ON A I R

Issue

04

Interviews from the ConferencesUK Team

& top tips from industry experts

Introducing 76 Portland PlaceDistinctive Georgian architecture meets bespoke event design

For the perfect place to meet, train or entertain visit www.76portlandplace.com or call 0207 470 4884

76 Portland Place – Exceeding your expectations

Versatile rooms and dining suites

Suitable for a wide variety of events

Central location close to Regent’s Park

Walking distance of five tube stations

Friendly experienced team offering a truly professional service

Excellent food and outstanding facilities

Hello and welcome to the fourth edition of the ConferencesGroup newsletter. We are slowly approaching summer (although from the weather, you would never have guessed it!) and it seems like a perfect time to showcase some fantastic venues.

Summer can be a great time to organise a conference, as a number of venues offer compelling deals and incentives to run events during this period. Some of these are featured in this booklet, alongside some industry comment from key players in the sector.

2013 has continued to be strong for ConferencesGroup. I believe it is all down to my team. Having an experienced, knowledgeable and dedicated team is fundamental to the success of any venue finding agency – no matter how good the technology that is in place.

Therefore, this issue is all about the team at ConferencesGroup – expect to find out what they believe to be the most important piece of advice for both venues and conference organisers and what their top money-saving tips are. One of the aims of this issue is to show the faces behind the company and to bring to fore some of the expertise that we share with our clients on a day to day basis.

I hope you enjoy this latest edition and as ever we welcome you to get in touch with any comments, questions or suggestions.

Simon Thompson,

Managing Director, simon@conferencesgroup.com

Issue 4

What tips and advice would you give to people who are looking to run conferences and events over the summer?

Make sure you pick a venue with some outdoor space. Although we can’t guarantee the weather, if it is warm it’s good if people can get outside.

What are the advantages of holding a conference or event over the summer period?

Lots of venues are quiet during the summer months so there are often great deals to be had.

What is your venue doing differently to attract conference business over the summer?

We are offering Hilton Honours Events Bonus to all bookers, and offering 1 place in 10 free on all Day Delegate packages booked for July and August.

What steps and changes have you made to make sure you offer a great experience for your clients over the summer?

We offer clients the opportunity to have lunch and coffee breaks in our gardens - we find that a bit of fresh air makes them feel more focused and refreshed ready for the rest of their meeting.

What are the favourite types of events that you hold at your venue over the summer?

Summer is a great time for team building events. We get delegates out using the lawns and outdoor space doing all sorts of activities from Segway to falconry.

Can you give us an example of a successful conference or event that you regularly hold at your venue?

One company use us on a monthly basis. They book the Day delegate package, but then upgrade to a seated lunch and have a glass of wine to accompany their lunch. This is a popular event with all delegates.

What are the main trends you have seen emerge in the sector over the last 12 months?

The demand has slowed down for conferences over the last 12 months and companies don’t have the same size budgets that they had in the past. People are looking for good value for money.

What is your venue doing to address these trends?

Hilton Honours Events Bonus means that bookers can collect rewards for all the events that they place at Hilton properties. We are also much more flexible with our pricing, trying to make what we have to offer fit in with people’s budgets.

What mistakes do clients typically tend to make when organising events over the summer period and how can these be best avoided?

They should learn never to rely on the British weather. When planning activities outdoors, they should always make sure they use a venue that can accommodate them inside or out depending on the weather. Here at the DoubleTree we have all the space required to make the event perfect whatever the weather.

Q&A With Mel Horton at Doubletree Chester

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Q&A with Mel Horton

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With prices starting from £38 per delegate, and a special offer of 1 in 10 delegates go free (T&Cs apply); Doubletree Chester offers a first-class business venue for low-cost prices.

DoubleTree ChesterPast meets present in this elegant countryside retreat.

visit: www.doubletreechester.co.uktel: 01244 408 800email: events@doubletreechester.com

7 spacious meeting rooms

12 acres of landscaped gardens

1 in 10 delegates go free (T&Cs apply)

Use of 2 stylish restaurants and the tranquil Club & Spa

140

luxurious bedrooms including 15 suites

From £38

per delegate

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Meet The Team Simon Thompson

“ It has been hugely

rewarding to have built

a fantastic team over the years”

SIMONthompsonP o s i t i o n :

M a n a g i n g

D i r e c t o r Best thing about your job: It has been hugely rewarding to have built a fantastic team over the years and seen the business grow from strength to strength.

