London 2012 - a reason to be positive

Glad to hear that LOCOG have released unrequired rooms back to hotels - will hopefully result in room rates becoming that little bit more affordable for those attending the games (or indeed those just visiting London)...and in fairness to the organisers releasing them back to the hotels this far out provides plenty of time for those requiring them to book.  Not long until the games now...

In fact it is now under 6 months to the London 2012 Olympic Games - is the excitement building?  Doesn't appear to be in our local area but after watching the indoor Athletics meeting at the weekend it seems that within the sport excitement is growing almost on a daily basis.  I really hope the country supports both events (Olympics and Paralympics) whole heartedly for a number of reasons but mainly to demonstrate to the world that as an events location the UK can't be beaten for support (perhaps the FIFA team may realise they made an error in not appointing England the World Cup hosts in 2018...ok perhaps not).

In the current climate we need every bit of positivity that we can.  When I say we I mean the industry, the public and the country in general.  Whilst we are not Greece, Spain or Italy we are still in the midst of an extremely tough economic and social period and a positive summer - in terms of atmosphere, excitement and anticipation - would go someway to lifting spirits ahead of the rest of the year.

London 2012 will, all be it temporarily, create jobs and that alone is a reason to be glad that the games are being hosted in the UK rather than elsewhere.  Yes not all the jobs are paid, a vast number - 70,000 - are volunteer positions but for those who have been out of work just having an occupation to get up for (rather than the challenging daily job search) will be a boost.  In fact to that end London 2012 has actually set up a programme to help those unemployed people near to the Olympic site - perhaps not ideal for those based elsewhere but it's something that would not have been happening had London2012 been Madrid2012 - for example!

I'm not oblivious to the supposed negatives of London2012 - for a start it has (will) cost our country a reported £9.3bn, which is a huge amount of money given the aforementioned economic climate within our country...and Europe as a whole.  Additionally whilst this vast amount of money has been spent on venues, opening ceremonies, etc not enough has been spent on helping athletes train and prepare for the Games...this is plainly wrong given it is the athletes performance that will largely determine how positive the atmosphere is during the games.

Despite the above (and more) negatives London2012 is a very good thing for the UK.  If you haven't got tickets - like me - or are not that fussed yet - like a lot of people - it's time to start focusing on the lesser spotted sports such as fencing, swimming, javelin, archery and rowing; it's time to start getting excited about British athletes winning in random sports that for 99.9% of the year no one worries about.

It's tough out there on a financial, economic and social level so use this tailor made, on your doorstep excuse to inject some positivity into your year.

The customer is always right...or are they?

I’m currently sat on the Brussels to Ebbsfleet Eurostar returning from organising a successful pan-European conference forum.  Whilst pleased with the events outcome I’m only just calming down from, and starting to actually believe, the ‘customer service’ on offer at a prestigious (and expensive) 4 star Brussels Hotel.

To put it politely they had a ‘different’ approach to customer service than most hotels and venues I have had the pleasure of working in.  This property appeared to start with a strange idea of “the client is always wrong...!”  We asked for a room to be changed round – after being told by our client – an hour and a half before anything else was happening.  Most venues, whilst perhaps thinking ‘no,’ would oblige – mainly because we are the paying client.  This hotel not only refused but then in the middle of our event registration started to aggressively confront my colleague and I suggesting that we were being out of order for daring to change from the agreed function sheet.  To say we were not amused is probably an understatement

I have had several experiences of venues where the junior staff (those getting paid the least) have been rude and unhelpful but the management have been great.  Never have I experienced it the opposite way round.  The ground staff were usually happy to help but were instructed by the management that they couldn’t.  It’s hard to describe in words – that are printable – exactly how unbelievably bad their service was.  If it had happened just the once it would not have made such a lasting impression but it happened on a number of occasions, with the venue even stating that we are very unorganised...for asking for 4* (yes four) additional round tables in our main room.

