Unlike most of my blogs I'll answer the question posed straight away...extremely vital. Get the right supplier(s) on board and an event will be a walk in the park, however select inapprorpriate or poor suppliers and the opposite is true.
As an organiser / event logistics specialist we pride ourselves on only working with the best (note not the biggest) companies. Areas such as stand building, electrics, AV are too important to risk dodgy suppliers. Where possible we encourage clients to use our suppliers on events we are involved in...sadly we do not always succeed. Being truthful 90% of the time suppliers we have (rather than want) to use are decent enough...unfortunately there is that 10% exception and our experiences with this type of company emphasises the importance of the supplier to an events success.
Reliance is never good but you should be able to run an event with complete faith that the experts in their area (be it AV, stands, accommodation booking) know what they are doing. As I say you still need to keep an eye on all apsects but only an eye, not all your time - that is why we bring suppliers on board. It would be easy for Connect to offer an array of services that we are not remotely skilled in, just to attract a larger client base but if someone approaches us for AV or stand building we pass it onto one of our regular suppliers. We could probably make a bodge job of it but a) we take too much pride in our work and b) it is not fair on a genuine paying client to do that.
Not all 'suppliers' are like that
A recent event experience has made me appreciate our suppliers importance even more...I won't go into too many details but it ended up with our team (Connect and our AV supplier) covering the client's supposed 'expert.' Frustrating but it happens - once on site and faced with that issue the only option is to help out.
Hunter Events, Roadstar, Event Express, SO Group, DMS Graphics, Masters and EFI Logistics - all key suppliers to Connect and to be honest without their knowledge in their key areas the Connect service would not be what it is.
So how vital is the right supplier...almost beyond words
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
Student Placements - the new core workforce?!
Despite the recession, shrinking level of work for companies and reduced employment opportunities for all (especially the young) the amount of work we have been involved in has been on the increase over the last couple of years. However whilst the level of work has increased the value (owing to size of events, sponsorship levels) has tended to go the other way. So we're working harder for less - not complaining, just great to have the clients in the current tough market.
What it also means is that ensuring you have enough staff for the peak periods is becoming harder and harder budget wise. When big contracts were a common occurance companies could afford to employ people on large short to medium term contracts - this is not the case in todays market, especially for small companies. So what are the options...from our experiences placements are a fantastic choice.
Over the last couple of years we have employed a couple of placement students and to be honest we could not have operated or performed to our usual high level without them. Without being too blunt one of the major positives of placement students is the low cost and until we started working with placements I felt that may be the only one. I could not have been more wrong.
Their motivation to work hard and keeness to learn sets them aside from a lot of the more expensive options. Being placement students rather than just students in between study years ensures they have a genuine interest in the industry and market sector they are placed into, which makes a huge difference.
We have already set in motion plans to bring in a new placement student from September after the success of our current student, who thankfully has agreed to extend her stay through the summer. I'd strongly recommend smaller companies take similar advantage of this system - genuinely priceless to the success of our company.
What it also means is that ensuring you have enough staff for the peak periods is becoming harder and harder budget wise. When big contracts were a common occurance companies could afford to employ people on large short to medium term contracts - this is not the case in todays market, especially for small companies. So what are the options...from our experiences placements are a fantastic choice.
Over the last couple of years we have employed a couple of placement students and to be honest we could not have operated or performed to our usual high level without them. Without being too blunt one of the major positives of placement students is the low cost and until we started working with placements I felt that may be the only one. I could not have been more wrong.
Their motivation to work hard and keeness to learn sets them aside from a lot of the more expensive options. Being placement students rather than just students in between study years ensures they have a genuine interest in the industry and market sector they are placed into, which makes a huge difference.
We have already set in motion plans to bring in a new placement student from September after the success of our current student, who thankfully has agreed to extend her stay through the summer. I'd strongly recommend smaller companies take similar advantage of this system - genuinely priceless to the success of our company.
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Academic vs Commercial Venues
Having always focused on commercial venues it was a bit of a culture shock when in a recent venue search we had to target Further Education Colleges ahead of commercially driven properties. To say we were pleasantly surprised by the standard of college event space would be an understatement.
Whilst not hundreds to choose from - not all colleges offer space to hire out - the ones that did offer external events the opportunity to use their space have clearly thought about what makes an event work - something that can not always be said their commercial counterparts. Being honest I expected the majority of colleges to offer tired, inflexible space - the complete opposite has been true.
Venue space at most colleges I have viewed is easily accesible, bright, modern, flexible and ultimately a top event space. Admittedly they often don't cater for the largest events but for those with numbers around 150 there are a number of great options. South Bristol Skills Academy (part of the City of Bristol College) and The Learning Exchange (part of Liverpool Community College) are two that particularly impressed me.
College space still has the obvious draw back that it is least available in term time, which is when the vast majority of B2B events take place. However those in charge of event space at Further Education Colleges often proved to be ultra helpful in trying to move classes, etc to fit our event - didn't always prove successful but demonstrates our educational establishments realise (or at least are starting to realise) the importance of hiring out available space to external companies.
Having another available avenue for impressive event space is a huge bonus, especially in the current economic climate, as college spaces are vastly more cost effective than their commercial counterparts (understandbly). Another financial positive of utilising college space is that it creates another revenue stream for those establishments, which is more rewarding than simply lining the pockets of a multi-million pound hotel or conference centre.
I acccept we may have got lucky in the FE Colleges that we have viewed but despite that, Connect Events for one will openly and actively suggest college spaces to clients with events of the right type moving forward.
Whilst not hundreds to choose from - not all colleges offer space to hire out - the ones that did offer external events the opportunity to use their space have clearly thought about what makes an event work - something that can not always be said their commercial counterparts. Being honest I expected the majority of colleges to offer tired, inflexible space - the complete opposite has been true.
Venue space at most colleges I have viewed is easily accesible, bright, modern, flexible and ultimately a top event space. Admittedly they often don't cater for the largest events but for those with numbers around 150 there are a number of great options. South Bristol Skills Academy (part of the City of Bristol College) and The Learning Exchange (part of Liverpool Community College) are two that particularly impressed me.
College space still has the obvious draw back that it is least available in term time, which is when the vast majority of B2B events take place. However those in charge of event space at Further Education Colleges often proved to be ultra helpful in trying to move classes, etc to fit our event - didn't always prove successful but demonstrates our educational establishments realise (or at least are starting to realise) the importance of hiring out available space to external companies.
Having another available avenue for impressive event space is a huge bonus, especially in the current economic climate, as college spaces are vastly more cost effective than their commercial counterparts (understandbly). Another financial positive of utilising college space is that it creates another revenue stream for those establishments, which is more rewarding than simply lining the pockets of a multi-million pound hotel or conference centre.
I acccept we may have got lucky in the FE Colleges that we have viewed but despite that, Connect Events for one will openly and actively suggest college spaces to clients with events of the right type moving forward.
Monday, 30 January 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
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 importantI 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...!Monday, 28 November 2011
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
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
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
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...
- 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...
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