some more practical applications of technology and social media and how they can add value to your events in 2013.

Getting to grips with social media can seem daunting, so it is heartening to learn that even the committed advocates of its use recognise that it can only really add value to an event and the fundamentals have to be in place for this media to be effective. Like many things, it is really about focusing on the basics, getting them right and being consistent.

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Conferences Group It is interesting to note that price and value for money remain the most influential factor for event organisers.

This, I feel is where Conferences Group excel – yes, we can certainly get an excellent deal on price for our customers, but with our expert team of venue finders, we make sure that we match the client with the right venue.

This is an important strength, regardless of whether people come to us via our website or just by giving us a call.

Over to you I hope you enjoy this edition of our magazine and I would love to hear from you with your feedback and suggestions.

Simon Thompson Managing Director, simon@conferencesgroup.com

The Future of Conferences & Events

To help prepare our feature on the future of conferences and events we turned to Fast Future, a consultancy which specialises in identifying and analysing trends and how they will shape the future.

Rohit Talwar, CEO of Fast Future, specialises in the events sector and has recently published a major study, Convention 2020.

The study is based on an ongoing research programme and is a must read for anyone interested in the long term future of the sector.

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Refreshingly transparent.

In creating the new Puma Hotels brand, we’ve listened to our customers and examined every single aspect of our 21 hotels across Britain – right down to our pricing structure.

At Puma Hotels, there are no hidden costs: the price we quote is the price you pay. Throughout the planning process, we’ll offer advice and suggestions to help you to stay within your budget.

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, with confidence To find out more about Meetings & Events at one of our 21 nationwide hotels email meet@pumahotels.co.uk call 0800 652 8412 or visit meetpumahotels.co.uk

We guarantee you... professionalism / efficiency / honesty / enthusiasm / service / f lexibility Billesley Manor Hotel, Nr. Stratford-upon-Avon | Cheltenham Park Hotel, Cheltenham | Daventry Court Hotel, Northamptonshire | Hinckley Island Hotel, Leicestershire The Lygon Arms, Broadway, The Cotswolds | The Palace Hotel, Buxton | Walton Hall, Nr. Stratford-upon-Avon | Walton Hotel, Nr. Stratford-upon-Avon Basingstoke Country Hotel, Hampshire | The Old Ship Hotel, Brighton | The Oxford Hotel, Oxford | The Angel Hotel, Cardiff | Combe Grove Manor Hotel, Bath The Imperial Hotel, Torquay | The Imperial Hotel, Blackpool | Redworth Hall Hotel, County Durham | The Majestic Hotel, Harrogate | Shrigley Hall Hotel, Golf & Country Club, Cheshire | The Carlton Hotel, Edinburgh | The Marine Hotel, Troon, Nr. Glasgow | The Stirling Highland Hotel, Stirlingshire

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Global Trends Central to the work is the identification of five global trends which are shaping our personal and professional lives; 1 Ongoing economic and political turbulence as the new normal 2 An ageing society 3 Citizens and customers demanding a greater say in all matters that affect them.

4 Transformational change in science and technology touching every aspect of our life

Over the next three years rising participant expectations will have a major impact on event strategies.

These increased expectations will be reflected in: • Sharp growth in the learning opportunities delegates will expect •T he anticipation participants have of the quality of facilities and comfort levels • A desire to see a direct return on investment from events

5 Sustainability concerns forcing us to re-think our environmental footprint.

• A requirement to see immediate results following attendance.

Impact on Meeting & Events

Over the next three years, attendees at conferences, events and meetings will increasingly anticipate strong integration of social media and interlinking with external audiences.

While these global trends are universal, the impact they have will vary. Critically for the conferences sector, business meetings are seen as an increasingly powerful way of responding to these trends by: • Facilitating knowledge sharing • Providing a forum for organisations to create new solutions • Helping to accelerate internal change • Driving business growth.

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The Shape of Things to Come

While meetings and conferences will be an important tool in enabling organisations to respond to these trends, the way events will be designed, organised and commercialised will change dramatically, with significant implications for venues and event organisers.

To meet these rising expectations delegates will expect a genuine dialogue between speakers and delegates and a much greater personalisation of topics and formats. Social media is seen as important in two ways: • Increasing delegate engagement by enabling a direct dialogue between speakers and attendees • Enabling the co-creation of events between organisers and delegates.

Increasingly delegates at events are going to want to see events shaped around them and their requirements, using tools like social media to achieve this and expecting much more direct and tangible outcomes from attending events.

