Conference & Incentive Travel articles from December 2006

Conference & Incentive Travel archives from December 2006

First Off: Keeping it close to home and on time.
December 20, 2006... It's a resounding thumbs up for our capital city this month - London is officially top of the C&I league according to the hundreds of you that cast your votes for this year's Reader Poll (p26). So despite the unresolved ICC debate, the...

Emissions report raises the spectre of airfare increases.
December 20, 2006... The C&I sector could see the price of plane tickets increase by pounds 15-pounds 30 each year for the forseeable future if the Government follows the advice of a report calling for drastic measures to dampen demand for air travel and cut carbon...

Attendances rise in London despite fall in event total.(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... Visit London and C&IT have joined forces to produce an ongoing analysis into the city's MICE trends. The quarterly study reports year-on-year comparisons across three sectors: hotel, conference and banqueting, and meeting and event venues....

Oval and EMU Events sign pounds 250k contract.
December 20, 2006... Event management start-up EMU Events has won its first major piece of business - a two-year, pounds 250,000 contract from UK insurance and financial services group Oval. The contract is the agency's first major win since it opened...

UK Price Check: Rural meeting and overnight.(hotels and motels prices)(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... Brief: Full-day meeting for 60 delegates cabaret-style, with a private dinner and overnight accommodation in property in a rural location with good access to major roads. Prices include F&B and VAT. COOMBE HALL Day-delegate rate: pounds...

UK Brief: Revolution Events appointed.
December 20, 2006... Revolution Events has been appointed by the Improvement and Development Agency to manage an awards event in London's Royal Horticultural Hall in March. The awards, which recognise excellence in local government, will count Prime Minister Tony...

UK Brief: Alternative Hotel acquisition.
December 20, 2006... Alternative Hotel Group has rung in the changes following its acquisition of the De Vere group in July. Four and five-star properties across the De Vere group will be brought up to five-star standard and renamed De Vere Resorts. Former Verve...

UK Brief: PKF releases figures.(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... PKF, the hotel consultancy services group, has released its figures for September. While nearly all regions recorded increases in occupancy and yield, compared to the same period last year, London showed massive growth of 20.9% on 2005, as...

UK Brief: Blue1 business class.
December 20, 2006... Blue1, the Finnish airline partner in SAS, has taken out its business class section on its direct route to Helsinki from Stansted to focus on price. The standard pounds 70 fare includes taxes and airport charges. www.blue1.com

UK Brief: Expotel teams up.
December 20, 2006... Expotel has teamed up with environmental accreditation programme, the Green Tourism Business Scheme, to offer a green choice to its government clients. The deal will see accredited businesses listed by Expotel and the booking agency encouraging...

Concerto Group's 'non-aggressive' Eventwise buyout.(acquisition)(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... The Concerto Group has acquired London-based agency Eventwise, with a view to widening its portfolio of services and bolstering its position in the corporate events market. The deal, signed on 16 October, comes after four-months of talks....

BI buys Mint to grow its Asia-Pacific work.(The Business Improvement Company acquires Mint Organization)(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... BI has extended its reach to Asia-Pacific and the Middle East with the purchase of Australian agency the Mint Organization. Mint had a turnover of pounds 9.3m in 2005-6 and employs 30 people in offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Shanghai,...

New weekly email service from C&IT.(Conference and Incentive Travel)(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... Conference & Incentive Travel has launched a weekly email news service. C&IT News Tracker goes out to global event and meetings planners every Wednesday and includes breaking news on account wins, agency news, new campaigns and C&I...

London MICE eyes revenue ideas to replace funding.(planning)(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... Networking organisation London MICE plans to be self-funding within 18 months by boosting sponsorship on its relaunched website and introducing fees to members. London MICE cluster champion and First Protocol chairman Richard Waddington...

Rocco Forte introduces one-stop booking.
December 20, 2006... Rocco Forte Hotels has strengthened its C&I offering by setting up a one-stop UK booking service and appointing a new conference & incentive director. The moves come in response to an increase in C&I business, which now accounts for nearly...

Focus on... The Event Buyers Forum 2007.
December 20, 2006... What's the lowdown? Now in its third year, Event Buyers Forum (EBF) is an educational and networking event for corporate event buyers and organisers to learn more about the industry and meet their peers. Organised by events agency Penguins and...

