North in Brief

Edinburgh Second Most Expensive City

According to global mobility specialist, ECA International, the UK’s second most expensive business destination in the UK is Edinburgh, with a typical trip costing £326 a day. Half of the cost is due to hotel stays, while higher hotel costs have also led Birmingham to be the third most expensive city in the UK, moving above Manchester.

Alec Smith, Benefits and Daily Rates Manager at ECA International said: “High inflation and increased staffing costs are leading to hotel stays becoming significantly more expensive across the UK. London, however, stands out as having some of the greatest rises in hotel costs, up by 20% since last year, while hotels elsewhere in the country show an average increase of just 5% on the previous year.” ECA International has calculated that sending two employees to London for a three-night business trip will set businesses back by £2,982, before travel costs.

Evolution Dome to Headline Event

Set to run alongside Event Tech Live in November 2023, the first edition of Event Sustainability Live announced its headline sponsor will be inflatable structures business, Evolution Dome.

The sponsorship follows Evolution Dome’s latest advancements in battery and storage capacity. Its SPB-6500 battery packs allow Evolution Dome’s pods to be used without any need for power outlets or generators for up to 21 hours. These amendments create a more sustainable effect with significantly reduced carbon emissions, cost, and noise pollution when installed.

Ash Austin, Director of Evolution Dome said: “It is a pleasure to be sponsoring the debut of Event Sustainability Live. With its passionate team and the support of event industry professionals who share the goal of building a better future, there’s no doubt that the show will be a positive step forward for the industry.”

ABPCO Announces Line-Up for Festival

ABPCO’s Festival of Learning is returning for the second time this year on 25th April at Telford International Centre under the theme, Survive and Thrive. The day supported by Telford and Wrekin

Council will include a packed schedule of speakers and content devoted to the needs of association event professionals, preceded by a networking event the evening before.

ABPCO Chair, Emma Duffy said: “Our inaugural Festival of Learning was an incredible success. The concept has been reimagined for 2023, with content from a fantastic group of speakers, leaders, and influencers.”

ABPCO have announced a talk titled Moving Sustainable Meetings Forward: The Next Step in the Journey, a conversation about the acceleration in sustainable practices within association meetings between Dawn Lauder, Head of Association Sales at Scottish Event Campus and Sarah Garry, Executive Officer at British Association of Soil Science.

World Water Exhibition Set for Glasgow

The International Water Association chooses the Scottish Event Campus to host its 2026 World Water Congress & Exhibition. The acquisition of the event continues the attraction of Glasgow as a sustainable city following the SEC’s hosting of the 2021 Nations Climate Change Conference.

In Kathleen Warden, Director of Conference Sales at SEC said: “This is exactly the kind of conference we love at the SEC – those that look to carry critical messages around the world. We’re looking forward to welcoming the delegates of IWA to our city.”

The previous edition of IWA’s World Water Congress & Exhibition in 2022 was held in Copenhagen, Denmark and the next conference will be hosted in Toronto Canada, in August 2024. SEC in Glasgow will play host the following year.

Tomorrow’s Talent Award 2023 Winners

The Meetings Show has announced the ten winners of its 2023 Tomorrow’s Talent Awards, celebrating exceptional emerging talent within the industry. Now in its fifth year, the competition is open to any talented event planner or buyer aged 30 and under, with three years or less experience working in the industry.

The winners represented companies such as Alzheimer’s Research UK (Becca Shiner), DRPG (Laura Pike and Jenna Border), and Palace Events (Alex

Chesters). The entrants were judged by a panel of industry experts including Paul Harvey, Editor of M&IT.

The Tomorrow’s Talent winners will be invited at VIPs to The Meetings Show on 28th and 29th June, the prize also includes an invitation to a celebratory lunch and profile-building opportunities.

Leicestershire Venue Claims Sustainability Award

Mythe Barn, an eco-friendly luxury wedding and corporate events venue recently won a Greengage ECOsmart Silver Award at its 2023 ceremony. Owners and married couple, Joanna and Joe Garland, converted the family farm into a wedding venue after taking it over in 2005 and have since celebrated the venue’s tenth anniversary including over 1,000 marriages on-site.

Andrew Perolls, CEO at Greengage said: “Over the years Mythe Barn have implemented some impressive initiatives which show that sustainability is a priority at their venue. We look forward to working together to continue their journey to becoming more sustainable.”

UKEVENTS Working Group Expands

Clive Wratten, CEO of the Business Travel Association and Martin Fullard, Director, News and Content, at davies tanner and The Business of Events have joined UKEVENTS Working Group for Advocacy & Government Relations.

The role of the group within UKEVENTS, the overarching body for the UK events industry, is to raise the profile of the business visits and events industry to the government, drawing attention to the economic and social contributions they provide to each department.

Clive Wratten said: “I am eager to join UKEVENTS’ as business travel and events go hand in hand. I am delighted to join my events colleagues to ensure our government fully understands the power of in-person events and their significant contribution to business, bringing workers from all over the globe together.”

Fullard added: “While we must continue to talk with one another as an industry, it is vital that we articulate as clearly as possible what the events sector can offer UK Plc, in both economic and social terms. I’m delighted to have been invited to join this Working Group and will continue to advocate for this magnificent sector.”