Is Health & Safety getting out of hand?!

Being safe is important, acting in a responsible manner is essential and not taking unnecessary risks is advisable.  Three very basic points, which should stand the majority in good stead as they progress through life.  Maybe I am generalising but surely the majority of the UK population are aware of the above – believe it something called common sense.  Yet despite this, all industries are controlled and monitored by a number (a ridiculous number in some industries) of Health & Safety rules and regulations. 

Perhaps it is just me but is all the fuss about Health & Safety (H&S) really worthwhile?!

Before I start my argument against H&S I would like to explain that I do agree that anyone seen not to be acting in a safe manner should be stopped (and possibly fined or worse if need be).  Similarly I do accept and understand the vital need for certain H&S laws to govern areas such as crowd control, access / egress of stadium and large building / construction projects.  Disasters such as Hillsborough, Bradford or The Big Blue Crane highlight what happens when organisations and / or individuals ignore the issue of safety.  Health & Safety is important and has a vital role to play in the successful running of events – however it has got out of hand.

What disasters, such as the ones mentioned above, have done is – quite rightly – bring to the attention of those in power of gaping holes in the H&S infrastructures that were (and sadly still are in some locations – especially in places such as India and South America) present.  Thankfully the attention has, for the most part, resulted in changes being made that has ensured nothing along those lines happens again.  That’s the hugely positive impact; however on the negative side it has also resulted in industries where H&S has not been a major issue having to start adhering to frankly ridiculous rules.

Connect Events specialise in the operational management of events ranging from 20 person breakfasts to, well any size to be honest.  Some of the information that we, and other event organisers / agencies, have to provide for each and every event – regardless of size – is quite amazing…and I know it is not just us.  Risk assessments for staff travel, detailed plans of what (exactly) is arriving when, numbers of staff on site, insurance declarations for £10m for an event of 100 people in a hotel, signed Insurance declarations for sponsors that are using a simple pop-up system and trained NEBOSH staff on site to sign off ‘complex’ structures.  By complex I mean a stand that is not just a pop up – should that really need signing off by a trained individual?!

Not only is it not (well it should not be) needed but it adds to the cost and time of organising an event for all (client, organiser, supplier and sponsors) involved.  At a recent event we had to organise for one of our clients a whole new team to dismantle the stand owing to the fact that the supplier we had in place refused to do it, as their staff would need to work at height when not trained to do so.  I am not annoyed with the supplier who said no; after all they are governed by the Work at Height Regulations and if they had made their staff complete the breakdown they were running of the risk of being fined / sued should something have happened.  Oh, I forgot to mention the working at ‘height’ was 6ft 3” off the floor and required a step ladder – hardly dangerous!  To me, this sort of incident just demonstrates how mad the world of H&S has become – sadly it will only get worse as we become more ‘Americanised.’

My brother’s company – in the Civil Engineering industry – is a prime example of how the influx of American views has greatly affected how the company operates.  Under its former British ownership they staff had motivational days involving go-karting, were allowed to drive to all meetings and could travel without filling in documents.  Since the American takeover they are no longer allowed to go go-karting due to it being too dangerous, they have to use public transport on all journeys (and fill in a risk assessment) and, probably worst of all, they have a code of safety at work, which requires them to hold the handrail when walking downstairs (and they get reprimanded if they do not).  I appreciate American companies have been burnt (pun-intended) in the past by cases such as the McDonalds serving coffee that is too hot but this is no reason to implement such restrictive rules.

We, in Britain are not innocent in the existence of frankly stupid rules – one that springs to mind is the clearing of ice from a path you / your company owns (basically if you don’t you can’t be sued if someone slips; if you do and someone slips you can – not quite that black & white but not far off).  I’ve gone slightly off course but my point remains, the amount of H&S within all walks of life (both work and social) is getting out of hand. 

Back to events – if Connect Events were organising a massive festival, i.e. V-Festival, Glastonbury or similar then of course paramount to the planning would be the H&S aspects, such as correct stewarding, maximum amount of people that will safely fit into the space available, access / egress routes and so on.  I would expect other organiser’s to do the same, and (at the risk of ridicule) I believe they should be trusted to do so.  There should definitely be documentation (risk assessments, insurance declarations, method statements, etc) that is a legal requirement for all involved where events above a certain size are concerned, but that is where it should end. 