* The request was made 45 minutes prior to the session – plenty of time; after moaning at us for 25 minutes they then had to rush making themselves more stressed.  It’s just madness

Their manner and attitude towards us would have made an inexperienced eye think that they were the client and we were the hotel, not the other way round.  The fact that we had a 300 person event taking all of their rooms (bar 4 20person rooms) seemed to matter little, if at all, to them.  We pointed out we were paying them around €45,000 to use their property – this didn’t even seem to register as a worthwhile point in their strange little heads.

Rant aside...the whole experience has made me think about the difference between running events in the UK and Europe.  Having organised over 10 European events my thoughts were that there was no difference.  Style of rooms, food, etc changed but the general ‘client is always right**’ view seemed to exist across the continent.  I presumed Brussels – a congress focused city – would be the same, if not better.  My initial reaction is the opposite.  Perhaps it is just the hotel we used, as they are an independently owned property rather than part of a chain, but I am now eager to run our second Brussels based event so I can compare. 

** The client is not always right...but their ideas and requests are the most important

I am shocked and surprised at the lack of service.  If a venue disagrees with me or my teams approach that is fine if it is dealt with in a professional manner.  When the venue’s management staff openly start to berate us – the client – in full view of all attending the event I have a major issue (which was expressed).  When the venue’s senior management have to apologise for their staff on day 2 of 3 you’d think it would improve...not get worse!  I can safely say I will never use that venue again (which facilities wise is a shame, as the main room was fantastic) and unfortunately it has put a dampener on a great event.

Oh well, we’re back in the UK now, land of the fantastically friendly customer service...!

www.connectevents.co.uk

Gary Speed - a legend in life and sport

I tried to write this blog yesterday...couldn't; my thoughts would not fall into place - it is strange how hard the death of someone you don't really know can impact you so much.  Gary Speed's tragic passing yesterday was not met with the usual standard sorrow but with almost nationwide upset, numbness and a sense of loss.

That is a sign of the man.  When you see the reaction from those in the game, other celebrities and supporters it is clear the loss of Gary Speed will be felt for a long time.  He was, by all accounts, a top professional, player and more importantly person.  His ability as a player seemed to be transferring to management with Wales improving rapidly during his tenure.

The fact that we are talking about Gary Speed in the past tense does not make sense and everything I seem to do since hearing that news reverts back to thoughts of him and the sadness his passing will cause.

Sadly with the media in the UK the focus will soon turn to how and why.  That is not, other than for the direct family and friends, important.  What is important is to focus on his achievements as a person and the memories that he has created - these can never be removed.

As a Newcastle fan I hold a special place in the my heart for Gary Speed.  He was, as Sir Bob coined, a 'blue-chip' player; someone the club - both on and off the field - could rely on.  Alongside Rob Lee he is my all time favourite Newcastle player; it's no coincidence that after we sold him our form started to worsen.  I saw him as a future manager of Newcastle and it saddens me greatly that we will never even get to discuss this as an option

His death has hit the football - and wider - world hard but our grief can be nothing in comparison to what his family must be going through.  I hope and pray that they find the strength to move on from this.

Football is all encompassing in the UK; almost everything we do has some link to the sport - work conversations, pub discussions, TV viewing, etc.  The emotion we put into the game suggests it is important...the events of this weekend confirm that it is not.  Shankly may have been a legend but he could not be more wrong when stating football "is not a matter of life & death...it is more important than that"

RIP Gary Speed - you will be missed

Work Travel...Friend or Foe

Whilst sitting at dinner during an International security networking reception I started chatting to a senior security person within a major organisation (Microsoft).  Given my role in event operations and his in delivering expertise in IT related security to a worldwide audience we had limited similar conversational points.  These included:
- Sport
- Exercise
- Love of beer

After these had been exhausted the conversation gradually headed back towards the realms of work.  As mentioned, there is little in common here...however he is a regular visitor to a number of events across the globe.

