Conference & Incentive Travel articles from October 2009

Conference & Incentive Travel archives from October 2009

Government communications chief freezes roster creation.(Professional Services Collaborative Category Board)
October 1, 2009... Permanent secretary for government communications Matt Tee has asked senior civil servants to freeze their departments' marketing and communication services rosters. Tee wrote to department and communications directors, and marketing heads on...

Evans launches Wowbean firm.(Paul Evans)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... Paul Evans, former head of marketing at Lynton Cooper, has set up a new sales and marketing representation company and has been appointed to represent two DMCs, Dragonfly Africa and Incent India in the UK. Wowbean launched on 1 October after...

Sony Ericsson, Domino's and Yahoo! move events up chain.
October 1, 2009... Events are moving up the marketing chain and gaining share in integrated corporate strategies in 2010, say brand managers. Sony Ericsson senior brand manager Louise Booth said the value of events to the company's brand strategy was growing....

Eventia calls for awards judges.
October 1, 2009... Eventia is calling for industry experts to judge the Eventia 2010 Awards. The awards ceremony, which takes place on 12 February at the Wyndham Grand, Chelsea Harbour, unifies the previously separate Eventia UK and International Awards. ...

Guardian set to review events.(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... Guardian Media Group's business events team will review its events strategy for 2010 as the company's publishing division faces a major restructure. Guardian Professional, which ordinarily runs around 300 events a year in sectors such as...

Banks Sadler in Microsoft boost.
October 1, 2009... Banks Sadler has confirmed that it will add to its London and Dusseldorf teams after being named Microsoft's preferred venue finder for the EMEA region. The agency's chief executive, Leigh Jagger, said: 'We have created a dedicated team to...

Vantage Point to break even.(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... Vantage Point is set to break even in August 2009 following its acquisition and restructure of Travel Impact last October. Travel Impact was rebranded as TI and staff moved out of offices in Richmond in January to join the Vantage Point team...

Spring Group appoints First Event for WI trip.(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... Recruitment firm Spring Group has appointed First Event to run a 2010 Caribbean incentive, which the agency says marks the start of an anticipated flood of incentive business. First Event managing director Richard Murphy said the Spring Group...

DBMT wins second incentive contract with RSA Group.(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... DBMT has been awarded a second piece of business by the RSA Group (Royal Sun Alliance), less than a month after becoming preferred supplier for the financial services firm's Platinum Club incentive programme. The agency has been appointed to...

PWC points to hotel event fall.(Survey)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... Nearly three-quarters of UK hoteliers expect further reductions in conference business over the next 12 months, according to a survey by Pricewaterhousecoopers. The firm's latest UK Hotels Forecast, which includes a survey of 60 leading...

Irving leaves Sledge post.(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... Sledge has no plans to replace commercial director Ian Irving, who left on 30 September 'to pursue new ventures.' The agency, whose clients include O2 and Nivea, is pitching for pounds 3.5m-worth of business across a raft of sectors. ...

Reid bullish about Event UK show performance.(Survey)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... Event UK 2009 recorded a 7% increase in visitor numbers despite taking place 'amid the deepest recession for decades', according to event director Duncan Reid. The figures, subject to audit, recorded total attendance, including exhibitors, to...

Sportsworld's World Cup filip.
October 1, 2009... Sportsworld will take a minimum of 5,000 delegates from the UK and Ireland to the 2010 Fifa World Cup as part of its hospitality offering. Match Hospitality appointed Sportsworld last month as the World Cup hospitality programme's official...

Desperately Seeking Director
October 1, 2009... Despite mass job losses in the industry, Altitude Inspires managing director John Saunders' five-month quest to recruit a director has fallen flat. Saunders is seeking a 'right-hand person' to take on a director role at the London agency,...

Is this a recovery or false dawn?(FTSE International Ltd.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... The FTSE is having a rally, companies are reporting strong results, and here's the really good news - the City looks set to pay record bonuses. Is it all over? Has the fat lady started singing? I don't think so. I think we are experiencing...

Agency Focus: 10 minutes with ... Venues Event Management.(Leanne Bell )(Interview)
October 1, 2009... Leanne Bell speaks to the agency's chief executive Anita Lowe about future growth plans. Location: Swindon and a presence in Milton Keynes Staff: 80 full time What's the lowdown? Last year, Venues Event Management (VEM) completed the...

