Conference & Incentive Travel articles from February 2007

Conference & Incentive Travel archives from February 2007

First Off: Extending the field of play worldwide.(Grass Roots Group PLC buys Spectrum Events)(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... Hot on the heels of last year's acquisition of Miami-based Bit Time comes news that Grass Roots Group has taken its first steps in Switzerland, with the purchase of agency Spectrum Events (p23). Of course, GRG aren't the first company to...

Morris leaves Skybridge for one final agency challenge.
February 20, 2007... Outgoing Skybridge managing director of events Tina Morris is set to join an as yet unnamed smaller agency in April as she looks to return to a more event-focused set up. 'It was a big decision for me to leave Skybridge after 12 years...

Jones exits MMM after 8 months in 'mutual' decision.(Neil Jones leaevs)(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... MMM managing director Neil Jones has left the agency with a view to setting up his own outfit. Both parties remain tight-lipped, with Jones only prepared to comment that 'it had been a long time coming'. He also added that he was...

Beetlenut caps fine year with Shell work.
February 20, 2007... Buckinghamshire agency Beetlenut has capped a successful six months with an account win for Shell. It comes hot on the heels of first-time projects for snack brand Wrigley's, ICI and Burger King. Details for the planned Shell project were...

UK Price Check: Airport overnight meeting.
February 20, 2007... Brief: Two-day meeting in February for 15 delegates boardroom-style in a hotel in the Heathrow area. The client also needs standard AV equipment and overnight accommodation for the delegates on the first night. HILTON LONDON HEATHROW...

UK Brief: Inntel moves operations.
February 20, 2007... Inntel, the Essex-based venue finder, has moved its operations to a business park in Feering to accommodate its growing client base. The 930m2 space will provide the company with an environmentally responsible design, allowing it to sustain a...

UK Brief: Venuemasters 95th.
February 20, 2007... Venuemasters, the consortium of UK academic venues, has announced its 95th member - Easterbrook Hall in Dumfries, southern Scotland. Five new venues have signed up since June 2006. Venuemasters.co.uk

UK Brief: York showcase.
February 20, 2007... York will be holding its fourth annual Conference Showcase on 29 March at York Racecourse. It is hoped that more than 100 conference organisers and buyers will attend, and York Tourism Bureau will host a series of themed sight visits for...

UK Brief: East of England Showground.
February 20, 2007... The East of England Showground, Peterborough, is on schedule to open its new pounds 7.8m Exhibition Centre in November. The centre will bring an extra 14,000m2 of exhibition space, 250 acres of land and will be the complex's largest building....

UK Brief: Grays opening.
February 20, 2007... Grays Hotel & Conference Centre opened in Telford in January. The 89-room hotel is the former Lloyds TSB Training and Conference Centre and is part of the International Centre, Telford complex. www.ticuk.com

UK Brief: HCIMA name change.
February 20, 2007... The HCIMA (Hotel & Catering International Management Association) is to change its name to the Institute of Hospitality, subject to approval by the DTI. It is hoped that the new identity will be launched in the spring - together with a new...

THA gives Hooker a place on the UK board of directors.
February 20, 2007... Agency THA Group appointed John Hooker to its UK board of directors on 1 February. Hooker joins THA from his C&I role at the Institution of Civil Engineers. Prior to this he spent two years as general manager (business development),...

New Balance hands event role to staffer.
February 20, 2007... US sports footwear manufacturer New Balance has outsourced its UK events operations. Projects will now be handled by start-up agency Definitive Events, which was set up by former New Balance staffer Lisa Pennington. She was the in-house...

Tory Party enlists fledgling agency.
February 20, 2007... The Conservative Party has hired newly formed events agency Fingerprint Events to manage its Spring Forum and annual conferences. Robert Ashman, head of conferences at the Conservatives said: '2006 was a turning point for the party and...

M&S carbon plan does not include event component.(Marks and Spencer PLC)(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... Marks & Spencer has no current plans to cascade its carbon-neutral stance down to its events, C&IT has learned. The revelation follows the retailer's pounds 200m, five-year plan to make the company carbon-neutral. Chief executive Stuart...

