Conference & Incentive Travel articles from January 2007

Conference & Incentive Travel archives from January 2007

First off: Will big fish be the catch of the day?
January 1, 2007... When Big Ben rang in the New Year, you could be forgiven for thinking that every UK agency had resolved to run a full service offering. Step forward Chris Parnham of Zibrant. Despite adding Rand to the agglomeration that is IBR, Illico and...

Zibrant still in buying mood and targeting venue finders.
January 1, 2007... Zibrant is targeting venue-finding agencies as it goes back on the acquisition trail in 2007. The move is part of a three-year plan to 'generate significant growth in every area of the business - events, venue finding and performance...

Student housing firm keeps hold of Beyond Certainty.
January 1, 2007... Student housing firm Unite Group has confirmed Beyond Certainty as its retained event agency for the next year, kicking off with its annual conference at Disneyland Paris in February. The brief comes in the wake of an ad hoc relationship...

McQue's bold target for Creative Direction.
January 1, 2007... Start-up Creative Direction has set itself the ambitious target of pounds 3m turnover within its third year of operation. The agency, which launched this month following the outsourcing of Capital Incentives' travel and event management...

UK Price check.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Part residential conference Brief: Two-day conference in March 2007 for 215 delegates theatre-style in a conference hotel with good transport links. Client also needs five syndicate rooms for 30-40 theatre-style, 100 bedrooms and a gala...

UK brief: PKF forecast London hotels will record best performance in 2006.
January 1, 2007... PKF, the hotel consultancy services group, has forecast that 2006 will see London hotels record their best performance in a decade. Figures released in October showed that the average room rate in the capital rose to nearly pounds 126, almost...

UK brief: Fresh signs deal for new office in Cheshire.
January 1, 2007... Fresh has signed a pounds 2m deal to design and build a 700m2 office in Cheadle Royal Business Park, Cheshire. The Manchester-based events agency, whose clients include Marks & Spencer, 3i and Timberland, will move into the new building once...

UK brief: P&MM appointed by Odeon.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Odeon has appointed P&MM to market its venues for conferences and events. The agreement comes off the back of a year-long sales promotion relationship, and will offer clients function space for up to 1,600 guests and the option of holding...

UK brief: Poll shows sporting packages best.
January 1, 2007... Eventwise has polled 500 event organisers and found that more than 65% believe sporting packages to be the best way of entertaining clients, with 87% stating a preference for hospitality packages that allow delegates to participate. ...

UK brief: European Skytime and Business Air Centre team up.
January 1, 2007... European Skytime and Business Air Centre, the privately owned air charter, has teamed up with the Carbon Neutral Company to invest in carbon offset projects that include the supply of energy-efficient lighting in Jamaica and hydropower...

Grass Roots nets record year after Maritz acquisition.(Grass Roots Group)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Grass Roots Group has cited its acquisition of Maritz Europe for its record hike in gross profits of almost 40%. Results from July 2005 to June 2006 saw profits of pounds 31.5m, a 38% increase. The value of its assets grew by 21% to...

Land Rover prepares carbon-neutral plan.
January 1, 2007... Land Rover is in talks with two carbon-offset agencies with an aim to develop a global sustainable-event strategy for the company's event managers this month. The car maker, which works closely with Climate Care on a number of...

Brighton's ambassadors bring in first win.
January 1, 2007... Just four months after its launch, Visit Brighton's ambassador programme has won its first account. Dr Keith Perks, principal lecturer at Brighton University, played a crucial role in bringing the European Marketing Association's 2007...

Candover names Altitude Inspires.(Candover Investments PLC, contract)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Equity house Candover has appointed start-up agency Altitude Inspires to run an event this summer targeting European CEOs. The event is still at planning stage, but is part of the venture-capital firm's ongoing marketing to attract...

North-west green group to run new workshop series.
January 1, 2007... Environmental group Positive Impact has announced a second series of workshops focused on making the events industry more sustainable. Seminar topics will include waste, energy, food, community involvement and industry trends, and focus...

People and places Paris Convention Bureau at paper.
January 1, 2007... November saw the Paris Convention Bureau descend on London in style, for a soiree at trendy venue Paper. Event planners from Goldman Sachs and Avventura were among those on the guest list for the event, held in association with Conference &...

SI and Rogen merge with expansion aims.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Training and conference companies SI and Rogen have merged to create a pounds 20m-turnover partnership Rogen SI. UK-based SI, which specialises in providing personal development training and conference facilitation for clients such as...

Concerto strengthens its roster.(Concerto Group acquires Eventwise and Delfina Gallery )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The Concerto Group is continuing its march towards a full-service offering by following its acquisition of Eventwise in October with the purchase of London's Delfina Gallery and the launch of an entertainment agency. The group now has a...