Agency Challenge: The winter motivational trip.
October 1, 2009... The brief this month is for a client that cancelled its summer sales incentive when the team failed to hit target. It would now like an end-of-year weekend trip to Europe to reward the top 40 staff. - With a below par half-year record, an...

What Makes me Click: Alex Hewitt, managing director, AOK Events.(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... I tried the City, hated it so managed a haunted pub in Surrey. I learned to cook, keep beer and the punters happy, so made the move into event management. I worked for Thomas Cook and Expertease before setting AOK Events up in 2000 - the best...

Inside the minds of the brand leaders.
October 1, 2009... - Yahoo! head of marketing for Europe, James Tipple 'Events play a very important role in an integrated trade campaign. We can amplify our message by making sure that all our media mixes work well together. If we are at an event, we have to...

Pharma Perspective: AstraZeneca's redefines its emphasis for live events.
October 1, 2009... 'Live events are very important for the pharmaceutical industry because they present some of the few opportunities to really engage with our customers and doctors. 'Because of tighter regulations in the industry it's more difficult for our...

Bath & Bristol: Great western outposts.
October 1, 2009... Avon's city neighbours offer a mix of historic and modern options for planners. BATH Hotels: The 27-room Bath Priory hotel reopened its Garden Spa in September following a refurbishment. Larger groups looking for a city-centre option may...

Brains shifts perceptions and lifts morale.(S.A. Brain & Company Ltd.)(Conference news)
October 1, 2009... Following the sale of its free-trade arm to Scottish & Newcastle, the Welsh brewing firm was keen to assuage staff concerns with a conference. THE CLIENT PERSPECTIVE Background: One of Wales' best known brands underwent a significant...

Czech Republic: Prague's Style Icon.
October 1, 2009... Rocco Forte's The Augustine adds new class to Prague. The lowdown: Located in the heart of Prague, the historic Rocco Forte property opened in May. The hotel was created from seven buildings, including the 13th-century Augustinian St...

Czech Republic: City Update.
October 1, 2009... Recent openings are emphasising a return to the city's high-end status. Prague may have been somewhat tarred by the stag-and-hen-do brush, but new developments are pushing it back into the spotlight as a high-end destination. The city's rich...

Czech Republic: My Prague - UK planners' incentive top tips.
October 1, 2009... - Joanna Nicol, accounts manager, Mabrouka Events I went to Prague recently and a bicycle tour of the city was great fun The old town is beautiful with lots of top hotels and I stayed in the Rocco Forte - The Augustine. You can have a private...

Flanders-Brussels: The event planner's guide.
October 1, 2009... Flanders-Brussels offers quality, convenience, value and unique experiences. Flanders-Brussels - part of the northern Dutch-speaking region of Belgium - can often be dismissed as the unassuming headquarters of the EU. But there is more to the...

Germany: The seasonal zeitgeist.
October 1, 2009... From skiing to lounging on Berlin's beach, Janine Kelso rounds up Germany's seasonal C&I offer. Spring in Hamburg Hamburg merits a visit in May when the Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival marks the start of spring. Sleep tight: The...

European Golf Venues: The Ryder Cup countdown.(Interview)
October 1, 2009... With only 12 months until the US and Europe tee off at Celtic Manor, Paul Oswell hears the agenda for the year. Preparations to host the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in Newport, Wales originally started in 2000 with the breaking ground for...

European Golf Venues: Europe in six strokes.
October 1, 2009... Six of the continent's finest courses with accommodation to match. FRANCE Course: The Monte Carlo Golf Club is an 18-hole, par 71 course, situated 810 metres up Mont Agel, providing panoramic views of the Principality. Staying: There...

Ireland: Dublin's business builder.
October 1, 2009... Mike Fletcher talks to the DCB's Miriam Kennedy about the Irish capital's offer to UK buyers. At the turn of the year, Dublin Tourism put in place a whole new team within the Dublin Convention Bureau (DCB). The top job went to Miriam Kennedy,...

Ireland: 72 hours in ... County Antrim.
October 1, 2009... From whiskey-tasting to a trip along the Giant's Causeway, Antrim is a Northern Irish gem. DAY 1 09.00 Transfer by luxury coach the short distance from Belfast's airport to the Galgorm Resort and Spa. On arrival, morning coffee and...

