Managing delegate etiquette

As a company we – Connect Events – don’t exhibit at many shows.  The main reason for this is that the ones best suited to us usually take place during our own busy times, one example of this is Confex running during the same week as eWorld Purchasing & Supply – a show we manage on behalf of Revolution Events.  The other reason is that as an agency we find a number of shows are more suited to those offering individual services, i.e. Audio Visual, Stand Building, etc rather than those offering the whole event management service.  We did however exhibit at the recent Event & Exhibiting Show, which took place at the Business Design Centre recently.

The whole experience was definitely worth while from my point of view, regardless of number of leads and worthwhile chats generated.  To be honest in terms of business likely to be generated through our presence at the event we are talking very little – probably a handful of potential leads over the two days.  I haven’t seen final delegate numbers yet but I feel the lack of leads is more down to the aforementioned point of delegates attending being more interested in sourcing one individual event element rather than looking for an agency to manage an entire event.  Given we were next to a busy stand builder and registration company this seems to be the case.  However another possible reason would be that a large number of the delegates that attended were more interested in selling their own product / service than listening to what we (and others) were there exhibiting.

In fairness to the organisers of the Event & Exhibiting Show stopping this happening is somewhat harder at an industry event than it is at some of the events we organise where those attending are from a different side, i.e. end users attending to see resellers (as is the case at Sage Software events).  In the case of these events we simply don’t let delegates enter if they are a potential exhibitor – if you took that approach to this event you would have no (or very few) delegates.  However I do feel the organisers could have made a greater effort to explain / manage delegate etiquette.  It is frustrating when you are constantly being sold to by delegates, especially so when you consider that the exhibitors have paid to attend whereas the delegates are there for free. 

As mentioned before it is hard to manage for an industry event where the delegate / exhibitor difference is often quite vague.  There should be, without question, a strong message conveyed to all delegates both on registration and arrival that the open selling of products and services is forbidden when talking to exhibitors.  I would continue to allow and in fact encourage it during open networking, such as the drinks reception and general coffee breaks during the day.  Clearly event industry shows work, otherwise they wouldn’t attract the numbers that they do.  However I do feel the Event & Exhibiting Show needs to work on managing delegate etiquette and behaviour if it is to become the second large industry event in the UK (after Confex).  Perhaps moving toward the hosted buyer programme utilised so well by shows such as EIBTM and IMEX – this may initially increase costs but it would definitely improve the exhibitor experience.

www.connectevents.co.uk

East vs West - the battle continues

East vs West London has long been a discussion point in events.  Historically it's always been the West that has been the preferred location for events out of the two but since the continued development of ExCeL, the Olympic Games and the expected closure of Earls Court (part of anyway) the East of London is fast becoming the favoured location for major events.

In recent weeks events such as BETT and Confex have moved from a flagship West London venue (Earls Court) to East London (ExCeL).  When announcing the moves both stated lack of space at Earls Court as (one of) the reason and whilst I am sure this is partly true I can't help but feel that the lack of development in the West of London is also a reason. 

A negative atmosphere is surrounding West London, chief reasons being that Earls Court is rumoured to be shutting post London 2012 and the Olympia Tube line is being closed from December 2011 (which negates any positive vibes from the development of Olympia).  Without suggesting a conspiracy it almost seems as though the powers that be in London are happy to let West London look after itself whilst they focus all their attention and money on East London. 

This may of course make complete sense from an economic and social point of view given how far behind the Eastern part of the City is in comparison to Western parts (compare Leyton and Chelsea for example) but from an event organiser point of view it is less than ideal, as it gives huge power to ExCeL in terms of competing for the larger events.  However despite the above and current power shift from West to East there is still only one winner in terms of a location (in my opinion).

Yes East London is having millions of pounds spent on it's transport, general infrastructure, accommodation, social regeneration (largely all down to the Olympics) but for events, especially business to business ones, it's just not an attractive location.  Let's focus on the largest venue - ExCeL.  As a venue it can cater for events of pretty much any size, offers completely flexible space and has recently added to it's strength by opening the first ICC in London. 