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The Future of Conferences & Events

Mobile Devices & Personal Interaction as Standard 87% of those surveyed as part of the Convention 2020 study believed that smart phones, tablets and their successors will become the delegate’s main interaction point, providing: • Programme guides • Knowledge and contacts exchange • Downloads of presentations • Interaction and audience response • Special interest group co-ordination.

Ultimately, the availability of this technology will become an expectation and a minimum standard, rather than a point of difference and marketing advantage. Delegates will increasingly anticipate the availability of such services to facilitate their event experience. The actual decision about whether to attend a particular event will based on: • The quality of personal networking available • The opportunity to meet key people • High quality speakers/content • The growth of niche events.

80% of those involved in the study believed that there would be a growth of smaller, niche events. The trend would be towards many more events, as the delegate requirement for greater personalisation and immediate results is met by more choice and availability.

In turn this will create more competition among event owners and pressure on traditional commercial models.

As a result event organisers will increasingly seek to open up new revenue streams which will include: • Pay per view live event streaming to the web • Premium content and sessions available during the event • Pay per view sessions available post event • Sponsorship revenue model linked directly to additional business generated.

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Classic Lodges for however you do business in 2013 We know that all businesses are different. Some like peace and tranquillity for their business events. Others find a bit of a buzz produces the most creative ideas. So, with 15 hotels to choose from, and all with their own character - from country estates to city centre townhouses - we’re pretty sure there’s a Classic Lodge for your event.

And we’ve grown. We now have even more hotels in great locations all over the UK from the Borders to the Sussex Downs, Peterborough to Hereford - all brilliantly located for the main motorway network.

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Where you’ll find Classic Lodges Hotels

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Grinkle Park on the N. York Moors

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The White Swan in Alnwick

Marshall Meadows Berwick upon Tweed

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The Future of Conferences & Events

The Impact on Venues

Future Demand

All of the venues involved in the survey had felt the impact of the changes, in particular the increased competition. The majority of venues commented on:

The task of predicting future demand is a notoriously difficult endeavour. However, what the 2020 survey does demonstrate is that the majority of participants feel that the sector will remain robust and relevant.

Almost ¾ of those surveyed felt that their company or organisation would continue to invest as much time and money into organising events and conferences over the next ten years as they currently do.

Furthermore, 66% believe that they will be investing more money and resource than currently.

• The challenges associated with differentiating themselves in the face of stiff competition • The ability to be more flexible to meet the changing needs of event organisers • The requirement to access new markets and emerging industry sectors.

In the medium to long term venues will adapt by ensuring that: • The latest meeting technologies are available in venue • There is a robust talent management strategy in place • A more flexible operating model would be established • There will be greater flexibility of how venue space can be managed.

The importance of technology as a cornerstone of future events is reflected in the focus of venues in ensuring that the latest event technology is available. Survey respondents expected venues to adopt the following technology strategies: • 73% expected venues to offer free Wi-Fi connectivity for delegates and exhibitors • 63% anticipated venues to be offering 3D virtual world showcases and online venue ‘walkthroughs’

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• 56% expected event intelligence RFID to be employed (for example on trade show booths to record visitors).

Despite the challenges the industry faces, the prognosis is positive. Meetings, conferences and events will prove to be an important way in which organisations can effectively begin to respond to the global trends that are shaping our future. While demand appears robust, expectations will change and the time to begin to address this is now.

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Interactive Technology & Social Media

INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY & SOCIAL MEDIA Planning and managing an event, conference or large meeting is a challenge. This is particularly the case when both budget and time are tight.

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Event organisers continue to highlight Social media Social Media & Events the difficulty of persuading delegates commentator Lars Like it or loathe it, you can’t afford to to take the time to attend events, or ignore it. In the UK alone there are 30 Basche points out even simply getting larger groups of million Facebook users and 10 million colleagues to meet in the same place that Twitter traffic Twitter account holders. A Facebook at the same time. Increasingly event does not depend user will typically create 415 pieces of organisers are looking to incorporate content each year and an average Twitter new technology and social media into on the number user spends 23 minutes each day on the events in an attempt to find new ways of of delegates at site, therefore these and other forms of engaging delegates and colleagues. social media are here to stay. the event. At one New Opportunities From an event perspective, social media event only 10% can be a vital marketing channel and of participants for Event Organisers a key way of maintaining engagement might tweet, while with delegates during and after an event.

Despite the challenges, most From a delegate perspective, social commentators agree that meeting face at another, more media can enhance the event experience to face is a vital aspect of business Twitter friendly and make the process of networking at communication. Furthermore, the event, 8 times more growth of social media and pace of events much more effective. development of technology presents Twitter users than new opportunities for event organisers to Effective Integration participants might overcome those challenges. of Social Media tweet.

