Author: Suzi Johnson

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Meetings and event industry jargon explained

Meetings and event industry jargon can be a little overwhelming if you’re new to the industry. Like most industries, even if you’ve been around for a few years you can still come across new acronyms.

So here’s our quick guide to some of the lingo flying around to support you in your jargon busting journey.

A

Allocation – Agreement by a hotel to hold an agreed number of bedrooms at a fixed rate, for a set period of time.

Attrition clause – Used to protect accommodation providers when rooms allocated to a client cannot be filled. Hotels may impose fees when fewer rooms are filled than the agreed percentage of the number contracted.

B

Bed night – A measure of occupancy calculated by multiplying the number of guests by the number of nights stayed. For instance 12 guests staying from Monday to Thursday would clock up 36 bed nights.

Best available rate – Also known as a flexible rate. This is a variable rate according to demand and occupancy.

Build-up and breakdown – Additional time to set up and dismantle audio/visual and production equipment. If you need access in advance or after the event there may be an additional charge, depending on the time required.

By the piece –  Food purchased by individual item.For instance canapes at a drinks reception.  The alternative to by the piece is by the person in which a fixed price covers all food (or more often drink)consumed by the individual.

C

Complimentary ratio – The measure dictating how many rooms are provided free of charge compared with those paid for.

Comp. rooms – Complimentary rooms allocated by the hotel.

Confirmed reservation – Verbal or written agreement to proceed with the booking.

Contract – Binding agreement where there are legal responsibilities for both parties.

Customer rate – A special rate agreed with a customer in return for booking a certain number of rooms.  Be aware that this is usually lower than the corporate rate, the increased use of best available rate means it is not usually the cheapest option.

Cut-off date – Date when the venue will release a block of bedrooms to the general public.

D

DDR (Daily Delegate Rate) – Usually comprises hire of one meeting room, lunch,refreshment breaks and water in the meeting room. Generally better value than paying for all the elements separately. Check whether there are two or three refreshment breaks included, if you want tea and coffee for delegates on arrival as well as mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

DMC (Destination Management Company) – Company with local knowledge and which uses local suppliers at the destination.

DMP (Day Meeting Package) an inclusive package for non residential meetings typically covering the hours of 9am- 5pm.

E

End on end – A travel arrangement that combines two itineraries into one ticket for example flying from New York to Hong Kong and Hong Kong to Sydney on a single ticket rather than two separate ones.

EP – In hotel terminology this stands for European Plan but has nothing to do with the geographical location. It’s a rate that covers only room cost and not meals; an American Plan, in contrast, includes three meals a day

F

Folio – The written record of a guests account including all charges and payments.

G

Guaranteed late arrival – A room reservation guaranteed by a credit card or advanced payment if a guests arrival is later than the hotels deadline.

Ground arrangements – Services covering the land portion of events such as accommodation, visits to museums, site seeing tours and transfers between an airport and hotel and venue.

H

Hold time – The hour at which hotel rooms that have been reserved but not guaranteed are released for general sale: usually 4pm or 6pm.

Host bar – Private room bar set up, with drinks paid for by a sponsor (as opposed to a cash bar).

I

Inclusive rates – Including all taxes and service charge.

In – out dates – The dates on which a hotel guest arrives and leaves.

Interactive response –  A system that enables an audience to respond to prepared questions by means of a multi-function keypad. Responses are fed to a computer that tabulates them and displays the results graphically on a projection screen.

J

Junior suite – A hotel room featuring a living /sitting area that may not be partitioned off from the rest of the room, in addition to the bedding area.

Joint fare – A fee charged to a traveller taking a trip that involves more than one airline. The joint fare covers the cost of the entire journey.

K

Keynote address – A session that opens or highlights the meeting or event.

KPI (Key Performance Indicator) – Measure a value, such as the number of people who attend an event, which shows how effectively a business is achieving key objectives.

L

Limited-service hotel – Defined as a hotel without a restaurant. Such accommodation might, however offer a beverage option or continental breakfast.

LRA (Last Room Availability) – A contract that allows customers to book any hotel room, even the last available, at their usual rate.

M

MI (Management Information) – Good travel management companies will regularly provide management reports on travel spend, traveller behaviour and other data.

MICE – It may sound like the last thing you want to hear about in connection with a business meeting, but this is a commonly used acronym for the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibition sector.