Webwatch www.sofitel.com/meetings.
January 1, 2007... What is it? An online facility that allows planners to input their briefs and check the availability of meeting rooms in 200 Sofitel properties. What's so special about it? The site also allows delegates to narrow their search...

Unanticipated staff costs are affecting bottom line figures.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Vanessa Cotton's recent column on the importance of company owners understanding how to analyse their business's finances (C&IT, Nov/Dec) struck a chord. Especially as we are hearing that, despite their current heavy workloads, event...

Euro 2008 hosts link up for joint C&I push.(conference and incentive, Switzerland and Austria plans to host European Cup)
January 1, 2007... Switzerland and Austria are capitalising on their joint hosting of Euro 2008 by teaming up to promote their C&I offer ahead of the football tournament. The collaboration will lead to three London-based events including a...

Dubai prepares meetings giant.
January 1, 2007... The Dubai World Trade Centre's Dubai Exhibition World will be the Middle East's largest conference venue when the first phase opens in mid-2009. The pounds 1.1bn project will open with a 120,000m2 footprint, with a further 180,000m2...

Future focus ILTM trends.(International Luxury Travel Market)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The annual International Luxury Travel Market in Cannes saw delegates from agencies including Oxford International debating key trends in upmarket incentives. The four-day event commenced with a conference, Broadening Horizons, which...

Revenue revision to clean up hotels' VAT retention practices.
January 1, 2007... The iniquities of Germany's position on 'benefit in kind' tax liabilities are well documented. German companies that entertain staff or clients find themselves in a similar position to German home-owners. Under a 1937 law passed by...

Advanced Travel Partner in pounds 41m management buyout.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Agency giant the Advanced Travel Partner (ATP) has completed a pounds 41m management buyout, with a view to regaining control of the company and realigning its global offering. The move comes after majority shareholder Archand, a...

Accor eyes India as mainstay of its property growth.
January 1, 2007... Accor has unveiled plans for massive growth into India as part of its strategy to open 200,000 rooms by 2010, 60% of which will be in emerging markets. Accor has gone into partnership with budget chain Formule 1 to develop 100 properties...

Australia push aims to boost conversions.(Tourism Australia prepares for a marketing campaign )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Tourism Australia is zeroing in on the C&I sector as it lines up pounds 700,000 for its biggest-ever B2B marketing campaign this year. It will mark the first time that Tourism Australia has created a global campaign focusing purely on the...

World price check.(Intercontinental Berlin)(Hilton Berlin )(Marriott Cologne)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Overnight training session Brief: One and a half day training session for 20 cabaret-style. Client also needs two syndicate rooms for seven, 20 rooms and dinner on the first day. Prices include VAT. INTERCONTINENTAL BERLIN Day...

UK brief: Tracy Halliwell joins Visit London.
January 1, 2007... Visit London has hired Tracy Halliwell to be head of business and conventions. Halliwell, who starts next month, joins from Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, where she was vice-president of sales and marketing for EMEA. www.visitlondon.com.

UK brief: Andrew Davies joins Acclaim.
January 1, 2007... Acclaim, the Surrey-based agency, has appointed Andrew Davies as technical director. Davies joins from Imagination, where he worked on a number of events for Ford, Electrolux, BT, Coca-Cola and Mazda. www.acclaim.co.uk.

UK brief: The Algarve selected to host Triton Travel Group Conference.
January 1, 2007... The Algarve has been selected to host the Triton Travel Group Conference. The event for the tour operator consortium will be held in the resort town of Vilamoura from 11 to 14 May, and follows 2006's successful event in Tenerife....

UK brief: Penguins appoints Jeremy Learoyd.
January 1, 2007... Penguins has appointed Jeremy Learoyd as senior project manager. Learoyd joins from Conference Contacts where he had a similar role. Isobel Rothwell joins as support to the sales team. www.penguins.co.uk.

UK brief: Sandy Pearson joins The EICC.
January 1, 2007... The EICC has bolstered its sales and marketing team. Sandy Pearson joins the Scottish venue from Halliburton subsidiary Landmark, where he was marketing director. Adrian Evans joins to fulfil the international association sales brief, and...

UK brief: Taj Hotels is buying the Ritz Carlton.
January 1, 2007... Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces is buying the Ritz Carlton, Boston, from Millennium Partners for pounds 86m. The deal will see the 273-room hotel renamed the Taj Boston. www.tajhotel.com.