The problem is the venue just feels like it is a long way from central London, despite both the venue and Boris' claims it is not.  Admittedly it has parking for something like 3,700 cars but when you advertise an event as being in London you want it to be easily accessible by public transport and I do not think ExCeL is.  To access ExCeL you need to travel on both the unreliable Jubilee Line as well as the DLR - not quite as simple as just jumping on either the District or Picadilly Line to Earls Court (I accept Olympia is not easy to get to even with the station still open).  To get from Victoria (my usual London station) to Stratford (the East London hub) takes 30minutes - compared to just 10minutes to Earls Court.  To get to ExCeL takes 33minutes - 2/3rds as long.

London 2012 will be fantastic for the City and economy.  I'm convinced that by the end of 2012 transport links to East London (and ExCeL), aided by the O2 cable car, will be on par with those out to the Western parts of the City.  Added to that I am in complete agreement that those areas within the City that are more deprived receive the bulk of investment.  However I just hope that the improvement of East London does not come at the detriment to historically strong West London venues such as EC&O resulting in organisers being forced to run events in locations we'd rather avoid.

www.connectevents.co.uk

London2012 - a successful ballot?!

Despite the public anger over the lack of success in the gaining of Olympic tickets in the initial ballot it's hard not to look at the process and outcome as a success in terms of an event organiser.  Who would not want an event where elements (in this case individual events) were completely sold out despite large numbers of interested people missing out?! Answer is of course no one.

It's a tremendously positive sign for London2012 that demand is so high in comparison to supply.  It guarantees that whilst some, including all at Connect Events, will miss out the stadiums and arenas hosting each individual event will be full.  A complete contrast to a large number of events at Beijing2008.  This is great news for those involved in winning the right to host the Olympics all those years ago but also for the British public who will be able to watch on with pride (I hope) at a successful games.

On a quick side note away from the Olympics - the interest and demand from our public demonstrates that our lack of votes at the recent FIFA World Cup2018 bid award was to put it politely a joke. There are very few countries that get behind sporting events as strongly as we do. Cases in point Wimbledon vs French Open and Manchester Commonwealth Games vs Beijing Olympic Games. This coupled with existing stadia, accommodation and transportation systems adds to our sense of disbelief at our very strong bid only receiving two votes (one our own).

Anyway, I digress! Despite the overall success, in my opinion, of the ticket ballot I do believe there have not been enough tickets set aside for the general public - those who should really benefit from the Games.  Rumours of only 40,000 of the 80,000 Olympic Stadium seats been available to the general public (not corporate / sponsors / VIPs) for each event will just add fuel to the fire around the injustice of the ballot - and rightly so.  The fact that people such as Sepp Blatter will receive free tickets also does LOCOG no favours, especially in the light of the recent FIFA scandal and the FA's attempt to postpone the election.

Another negative of the ticket system has been regarding payment. This, as far as I can tell has been for 2 reasons. Firstly that you end up paying for tickets almost 14months before the start of the Games. Secondly that the money goes out of your account before you actually know officially which events you have received tickets for.  I tend to agree both could and perhaps should have been done differently, although taking the money first helps to guarantee full stadiums - if you've paid for a ticket to an event you now aren't fussed about you are still likely to attend. 

The sole acceptance of VISA cards probably angered me the most.  Again, as an events person I appreciate the need for sponsorship, especially on such a large event, but only accepting that card brand is not ideal in the current financial climate.  Even more so when a large nunber of people only have a VISA debit (not credit) card.  Why LOCOG could not have allowed other cards but charged a premium to use them, such as is the case with Easyjet, Ryanair, etc is beyond me.