Top money saving tip: Always negotiate on price. It seems like a simple piece of advice but people often don’t and miss out on savings. Also never take the price of a cup of tea for granted! Catering costs can mount up and it is as important to negoti-ate on the prices of items that seem peripheral as it is on the core costs of the venue.

Most important piece of ad-vice for conference organis-ers: Simple. Proper planning prevents poor performance! Even the smallest meeting or event requires plenty of prepa-ration to make sure everything goes to plan.

Common mistakes to avoid: Not planning far enough in ad-vance leaves many conference organisers chasing their tails and making unnecessary com-promises when bringing their event together.

Favourite Conference Venue: Langham Hilton Hotel is a su-perb conference venue with some stunning conference spaces.

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Your mantra is “doing the simple things done very well” How do you get things done?

We all need a reliable “go-to” person which I have found through a highly skilled management team. As a meeting booker, you need a “go-to” brand that balances totally unique locations (from De Vere Hotels & Resorts) with a consistently superb offering from property to property, as you do under the roof of any Village Urban Resort.

Balance and choice is key. What highlights do you have to offer?

From the newly refurbished Grand Brighton to the shores of Loch Lomond, we have everything a road warrior would desire - 25 Village Urban Resorts and 9 De Vere Hotels and Resorts. Also, look out for new sites in Aberdeen, Portsmouth, Edinburgh and Glasgow in 2014.

You hint at significant investment in key properties. Can you give us any examples?

Definitely the Grand Brighton, the Grand Dame of the South Coast Riviera. We’ve built a new sea food restaurant called GB1, an elegant spa, and improved the rooms, including Chambre Unique.

Victory chop and ale houses have been added to the Victory pub brand at Village and we have developed a new spa - Viva

Urban spa - which has already received great praise, amongst other things. In the Village Urban Resorts brand we’ve also added UpperDeck rooms to parallel the Chambre Unique room in the De Vere Hotels.

Can you tell us a bit more about Chambre Unique and UpperDeck?

Anyone staying away on business requires a touch more luxury that doesn’t cost the earth. Chambre Unique and UpperDeck make the room upgrade possible; both feature must-have extras that make your stay away from home so much more delightful, including Sky movies HD and bespoke toiletries.

You mention “Business Your Way” on De Vere Hotels. What does that mean?

I’m quite stuck in my ways. There’s only one way I do business, and that’s my way on my terms. Similarly, At De Vere hotels & Resorts we offer unique experiences to help you do business your way. If you want a dozen delegates to meet on a Northumbrian moor on Segways, or a cruise around Loch Lomond, we can do that. It’s all about providing a unique and refreshing platform for you to achieve your goal.

Q&A with Robert Barclay Cook, CEO of De Vere Hotels and Village Urban Resorts

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Q&A Robert Barclay Cook

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De Vere HotelsBelton Woods, LincolnshireCameron House on Loch LomondCarden Park, ChesterDunston Hall, NorwichThe Belfry, West MidlandsThe Grand, BrightonMottram Hall, ManchesterOulton Hall, LeedsSlaley Hall, Newcastle

Village Urban Resorts

North East & YorkshireHullLeeds NorthLeeds SouthNewcastleNorth WestAshton, ManchesterBury, ManchesterCheadle, ManchesterBlackpoolHyde, ManchesterLiverpoolWarringtonWirralMidlandsCoventryDudley, BirminghamNottinghamSolihullWalsall, BirminghamWalesCardiffChester St.DavidsSwanseaSouthBournemouthFarnboroughLondon ElstreeMaidstoneSwindonBooking has never been easier. One e-mail address. One Telephone number.

Imagine a single place to book two of the UK’s best lovedmeeting and events spaces with 34 locations across the UK.

Perfect for all occasions from an intimate boardroom meeting toa fabulous event, gala dinner or conference with that wow factor.Our facilities offer the perfect surroundings & flexibility for training,team building, product launches, award ceremonies, incentives,exhibitions or corporate golf days.

All De Vere Hotels & Resorts and Village Urban Resorts offercomplimentary Wifi, complimentary car parking, excellent choiceof dining, use of on-site health + fitness club + pool, and adedicated point of contact.