First Protocol keeps its Mastercard remit.
February 20, 2007... Agency First Protocol is to handle Mastercard events at the 2008 European Football Championships to be held jointly in Austria and Switzerland, building on the success of its work for the finance giant at last year's World Cup. First...

People and Places: Experience Nottinghamshire Showcase, London.(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... The Imagination Gallery in central London provided the artistic backdrop for Experience Nottinghamshire's informal showcase event last month. As well as presenting its new promotional DVD and raising the profile of its 'N'-themed...

Sundial tops online satisfaction league.(Sundial Group)(Survey)(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... Sundial Group has topped the first-ever annual Venue Verdict poll, conducted using post-event feedback from event planners. Conference and training centre specialist Sundial Group was named as the leading chain by the study, carried out...

Sussex merger still on schedule.(Genesis Motivation Ltd.)(Adoration)(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... The merger between Sussex agencies Genesis and Adoration is ongoing, despite pending decisions on name and branding. Adoration director David Gunter said the move, which brings the total staff to 20, was designed to 'increase critical...

Webwatch: Hilton.co.uk/hiltonforbusiness.(Hilton.co.uk/hiltonforbusiness)(Website overview)(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... - What is it? This is Hilton's first global meetings and events website and it provides a one-stop shop for organisers and features offers, room information and enables bookings at more than 2,800 Hilton properties. - What's so...

Some reasons to be cheerful in the very bleakest midwinter.(convention services)(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... February is the peak month for suicides. It's not hard to see why. It's dull, it's damp, it's cold. So, what cheer can we bring? What can the events industry look forward to in 2007? First, the important issues- English sport....

Seal grows team to beat revenue target.(Carol Greaves joined Seal Events Ltd.)(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... Seal Events has appointed former Goodwood Estate and Lingfield Racecourse head of sales Carol Greaves as sales manager, with a brief to take turnover at the agency to pounds 3.6m. 'We have a five-year plan for both the agency and our...

Latemeetings in charity plan.
February 20, 2007... Online bookings service Latemeetings.com is waiving fees for 2007 in favour of donations to an environmental charity. Latemeetings's 1,000 member venues have been asked to contribute to Climate Care, which will channel the funds to help...

Industry Focus: MIA Annual Conference.
February 20, 2007... - What is it? The annual conference of the Meetings Industry Association (MIA) Speakers this year will focus on corporate social responsibility - Vanessa Cotton of Excel - and environmental best practice - Eugenie Harvey of We Are What...

Agencies bowed to procurement, now to end pitch battle.
February 20, 2007... Over the past ten years, C&I agencies have really striven to raise their game. They have gone to great lengths to understand their clients' businesses and to anticipate their needs. After an initial indignation, they are disciplined to meet...

MPI members rate Spain as best overseas destination.(Meeting Professionals International)(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... Spain was the most popular event destination in 2006, seizing the mantle from France, according to a survey of Meeting Professionals International's (MPI) UK members. The 81 respondents comprised corporate planners and agencies, of which...

India's suppliers work together for London showcase.
February 20, 2007... India Tourism Office, Lufthansa and Swiss Airlines, Oberoi Hotels and DMC Cox & Kings India are joining forces to highlight India's incentive offer with a showcase evening and marketing campaign. The C&IT-supported showcase for event...

Jack Morton unveils second China office.(Jack Morton Worldwide)(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... Jack Morton Worldwide is to open an office in Shanghai this month, following the launch of its Beijing branch last February. 'For our Shanghai office we'll use more or less the same model as our Beijing operation,' said Jack Morton...

World Price Check.(hotels and motels)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... Three-day meeting Brief: Three-day meeting for 90 delegates theatre-style in Switzerland, plus a syndicate room for 50 people, overnight accommodation for all 90 people for two nights. SWISSOTEL ZURICH Day rate + syndicate ...

Appointment at PCI Fitch.
February 20, 2007... PCI Fitch has recruited Stephen Brittain to the position of head of business development. He previously ran his own business, Mount Maps, which launched what it claims are the world's first 3D ski maps. He has also worked for event, media and...

Appointment at The Malta Tourism Authority.
February 20, 2007... The Malta Tourism Authority has appointed Chris Fenech as its director for the UK and Ireland. He spent the past four years as Malta International Airport's marketing manager

Appointment at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.
February 20, 2007... Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has recruited Victoria Malim to the position of director, global accounts - meetings and incentives, UK and Ireland. She previously worked for Grosvenor House Hotel, London, as senior sales manager Europe, leisure...

