Marketing Event articles from September 2002

Marketing Event archives from September 2002

FROM THE EDITOR: London can learn a lot from Manchester's triumph.
September 4, 2002... The XVII Commonwealth Games was not only a showcase for Manchester, it also showed off to the world the cream of UK event industry expertise. Jack Morton Worldwide, the Avesco Group and myriad suppliers and sponsors rose to the challenge and...

Fire destroys FDS Group HQ in Whitstable.(headquarters)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... FDS Group's head office in Whitstable, Kent has been destroyed after fire ripped through the building last month. The company has since moved into new premises one mile away. Police said the fire was started deliberately after a pile of...

IBE makes first major buy with Palexpo show.(International Business Events, Vitafoods International)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... International Business Events (IBE) has made its first major acquisition with the purchase of food science show Vitafoods International from Palexpo for an undisclosed sum. IBE has agreed a ten-event partnership with the Geneva venue. ...

ECO fined over death plunge.(Earls Court and Olympia Group)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Earls Court & Olympia Group (ECO) has been fined pounds 70,000 for lapses in health and safety after a man fell to his death almost three years ago. The group will also pay pounds 70,000 in legal costs. Kevin O'Bryan, a 26-year-old lighting...

Wembley plans on ice as Quintain moves in.(Wembley Exhibition and Conference Centre, Quintain Estates and Developments)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... There are no immediate plans to redevelop Wembley Exhibition and Conference Centre in the wake of last month's sale of Wembley (London) to Quintain Estates and Developments. The venue announced plans for a 5,000-seat exhibition and congress...

Farnborough pair team up to open venue.(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... De Boer Structures has teamed up with the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) to launch a permanent venue for exhibitions and events at Farnborough. SPACE (Salesroom, Promotions, Aerospace, Conferences, and Exhibitions) will use...

RTE and travel organiser go separate ways.(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) and the official travel agent for its EIBTM event, Genesis Motivation, have parted company. The decision follows RTE's investigation into the travel chaos at this year's EIBTM in May (Event, June). RTE...

Former Tarsus chief launches trade fair outfit.(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Former Tarsus Group executive director Adrian Broadbent has launched a trade exhibition company. Simply Events is looking to launch or licence shows in niche markets. It runs two Airport Security shows in Germany and Asia and has...

Centre unveils blueprint for gaming event.(Centre Exhibitions hosts NEC.XSGameshow event)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Centre Exhibitions is to launch a computer games event at the NEC. XSGame-show will take place from 25-27 July 2003. The show will feature new games and head-to-head competitions. Zoned areas will include sounds, fashion and online gaming....

Debts force Hodges under.(Hodges Associates ceases to exist)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Design agency Hodges Associates collapsed last month amid mounting debts. Director James Hodges confirmed the company had been in financial trouble since the beginning of the year. Cuts were made in February in an attempt to stabilise...

Opex broadens offer with new media deal.(Opex Exhibition Services)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Opex Exhibition Services has bought new media and production firm Interactive New Media (INM) in a part cash, part equity deal. Opex hopes the acquisition will boost its annual turnover to more than pounds 25m. INM services include web...

RSVP creates venue-finding area for 2003.(trade show service information)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Corporate event show RSVP is adding an area to help visitors find unusual venues. Single Market Events (SME), the show's organiser, denied Imaginative Venues had been created in response to the red section of International Confex. SME...

Brand Events plans show for lonely hearts.(series of dating shows)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Brand Events is to launch a series of dating shows. Chemistry will boast features based on a US format including a speed-dating arena, astrology, and style surgery area. Exhibitors will include dating agencies and travel agents. Brand...

Bank awards two-year deal to Early Action.(Bank of Scotland, Early Action Group)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 4, 2002... The Early Action Group (EAG) has won a pounds 500,000 contract to handle The Bank of Scotland's events and exhibition programme for the next two years. EAG will design and install the bank's custom-built stands at seven shows and the...

Montgomery drops plan for Irish Interbuild.(Montgomery Exhibitions, Construct Ireland)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Montgomery Exhibitions has pulled out of a building exhibition at The Kings Hall, Belfast, due to take place next March. Irish organiser M2 Events will take over responsibility for the event, which will now be called Construct Ireland. ...

Top-flight football clubs join forces to push event facilities.(marketing strategy and management details)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Some of Britain's biggest football clubs have formed a consortium to promote hospitality and event facilities. Experience Football's first meeting, comprising sales and operations managers from 12 Premiership clubs, was held at Elland Road,...