As much as I love Britain the popularity of the Games and the subsequent demand for tickets was always going to mean a negative reaction to the ballot process, that's just how we react.  The problem is that a ballot is exactly that, there is no guarantee that you'll get tickets regardless of how many you bid for.  There have been suggestions that tickets should have been on direct sale which just would not have worked - the only guarantee in that system would be Internet sites crashing!

London2012 will be a fantastic occassion with full stadiums and amazing atmospheres at almost all of the events.  Yes a large number (currently over half) will not get to watch the event of our choice live in the stadium but that should not detract from the positive vibes the Olympics will create.  As a regular spectator at large sporting events the atmosphere and experience in official fan parks is almost as good as being in the stadium just without the cost!  Despite my failure (so far - there is a 2nd ballot) to get tickets I still can't wait for the Olympics to take place and for the UK to demonstrate why we are the best place to host a large event (I just hope FIFA are watching)!

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

The ash cloud looms...

I don’t generally believe in good or bad luck but this bloomin ash cloud is back again just in time for another of my spring time trips abroad!  Currently sat in some depressing Comfort Inn hotel (no offence to the word hotel intended) near Heathrow I am starting to get some depressing and fear inducing flashbacks of last year!  Add Newcastle’s failure to see out a 3-0 lead with 30minutes to go yesterday to that and I am starting to feel bad luck is my friend!

Upon leaving the office a couple of minor airlines had cancelled flights, by the time I had arrived and eaten my starter KLM had announced the cancellation of some of their flights!  A cold sweat has definitely started to spread...!

Now I am sure Lufthansa flights will be fine in the morning and I am sure I will make it to IMEX in time for the first of my scheduled meetings.  Returning on the other hand I’m a tad less confident!  Financially getting stuck this time would be a lot easier, for two reasons – firstly it is a work trip and the joy of work expenses will save the day; secondly I’m travelling as a guest of Hilton hotels and therefore they’d cover the cost of extra room nights / alternative travel plans, etc.  However being stuck in Frankfurt when one of my clients – Revolution Events – are involved in 19 events over the next 6 weeks would not be ideal (perhaps that is an understatement).

The amount of work we – Connect Events – have on in the next few weeks is intense and being stuck abroad wouldn’t help; however on the positive side I suppose it would give us a good chance to test our ‘cloud’ facilities!  Not really sure what that sentence means but we have virtualised servers and access to a high capacity dropbox account (that is cloud in our books).  Perhaps it is a good thing then...?  To be honest the word ‘no’ doesn’t do that question justice! 

One thing is for certain and that is that it isn’t worth stressing or worrying about – I learnt that during the last cloud experience!  We can’t help it; if the airlines decide not to fly because ash settling in their engines may cause their planes to crash I am certainly not going to suggest they stop acting like idiots and get the planes in the sky!  If someone with a lot more knowledge than me decides to ground the entire European airspace (again) for 1, 3, 6 or 10 days me (and others getting angry) will make zero difference and just escalate the stress of the situation! 

With that in mind I think I’ll have another shandy (or 2)...and just hope I won’t be writing the next blog from Heathrow Terminal 1 waiting lounge or worse from a train seat somewhere between Frankfurt and London!

PS
Writing an blog which brings back animated memories isn’t advisable in a busy hotel bar judging by some of the looks my various grimaces and smiles have received J

www.connectevents.co.uk

Cold calling...good or bad?

Perhaps it’s not as black or white as the topic of this blog suggests but is it actually a successful way of winning new business, contracting sponsors, attracting delegates and so on? 

Being from an ops background I rarely got involved in cold calling potential clients / sponsors / delegates in my previous role but it is something that I had to get to grips with quickly upon setting up Connect Events and to be completely honest I’ve found it difficult.  I have a great deal of confidence in the services we offer to our clients and I am in no doubt that there are a lot of events being run that could be better if we were involved.  However if, when you call someone out of the blue to offer your services, you are told their events are already managed you can hardly turn round and say “well they could be better if we were involved” – or can you?! 