For this to be viable though companies also need to be protected to a greater extent.  Currently if, for example, someone falls at your event and hurts themselves they can sue and will, almost all of the time, win (either out of or in court) the case.  It should not be that black and white.  Individuals attending events need to be made more aware of their responsibilities – if it is raining at a festival the ground may become slippy underfoot so wear appropriate footwear!

With the risk of repeating myself there is a great need for Health & Safety within all industries, not just events.  There is also a need (and rightly a legal requirement) for all companies involved in the running of events to have some level of public liability (or similar) insurance.  Health & Safety is important.  However, it is starting to become a dominant force in the organisation of events and not in a positive sense.  It should not be (and does not need to be) as restrictive and time consuming as it is proving to be time and again – maybe it is warranted on the larger ones, i.e. World Cup, Olympics, Motor Show, etc (I would love to see the London 2012 risk assessment) but it is certainly not on the majority of events.

Financial restraints still exist - do hotels realise this?!

I’m sure I am not the only person who has thought (or perhaps even blogged) about this but after a recent bout of hotel negotiations for a forthcoming event it got me thinking about the topic...again!

Owing to the recession brands (clients) have reduced budgets causing agencies / organiser’s to cut spending, which in turn has resulted in suppliers from AV through to stands to cut their costs.  On the venue side the majority have realised they need to reduce their prices, or at least provide more flexible terms, payment schedules, etc but for some reasons hotels seem to have bucked the general trend of the market.

One of the main issues with hotels, even before the recession, is the existence of the ‘bedroom guarantee’ rule.  For those not aware of this rule it basically means that whoever is contracting for the event space has to guarantee a certain number of bedrooms per night and if they do not reach this figure they have to pay for the remainder.  In short it adds a potentially large extra cost, which can of course be damaging to the overall budget.  This rule / condition is still in place for all large and medium bookings despite it being clearly evident throughout the industry that delegates, sponsors, organisers and clients alike are staying less nights at each event.  I appreciate they require some commitment but when 300 rooms over a 2 night show are requested when only a max of 165 have been used in the past I start to doubt if they are living in the real world.

About two years ago, when the recession really kicked in, I had a succession of meetings with a variety of hotel chains – including Hilton, Park Plaza and Park Inn to name three.  In these meetings I explained the need for more flexibility and indeed the hotel representatives said that they understood in the current climate they would need to be more understanding and flexible to each and every client; needless to say this new flexible / understanding approach has not exactly been evident. 

In fact, if anything, hotels have become stricter and less flexible in the wake of the economic downturn and subsequent recession.  The problem, for organisers and clients, is that hotels, especially in London (and other major capitals), are still extremely busy so there is no need for them to have to reduce their demands.  Tourism, despite the worldwide recession, is still booming in London – December 2010 excluded, owing to the weather.  They know the power lies with them and as a result I suppose the question is - why should they reduce their costs, conditions, etc?  Would organisers reduce their stand prices if they knew sponsors would pay them regardless?!  The answer is of course no, as is proven time and time again by the market dominating shows currently taking place.

However that aside I still wonder – do hotels even know there has been a recession?!  As mentioned a recent bout of negotiations with a number of hotels in Prague suggests not in Europe and I know from recent experience the same applies within London as well.  Bedroom rates are still high, terms are still firmly in the hotels favour (one exception is the sliding scale minimum numbers clause Park Plaza has introduced) and conference rates (both room hire and DDR) have remained roughly where they were during peak times.

As an events organiser I understand first hand how vital the hotel industry is to the market and that they provide some of the best (in terms of space not excitement) facilities around.  For that reason I appreciate and in fact accept that they need to look after their own business properly to ensure that they still meet targets, etc.  However, what bugs me is that they do not seem realise how important the events industry is to their business.  Hotels, especially the top brands, seem to think that clients will continue to bring the business to them regardless of costs charged and terms imposed.  Surely a hotel should be able to realise that a piece of business guaranteeing 100 bedrooms per night rather than 200 is better than no business at all.

Personally it is the continuing existence of the bedroom term that is the most infuriating but consistently high DDRs, increased minimum numbers at the main hotels and high build charges (even when there is no other event taking place) also suggest hotels are oblivious to the financial climate surrounding the events (and the majority of other) markets.  Of course peak season events will result in higher costs; of course events running in 5* hotels rather than 3* hotels will have higher costs but why are these higher costs not substantially lower than pre-recession?  Even when presented with like for like quotes hotels continue to keep their rates at their preferred rather than realistic levels. 