Village HotelsMeeting & Events

Hotels & ResortsConference centre

Hotels & ResortsOutdoor activities

Hotels & ResortsGolf courses

Hotels & ResortsConferences

Village HotelsBanqueting

Village HotelsLeisure facilities

Village HotelsRoom upgrades

For all your meetings, conferences and events atDe Vere Hotels & Resorts and Village Urban Resorts

Meet the team

ConferencesGroup takes partic-ular pride in the level and quality of service that we offer to our cli-ents. The people who work here have always been key to that and our focus has always been to hire experienced profession-als who assist our customers by offering expert support and ad-vice.

This is your opportunity to meet the team, find out a little bit more about them and for the team to share some of their collective wisdom.

10

Meet The Team

You’ve met the MDnow meet the rest of the team...

CarlBr indleyBest thing about your job: Finding venues for meetings and events is about problem solving. Getting the right venue at the right price for my cus-tomers is a bit like completing a puzzle and brings fresh and fun challenges every day.

Top money saving tip: I always advise my clients to book their meeting on a Monday or a Fri-day where they have the flex-ibility to do so. It is often sig-nificantly cheaper to book on these days and the savings can really mount up.

Most important piece of ad-vice for venues: Prompt re-sponses to enquiries are abso-lutely vital. The quicker that we can get a response the more likely the venue is to get a con-firmed booking. Venues that offer their best price first time often benefit from a shorter de-cision making process from the client.

Favourite conference venue: The Riverbank Park Plaza is an amazing venue which never fails to make an impact on del-egates.

Meet The Team Carl Brindley

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“ Always book on a monday or a friday. ”

Best thing about your job: The diversity. Each day is different as the range of clients we have here at ConferencesGroup means that I have about 50 dif-ferent enquiries to manage at any one time. These can range from large multinational organi-sations through to SME’s look-ing to book a small board room.

Top money saving tip: Be cau-tious with your numbers. Event organisers sometimes over commit on numbers and then struggle to meet contractual commitments. An initial caution on delegate numbers can ulti-mately save you lots of money.

Most important piece of ad-vice for venues: We find that our client’s requirements are becoming increasingly tech-nical. Quite a lot of them are looking to integrate mobile and tablet devices into their conferencing programmes, so excel-lent WiFi connectivity is a must, for example.

Vanessa

Steel

Meet The Team Vanessa Steel

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“ an In itial caution on delegate numbers can save you lots of money. ”

Neetank ishoreBest thing about your job: Being able to make a differ-ence. ConferencesGroup is a dynamic, growing business and it is possible to see your ideas and initiatives come to fruition very quickly.

Top conference money sav-ing tip: Be as flexible as pos-sible with dates and location. The more flexible you are, the greater the range of choice of venue you will have. This range of choice will open up opportu-nities to save you money.

Most important piece of ad-vice: Always read the small

print of any contract you agree to. If you are contracted to 200 delegates, for example but only have 150 you end up paying for other 50. If you build flexibility into the contract from the outset you will avoid these pitfalls.

Favourite conference venue: Grosvenor House is a great con-ference and meeting venue.

Meet The Team Neetan Kishore

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“ Be as flexible as possible with dates and location. ”

Best thing about your job: I get a real sense of reward from building strong relationships with our venue partners and helping them to build their busi-ness.

Money saving tip: The ‘cheap-est’ deal often does not work out to be the cheapest. Check the small print to see what is included and what might end up as being extras on any day delegate package. This is an area where an agency like Con-ferencesGroup can really help, particularly when you are under time pressure to find a venue.

Most important piece of ad-vice for venues: Service is a

critical part of the offer-ing for our clients. Great service can make up for weaknesses in a prod-uct but nothing can re-ally compensate for poor service, which will always have a lasting im-pression on a delegate.

Favourite conference venue: The Business De-sign Centre is a great ven-ue, which responds rapidly to conference enquiries and always demonstrates great flexibility when accommo-dating delegate requirements.

STANPOSNER

Meet The Team Stan Posner

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“ great service can make up for weaknesses in a product. ”

Best thing about your job: I am fortunate to have a really di-verse range of clients, each one with very different needs. It has been really rewarding to build long term relationships with cli-ents and be able to quantify the positive impact that Conferenc-esGroup has had for them.

Money saving tip: Not eve-ryone understands that using a third party agency such as ConferencesGroup is actually free. There is no cost associ-ated with using the service and the customer benefits from the savings which our expert team of venue finders are able to achieve.

Most important piece of ad-vice for venues: Two things.