EIBTM news: Overheard.(meetings, incentive and travel exhibition, attendees opinions)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... 'Sweden - it's got a lot of money and a lot of moose.' 'Donations were made to bear-related projects.' 'People are demanding more and more of what we sell, which is time. Before we make a green rod for our own backs, can we call a...

EIBTM news: UN calls for universal meetings standards.
January 1, 2007... The UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has called for global agreement on how to assess the financial impact of meetings to help measure the industry's economic contribution. As the group launched its report, Measuring the Economic...

EIBTM news: Report finds high rates of cancelled meetings in 2006.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... One in four European event planners cancelled or postponed events in the past 12 months, according to statistics published in this year's EIBTM Trends and Market Share Report. The research, conducted by industry analyst Rob Davidson,...

EIBTM news: Eventia environmental scheme stalled by hunt for ideal partner.(meetings, incentive and travel exhibition)(charitable donation plans)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Eventia's plan to donate 1% of event budgets to environmental schemes is being rethought following a series of obstacles thrown up by potential charity partners. The industry body unveiled the 1% idea in July, with the aim of having it...

EIBTM news: Creativity and ROI to the fore at the the 2006 awards.
January 1, 2007... The EIBTM Meetings and Incentives Industry Awards were presented on the first day of the show. Entries this year included events held in India, Namibia and Dubai. The judges comprised experts from the C&I industry and editors of...

Opinion: Sounding Off - Let's leap like lovers to snap decisions.(Brief article)(Column)
January 1, 2007... When I was single and searching for love, I failed constantly to find it. Yet, now I am happily hitched, old flames and new temptations are all around; is this confusion an allegory for the world of agency/client relations? We all aspire...

Diary of a start-up: Meeting them changed my perception of clients.(client relations)
January 1, 2007... In a past life, I wrote proposals. You name it, I did it - conferences for 2,000, incentives for ten and everything in-between . When it came to presentations, however, we had a sales team that generated the lead, board-level contacts who...

In person: John Saunders, Managing director, Altitude Inspires.(Interview)
January 1, 2007... At 6'6', John Saunders certainly makes an entrance, which is just as well as it's never easy for a start-up C&I agency to create an impression. However, the managing director of the aptly named Altitude Inspires is hoping that it is the...

Special report: Dreamtime hits the Gold Coast.(Tourism Australia organizes a travelling regional exhibition showcase)
January 1, 2007... Tourism Australia's biennial showcase focused on the less well known East Coast. Dreamtime - Australia's biennial travelling regional exhibition showcase - went this time to Australia's eastern seaboard, at the Gold Coast Exhibition...

Case study: Land Rover shuffles the pack in triple car launch.(BL PLC. Land Rover contracts P and MM for new car launch event planning)
January 1, 2007... Land Rover set P&MM the substantial task of unveiling three new models and a showroom concept to more than 4,300 dealer staff from 69 global territories over a six-week period. Kunal Dutta reports on how the objectives were achieved. ...

Gala Dinner Venues: The big occasion.(convention centers and dining halls)
January 1, 2007... The all important gala dinner has to impress, and this is can be as much down to the choice of venue as it is the quality of the food. Emma Allen recommends seven of the best possibilities. TASTE OF THE ORIENT China Tang, Park Lane...

Sporting venues: Living the dream.
January 1, 2007... A meeting at a sporting icon is one thing, but what about groups that want to get out on to the pitch? Phil Heard identifies some venues that allow groups to participate as well as spectate. Maybe it's the unerring ability of the English...

Spas: Six spas for city slickers.(Marine Spa, Agua Bathhouse Spa, One Spa, Health du Vin, Culloden Estate and Spa)
January 1, 2007... You don't have to decamp to the country to de-stress. Jane Dunford finds six city-centre havens. The Marine Spa, St David's Hotel & Spa, Cardiff Contact: Susan Court, Tel: 029 2031 3059 Web: www.thestdavidshotel.com Treatment...

Manchester: Towering ambitions.(meeting places and convention centers)
January 1, 2007... Hosting the Labour Party Conference was the highlight of a busy year for the UK's 'second city', reflecting Manchester's growing cultural and architectural renaissance. David Atkinson reports. Manchester came of age as a conference...

Manchester venues: New and improved meeting places.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... David Atkinson looks at some of the latest developments of interest to conference planners. Hilton Manchester Deansgate Hotel Web: www.hilton.co.uk/manchester Trafford Hall, Wimbold Trafford Web: www.traffordhall.com The...

Manchester: Sustainable meetings capital.
January 1, 2007... The meetings sector is involved in making Manchester the UK's greenest city. Manchester City Council has set the city the lofty ambition of becoming the greenest in the UK by 2010, and it was this that helped spur local event agency...