Ailing Capital Events axes UK office.(Capital Events Group )(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Global live event firm Capital Events Group (CE) has shut its UK office after operating for less than a year. The French-founded firm is struggling financially and last month filed the French equivalent of Chapter 11 to the French...

Pci:Live runs Swedish Saab event.(event launch details)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Pci:Live completed its first international launch event last month. The agency, formed by the merger between PCI Live Design and HP:ICM earlier in the year (Marketing Event, January), designed and produced a series of two-day events in...

Ultimate sells 100th function for Christmas.(Ultimate Experience contract details)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... The Ultimate Experience has sold its 100th Christmas party and secured an extra West End venue to handle a 10% rise in demand on 2001. The Starship at Chelsea caters for parties of up to 700. Sam Gill, chairman of the Corporate Event...

Microsoft and Avesco achieve games firsts.(marketing details)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... The XVII Commonwealth Games provided firsts for Microsoft UK and audiovisual outfit Avesco Group. Manchester 2002 marked Microsoft's sponsorship debut at a British sporting event. The pounds 5m campaign ran throughout July and the duration...

Wind-up radio launches with travel function.(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... The Freeplay Energy Group launched its latest range of wind-up products at London's Commonwealth Club in late July at a travel-themed event organised by Splash Communications. Terry Waite and environmentalist Anita Roddick were on hand to...

Organisers urged to raise standards.(exhibition organizers)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Exhibition organisers should spend more to create a 'wow factor' at the expense of making a short-term profit, according to the second Exhibition Industry Networking Forum. The debate, organised by Mash Media, took place in July. Clarion...

NEWS IN BRIEF: MECC becomes member of AEO.(Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, Association of Exhibition Organisers)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre (MECC) has become a member of the Association of Exhibition Organisers (AEO). It is the first Australian venue to join the association and its membership was sponsored by Single Market Events managing...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Creative Technology Exhibitions wins contracts.(contract details)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Creative Technology Exhibitions, a division of Creative Technology, has won contracts to supply audiovisual equipment to a number of shows. At the NEC it will work on the Autumn Fair, National Direct Marketing Show, and Call Centre Expo. In...

NEWS IN BRIEF: RPM creates campaign for Munchbites.(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Brand experience agency RPM has created a campaign for McVitie's snack product Munchbites. Consumers enter a four-foot inflatable cocoon where they are encouraged to relax and lose their inhibitions. Sampling teams are offering the Digestive...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Russell Organisation completes roadshow.(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... The Russell Organisation has completed a 14-week roadshow for Orange that targeted small and medium-sized enterprises. The focus was the Orange Business Bus, which offered visitors live demonstrations of Orange business services and products,...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Arena wins contract with Tour.(Arena Structures )(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Temporary structures firm Arena Structures has won a three-year contract with the PGA European Tour to provide services for The Barclays Scottish Open Golf Tournament. The company will supply more than 50 structures that total 6,500 sq m....

NEWS IN BRIEF: i2i appointed to conduct drive for Mars.(i2i Media will handle sampling drive for Four Square's Mars Drink)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Face-to-face communications agency i2i has been appointed by Four Square to conduct a nationwide sampling drive for Mars Drink. In line with the above-the-line 'pleasure you can't measure' theme, pleasure crew hit squads are visiting towns and...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Professional creates events for Peugeot.(Professional Exhibitions created ride, drive events for Automobiles Peugeot S.A.)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Professional Exhibitions has created five Safari Park ride and drive events for car manufacturer Peugeot, which began last month. The agency is inviting visitors to swap their cars for a new Peugeot 307 SW and drive through Safari Parks free of...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Serious supplied arenas not Field & Lawn.(Serious Structures)(Correction Notice)
September 4, 2002... Serious Structures supplied and erected the four arenas and the Orbit Crucibles during the Queen's Jubilee visit to Her Armed Forces at Portsmouth, and not Field & Lawn Marquees as was incorrectly reported in the July/August issue of Event....

Exhibition arms beef up UBM's bottom line.(United Business Media)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... United Business Media's (UBM) exhibition arms have continued to stay in profit despite the group's overall slide into the red. CMP Information, which organises International Confex, posted interim operating profits of pounds 7.3m in the six...

Skyline gets new distributor.(White Space)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... US modular stand supplier Skyline has appointed White Space to distribute its products in the UK. White Space takes over from Service Point UK, which closed its exhibition services division last month (Event July/August). White Space...