Moving forward sadly even with the threat of a double-dip recession it is unlikely to see hotels changing their attitudes.  Regardless of opinions of individuals like myself they – the main hotel chains – have a working model, which continues to produce solid to spectacular profits.  Perhaps if organisers start to suggest / clients start to request alternative venues, i.e. conference centres, it may force hotels to alter their approach – sadly, given the strength of the hotel accommodation sector, this is unlikely.

The recession has hit our market hard and in fairness it has impacted regional hotels as well as organisers, brands (clients) and suppliers.  Chain hotels within large capital cities appear to be unaffected and, as suggested already, are almost performing better than pre-recession.  Do they know there has been a recession – it appears unlikely; do they know we are still recovering from the recession (and perhaps heading towards another one) – unfortunately and disappointingly this appears equally unlikely.

http://www.connectevents.co.uk/

2012 – The year of the Olympics…and lots of cancelled events!

There are now just 505 days to go until the Olympic Games in London (or 538 for the Paralympics) and I think I am right in saying that almost everyone is at least slightly excited by them for at least one reason.  Be it the development of a local area, the chance to see some of the world’s top athletes or simply the joy of seeing the UK host such a huge world-wide event there is almost a reason for everyone to be energised by the thought of the Olympics.

However there is one date, area, issue that has largely been unannounced or even mentioned and that is the deadline of 31^st March 2011 for informing the Mayor’s office of any event taking place in London next year.  Whilst this does not reduce the excitement we at Connect Events Ltd (http://www.connectevents.co.uk/) are feeling towards the impending games it does somewhat put a potential cloud on the horizon for event organisers and management agencies.

Firstly there is a good reason for the deadline, although not sure it needs to be quite as early as it is.  Clearly the Olympics (including pre and post-event requirements) will put a lot of pressure on London’s (and the UK’s) infrastructure (roads, rail, airports, venues, services, etc) and owing to this early planning is vital.  Last year the Mayor’s office (in conjunction with Visit London) created ‘The Culture Diary’ with the aim of showcasing every cultural event taking place in London during 2012 – to help highlight potential clashes and issues.  Whilst this, in principal, is a good idea it currently only has approx 1,100 events listed as taking place in London next year – obviously no where near the usual figure.  Given the deadline is just 2 ½ weeks away, the number of events mentioned suggests a lack of awareness from Organisers and alike.  Surely this should not be the case…

Another ‘positive’ is that this deadline is only for events of 500 people and above.  I say positive in the loosest sense of the word but at least smaller events should be able to take place (that said there is a standard governmental caveat in that the deadline could extend to smaller events if they are deemed to impact on the city’s infrastructure – which surely they all will…)! 

Before I continue let me explain that I do understand and accept that any large events usually taking place in July - September may have to be cancelled, postponed or moved.  This should only apply to those events taking place in an Olympic venue, i.e. Wembley or Earls Court, though - and I am fairly certain that will not be the case.

So…the long and short of it is that organisers and their clients (corporate and public sector alike) need to know the size / scale of their events up to 18 – 20 months away, quite possibly even after the event has taken place this year.  Even when the market was booming this would be a challenge but in the current climate it becomes an almost impossible scenario.  The events industry over the past couple of years has become an increasingly last minute environment – delegates book, sponsors sign up, organisers contract and a lot of people pay…late!  It’s unavoidable given the state of the economy but this approach seems to go against that, and in fact remove any opportunity for last minute decisions / changes / launches – something which the industry has thrived (almost survived) on recently.  Removing this flexibility will create a tough backdrop for events in 2012.

As mentioned earlier I can understand completely why something such as this would be in place but the lack of communication from The Mayor’s office (or Visit London) or anyone, bar the main industry magazines in the last few weeks - http://www.eventmagazine.co.uk/channel/news/article/1058934/Why-event-cancelled-2012/ - is unacceptable.  Yes the Olympics are important but then so are all other events that take place in London each year – without them London would not be the place it is today.  London is the leading city in the UK (and, we like to think, in Europe) for events and the leading brands do want to organise their events in our beloved capital but the effects of this deadline’s passing could discourage this.  If we turn away business next year, why would they come back in 2013…?