Very few of the cold calls (or indeed emails) I’ve sent out are successful – perhaps it’s my style rather than the nature of the communication that is the issue – and all of the clients / interest Connect has received has come through word of mouth, recommendation, personal introduction, etc.  I think the reason for that is mainly because they have a reason to want to use your services, rather than a feeling of almost being pressured into. 

Given that is cold calling an approach that could soon be dying out?!  Simple answer is no.  Despite its failings and often impolite responses cold calling provides the best way of contacting a large number of potential clients...something that is invaluable in the events industry.  Take this approach out of the sales environment and you lose a great number of opportunities to get that extra piece of vital business. 

The growth of email has a sales (and marketing) tool over the past few years has of course added an extra level to cold calling potential targets...at least that way there is a chance your call will not be a complete surprise to them.  Of course for all the rejections received all it needs is one yes and all that frustration becomes worth while.

Is cold calling good or bad?  Well to be honest (and sit on the fence) it is a bit of both.  It has its drawbacks and definite negatives but in the ultra competitive events market you can’t survive without it.  One thing we at Connect Events have learnt is if you’re no good at it employ a specialist – the cost is worthwhile when potentials are turned into contracts.

www.connectevents.co.uk

The Royal Wedding...an event to behold!

Let’s get the unpatriotic element out of the way first – I did not watch the Royal Wedding on Friday; in fact to be completely honest I arranged a round of golf* on the day purposely to avoid watching it.  The reason I did this is not because I am an anti-royalist but because the level, amount and type of coverage was slightly nauseating (although 24m in the UK and 2bn across the globe disagree with me). 

I did, however, watch the edited version on the news that evening – almost a Match of the Day style segment, with the best and worst bits shown.  Having seen this and chatted to numerous colleagues, friends and family it is clear that it was a fantastic day and probably the most ‘normal’ Royal Wedding in history.

Being a member of the Royal Family on days such as this must be a real challenge.  The amount of focus on all individuals involved leaves no room for error or mistake from any, which I guess is why they had the reception behind closed doors, i.e. no press or public eyes!  The press in the UK may disagree with me but the lack of privacy those in the public eye receive today is a disgrace; I appreciate we have a right to know when something major is happening but there is no need for us to know half of what the press (particular the tabloids / rag mags – Heat I am talking about you) tell us.  Despite it being the happiest day of their lives I am sure that if Kate Middleton had worn a dress that looked awful the press would have been blunt in the extreme when telling us.  Rant over

Anyway, onto the main point of this blog...the Royal Wedding as an event.  Watching the news and reading the papers the next day through the eyes of an event organiser I was greatly impressed and a tad inspired by the clockwork precision with which the day was organised.  A wedding is never an easy event to organise (hence most wedding planners are crazy – in a good way, usually) but on this sort of scale both in terms of guests and public interest the phrase ‘a hard event to organise’ doesn’t really do it justice. 

Just a quick glance at the numbers involved emphasises what a monumentally tough event it was to organise.  Those involved in the planning of this ‘event’ didn’t just need to consider all elements directly linked but also all those external elements, i.e. the 1million people lining the wedding parade route and media interest (more than 8,000 were in London covering the wedding).  According to the statistics there were 5,000 police and 130 street cleaners on duty in central London, 5,500 requests for road closures (for street parties) across the UK and 10,000 canapes served at the lunch reception.  Mind boggling numbers – can you imagine the catering bill?!  Clearly the lack of need for a budget greatly helped the Royal Wedding (emphasised by the estimated cost of policing, preparation and cleaning up being £10m)!

All involved at Connect Events would love to have a budget even 10% of that figure...as I am sure many other organisers would!  Regardless of the cost though the day appears to have been a great success both in terms of a wedding and an event, which at the end of the day is all that matters.  The UK does do this type of day better than any other country in the world.  Be it an occasion to celebrate or commiserate the British Public take the event in question to their hearts and turn out in their millions to show their support, which of course adds to the difficulty of organising such an event.  However seeing the public turn up in their droves to support events that are important to our country is a great site to see and it is for that reason that I do have a tinge of regret over playing golf rather than watching the spectacle that was the Royal Wedding.