Best price first is critical in the current climate. Venues that respond quickly with their keenest pricing are more likely to secure that all important booking. Secondly, chairs! There is no excuse to roll out £20 conference chairs and expect delegates to sit on them for eight hours. Ergonomic chairs improve del-egate comfort and ultimately customer satisfaction.

RichardNewman

Meet The Team Richard Newman

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“ Best price f irst is critical . ”

jaynewinstanleyBest thing about your job: Helping customers to find the best meeting venue for their requirements is immensely sat-isfying, particularly when they realise the service is free and how much money I am able to save them.

Top money saving tip: Always take a look at the breakdown packages, as they can work out cheaper than a day del-egate rate. I always do this on behalf of my customers and it often results in a saving for them. People are often time pressured and don’t get time to make the comparison – this is really where an experienced venue finder can help.

Top tip: If you are looking for a small meeting space, for exam-ple a 20 seat board room, leave the booking until the last minute as there are a plentiful supply of

these rooms and some great deals to be had.

Most important piece of ad-vice for venues: Offer flexibility on payment terms as this will help make the conference or-ganiser’s decision to use your venue a straightforward one and is likely to result in a loyal customer.

Favourite conference venue: The Hilton Lon-don Metropole effec-tively offers three ven-ues in one. The staff are very accommo-dating and respond promptly to enquiries.

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Meet The Team Jayne Winstanley

“ Always take a look at the breakdown packages. ”

Want to find out more?

Call our team on 0845 351 9917 today.

� 2 tiered theatres� 14 meeting & syndicate rooms� Exhibition, catering & event space� Bar & Restaurant onsite� Free WIFI� Dedicated Conference & Events Team � 117 3* bedrooms

S A C K V I L L E S T R E E T , M A N C H E S T E R , M 1 3 B B

NEW ENQUIRIES: conference@days-mcc.co.uk or call 0161 955 8000

We know that value for money is key, which is why all conferences confirmed and takingplace between 1st June - 31st December 2013, one in every ten of delegates will be FREE!

To ensure your event stands out from the crowd, we’re offering complimentary themedafternoon breaks when you book a Day Delegate Package.

To redeem your themed break & free delegate places, please quote: “MCC Free 2013!”

Purpose built conference facilitiesin the centre of Manchester.

All offers & rates are subject to availability

What tips and advice would you give to people who are looking to run conferences and events over the summer?

Go for something different. Get outdoors for team building activities, for example.

What are the advantages of holding a conference or event over the summer period?

You can add value to your event, by booking a bbq or outdoor evening drinks reception as part of a networking event after a meeting.

What steps and changes have you made to make sure you offer a great experience for your clients over the summer?

We’ve just opened our new luxurious garden rooms some with unique views over the picturesque river Thames and offering great opening 24 hour rates! We’ve also built a new Conservatory to accommodate indoor reception drinks and indoor bbqs if the weather’s not great! In total we’ve spent £2million to complete the work and upgrade existing standard bedrooms.

What are the favourite types of events that you hold at your venue over the summer?

Team building events, we work with some great outdoor event companies to utilise our grounds for all sorts of activities from duck herding to motorised activities to Scalextric!

What are the main trends you have seen emerge in the sector over the last 12 months?

Companies are starting to book summer parties/team building for their staff again after a lull due to tighter budgets. Staff incentives are increasing and therefore showing how they value and appreciate their staff.

What is your venue doing to address these trends?

Trying to be flexible and offering ideas to bookers to be a little bit different and us being competitive on price.

What mistakes do clients typically tend to make when organising events over the summer period and how can these be best avoided?

Forgetting about wet weather options! Ensure the venue has ample indoor activity space available in case it rains!

Q&A With Jo Hansen at Four Pillars Oxford Thames Hotel

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Q&A with Jo Hansen

With our idyllic setting and spacious grounds offering 84 rooms and a multi-functional conservatory; Four Pillars Oxford Thames is a perfect venue for your business event needs.

• £2 million refurbishment investment

• 9 rooms for private events

• 22 new contemporary Garden Rooms with complementary wireless

• Exclusive views of the river Thames

City-centre convenience in a countryside retreat.

www.four-pillars.co.uk/thames

Email Jo Hansen at businessmgr@four-pillars.co.uk

Call 01865 334414

The Old Church, Albert Hill Street, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6RF

Telephone: 0845 351 9917