Other than discussing what makes an event work (an MS sized budget helps it seems) we spent a lot of time musing over the idea of travel through work.  I thought I travelled a fair amount...I don't, well not in comparison to this particular MS employee.  The fact that he had over 4 days at home (UK) was a shock to him

Recent trips have included Vegas, Sydney and Prague (had to mention that given that was our event).  He's seen some great sights, got to engage in some different cultures - all on the works penny (well majority anyway).  Sounds great...doesn't it?!

Other than a long term girlfriend I have no commitments to speak of at home and yet I find the periods where I constantly have to pack / unpack and live out of various hotels across Europe monotonous and not all that enjoyable.  Yes it beats commuting every day to the same office but at least with that you get to come home in the evening and see those that matter, be it friends, family or otherwise.  I can't imagine how hard it would be to leave family behind when embarking on these trips.

Travel with work is part and parcel of a number of jobs and is especially true of the events industry.  It has major perks (mainly you get to 'see' places you wouldn't necessarily get to and with no / little cost to yourself) and on the most part it is a great aspect of the job.  However I tend to only think that when it is one 3/4 day trip in a 6/8 week period; when it's up to a handful in that period the 'great' and 'fun' aspects suddenly diminsh. 

I'm not moaning - a lot of people in a lot of jobs would love to get the opportunity to travel through work - I'm simply stating that it's not quite as glamorous or exciting as it may appear from the outside. 

I love events, I enjoy travelling but my preference - where possible - would be to back in blighty wherever possible.  Is work travel a friend or foe...well to me it's neither / both, depending on my mood (yes I am sitting on the fence).

I'll let you guess what the Microsoft individual thought...

Are we too reliant on technology...?

A confession - I'm only writing this latest blog because my email server has crashed...again...and I got to thinking (yes I appreciate that sounds like something out of Sex & the City) about how much we rely on technology.

The answer is a lot - in fact that doesn't do it our level of reliance justice.  Imagine for a second that you have no email, no internet, no mobile phone - in fact no modern technology at all - all you have is a fax machine and landline telephone...would you be able to cope and more importantly provide the level of service your clients and business require?!

The simple answer for Connect is no.  Not because we are not able to speak by phone to people but the fact is that business today is designed to be run remotely, on the move and instantly - all these require modern technology.  You take it away and it's amazing how quickly simple business tasks become rocket science.  The above does not even mention the job that is a server not working...!

You take a server out of the equation and suddenly not only can you not email contacts but you can't access databases, work files and alike.  If you can't access databases then you can't get contact numbers (as you don't have a mobile phone) so you can't call people...sounds scary doesn't it?!  Ok, it's not quite that bad - most of us have folders with contracts in, which of course have the basic contact details...however there is this idea of a 'paperless' office seems to be gathering momentum - now how would that work if systems crashed?! 

So, that question again - are we too reliant on technology?  I tend to try and defend myself against the norm but I have to admit that at Connect we are probably too reliant on technology.  Given the industry we work in - events - we spend a lot of time working remotely and on the move, which is 100% reliant on the supporting technology working.  If our systems fail then suddenly everything we do is harder.  I'm 99.9% certain that we are not the only company that this applies to. 

Is being reliant on technology a bad thing?  Obviously if the technology crashes then yes but at the same time the service we offer is so flexible (and therefore essential) for clients because of technology.  If we removed the wireless connected iPads and laptops, remote servers, 24hour contact, etc then yes we would be able to work when all technology has crashed but for the other 364 days of the year when everything is working our service would be greatly reduced.

The fact is today's world love and embraces technology and we accept the issues that may arise as a result.  If the choice was given to us all to choose between what we have now or what we had 15 years ago I am convinced the vast majority would go for the former.

Right...let's see if I can actually get some work done now...server...nope still down...damn technology!!!

New event mentality

We're currently in the process of developing a new event idea. Whilst this is exciting it also leads to the question - how do we, a small agency, get the event off the ground...?!