Benchmark division eyes corporate work.(Benchmark Communications Inc.'s newly formed division gets a contract from Port of Tyne )(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... Newcastle-based agency Benchmark Communications has opened a corporate division, acquiring its first contract to organise a three-night event for the Port of Tyne next October. The contract sees Benchmark source the venue for the...

Bournemouth's new technology.(Bournemouth International Conference Bureau)(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... Bournemouth International Conference Bureau (BICB) has become the first bureau to use a new technology that lets event organisers check venues' facilities and availability. The introduction of the Venuecheck software, by Availability...

Webwatch: www.eurostar.com/groups.(Eurostar (U.K.) Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... WHAT IS IT? An online guide to Eurostar's range of MICE offers, ranging from chartering trains, hiring carriages exclusively or scoping options for group trips to next year's Rugby World Cup. The site has been designed as a first port of...

The key to success is a fluent grasp of the numbers game.(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... I was asked recently to look at what makes people and organisations successful in a rapidly changing business world. In my experience, successful people are without exception absolutely passionate about what they do and can communicate this...

MCI Group purchase extends German hub.
December 20, 2006... International meetings company MCI Group has bought Stuttgart-based PGI Live Communication to extend its German coverage to the south of the country with a second office. Nine former PGI staff have been offered new contracts with the new...

NCL sets course for MICE market.
December 20, 2006... NCL is finalising plans to target the C&I market with its informal cruising brand Freestyle Cruising. The Miami-based cruise line has assigned more than pounds 500,000 for the first phase of the push, which launches on 1 December. NCL...

Pushing Frontiers: The Cook Islands.(description and travel)(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... Scattered across a remote but sizeable chunk of the South Pacific, the Cook Islands are a collection 15 islands with their own characteristics, but what they have in common is a jaw-dropping natural beauty. Divided into two groups, the...

Are these the good times we're in, or a burn-out warning?(event planning)(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... Over the past six months or so, I can't remember speaking to anyone who has not said that they were busier than ever. I hear about more proposals, more groups, more events, shorter lead times, and needing more staff at every turn. At recent...

Firms 'don't plan for emergencies unless affected'.(antiterrorism measures)(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... Most companies only introduce comprehensive crisis-management plans after they have been affected by an incident, according to disaster-recovery group Docleaf. Operations account manager Lois Jones, speaking after October's C&IT Corporate...

Clients want more time to evaluate events' success.(delegates survey)(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... A lack of time rather than budget is the main stumbling block to evaluating events, according to delegates at C&IT's Corporate Forum last month. Failure to engage with their firms' key internal stakeholders was identified by 46% of...

Expert warns event planners they could be paying VAT twice without realising it.
December 20, 2006... Event planners are throwing away millions of pounds a year in VAT payments within the EU, delegates were told at this year's C&IT Corporate Forum. During a seminar at the event, which ran from 23-25 October at Marriott Goodwood Park, Tax...

Tourism Queensland boosts its European MICE presence.
December 20, 2006... Tourism Queensland has overhauled its operations in the UK by outsourcing to Hills Balfour Synergy, bringing it into line with other European markets. The move sees the existing two-person, in-house team replaced by an eight-strong team,...

Managers unveil ambitious plans for Portaventura.
December 20, 2006... Spanish theme park resort Portaventura has unveiled plans for a convention and exhibition centre, three golf courses and a new hotel. The 12,000m2, 4,000-capacity venue, set to open in 2009, is being built in response to growing C&I demand....

Accor Group pushes Novotel's rebranding.(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... Accor Group is lining up a major B2B marketing push for Novotel as it seeks to drive home its current rebranding as a high-end hotel chain. The hotel giant has put pounds 1.2bn behind a UK consumer TV and press push under the tagline...

World Price Check: Four-day European meeting.(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... Brief: A conference for 100 delegates theatre-style for four days, with syndicate rooms for a day, dinner on two nights and accommodation in single-occupancy rooms. HOTEL VIENNA DANUBE Accomm and B&B: pounds 30,000 Day-delegate rate:...