Social media and new technology can offer a number of benefits: • Add interest and value to events by stimulating delegates in new ways • Attract a new audience by increasing the reach of event marketing through social media • Involve more delegates in your events through the use of interactive technology • Improve delegate satisfaction by enabling attendees to get more from each event • Aid delegate retention by improving satisfaction.

The good news is that there is lots of advice out there and many different ways that an event experience can be improved through the effective use of social media. The most important advice begins with the basics, picking which social media you will use for your event and making sure that it is incorporated into all of your event communication and to make it as easy as possible for everyone to find the URL’s.

Twitter is a particularly effective social media for events, allowing all participants and interested parties to read and share information quickly.

Interactive Technology & Social Media

Top Tips for Using Twitter Effectively • Select a hashtag for your event early and use it heavily in the run up to the event • Encourage as many of your colleague as possible to use it and if possible provide them with easy to mange content to share • Encourage delegates at conferences to tweet questions to speakers in advance and ask the speakers to respond to some of them on Twitter only • Create a twitter wall – a simple display which shows all attendees the tweets that have been sent during the conference • Don’t be afraid to share some content during and following the event as this will help promoting future events as well as increasing the reach of the current one – tweeting post event is a key way of improving marketing reach as well as delegate satisfaction At a recent PayPal conference they took the twitter hashtag so seriously that it was highlighted in the key note speech, so all delegates were clear about the correct one to use.

Regardless of which social media you use it is important to have a steady stream of photos from the event as they are much more likely to be viewed and shared than simple text only updates. Videos and infographics (which can be produced with simple software) are also popular for sharing. It is also a good idea to have social media ‘concierge’ or co-ordinator at events so that delegates can ask questions and get customer support in real time, via social media. hecking in? Adam Helweh of Social Media Explorer C points out that many people like to ‘check in’ on their social media and it is a simple matter to create a check in location for your specific events on location based services such as foresquare. ‘Check ins’ are often cross promoted on Facebook and Twitter and provide additional profile for your event.

It is important and perhaps reassuring to know that even the social media ‘experts’ recognise that social media enhances the event but it cannot replace the basics of event management. Pam Moore of social media tells of conferences she has reported on where they have a full social media lounge set up, but don’t have a written agenda of the event!

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Interactive Technology Research reveals that delegates and attendees are becoming increasingly demanding, as time is scarce and the pressure is on everyone to be more productive. Delivering a great and engaging experience is becoming ever more important and incorporating technology into events can play a key part in achieving this.

As one industry commentator noted, mobile devices are pervasive at conferences and events. Savvy conference organisers recognise the prevalence of handheld devices and incorporate them into the event planning and overall meeting experience.

This is not surprising given that 56% of the UK population possesses a smartphone and around 20% has access to a tablet computer, such as an iPad. The trend has been to incorporate mobile technology into events to add an interactive element.

There are a number of services available to help achieve this and we have taken the opportunity to highlight some of them.

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Interactive Technology & Social Media

The New Flip Chart?

Much of the technology available tends to be aimed at larger events, however, Involve (developed by Event Technology Ltd) is equally suited to large or small settings. Involve is a collaborative messaging, drawing and voting tool which uses wireless laptops to enable delegates to interact with each other through text, pictures and voting.

All of the data can be recorded and displayed immediately for instant engagement as well as being captured for post event analysis. The strength of this service is that the technology facilitates delegate interaction, resulting in a creative event environment where everyone’s contributions are captured.

Taking Text to Screen to the Next Level Text to screen is a simple way of engaging an audience in an event and has long been used by event organisers to build interaction at larger scale events. This has been taken one stage further by one company, IML, who have developed the ‘IML connector’, a device which acts as an individual microphone for each member of the audience to speak through, a real time translation service as well as the ability to text to screen.

‘Scavenging’ at Events Digital scavenger hunts are an emerging trend in the US. These are effectively activity games which are facilitated by a digital device. It is becoming increasingly popular for groups to take part in ‘treasure hunts’ where the ‘treasure’ is located through the use of GPS devices, with results and games promoted online.

iPad App Technology for events have developed an iPad application which enables users at an event: • To view a presentation on their device (as well on the main screen) • Make notes next to the slides in real time • Respond to and ask questions The application also enables the user to keep a copy so that the delegate has their own unique record of the event for future reference. Crystal Interactive provide a similar service, which uses a smart phone rather than a tablet.

Such services represent a nice ‘build’ on more traditional handheld voting keypads, which have been used to make presentations and events more interactive for some time, but that rely on less flexible hand held devices.