Microphones – There are a variety available:

  • Cordless/Wireless – portable, using its own power source.
  • Lapel – can be pinned to clothing, used if speakers walk around or need their hands free.
  • Lectern – attached to the lectern.
  • Roving – hand held, used for taking questions from the audience.
  • Standing – attached to an adjustable stand on the floor.
  • Table – on a short stand placed on the table-top, usually used by a panel of speakers.

N

Net rate – What everyone really wishes they were paying for when they travel, this is the price of a ticket before any third party commission or taxes are added.

Non-transferable – A ticket that is specifically for one passenger – the one named in the paperwork – and cannot be used by anyone else.

O

OBT (Online Booking Tool – The system that travel and meeting bookers use to make bookings where their companies preferred policy and suppliers are available.

Options

  • Option date (release date) – the date that the option expires and the venue can offer the space to another client.
  • First option – the space is being held for one client until the option date and they have first choice to confirm the booking.
  • Second option – the space will be offered to the second option client if the first option does not proceed.
  • Joint option – the space is held by two or more clients and the venue will proceed with the first one to confirm (contract) their booking.
  • All space hotel – when all function space at a venue has been reserved for one client

Overnight hold – Exclusive use of the meeting room for the duration of a multi-day event. You may be using the room during the day, but the venue may wish to book another event there in the evening. Check this, as it has implications for setting up and production. There may be a charge for overnight hold.

P

Preferred programme – A list of approved properties for an organisations employees to use where we will have negotiated rates, payment terms and extras (and often a level or guaranteed room availability), based on the companies and the travellers needs.

Pre-registration – The process of booking in for an event before the day itself, which can speed up check in time on the day,attract delegates with early bird discounts and provide organisers with useful advanced info.

Q

Queen room – In a hotel, this will have a queen sized bed, which is smaller than a full sized double. In the UK, a queen bed is about 120cm wide – generous for a solo traveller, cosy for a couple.

R

Rack rate – Published standard cost of a hotel bedroom.

RDR (Residential Delegate Rate) – Also known as 24-hour rate. As daily delegate rate, plus dinner, bed and breakfast.

RevPAR – Revenue per available room, the hotel industries way of calculating how much revenue is received relative to the number of rooms in a hotel over a given period.

RFI (Request For Information) – Process of gathering information to decide how to proceed. This can be the first step in a process and is often followed by a RFP.

RFP (Request For Proposal) – Invitation for suppliers to submit a formal business offer, which includes details of the products and services they can provide as well as a quotation.

Risk assessment – Carried out in advance of an event and lays out the potential risks, who can be effected, how serious they are and they can be mitigated.

ROI (Return On Investment) – Measurement of the success of an event, which can be by arrange of criteria such as financial, educational, motivational…

Room set-up – The instructions for how the conference and meeting rooms should be laid out, includes seating style, AV/PA requirements etc.

Room hire rate – Charge to hire a room and any equipment provided in it, with water for delegates. Usually used for syndicate rooms, as the main room is included in the delegate rate.

Rooming list – A breakdown of which rooms delegates have been assigned along with check in/check out details and and special requirements such as disabled access or dietary needs.

Run of house rooms – Available bedrooms which are allocated at a flat rate, regardless of the standard of the room and at the discretion of the hotel.

S

SLA (Service Level Agreement) – Agreed standards that all parties will work to.

Syndicate room (or breakout room) – Smaller room for group meetings away from the main event.

T

Theatre style – Potentially to most popular style for conferences, as the name would suggest Theatre style sees delegates sat in rows all facing the front. There can be a few variations, some venues can offer tiered seating which allows for better views and more seating. Room layouts really up there with event industry jargon, so check-out our full guide on room layout options, here, for more help.

Turnaround time – Time required to change a room layout or clean a room

TRevPAR – Similar to RevPAR but this takes into account all spending within the hotel including bars/restaurants, room service, WiFi charges etc.

U

Upgrades – Receiving something of a higher standard for the standard price. Hotels will often offer upgrades to key staff such as the directors, event planner or keynote speaker.

U shaped layout – U shape generally comes into play when larger numbers mean that boardroom style is too small. Delegates all have somewhere to write/type and one end of the set up is left empty so that everyone can see the AV set and speaker.