UK Brief: American Express appoints.
December 20, 2006... American Express has hired Marc Hildebrand as vice-president, general manager for Central Europe. Based in Frankfurt, he will report into David Herrick, vice-president head of business travel, EMEA. americanexpress.com

UK Brief: Amway China event.
December 20, 2006... Melbourne is to hold its biggest-ever event. Amway China - part of the global door-to-door sales giant Amway - will hold an incentive and training conference for 10,000 delegates in 2008. www.mcvb.com.au

UK Brief: P&MM recruits.
December 20, 2006... P&MM has recruited Janine Sykes as business development manager. She joins from IT resellers Misco where she developed new business accounts. www.p-mm.co.uk

UK Brief: Travel cuts.
December 20, 2006... Association of Corporate Travel Executives research has found that clients are cutting their travel bud gets by up to 45% through the introduction of global travel management programmes. www.acte.org

UK Brief: Select Services hires.
December 20, 2006... Select Services, a Sussex-based event management company, has hired Simon Flanagan as event manager. Flanagan previously worked as operations director on a range of projects including The Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. www.select-serv.com

UK Brief: BMI partners Transaero.
December 20, 2006... BMI has partnered with Russian carrier Transaero to launch four return flights a day between London and Moscow. www.flybmi.com

UK Brief: Etihad CEO.
December 20, 2006... Etihad the UAE national carrier, has appointed James Hogan as CEO. Previously president and chief executive of Gulf Air, Hogan will have executive responsibility for operations. www.etihadairways.com

Diary of a Start-up: We are proving bribery can be a laughing matter.
December 20, 2006... If you are a marketing professional at a UK blue-chip, how sick are you of agency cold calls? On behalf of us all, I apologise. For an agency, first contact is typically a provocative/thought provoking/surprising piece of communication - we...

Opinion: Sounding Off - Sector is advocate of face to face, yet recruits staff blind.(Brief article)(Column)
December 20, 2006... The prevailing culture of mergers and acquisitions in the C&I industry, coupled with ever-increasing new business opportunities, has produced a dynamic job market and plenty of work for recruitment consultants. But speed has become the...

In Person: Steve Nutbeam - Head of events, JP Morgan Asset Management.
December 20, 2006... How do you go about staging your firm's employees as they belt out a rock anthem to 800 colleagues at the Christmas do? Steve Nutbeam, head of events at JP Morgan Asset Management (JPMAM), isn't sure yet, but expectations are high after last...

Analysis: ABPI code a bitter pill to swallow.
December 20, 2006... The changes to pharmaceutical industry's code of conduct in January this year sent a frisson of panic through the sector as lucrative events budgets were threatened. James Thornton assesses the impact. It's a year since the Association of...

Case Study: Vauxhall unveils new Corsa in Salzburg.(General Motors Europe AG launches new vehicle)
December 20, 2006... Flying 7,000 dealers out to Austria is a tall order, but PCI Fitch also had to alter their preconceptions about the car, as Stuart Derrick reports. Brief: General Motors relaunched the Corsa at July's Motor Show using a campaign devised by...

Case Study: Budweiser's ski lift.
December 20, 2006... Anheuser Busch rewarded its top performing bar managers with an action-packed trip to Italy's slopes. Paul Oswell reports. The brief: To organise an all-action trip for 30 bar managers across Budweiser accounts. Over four days, the aim was...

The Year in Review.
December 20, 2006... Yasmin Razak and Kunal Dutta look back at the highs and lows of 2006 and discover carbon footprints, acquisitions, Apprentice howlers, giant cruise liners and underachieving England. JANUARY THA cleans up at the ITMA Awards, scooping...

Reader Poll: The results.(top conference destinations)
December 20, 2006... There was a record response to C&IT's annual quest to identify your favourite venues, agencies, hotels and destinations, and it makes good reading for London in the build-up to the Olympics. Perhaps it was the lure of a fabulous holiday to...

And the winner is ..
December 20, 2006... As an inducement for votes, C&IT was delighted to offer a trip of a lifetime to Kenya. Stuart Derrick speaks to the lucky winner. When C&IT started to devise this year's reader's poll, we wanted to offer a prize that would reflect the...

Unusual Venues: Naturally gifted.(British Museum of Natural History offers its venue for conferences)(Interview)
December 20, 2006... From hosting rock gods to city bankers, the Natural History Museum is fast evolving its offer to become London's top unusual venue. The Natural History Museum's head of events and catering, Rupert Ellwood, graduated from Oxford Polytechnic...

Unusual Venues Showcase: New and improved.
December 20, 2006... Abigail Wills selects some of the latest developments and openings from the UK's unusual venues portfolio, from art galleries to Mercedes-Benz's Surrey showcase. BLACK BOX Web: www.blackboxbelfast.com Located in Belfast's...