The Olympics will be great for London (and UK) but this sort of inflexible, un-dynamic approach creates a potential negativity around London moving forward.  The line of ‘we’ve had a great Olympics, everyone will want to bring their business here’ may not exactly be true come January 2013…obviously I hope I am proved completely wrong

Event Space at Bluewater - How Popular Can it Become?!

Opening a new venue in the current economic climate whilst being located near to but not in London is a brave move, even for a shopping super-power such as Bluewater.  I’m sure it was not just my eyebrows being raised when back in February 2010 plans were announced for a new events space to be developed on the Bluewater complex...but 12months on and before it has even opened ‘The Events Space at Bluewater’ has just won it’s 3^rd large piece (after the two Clarion shows) of business - http://www.eventmagazine.co.uk/channel/news/article/1058152/ICHF-Events-launch-new-look-show-Bluewater/

So three large shows already confirmed and the venue does not even open until later this year, but the question is – how popular can (or I suppose will) The Events Space at Bluewater become?!

Let’s be honest, Kent is not the natural choice for events.  Yes it is near to London but therein lies the problem because it’s not London (same applies to counties such as Sussex, Essex to name but two.  There is a common theory in events – delegates are happy to travel into London but rarely will they be happy to travel out again, i.e. Connect Events (www.connectevents.co.uk) are based in Tunbridge Wells, now I am happy getting a train into London for an event but would I then be happy to get on a train again to go to Reading, High Wycombe, Cambridge and so on – the answer is probably not.  Regional events are traditionally for individuals in and around those regions, for example a Local Government event in Brighton would be targeted at delegates in and around the South Coast, not those north of London – it is the London based shows that usually cater for delegates from across the UK.  London has kudos, glitz, excitement – Dartford, Greenhithe, Ebbsfleet (nearest places to Bluewater) do not...so surely the location will impact negatively on the venue’s chances of success?! 

I’m (and judging by the early pre-launch business won I am not the only one) not so sure it will...

On the positive side, it is close to London, Dartford and Ebbsfleet International Stations both have regular services to and from London Charing / Kings Cross.  Similarly it is located close to two of the major motorways in the South-East – the M25 and M2.  Add to that the fact that Bluewater has 13,000 car park spaces, a number of hotels near by and regular shuttle buses between the main stations servicing it and suddenly it’s lack of ‘London’ starts to become less of an issue – I mean can you name a Central London offering the space Bluewater does with that much parking...?

The space offered by Bluewater is not huge at 5,200m² but it is certainly big enough to encourage the larger organisers that the venue can suit some of their events whilst at the same time not scarring off some of the smaller players (such as ourselves) in the way that an ExCeL style venue can.  Thankfully it is not just one large space either, as there is a stunning (to coin a phrase from their own website - http://www.evbluewater.co.uk/venue.html) VIP area for smaller events. 

So a decent sized, flexible space with easy access – throw in the fact that the rates will be cheaper than most London venues of a similar size - and suddenly the whole location point becomes less of an issue (and you can start to see why ICHF and Clarion have chosen it).  Another huge positive for the venue is that Bluewater attracts 28million visitors every year; 28million people visit Bluewater – put simply that is huge!  Rarely in todays market will you find delegates attending an event (especially shows such as ICHF’s Creative Stitches & Hobbycraft Show) just because they really want to.  Delegates like to fit an event around other things, such as meetings, shows or in this case shopping.  As someone in the events industry hearing a phrase such as “28million people visit here every year” sends nothing but positive vibes.  Ok obviously that is over the year and a show will last anywhere between 2 and 7 days normally but 28million over a year is approx 70,000 per day!!!  So here is a venue that is located by Europe’s leading retail centre giving you a potential target audience of 70,000 per day...without any marketing on your part!  Starting to sound almost too good to be true. 

Obviously an organisation such as Bluewater would not undertake such a project without some serious market research and clearly they feel that points such as the ones above mean they have a better than even chance of becoming a successful player in the events venue industry.  As long as they continue to focus on the right sort of event, i.e. public shows, then I for one am fairly confident they will be proved right.  Hopefully the answer to the question posed here is ‘very popular,’ as a successful mainstream events venue would provide a great boost to the events industry within Kent, as well as other counties near to London.