And don’t forget – our full guide on room layout options, here, for more help.

V

Venue finder – A person or company who find venues and negotiate rates on behalf of a client in return for commission paid by the venue. Similar to a travel agent.

VAT – Value Add Tax, currently at 20%, applicable to most items within an event. Room hire can sometimes exclude VAT is no catering is required.

Venue – A location where a meeting or event takes place.

W

Workshop – A breakout session from a larger event for training/educational purposes.

WiFi

  • Free Wifi – Wireless internet connection with no charge to access.
  • Paid Wifi – Wireless internet that costs guests for use.

Working Lunch – The most basic form of catering, usually taken within the meeting or event space and generally composed of sandwiches.

  • Working Buffet Lunch (WBL): A selection of finger foods taken in the meeting room to enable delegates to keep working.
  • Working Sandwich Lunch (WSL): A selection of sandwiches taken in the meeting room to enable delegates to keep working.

There you have it – meetings and event industry jargon explained!

And if you need expert support with your next event venue, start your search right here!

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Choose an instagrammable venue for your corporate event

We love an instagrammable venue! The word ‘Instagrammable’ has made its way into the Cambridge Dictionary. Its definition? ‘Attractive or interesting enough to be suitable for photographing and posting on the social media service Instagram’.

With the modern-day requirement to be aesthetically pleasing, venues must pull out all the stops to make themselves insta-worthy.

If you’re on the hunt for an instagrammable venue, here’s a list of some of our favourites.

Your next instagrammable venue:

Edwardian Manchester

The Edwardian Manchester oozes in modern luxury and style. Set in Manchester’s historic Free Trade Hall, it has elegant rooms and suites. It offers a luxurious spa, large swimming pool, and free high-speed Wi-Fi on unlimited devices.

Guests can experience shared dining in Manchester with contemporary Japanese and Mexican small plates at Peter Street Kitchen.

The hotel sits next to Manchester Central and Conference Quarter. And, close to buzzing Deansgate, each of Manchester’s rail stations is links here by a free shuttle bus. 

This 5-star hotel has 22 fully-equipped meeting rooms and one spectacular event room with a capacity for 550 people. It is ideal for board meetings, training courses, exhibitions, and private dining, with each room offering maximum flexibility. The Halle Suite is Manchester’s largest venue with natural daylight. 

All rooms offer air conditioning, the latest technology, and complimentary Wi-Fi.

The Queens Hotel

One of the most iconic buildings in Leeds city centre, The Queens Leeds has been welcoming guests since 1937. Its guests follow in the illustrious footsteps of Princess Grace of Monaco, Cary Grant, Nelson Mandela, and Laurel and Hardy.

The Queens Hotel’s 13 meeting and event rooms have all recently had investment and have been completely modernised. However, all still pay homage to the hotel’s 1930s art deco styling. The hotel is home to 232 bedrooms and suite – refurbished in 2021 – and the Grand Pacific restaurant and bar.

Whether you’re here for a drinks reception or business meeting, the team ensures a fabulous stay. The hotel has a private entrance from Leeds Station concourse, making it easily accessible. 

Oulton Hall Leeds

Oulton Hall is four miles south of Leeds city centre. It is home to 152 bedrooms and a luxury spa with ten treatment rooms for ultimate relaxation.

There are ample grounds for team building days, making Oulton Hall the perfect location for all event types. They offer a highly acclaimed 27-hole golf course, beautifully maintained and preened to perfection.

Check out the spa for relaxing after a hard day. Or dine and drink in the hotel’s AA Rosette award-winning restaurant and Champagne Bar.

Oulton Hall has nine flexible rooms, some small and intimate, others large and spectacular. The spaces include the grand Oulton Suite, which can accommodate up to 350 people. And chefs can cook a feast for a few hundred or provide coffee and snacks at just the right time. Private dining is available on request, and the bar is always open.

The Londoner

The Londoner is described as boutique in feel yet staggering in scale; individual, intimate, eclectic and curated. It is a perfect collection of spaces, tastes, and textures brought to life over 15 floors in London’s legendary square. The hotel is home to 350 exquisite bedrooms and suites, each with unique views of London. 

The Londoner has a wide collection of restaurants and bars. They include alfresco dining on the ground floor and a rooftop bar. It boasts a magnificent ballroom, private meeting and events spaces, an urban spa experience and two Odeon Luxe screening theatres.