NORTHERN LIGHTS.(Walk the Plank created lantern show for Commonwealth Games)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Arts company Walk the Plank was behind the lantern images at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony on 4 August when more than 2,500 lanterns paraded through the stadium. A 30-metre long human body image came together at the climax of the Jack...

APPOINTMENTS AT ... Wembley.
September 4, 2002... Elaine Murray has joined Wembley as commercial and customer services assistant. She will help train the customer care team, research customer satisfaction and provide support to the customer services team during event days. She previously...

APPOINTMENTS AT ... Spearhead.(Craig Moyes, Stuart Fraser hired at exhibition company)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Craig Moyes and Stuart Fraser have joined exhibition organiser Spearhead. Moyes becomes project director for its Oceanology conference and exhibitions. He was previously with Informa Group. Fraser joins from CMP and will be sales manager on the...

APPOINTMENTS AT ... Vertigo.(Martin Heap named projects director)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Martin Heap has joined Vertigo Rigging as projects director. He was previously director of production at the Really Useful Group. Heap's role at Vertigo will be to oversee the project management department and supervise the larger contracts and...

APPOINTMENTS AT ... Workstation Solutions.(Michelle Cunningham appointed as consultant)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Michelle Cunningham has been appointed as a consultant for recruitment company Workstation Solutions' events and conferencing division. Her previous experience includes stints at Reed, Single Market Events and CMP.

APPOINTMENTS AT ... Birmingham Academy.(Richard Maides, Stuart Wright named to management team)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Richard Maides and Stuart Wright have joined the management team at Birmingham Academy. Maides becomes general manager having previously been at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool. Wright joins as production and technical manager.

APPOINTMENTS AT ... MHP.(Emma Latham named business development manager)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Emma Latham has been appointed business development manager at field marketing agency MHP. She was previously account manager at defunct design agency Hodges Associates. Latham will be responsible for public relations, marketing, and support on...

APPOINTMENTS AT ... RPM.(names senior account manager and account manager)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Michelle Wilson and Matt Horobin have joined RPM as senior account manager and account manager respectively. They join from youth marketing agency Get Real! At RPM they will work on campaigns for Unilever Best Foods brands.

APPOINTMENTS AT ... FDS.(names field account manager)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Kellie Priestley has become field account manager on FDS's T-Mobile account. She was previously at rival field marketing agency ID where she worked on accounts including Boots, Kraft and Mars.

APPOINTMENTS AT ... ILS.(names business development manager)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Dominic Bennett has returned to international lifting and shipping company ILS as business development manager. He was formerly with Melville Logistics for 16 months and had a previous spell at ILS.

APPOINTMENTS AT ... 1st! FA1R Harrogate.(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Mark Brett has been made chairman of 1st! FA1R Harrogate. He is director of balloon supplier Sto-Rose and replaces Malcolm Naish of Lema Publishing.

Forum calls for unity on health and safety.(representatives at exhibition industry meeting discuss formation of independent body)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... The exhibition industry needs a single independent health and safety body to liaise with the government. This is one finding from a recent conference aimed at highlighting the risks to industry employers of not promoting good health and safety...

Revamp lures fairs to Sandown Park.(Sandown Park Exhibition and Conference Centre, Surrey, England)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 4, 2002... The pounds 23m redevelopment of Sandown Park Exhibition and Conference Centre has attracted eight new exhibitions this year with contracts including a Triathlon show secured for 2003. The Surrey racecourse opened the revamped exhibition...

Confex plans luxurious feel to 2003 show.(CMP Information changes look of International Confex)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... CMP Information has softened the colour of the aisles at International Confex and revamped the logo to give the show a more relaxed and luxurious feel. The changes are part of an initiative called Event Therapy. Event director Paula...

IN MY VIEW: Don't let your sampling event get lost in the rush.(avoid high footfall locations)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Picture the scene. I've just emerged from a hot and smelly tube train after an insufferable delay and I'm about to miss the over-ground train home. It's going to take the brute force of a JCB and the speed of Linford Christie to make it to the...

ANALYSIS: Will SPACE prove a venue too far?(new event facility opens in Farnborough)(Brief Article)(Column)
September 4, 2002... Is the new event facility in Farnborough one venue too many in the South? The opening of SPACE in Farnborough - a joint venture between De Boer Structures and the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) - adds one more venue to what...

EXHIBITOR FAQS: Every issue we answer a problem from the show floor. This month - longer show hours.(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Q: 'As director of a design group that needs to keep up to speed with the full range of products and industry developments, I find that most exhibitions aren't open late enough. Show organisers seem to think that one late night when the...