Belgium: Europe's power point.
January 1, 2007... With 2007 marking the 50th anniversary of the Common Market and the high-speed rail link due to cut Eurostar journey times, Belgium has much to be bullish about. Sharon Greaves reports. Small it may be, but Belgium is by no means...

Belgium Q&A: The views from the bureaux.(conversation with Vinciane Jacquiez of Brussels-Wallonia Convention Bureau)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... Sharon Greaves gets the lowdown from representatives at two of Belgium's convention bureaux. Vinciane Jacquiez has headed the Brussels-Wallonia Convention Bureau for six months after two years as deputy. She has worked in tourism for the...

South of France: 10 of the best - Provencal meeting spots.
January 1, 2007... Villa Belrose, Gassin Tel: +33 494 55 97 97 Web: www.villabelrose.com SAS Radisson, Marseilles Tel: +33 488 66 17 38 Web: www.marseille.radissonsas.com Marseilles is a big conference town, but its location in the old harbour...

South of France Showcase: The region's gastronomic highlights.(Directory)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... From the original bouillabaisse to Provencal cuisine with an Asian twist, Paul Oswell finds the gourmet gems. Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, Cap-Ferrat www.villa-ephrussi.com Kei's Passion, Nice www.keisukematsushima.com Chez...

Germany: The winning formula.(Soccer World Cup's economic impact on Germany and the meetings industry)
January 1, 2007... The World Cup helped dispel the myth that Germany is only good for meetings. There aren't business facilities to rival it. Yet, beyond the meeting room, what does Germany offer the C&I delegate? On the one hand it is the world's largest...

Germany cities: The latest urban developments.
January 1, 2007... Kunal Dutta rounds up what the country's regional centres have to offer event organisers. BERLIN Berlin is the one city that continues to confound the critics. The mix of its recent history and modernistic landscape is a potent...

Madeira Q&A: The tropic of Europe.(a conversation with Maria da Graca Luis of Regional Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Madeira)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... With its sub-tropical climate, lush verdant interior, and constantly updated hotel stock, Madeira has much to offer C&I planners, as Teresa Machan hears from the tourist board's MICE expert. Maria da Graca Luis is technical adviser for...

Madeira by budget: Three different slices of island life.
January 1, 2007... Teresa Machan suggests three itineraries for groups on a budget to money no object. BUDGET How to get there GB Airways flies five times a week to Madeira from Gatwick (daily in high season). Charter flights depart London,...

Venue Focus: UK.(meeting places and convention centers)
January 1, 2007... - Pines Calyx is a new event space set in the village of St Margaret's Bay near the white cliffs of Dover in Kent, 70 miles from London. The venue offers three events rooms totalling 370m2. All the produce used in the catering is sourced...

Venue Focus: International.
January 1, 2007... - Kempinski Hotels' first five-star property in the Republic of Djibouti hosted the heads of state of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) in its new conference centre. The first phase of the property, when it opened in...

Diary: Don't miss ..
January 1, 2007... ABPCO Conference: 25-27 January PCOs meet at the Heritage Hotel, Killenard, Eire. www.abpco.org Events in action: 31 January Eventia's comprehensive C&I induction course. www.eventia.org.uk Business Travel Show: 13-15 February...

Diary: Less Monte Carlo, more Monty Python at EIBTM.(meetings and incentives exhibition)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Kudos to the Monaco Convention Bureau for EIBTM's most dramatic press conference. As journos gathered gingerly on the top-tier of the glass-floored stand, head of Monaco tourism Michele Bouquier was quick to quell anxiety. 'Don't worry,'...

Diary: The romance of Paris.(Conference & Incentive Travel magazine's service to produce supplement for Paris Convention Bureau)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Paris has always been a city for lovers, and it's lost none of its magic. Just look at the chaos the city caused last month as C&IT staff laboured long into the night to produce the Paris Convention Bureau's supplement. First, commercial...

Diary: The headlines - 10 years ago.(hotel industry's performance and growth)(Sir Rocco Forte to launch a luxury hotel)(Carden Park Golf Resort & Spa to open new hotel)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... - The latest bulletin from the British Tourist Authority's three-year study on the state of the conference industry reveals real signs of recovery. The data, sourced from 100 UK venues, saw city hotels outperform other segments with a 41%...

Diary: Can ya tell what it is yit?(Conference & Incentive Travel's editor's James Thornton behavior)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Can ya tell what it is yit? It's small, fat and hairy, a close relation of the wombat, seemingly mild-mannered yet surprisingly tetchy when denied food and sleep, but quite cute overall. Yes, it's C&IT news editor James Thornton, seen...