Appointment at Golden Tulip UK.
February 20, 2007... Golden Tulip UK has appointed Jodie King to the new post of e-commerce manager. She joins the hotel development and management company from hotel reservation website Alpharooms.com, where she was sales and marketing manager

Appointment at Hills Balfour Synergy.(Jane Nicholson and Juleen Bronson)(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... Hills Balfour Synergy has appointed Jane Nicholson as regional director and Juleen Bronson as marketing manager, following the agency winning the account to represent Tourism Queensland in the UK and Scandinavia. Nicholson previously worked...

London 2012 to be 'greenest' games in Olympic history.(Olympic Delivery Authority)(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... The 2012 Olympics will be the greenest games in history, according to the organisation charged with creating its venues and infrastructure. With 2,012 days to go, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) said it would cut emissions by 50%...

Von Essen snaps up first overseas hotel.
February 20, 2007... Von Essen has announced the next stage of its investment plans following its first overseas property acquisition in January - the pounds 17m buy-up of Chateau de Bagnols, previously managed by Rocco Forte Hotels. In addition to Chateau...

Dublin targets associations at trade shows.
February 20, 2007... Dublin Convention Bureau is targeting the association market with its biggest-ever marketing drive. The move follows the appointment of association specialist Eimear Dunne as business development manager and sees the bureau join forces...

Pushing Frontiers: Port Ghalib Egypt.(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... A fishing village dating back to the 12th century on the Egyptian Red Sea coast is about to be emphatically plucked from obscurity Previously a sparsely-populated chunk of desert, Port Ghalib will, by November this year, be transformed into a...

Overseas Brief: Joris awarded.
February 20, 2007... THA Nikitra's (THA Group's Belgian counterpart) managing director Tina Joris, was named Planner of the Year at the MPI Gala Awards held in Belgium last month. The annual awards recognise meetings industry professionals. www.thagroup.com

Overseas Brief: Dubai agreement.
February 20, 2007... Dubai World Trade Centre has signed a partnership agreement with association the Events Industry Alliance. It also joined the Association of Event Venues, a section of the alliance that promotes activities that improve the visitor experience...

Overseas Brief: Leela expansion plans.
February 20, 2007... Leela Palaces and Resorts in India has announced plans to expand, with five hotels to be built over the next three years in Gurgaon, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, Udaipur. The investment is worth more than pounds 90m. www.theleela.com

Overseas Brief: Continental Airlines profits.
February 20, 2007... Continental Airlines has reported profits of almost pounds 174m for 2006, up significantly on the previous year's pounds 34.4m loss. The 2006 profit includes a pounds 47m filip from selling part of its investment in Copa Airlines....

Overseas Brief: Accor takes control.
February 20, 2007... Accor is taking control of 52 of German chain Dorint AG's 93 properties. The pounds 34m move follows Dorint's plan to split in two Accor will also invest pounds 49m in buying minority interests, giving it a 90% interest in one of the new...

Overseas Brief: Lufthansa increase.
February 20, 2007... Lufthansa had a record-breaking year in 2006, carrying 3,608,155 passengers to and from the UK and Ireland. It is an increase of 240,000 passengers on 2005. www.lufthansa.com

Opinion: Sounding Off - Giving no thought to food will lead to delegate lethargy.
February 20, 2007... I note with great interest your recent feature on the importance of food at gala dinners (C&IT, January) and would extend that to conferences. At Maverick we recently conducted a survey that found that 71% of conference bookers don't...

Diary of a Start-up: Marching into the sunset with a very humbled MD.
February 20, 2007... Eight months ago, I knew with certainty what my business model looked like. I had a range of services, a colour palette, a tone of voice, a website and faith in what I was building- and now I'm not so sure. Don't get me wrong, I still...

In Person: Michele Downes - Events co-ordinator, Lloyd's TSB (financial markets).
February 20, 2007... If you count yourself as an events-sector lifer, perhaps a little jaded, then Michele Downes, staff events co-ordinator at Lloyds TSB's financial markets division, is the person who might just restore your enthusiasm for the industry. ...

