North in Brief

Suistainable Cup Creates Buzz

Fifth generation, family-run catering equipment business Stephensons, is to officially launch a truly planet-friendly takeaway cup featuring the iconic Manchester bee at the Northern Restaurant and Bar show. Made from certified plastic-free paperboard it can be recycled with paper and cardboard and is fully compostable.

The cup celebrates the identity of the city and helps to cut single-use plastics, building on the momentum garnered from the success of Stephensons environmentally friendly bee straws, launched in 2018. A percentage of profits raised from the cup will go to the city’s highly esteemed charity, We Love MCR.

Stephensons Managing Director, Henry Stephenson said: “We came up with the idea of putting the bee mosaic on a disposable cup when we launched the straw back in 2018, but it was only recently that the technology finally arrived, allowing us to put the bee on a truly sustainable, certified plastic-free cup. We’re proud to see both the cup and the straw as a simple but powerful statement from the city’s hospitality industry, reflecting its collective commitment to sustainability. As a Manchester-based business since 1868, we understand the pride and identity people associate with the Manchester bee, so to have the bee as a continued symbol of the city’s desire to limit single-use plastics is fantastic.”

EIA Publishes Promising Report

The Events Industry Alliance (EIA) – the collective made up of the of AEO, AEV and ESSA, recently published its seventh Size and Scale Index for Exhibitions (SASiE) report.

Shaun Hinds, CEO Manchester Central and current EIA Chair, commented: “The report identifies and confirms important trends in UK exhibitions as well as describing the key dimensions and characteristics of the sector.”

Launched in 2014, this SASiE report is the first since the pandemic and shows the post-COVID state of the industry. Hinds added: “The report shows that the number of major exhibitions held in the UK’s main exhibition venues in 2022 was almost back to pre-COVID levels, showing significant recovery with some indicators on a par or up on 2019 numbers and highlighting the resilience of our industry.”

Cvent to Go Private

Meetings technology giant Cvent is going private again after agreeing terms with Blackstone in a deal worth $4.6 billion.

Cvent said that its shareholders would receive $8.50 per share in the deal – a 52% premium of Cvent’s average share price over the past 90 days. The deal is expected to be finalised by the middle of the year.

Reggie Aggarwal, Founder and CEO of Cvent, said: “As one of the world’s largest private equity firms, Blackstone brings deep expertise in the event and hospitality industry, and with their backing, we plan to continue to invest in our business and deliver the innovative solutions that meet our customers’ needs and power the meetings and events ecosystem.”

GRATIS Advisory Board Launches

An advisory board, representing a collective buying power of £320 million, has been established for GRATIS, the end-to-end sourcing and booking tool provided by venuedirectory.com. Comprising of TMCs, CVBs, venues and agencies, the board will examine the strategic direction of the industry and ensure GRATIS remains agile and responsive to market needs.

At the inaugural meeting, Instant Book topped the agenda as part of the group’s drive to progress venue booking. The board’s overall aim is to collaborate to encourage hotels and venues to embrace the technology. They’ll also work to standardise terms and conditions for small meetings via Instant Book as well as review online price points so that agents have the ability to negotiate rates.

“Representing a diverse range of clients from construction, automotive UK government and finance, our Advisory Board has significant size and buying power within the industry,” explains Michael Begley, Managing Director of venuedirectory.com. “Together, we’ll work with clients and contacts to help drive considerable change within our sector, notably around Instant Book. Instant Book offers so many valuable business benefits as well as sheer simplicity all around – and it’s an area where we hope to make great strides this year.”

First Incubator Scheme Events

Manchester Central’s Incubator scheme allowed applicants to pitch a unique event which would connect people through meaningful experiences. The first two events to result from the scheme are being hosted this summer. The events are the Northern Stainability Summit (12th June) and PlannerFest/JournalFest/ StationaryFest (1st July). Both will be held at the prestigious venue after organisers beat strong competition from many applicants to the scheme. The organisers, Events Northern and Elevate, have since been receiving guidance from Manchester Central’s in-house events team to scope, plan and prepare for hosting their inaugural events.

Shaun Hinds, CEO at Manchester Central, said: “We launched this scheme a year ago and were overwhelmed by the response. Coming out of the pandemic, we wanted to do what we could to stimulate recovery for our industry; helping attract new entrants into the event space that otherwise might not have the resource to get their idea off the ground.”

Awards Announce New 2023 Category

The SME National Business Awards is returning with a new category for 2023. The new Hospitality Business of the Year category is open to enter for any business in the Hospitality sector.

The category aims to celebrate the success of the very best of the hospitality industry, highlighting the innovative initiatives and businesses across the UK. Hotels, Event Companies, Entertainment, or Suppliers to the Hospitality Industry are all eligible to enter and showcase their determination, passion, and success.

Damian Cummins, Awards Director commented: "An SME National Business Award is a well renowned accolade of achievement, and to be crowned the National Hospitality Business of the Year will be a huge recognition."

Successful businesses will be invited to the Grand Final at Wembley Stadium in December, where the eventual winners will take home the trophy.

Meet in Wales Confirms New Ambassadors

Meet in Wales has confirmed the arrival of more ambassadors to its growing programme, aimed at building relationships with industry to support business events in the destination. The Ambassador Wales Conference Programme mirrors Wales’s wider strategy of working with specific sectors that underline its own industrial strengths.

Each of the new ambassadors represent these sectors, including life sciences, environment, renewable energies, and sustainability. They also include wider scientific expertise in astronomy, from inspiring science education and technology to the promotion of the Dark Skies in Wales, to inspire future generations on the importance of reducing light pollution.

Their involvement was confirmed through nominations put forward from a working group that included Cardiff University, University of South Wales, and ICC Wales. Other partners in the group represent the best of the business events community in Wales and include Aberystwyth University, Bangor University, Swansea University, Venue Cymru, and Meet in Cardiff.