Bournemouth: Coastal rejuvenation.
December 20, 2006... Bournemouth is dispelling the myth that it's a town for retirees. As James Thornton discovers, it is fast developing the infrastructure to support its conference centre. Bournemouth - the land of silver-surfing, cream teas and the...

Belfast: Safety and numbers.(meeting places)
December 20, 2006... Having put its problems behind it, Northern Ireland has benefited from a wave of private and public investment and now attracts more event delegates year on year. Kunal Dutta reports. Mention Belfast in a pitch shortlist and even today...

Jersey: Investment haven.
December 20, 2006... The island might be small, but a giant investment of pounds 100m is propelling Jersey to global status with high-end chic developments aplenty. Yasmin Razak reports on the island's flirtation with cool. Were you to hazard a guess as to...

Jersey: The island's stars of the future.
December 20, 2006... A spate of refurbishments is giving the Jersey hotel business a facelift, writes Yasmin Razak. LA MARE WINE ESTATE Web www.lamarewineestate.com A bespoke conference and function facility is set to augment one of Jersey's top...

Jersey: HSBC goes wild with the animals.
December 20, 2006... Yasmin Razak discovers how bank workers honoured the legacy of naturalist. The brief HSBC Bank International holds a summer conference on every year and it falls to corporate communications manager Sharon Slade to plan and co-ordinate the...

Scandinavia: Northern territories.
December 20, 2006... Ice-cool Scandinavia has never lost its appeal for incentives trips. Stuart Derrick gives a country-by-country breakdown of what's on offer. The Scandinavian countries have long held appeal as incentives destinations, whether it be for...

Italy: Italian classics.(Rome and Florence)
December 20, 2006... Both Rome and Florence need no introduction for keen filmgoers and incurable romantics, but it's harder to get a definite picture of what they offer meeting planners. Paul Oswell investigates. Roman Holiday or A Room With a View? It may...

Spain: Spanish specialities.
December 20, 2006... Spain's key cities and regions have their own character and C&I strengths. Jane Dunford tries to match group needs to the right destination. BARCELONA FOR BIG GROUPS Since the 1992 Olympics transformed Barcelona into a dynamic...

Dubai: Fantasy rooted in reality.(City overview)
December 20, 2006... Dubai might be home to some of the world's most ambitious projects, but the ever-changing emirate has the infrastructural clout to back up some of its more surreal flights of fancy, as Kerry Baggott reports. Congestion, pollution,...

Dubai Verdicts: A wealth of opinion.(executives' opinions about the city)
December 20, 2006... Agents and corporates discuss what they like about Dubai and identify the shortcomings that need to be addressed. - Claire Okrafo-Smart, senior account manager, Zibrant 'For first-timers to Dubai, I think the destination still has a...

Dubai: A package for every occasion.
December 20, 2006... Dubai certainly does extravagant, but can it deliver for budget groups too, asks Kerry Baggott. BUDGET How to get there: Gulf Air flies three times a day from Heathrow via Muscat or Bahrain. Where to stay: Traders Hotel, Dubai,...

Dubai Venues: Landmark properties.
December 20, 2006... JUMEIRAH EMIRATES TOWERS Web: www.jumeirahemiratestowers.com No longer can male delegates blame jetlag or over-indulgence for waning attention spans during meetings. H2O is a male-only spa in which treatments have been designed to...

Dubai Case Study: CSF samples the desert's delights.
December 20, 2006... The motor spares company opted for Dubai to reward its best clients. Kerry Baggott reports. The brief CSF, a motor spares distributor, wanted to build a personal relationship with its top clients, namely those garage owners who showed a...

South Africa: The heart of Africa.
December 20, 2006... With its sun-drenched climate, top-notch hotels, restaurants, modern facilities and magical safari lodges, South Africa is both wild and wonderful for groups. South Africa's appeal as a modern leisure destination is one of the travel...

South Africa Case Study: O2 motivates with VIP winter break.
December 20, 2006... Ben Lerwill learns how a lively trip to Cape Town spurred on staff at the mobile phone firm. The brief: Mobile phone network supplier O2 approached Archer Young with a clear brief - it needed a travel incentive to motivate its retail...

South Africa Cities: Cities in the spotlight.
December 20, 2006... Ben Lerwill examines Cape Town and Johannesburg's growing appeal to UK C&I groups. CAPE TOWN UPDATE What's hot: First-time visitors to Cape Town are invariably bowled over by the picture-postcard views, but its beauty must be more...

