Three quarters of event planners will not return to a venue if they receive bad service, according to a survey by the Victory Services Club. 84 percent think quality of service is one of the most important aspects of the overall experience. 61 percent base their booking decision on first contact and staff attitude. From Meetpie.com…
Cross-pollination is a great wonder of biology. At the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre next month major bio conferences have co-located to benefit from the interactions that occur across disciplines. Natural product biotechnology conference ICNPB takes place immediately ahead of the three-day joint ICMAN / IUPHAR meeting (nutraceuticals / natural products). From Association Meetings International…
Businesses in the UK’s Midlands are being invited to join a series of focus groups to raise awareness of mental health issues in the meetings industry. The discussions are part of a campaign run by the Meetings Industry Association, and will help event professionals understand how their colleague’s organisations are building compassionate and productive workplaces. From Meetpie.com…
The UK meetings and events industry is heavily dependent on foreign labour. The effect of Brexit on its ability to recruit remains a unknown quantity. Even before the surprise referendum result, possibly the country’s biggest independent conference group, Principal Hotel Company, created a training academy which is now attracting local talent. From the editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
The rebranded Glasgow Convention Bureau won 526 conferences between 2016 and 2017, which will bring in an estimated £142m to the city’s economy. The conferences will take place up to 2022 and attract 140,000 business tourists. The number of international associations choosing Glasgow has also risen, with 2016 / 2017 the most successful year yet. From Meetpie.com…
Destination Bristol says the city’s conference and events industry has made its highest economic impact yet, more than £259 million last year. More events have been held in Bristol – with longer stays at higher rates – and more of Bristol’s own businesses are holding events locally. The last record was of £202m in 2015. From Meetpie.com…
Manchester Central is now celebrating ten years since becoming an exhibition and conference centre. The venue’s new CEO Shaun Hinds has clear views on its next decade, in terms of industry disruption, the evolution of meetings and events, extending the conference experience beyond the event itself, and in the use of technology. From the editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
According to the Incentive Research Foundation’s 2016 Event Disruption study, 59% of planners in 2015 and 2016 and had to deal with outside disturbances to their meeting itineraries. One brave Iceberg partner journalist signed up to sample a unique dinner-in-the-sky experience in London. Sadly sometimes even a suspended event has to be… erm… suspended. From the editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
The Royal College of Physicians meetings and events AV team is helping create a community legacy in London by assisting a knife crime awareness project. The scheme is creating a sculpture out of knives that have been surrendered to the police and decommissioned, and the AV team is filming a documentary about the project. From Meetpie.com…
The UK’s business travel spend in 2016 rose almost 7 percent to £39 billion, according to the Global Business Travel Association Foundation. China had the largest market, growing 9.2 percent to $318 billion (£245 billion), and India the strongest market growth, of 11.4 percent to $33 billion (£25 billion). Global spend was $1.3 trillion (£1 trillion). From Meetpie.com…
The second quarter of 2017 saw the 15th consecutive rise of events budgets in the UK, according to the Q2 IPA Bellwether Report. But the average increase itself is falling. Digital marketing is a new trend – with its demonstrable return on investment – as is increasing uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the UK General Election result. From Meetpie.com…
The UK city of Nottingham is launching an ambassador programme to attract £5 million of research-led academic events from 2018. The scheme – run by Visit Nottinghamshire, part of Marketing NG, and the Nottingham Hospitality Association (NHA) – is intended in time to create a network of 200 ambassadors bringing in significant events to the city. From Association Meetings International…
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The UK Conference and Meeting Survey 2017 (UKCAMS) says the UK industry is running its largest number of events for a decade. The report says the industry is worth about £19.4 billion in venue and destination direct spend. But as meetings increase, their average size has decreased, keeping the sector’s value constant. Photo: Martin Pettitt. From Meetpie.com…
A ceremony has taken place at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport to break ground on ICC Wales and mark the start of construction. The two year “game-changer” project will cost £83.7 million and create a venue with a 26,000 square metre footprint for meetings, conferences and exhibitions. 5,000 delegate events can be accommodated. From Association Meetings International…
Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) and the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) have joined forces to offer the UK’s first master’s degree in business events. The course will accept its initial intake of students this September. ENU has developed the syllabus, and the EICC will provide guest lecturers and make work placements available for students. Photo: Stewart Attwood. From Meetpie.com…
A new conference centre in the UK seaside resort town of Blackpool will be using local suppliers and subcontractors in a bid to support the region’s economy. Work on the £25m project will start later this year, and local construction companies have already been invited to an open day to find out more. From Meetpie.com…
Reaction from the meetings and events sector to the United Kingdom general election result has been swift and scathing. Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May had called the early vote to win a mandate for herself and strengthen her majority as Britain enters its Brexit negotiations. The gamble failed, leaving the country in yet more uncertainty. From Meetpie.com…
Bursaries of up to £2,500 are being made available to meetings industry employers taking on apprentices. The Events Apprenticeship Support Scheme has been launched by MPI UK & Ireland, and its grants will be for companies offering apprenticeships under the Government-supported “trailblazer” standard. Funds are to be raised at a charity party being held after The Meetings Show. From Meetpie.com…
The Iceberg prefers to cover travel news directly impacting the meetings industry. But like the story of United Airlines before it, British Airways and its IT outage – which grounded flights around the world and caused chaos at Heathrow and Gatwick airports – is in truth a cautionary tale of crisis and brand mismanagement for all to hear. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
The horrific suicide bombing at a concert in Manchester Arena was the deadliest terror attack in the UK for almost twelve years. In weeks to come it will pose tough questions for venue operators and the rest of the industry. But the days immediately following the outrage were for reflection and solidarity. Photo: Tomasz Kozlowski. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
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