All new events need to be different to anything else in the market; they need to offer the target audience a reason to attend and it needs to be commercially attractive to sponsors. If it is all of these surely it will easily take off...?

Not really

The problem with any event is that you have to commit early on to a venue, marketing (both delegate and sponsor wise) and other financially draining areas. Obviously not an issue if you're a big organiser - more concerning if you are not.

Generating money early is vital to any events success but even more so for smaller agencies, where funds tend to have to stretch further than say in the large organisers such as EMap and Reed.

It may sound mad but my take on it is that confidence is key to any new event being a success, especially if you are a small agency that does not have endless pots of money. You have to believe your event will work, that your event is needed in the market place and that if you don't proceed with the event idea someone else will launch the same idea down the line. Obviously confidence does not guarantee the event will be a success but it ensures you back your judgements and decisions, meaning your event will be expertly designed, managed and organised - definitely a big help in the success stakes!

If you believe your event will work it makes it easier to sell to sponsors and delegates thus making it easier to generate finance.

Away from the finances if you have a great event idea and confidence in it accordingly creating partnerships with other organisations and associations within your target market becomes more likely. Aside from financial backing, relevant partnerships are key in getting an event to succeed - it gives the event some extra credibility to go alongside our words of "it is a great event," etc. For example if you are organising an event in the construction market, having backing by the ECIA would certainly add credibility in the eyes of potential sponsors and delegates.

Bottom line is...every event, even the massive succes stories such as BETT and Ideal Home, have to start somewhere. If you have a good idea for an event then the best advice is to launch it and see what happens...fact is you can never be certain

www.connectevents.co.uk

Jim White, Explosions and Holiday

How long does it take to feel like you need another holiday?!  For me it’s as follows:

17 days off on holiday = nice and refreshed
1 day back at work = less so
2 days back at work = need a holiday...!

Standard I guess...oh well work isn’t that bad, provides free access to the internet and more importantly transfer deadline day news!  For those non-football fanatics out there (apparently there are some) today – Wednesday 31^st August 2011 – is one of the most eagerly anticipated days in football – transfer deadline day.  It’s the day where fans spend far too many hours reading and listening to rumours about their club buying a player.  By the end of the day you are only happy if your club has purchased at least one player, even if they are crap – step forward Xisco! 

The simple fact is transfer deadline day should be a national holiday.  Those not interested in football could spend their time enjoying fresh air whilst those with an unhealthy obsession with the sport could spend their time in a darkened room watching Jim White on Sky Sports gradually get closer to the point of explosion as the cameras turn to ‘Arry Redknapp for the latest soundbite!  Tell me that does not sound like a perfect day...!

Sat at my desk today I’m starting to think I organised my holiday around the wrong weeks.  If I had taken last week and this week off I would have returned from my ‘relaxing’ hiking / camping trip yesterday just in time to have the perfect excuse (I’m tired and my legs / back / arms / shoulders / feet hurt) to sit on my arse and watch deadline day for 16+ hours.  Ok, the girlfriend may have an issue with that but then again on today of all days the other half’s opinion doesn’t really count (in the nicest possible way).  This applies equally to those rare relationships where it is the bloke who dislikes football.

Having only been back at work one day I feel a little guilty being less than 100% productive today.  The key phrase there is ‘a little,’ i.e. not enough to stop tracking the last few hours of the window until it slams (why it can’t just close normally is beyond me) shut.  My work will still get done, just perhaps tomorrow rather than today...of course the quality of my work will be greatly enhanced (and post holiday blues banished) should Newcastle sign a quality player – sadly this is very unlikely (on all fronts).

Anyway, think I have spent enough time rambling to my 9 (probably less after this) followers so I will now get back to work ;-)

PS
I love work and would never ever (ever) encourage people to follow their sporting interests during work hours.  Never...!

PPS
An actual events industry related blog will follow in due course

www.connectevents.co.uk