LIVE ISSUE: SALARY SURVEY - Are you being paid enough?
September 4, 2002... The latest salary survey reveals little in the way of pay rises Mike Fletcher picks through the results The Event Salary Survey is the most in-depth study of pay scales across the exhibition and live event industry. It has been produced...

PROFILE: Sandy Angus.(chairman of Montgomery Exhibitions)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... Sandy Angus is chairman of Montgomery Exhibitions and has worked in trade shows for more than three decades. He tells Emma Reynolds about his antipathy to growing old and reminisces about the industry's good old days in the 1970s and 1980s. ...

SHOWCASE: Commonwealth Games ceremony.(description of opening ceremonies)(Brief Article)
September 4, 2002... A stunning pageant of colour proved the perfect curtain-raiser to the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Despite Manchester's reputation for rain, the only thing to pour down on the crowd of 38,000 at the opening ceremony of the XVII Commonwealth...

SECTOR GUIDE: GERMANY - Giants of Germany.(foreign participation in exhibitions grows)
September 4, 2002... A flat domestic economy hasn't stopped the mighty messen winning foreign trade. Germany is a country of contrasts, combining the beauty of its cities with high-tech facilities in its exhibition venues. The country's economy, though, is...

NATIONAL VENUE SHOW: Show Preview - National Venue Show.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 4, 2002... It's only its second year, but the National Venue Show already has a loyal following. Emma Reynolds previews who'll be there The organiser of this month's National Venue Show (NVS) at the NEC is confident of improving on last year's debut...

LONDON: International ambitions.(trade show venues, London, England)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 4, 2002... The capital's venues are keen to attract overseas business, but their efforts are hampered by the high cost of living in London. Attracting international business to the capital is a tough job. London is a costly option for visitors and...

LONDON AND THE SOUTH: Nice little earners.(building venues offered to increase revenue)
September 4, 2002... Venues are boosting revenues by filling gaps in the schedules with a host of alternative events. Philip Chadwick looks at the extra-curricular line-up For happy couples compiling a list of possible wedding venues, the likes of Olympia,...

EUROPEAN VENUES: First impressions.
September 4, 2002... Five exhibition organisers launching shows into Europe give Mike Fletcher their initial views of the host venues. The rise of low-cost airlines is making it easier for Britons to fly to Europe and venues on the Continent are waking up to...

EVENT MANAGEMENT: Controlling influences.
September 4, 2002... Event management companies can take the headache out of producing events. And they can do more than you think, as Sharon Greaves finds out Being able to stroll into a venue and command a space at the right price for the right date with...

DIARY: Cold comfort.
September 4, 2002... There's no place like cone as Diary says when it's talking about ice-cream. And from 29-31 October, Wembley Conference and Exhibition Centre will be cool enough to host the Ice Cream Alliance exhibition. The latest freezers, ice-cream vans...

DIARY: Royal Flush.
September 4, 2002... Velvet Toilet Tissue concluded its campaign at the end of July to celebrate the Queen spending 50 years on the throne - that must have been some curry - and the 50 millionth toilet roll sold. Impetus Communications created the luxurious drive,...

DIARY: Trade Secrets.
September 4, 2002... The juiciest gossip from around the events and exhibitions industry that some people would rather you didn't know... 1 Which agency figure ruptured his appendix during a campaign but battled on regardless until he was satisfied everything...

DIARY: Ragged in Raglan.
September 4, 2002... There seems to be a bit of a trend for bad behaviour at staff events. In the last issue Diary brought you news of the drunken goings on at the Vodafone Ball. Now news has reached us that some staff at the Stanco Golf Day at Raglan Golf Course,...

DIARY: A flash of Gordon.
September 4, 2002... Welcome to jazz club. Nice. Tonight we introduce the exhibition industry's very own crooner. Step forward Montgomery's John Todd (right) who performed on two nights at London restaurant Pizza on the Park last month. Todd, who is managing...

DIARY: Brother Beyond.
September 4, 2002... So farewell then Big Brother. This year it managed to uncover Jade, who thought that Rio de Janeiro is the name of a person. You don't have to be Herbert Einstein to know that it's a river. Now that the series is over the house is being...

DIARY: Eyes down.
September 4, 2002... Diary likes nothing more than to spend an evening watching an old man rummage around his sack and whip out his balls. Of course we're talking bingo and it's the thought of two fat ladies that inspired ID's campaign for Lever Faberge's Surf's 99...