Analysis: Why agencies are going global.(event management agencies)
February 20, 2007... One result of the slew of acquisitions and mergers over the past few years is the changing face of the global agency landscape, with more UK firms opening overseas offices. James Thornton investigates. While the big theme with agencies on...

Case Study: Diageo interacts with the very best of Athens.(Glass Page)
February 20, 2007... Having held its previous finance and governance meeting to great acclaim in another Olympic city, Barcelona, drinks giant Diageo flew 180 staff to Athens for a series of engaging sessions. Kunal Dutta reports. Brief: A three-night event...

Case Study: SAA rewards its top sellers.
February 20, 2007... The South African carrier wanted to host an awards night to remember, as Leanne Bell reports. Brief: South African Airways wanted to hold an awards dinner to recognise its top flight resellers in the UK. The airline specified that...

Agency Survey: Consolidation - is bigger better?
February 20, 2007... The spectres of consolidation, procurement and CSR may have loomed large in 2006, but James Thornton finds a sector with an upbeat outlook. Ask an agent to tick a box about the state of the industry over the past year and nearly all of...

Agency Survey: Procurement - friend or foe?
February 20, 2007... While the majority said relationships had improved, procurement is still a cause for concern. Some of the most interesting sets of statistics from this year's agency survey are those detailed in the boxes on the right. The procurement...

Agency Survey: Budgets - more for less?
February 20, 2007... Clients are demanding more for the same money, but is this a false economy for all parties. Every business strives to attract more revenue, not only for the financial reward, but also to enable it to produce the best work. Event agencies...

Agency Survey: The Big Issues for 2007.
February 20, 2007... ROI, security and CSR are front of mind as event agencies look forward over the next 12 months. While concerns such as consolidation, budgets and procurement rumble on, the day-to-day issues that agencies face are no less thorny. Asked...

Global Sports: The Sporting Life.(hospitality services)
February 20, 2007... Forget the World Cup and the Ashes, there are plenty of other hospitality options available this year, as Paul Oswell reports. As the Six Nations Rugby kicks off once again, and eyes turn towards the Caribbean for the Cricket World Cup,...

Global Sports: Let the Games Begin.
February 20, 2007... Paul Oswell outlines the sporting highlights that will pique the interest of corporate clients. FEBRUARY 3rd/4th Six Nations Rugby 10th/11th Six Nations Rugby 24th Six Nations Rugby 25th Carling Cup Final,...

Management Training Centres: Defying perceptions.
February 20, 2007... Planners often rule out using management training centres for their perceived drawbacks. Leanne Bell gives three the chance to answer their critics. Management training centres don't have good catering - can you recommend one with...

Management Training Centres: Venue Update - On the upgrade - new for 2007.
February 20, 2007... Huge sums are being pumped into improving and expanding venues Leanne Bell reports. More than pounds 5m will be invested in a programme at Stirling Management Centre that will see the kitchen extended and the addition of 24 rooms,...

City & Docklands: All eyes out East.(East London development for Olympics 2012)
February 20, 2007... With the infrastructure for 2012 underway and a new events arena opening, the focus is once more on East London. Clive Walker reports. Mayor Ken Livingstone calls it the future of London, Madonna calls it the place to party, five-star...

City & Docklands: Venues - 6 of the Best - Venues with an edge.
February 20, 2007... Clive Walker recommends six venues that address the need for specifically themed events. BEST FOR RIVER VIEWS The River Thames has been the lifeblood of East London since Roman times. So what better way to enjoy its landmarks...

City & Docklands: Case Study - Candover's event with a view.(Candover Investments PLC)(Altitude Inspires)
February 20, 2007... The investment house needed an impressive, high-end venue, so put. Altitude Inspires to work Brief: When equity firm Candover planned to celebrate the closing of a key investment fund, it was determined to create a party with...

The Baltics: Charm offensive.(City overview)
February 20, 2007... Keen to build on the success of their leisure tourism, the Baltic states are now eyeing C&I buyers, particularly those from the UK. The popularity of the Baltic states with UK travellers has been growing over the past five years. However,...