Asia: Introduction - Unlocking the Orient.(business travel)
December 20, 2006... James Thornton reports on why companies want their staff to experience Asia first hand. The old maxim that there's nothing new under the sun often rings true and in terms of business travel to the East, the Silk Road and the Spice Trail...

Asia: Singapore - The hub of the action.
December 20, 2006... While Singapore has been hugely successful in attracting business events, it has also spawned an unfair reputation for offering staid incentives - but watch this space, writes Kunal Dutta. Singapore is a small island blessed with...

Asia: Malaysia - A three-day tour from KL to Langkawi.(Kuala Lumpur)
December 20, 2006... Ben Lerwill sets out a schedule for experiencing the best of Malaysia in 72 amazing hours. DAY 1 10.00 Arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Transfer by coach with an onboard introduction to Malaysia, or head direct to the...

Show Preview: What's new for 2006.(Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition EIBTM 2006)
December 20, 2006... This year's EIBTM is set to better previous efforts. Visitors will be presented with a slicker event that also reflects the huge growth of interest in the show. Stuart Derrick reports. While 2005 might be regarded as the year that EIBTM...

Venue Focus: UK.
December 20, 2006... Little Ship Club overlooks the River Thames near Southwark Bridge in the heart of London. Three spaces in the five-room property combine to hold up to 250 guests. Founded as a private members' club in 1926, the venue offers intimate meeting...

Venue Focus: Edinburgh boutique stock boosted by Tigerlily.(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... Tigerlily is the latest boutique offering from Scotland-based hospitality group Montpeliers. Situated on Edinburgh's St George Street in a Scottish Grade-A listed building, the 33-room property includes two Georgian suites, seven...

Venue Focus: 45 Clarges Street offers private party potential.(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... 45 Clarges Street is a Georgian townhouse in Mayfair, now available for events. Set over two levels and with a capacity of 150 when all of its three rooms are in use, the venue still retains the intimacy of a private house party. A range...

Venue Focus: International.
December 20, 2006... Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong has completed its pounds 75m renovation following a nine-month closure. The refurbished property features 502 rooms, nine restaurants and bars, a Shanghai holistic spa and comprehensive banqueting facilities. Tel:...

Venue Focus: Madrid welcomes its first ME by Melia property.(Reina Victoria)(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... ME Madrid Reina Victoria has opened its doors at the former Hotel Reina Victoria. The 192-room is the first ME by Melia property in Madrid and includes more than 400m2 of meeting, reception and conference space, which can be separated into...

Venue Focus: Rasa Sayang opens after pounds 14m refurbishment.(La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa)(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa has reopened for business following a 20-month closure to facilitate a pounds 14m major redevelopment and repositioning. New facilities include a par-three, nine-hole golf course as well as the...

Diary: Don't miss ..
December 20, 2006... ILTM: 4-7 December Cannes hosts the annual luxury travel show. www.iltm.net Events in action: 31 January Eventia's comprehensive C&I induction course. www.eventia.org.uk Business Travel Show: 13-15 February In a change of date...

Diary: Stripped bare - what we get up on trips abroad.(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... A survey of 2,100 (presumably male) business travellers by tripadvisor.com, has revealed what the partners they leave behind already suspected - namely 12 per cent of them wind up ogling the human form in the fleshpots of wherever they happen...

Diary: The puck stops here.(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... This is one for teams from combative sales environments or, for that matter, for anyone who has ever wanted to knock their colleagues' teeth out but had been deterred by office protocol, good manners or stringent employment laws. Dolce...

Diary: The headlines 10 years ago.
December 20, 2006... - Clouds gather over the incentives sector as the Inland Revenue takes a close interest in 'benefits in kind' on the new tax return form. Employers are now obliged to inform staff of the value of any such benefits, which include incentives. HM...

Diary: Win a night's stay at Foxhills.(Brief article)
December 20, 2006... Set within 400 acres of tranquil Surrey parkland, Foxhills is a luxury getaway, boasting two championship golf courses, eleven tennis courts, nine conference rooms and a convenient location an hour's drive from central London. The venue is...

Diary: Never mind the Borats.
December 20, 2006... It is normally the role of the Diary page to poke fun and lampoon, but in a change to the standard editorial line, this month we spring to the defence of one of our own, namely Kazakhstan. Ignore Borat, this is a shining beacon for...