* For those interested my brother and I won 3 & 2 in the golf so the day wasn’t completely wasted...

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

Pressure building on hotels...

For those who have read any of my previous blogs you’ll be aware that I am quite keen to highlight issues with hotels, be it costs or service provision and it seems that I am not the only one.  Hotels are coming under increasing pressure on the issue of costs and price fixing (or in this case ‘rate-parity’), which has – according to the article – cost holiday makers hundreds of pounds.  The area not highlighted by the article is that, if found guilty, then this price fixing scandal has surely cost the Meeting and Events (M&E) industry a vast amount of money.

The thing is that there has been an opinion in the industry for years that the rates charged by different hotels are very similar despite, in theory, being in competition.  Usually in a competitive market, which the hotel sector certainly is, the main players try everything to stand out and win the custom from their rivals; one way this is achieved is through costing less than their competitors.  In the UK hotel sector, especially in London, this has never appeared to be the case, even during the recession. 

Is there anything wrong with price fixing by hotels?!  The use of the term rate-parity certainly makes it sound less illegal.  Usually the idea of price fixing refers to competitors agreeing to charge certain or similar amounts but in this scenario it is slightly different.  Basically the hotels are (allegedly) telling third party websites, i.e. lastminute, expedia, etc, the lowest rate they are allowed to charge for rooms at their hotel.  Scenarios have occurred where chains have been emailing third parties to tell them they are no longer allowed to offer their hotel on the site due to ‘parity issues,’ in other words the site is offering rooms at the hotel for an amount that doesn’t provide the required profit margin.  Although it pains me to admit, I tend to agree with the hotels – what’s wrong with this?!

Surely any business is entitled to set what they feel is fair in terms of how much their service / product is worth.  At Connect we offer a range of event services for which we have a minimum price we can realistically charge, i.e. the profit margin.  If a third party offered our services for a figure lower than this we wouldn’t be happy in the slightest.  Therefore I have to ask, why should we expect hotels to not have the same principal?!  My main issue with it is that they have not just come out and explained that’s what happens.

Hotels, especially those in London, do appear to have been relatively unaffected by the economic downturn and subsequent recession.  It is frustrating when the majority involved in the M&E industry have had to make cutbacks (both financial and otherwise) but hotels continue to charge high accommodation and meeting rates.  Without question I would like to see a greater sense of realism from hotels in terms of what they charge to use their properties (this applies equally to holiday accommodation).  Does this mean I feel the hotel chains in question should be fined up to 10% of their profits should the allegations prove founded?  The simple answer is no.

The hotels are not so much price fixing as guaranteeing their profit margins.  The British public are very quick to show their displeasure at anything that is seen to unfairly increase their costs, especially in such a tough economic time but I am not sure this particular accusation is fair on the hotels – after all they are not being run as charities.  Customers of hotels, both business and pleasure, have a wide ranging choice of hotels that offer a great difference in terms of quality and subsequently price.  If the budget for accommodation is £150 per night or event is £60 per person certain properties, possibly the preferred option included, could be out of the required price range.  This isn’t the hotels fault – there is a reason the hotel industry operates a star rating system – and there will be viable alternative options.

This rate parity / price fixing, call it what you want, from hotels is at worst a questionable practice.  If, as mentioned already, they openly came out and explained that this is how rates on third party sites are agreed then, whilst you would have some who disagree, I think for the most part it would be accepted.  There would definitely me a part of me that would enjoy seeing the hotel chains in questions being fined the figures being suggested but I wouldn’t agree with it.  For many reasons pressure has been building on hotels over their costs and, for the most part, rightly so but I feel that in regard to these accusations the additional pressure is unfair.

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