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More recently these techniques have been incorporated into events, such as trade exhibitions to encourage delegates to visit as many stands as possible or at larger meetings to ensure that delegates network with as many people as possible.

The mobile phone or device is at the heart of such games with players required to upload specified pictures from each exhibition stand (or equivalent) with a real time leader board online to promote the game and stimulate competition. www.goosechase.com is a low cost, off the shelf option that could easily be incorporated into your next event and add interest and value.

New opportunities The positive news is that while organising events is still challenging there are now more tools available to you to help build, engage and retain your audience.

Furthermore this can be achieved simply and with minimal cost, with significant potential benefits when executed correctly and effectively.

This month’s sp tlight on:

Holiday Inn Stratford-upon-Avon

HOW WILL YOU SPEND YOURS?

Q & A with Richard Smith and George Briffa

Question & Answer While putting together the latest edition of our magazine, we took the opportunity to catch up with Richard Smith, Director of Marketing and Associates at Classic Lodges and George Briffa, General Manager of Dunchurch Park Hotel and Conference Centre.

What do you think the next 12 months hold for the future of conferences and events?

Richard Smith: I think the trend of short lead in time to meetings will continue and budgets will continue to be scrutinised to try and guarantee value for money. However, many companies that have postponed meetings in 2012 will start to feel the need to re-engage with their teams whether it is product updates, launches, legal changes affecting them or training, as companies realise that in order to gain new business and maintain existing business, their teams need to be on top form to beat the competition.

What developments in the conferences and events sector are you most excited about?

George Briffa: I would not say I am excited, a little confident perhaps that the downturn is evening out and perhaps that confidence will start to build little by little.

What elements of a traditional conference or meeting cannot be replaced by technology?

R.S. Technology has always continued to evolve and look to replace face to face conference and meeting events from conference calls to Skype. None are able to create a personal bond and understanding of each other as they are two-dimensional forms of communication, and we as people need to use our senses through interaction to get the full picture which is what happens at conferences and meetings. Just think how many times an email has been sent from the sender in one context and the recipient reads it totally differently. This is especially true when holding team building or one to one meetings.

What tips and advice would you give to conference organisers in 2013?

G.B. Stay loyal to the venue that demonstrated high standards of hospitality and service. At Dunchurch we recognise the likes and dislikes of our customers and address them prior to them occurring.

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What are the key technology trends that you can see emerging that will have an impact on the conference sector?

R.S I think that with the increase in use of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices that delegates can use to interact, conferencing will increase the need for the speed of connectivity to the internet through fibre optics to gain access quickly and seamlessly to cloud based stored items, presentations and video links.

What has your venue been doing to prepare for the future?

G.B IT updating, refurbishing of most public areas and meeting/conference rooms. We want our clients to know that although there is a downturn we are still optimistic for a better future.

What USP's do you believe your venue has to help you thrive in the future?

R.S Our hotels are set in great locations and all have individual character, with a common theme of value for money, service and quality.

Each property is run by individual hoteliers who have a passion for their hotel, and look after each guest so that they want to visit again – which is what truly sets us apart. Our approach is one of “anything required of us by our customers we can do, as bespoke is what we do�.

G.B We have a great central location with easy access from M1, M6 and M5 to mention but three motorways. This allows the larger national and blue chip companies to bring their delegates together in a fair & cost effective manner. Having a large amount of grounds and our outdoor team building course we are geared for the teambuilding market as well as having large capacities for conferences and the very traditional meeting rooms. Our large permanent Marquee is great for attracting the ever rising Asian Wedding market as well as launches.

CLARENDON SUITES CONFERENCES | WEDDINGS | EXHIBITIONS | CELEBRATIONS

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w 18 versatile Suites and Conference Rooms that accommodate from 8 to 800 delegates w Free wireless broadband connectivity available throughout the building w Audio visual equipment can be provided in all suites and meeting rooms w Delicious food, that tastes as good as it looks prepared on site by our own brigade of chefs w Dining capacity for up to 500 guests w Excellent service, delivered by professional and experienced staff w Spacious tree lined grounds with free parking for over 250 vehicles w Selection of quality hotels within close proximity w Central Birmingham location with easy access via road, rail and public transport

Our dedicated team will happily tailor packages to suit your budget and liaise with you every step of the way; therefore you can relax knowing that your event really will, be perfect.

So, for quality service, superb value and versatile facilities in a convenient location; choose the Clarendon Suites for your next event!

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At PH Hotels we offer a selection of perfectly placed conference and meeting spaces, in all of our 22 hotels across the UK and additional property near Paris.

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