London: Countdown to 2012.
October 1, 2009... Yasmin Arrigo gets the key figures from Visit London's director of the 2012 Games, Mark Howell. 1,000 - Halloween may be synonymous with ghouls and goblins, but for Londoners the countdown to 2012 begins in earnest on 31 October - as it marks...

London: Westminster landmark.
October 1, 2009... Park Plaza's Andrew Swindells gives an insight into life at one of London's premier developments. As general manager for Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, Andrew Swindells is overseeing one of the largest hotel-building projects in London's...

London: Days in the life of ..
October 1, 2009... A typical day for two key players from two of the capital's leading events spaces. - Michelle Aland joined the Royal Albert Hall in 2006 as head of marketing and corporate relations. She heads a team of nine and is responsible for...

London: London launches flood plan.
October 1, 2009... The Environment Agency unveils its initiative at One Great George Street. The Brief: After seven years of studies and engaging with stakeholders, the Environment Agency needed an event to launch the TE2100 Plan, a flood risk management plan...

Mauritius: Paradise regained?
October 1, 2009... Recession may have hit Mauritius, but it is fighting back with offers and upgrades. Glamorous and luxurious destinations such as Mauritius have been straightforward victims of the recession. Demand from the C&I sector has fallen...

Mediterranean Incentives - Med motivators.
October 1, 2009... Six of the best incentive activities for groups around the Mediterranean. Gourmet bike ride in the South of France Groups of up to 40 can explore the French Riviera by bicycle, stopping off to indulge in the region's gourmet cuisine along...

The Netherlands: 10 of the best C&I venues.(Conference and Incentive Travel )(Company rankings)
October 1, 2009... From historic and political settings to a hotel on board a prestigious ship, Christy Wyatt finds a selection of the Netherlands' more intriguing locations for meetings and incentives. Kruisherenhotel Maastricht Located in the centre of...

The Netherlands: 72 hours in ... Rotterdam and The Hague.
October 1, 2009... Fine art, cusine and varied activities make for a memorable, twin-centre incentive itinerary. DAY 1 10.00 Arrive at Rotterdam Airport, around three miles from the city centre, and take a luxury coach to the 189-room Bilderberg Park Hotel,...

In Person: Her Majesty expects - how to get on the COI framework.(Central Office of Information)
October 1, 2009... The COI's director of live events, Simon Hughes, and his team are in the midst of compiling the Government's communications arm's live-event agency roster. He tells Leanne Bell how it works. Simon Hughes has his head down, compiling the COI's...

Singapore: Rising from the bay.(Marina Bay Sands)(dialogue with Paul Stocker )(Interview)
October 1, 2009... Singapore's C&I stock is set to rise with the opening of Marina Bay Sands. Paul Stocker is executive director of sales at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, a vast, integrated venue nearing the end of construction. He is responsible for the...

Singapore: Five top tables.(Company rankings)
October 1, 2009... Enjoying quality cuisine is a must in the region. Ben Lerwill picks some of the best eateries. Equinox Complex Located on the 70th floor of Swissotel The Stamford - Singapore's tallest hotel - the Equinox Complex is the place to head for a...

Pushing Frontiers: Time for ... Santiago.
October 1, 2009... Chile's first W Hotel brings luxury to the capital's striking Andean setting. INCENTIVES Santiago is a vibrant and cultured city, with historic cathedrals and buildings, such as La Moneda, the presidential palace, with museums, a...

UK Team Building: 5 of the best gourmet options.
October 1, 2009... - Padstow Seafood School Overlooking Padstow's estuary and harbour, celebrity chef Rick Stein's Cornwall-based cookery school helps groups to bond as they prepare fish and seafood dishes. The school offers full and half-day team-building...

UK Team Building: C&IT's gourmet challenge.(Conference & Incentive Travel)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... The Inneventive Cooking Academy at Vinopolis hosted the filming of Cater With C&IT. C&IT challenged four leading lights of the events industry to take part in the first-ever Cater With C&IT. Using food from Borough Market, each...

Venue Focus: Property bulletin.
October 1, 2009... Christy Wyatt rounds up the latest news from Mumbai to the Maldives. Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte North Carolina, US The luxury property opened this month, promising to be Ritz-Carlton's first eco-conscious hotel. It has 146 rooms, a...