Venice: On the waterfront.
February 20, 2007... Venice has a wealth of top class hotels that justify its 'Queen of the Adriatic' tag. WHERE TO STAY Venice has a strong portfolio of deluxe hotels, including some of the world's most famous properties. 'If you have the budget, you have...

Madrid: Galactico in waiting.(meeting services)
February 20, 2007... While Barcelona continues to win the plaudits, the Spanish capital has been strengthening its offer and Paul Oswell feels it could yet overtake its rival. How does a capital city end up taking a back seat in its own country? Given...

Madrid Venues: The capital's top meeting places.
February 20, 2007... Paul Oswell suggests a venue with the right ambiance for meetings and groups of all types. Designer: Puerta America Web: www.hotelpuertamerica.com With a different international designer responsible for each floor, including...

Miami: America's latin quarter.
February 20, 2007... The Sunshine State capital's Hispanic influence makes for a unique slice of the US that locals have dubbed 'almost America', which only heightens Miami's C&I appeal. Ben Lerwill reports. Of all the factors that make Miami a prime...

Miami Showcase: Five of the best venues in town.
February 20, 2007... Smith & Wollensky - www.smithandwollensky.com Popular with the C&I market on the strength of both its portside location and a 600-diner capacity across two floors, Smith & Wollensky meets the requisites of style and reliability. Despite...

Las Vegas: The show stopper.(meeting places)
February 20, 2007... The Nevada hotspot is shifting the emphasis from gambling and showgirls to luxury resorts and top-end, big-budget attractions. Is Las Vegas a desert resort to rival Dubai, asks Ben Lerwill. Las Vegas isn't the kind of place that goes...

Jamaica: Batting for business.(convention services)
February 20, 2007... The Cricket World Cup is the ideal shop window for Jamaica to showcase its enhanced C&I credentials to UK conference planners. Abigail Wills reports. When a country promises to host the best party the Caribbean has ever seen, you know it...

VenueFocus UK.
February 20, 2007... - The Artesian Bar is a new venue at the Langham Hotel in Portland Place, London. It bills itself as 'Chinese Chippendale', with aged panelling and rattlesnake leather flooring. Its bespoke glassware holds its 'colder' ice, sourced from its...

VenueFocus International.
February 20, 2007... Ashbourne Marriott Hotel, Ireland is due to open in County Meath in early 2007. The 148-room Marriott-branded hotel, located 15 minutes north of Dublin International Airport, will have 875m2 of space with a ballroom and 290m2 of additional...

Diary: Don't Miss..
February 20, 2007... International Confex 20-22 February Just days to go before the event wows visitors with its new glamorous look. www.international-confex.com Imex: 17-19 April More than 3,000 exhibitors will throng the aisles of Hall 8 at Messe...

Diary: Jade en route to India to follow a higher calling.(Jade Goody)(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... It was inevitable that in salvaging the career she seemed hell-bent on destroying in the Celebrity Big Brother house, that part-time racist bully and perfume hawker Jade Goody would be forced by her army of PR advisors to eat humble roti on...

Diary: Chain waives the rules?(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... 'Clean, but a bit smelly'. This is almost the dictionary definition of what it means to be damned with faint praise, yet this is the highest accolade that this property gleaned in a tripadvisor.com survey to find the UK's dirtiest hotel....

Diary: The Headlines 10 Years Ago.(International Transportation Management Association hosts workshop )(Sterling impacts London hotel rates)(World Tourism Organization reports on tourist organisation's promotional budgets)
February 20, 2007... - Employment strategies in the early 1990s, when the recession saw agencies cut back on recruiting junior staff, comes back to haunt the sector. There are now too few qualified professionals to fuel the expansion of the incentive travel...

Diary: Win a Luxury Stay in Bath.(facilities of Royal Crescent Hotel)(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... The Royal Crescent Hotel, von Essen's 18th-century property in Bath, occupies the two central houses of this city's famous street, offering a variety of meeting and private dining options for up to 40 Guests can also enjoy the soothing waters...

Diary: Media circus.(Leanne Bell )(Brief article)
February 20, 2007... Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it in focus? In order, yes (but only in a non-PC context), no and no, silly - it's arty. It's actually Leanne Bell flying through the air with the greatest of ease, new C&IT reporter on the flying trapeze, on...