Guests have exclusive access to The Residence, a 24-hour residents-only club. Professionals can enjoy the alluring change in the Y Bar. From a place to work during the day to a nightly scene for socialising, cocktails and light bites. Or they can follow a secret passage to The Whiskey Room.

There is plenty of space for meetings and events. The Londoner’s Ballroom accommodates up to 864 guests. The Green Room hosts bespoke events for up to 150 guests. The Gallery’s seven private meeting rooms complement The Londoner meeting and events offering. The spaces can be used for individual events, private dining and additional break-out areas.

What lies at the heart of its event delivery? A commitment to exceptional service, bespoke planning, the latest technology, and in-house AV portfolio.

Bloomsbury Hotel

The Bloomsbury is close to London’s West End – Theatreland, Covent Garden and Soho. It sits in the 18th-century neighbourhood by the same name. And the instagrammable venue’s restored Grade II-listed neo-Georgian architecture reflects its rich heritage.

The property was designed in the 1930s by Sir Edwin Lutyens, one of the greatest British architects of his time. Its signature features include a magnificent stone frontage, stunning double-height bar and Lutyens-designed ironwork. 

A recent transformation makes for an even more spectacular aesthetic. The entrance was relocated to the side of the hotel. Guests now enter a new Lutyens-influenced sitting room complete with heritage-inspired botanical wallpaper via a private lane. The Bloomsbury Hotel was the Number 3 hotel in London in the 2018 Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards.

Down Hall Hotel

Down Hall Hotel is one of England’s most established country house hotels dating back to 1322. This instagrammable venue is grand and ornate, yet light and airy. It is in a great location! It’s nine miles from Stansted Airport, 40 minutes from central London by train, and close to the M11 and M25.

It has grounds big enough for every imaginable team build activity. From laser clays and Segway challenges to 4×4 driving experiences, archery and more! With 14 private dining and meeting spaces, it can host everything from boardroom meetings to functions for up to 200.

Its four private rooms within the Mansion House all have high ceilings and natural light. And they combine with original characteristics – open fireplaces and Edwardian-style doorways – to give comfortable surroundings and a homely feel. What’s more, ten private rooms in the West Wing include a ballroom cater for 180, or 200 theatre style.

voco Grand Central Station

Right in the heart of Glasgow is the outstanding voco Grand Central Station. This is a venue beyond compare. It offers a stunning setting for intimate meals with business partners or extravagant parties for up to 400 guests.

Each space offers its character and style – choose what works best for you. The Grand Room is its showstopper space, blending rich architecture with 21st-century touches.

This instagrammable venue offers a warm, unstuffy and modern place to host your meeting. You can focus on the bigger picture and let the hotel take care of the details. Your guests will enjoy getting to know each other and learning in an unpretentious and inspirational setting. 

Does an instagrammable venue in our list stand out for your event or meeting? Follow the links in the feature to check out the full venue profile pages, and to book. Or contact us to find out more.

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Hotels to turn into temporary hospitals

The health secretary said empty hotels across the country would help ease the pressure on hospitals that are filling up with patients. Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday (15 March), when asked if more hospitals should be built, he responded: “We’ve seen that many hotels are empty, so we’ve got ready-built facilities looking after people.”

On the back of this suggestion, Best Western Great Britain has said it will consider turning hotels into temporary hospitals if the NHS needs additional bed space during the coronavirus outbreak.

Rob Paterson, chief executive of Best Western Great Britain, said: “We are in unprecedented territory so we would be willing to take unprecedented steps to support the national effort.

“If the NHS wants additional bedspace, and we can partner with other companies to provide the right medical equipment and supplies and we can do it safely, then we would be willing to start having those conversations immediately. Whatever we can do to help.”

Best Western has approximately 260 hotels in Great Britain, with almost 15,000 bedrooms.

Keeping check back with EDGE Venues Insights for the latest coronavirus updates, including news on whether other hotels will consider temporary hospitals with their properties.

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Carton House to rebrand under Accor’s Fairmont portfolio

The four-star Carton House in Co Kildare is to rebrand to become part of Accor’s Fairmont portfolio.

The hotel will now undergo a complete refurbishment before being unveiled as Fairmont Carton House later this year. 

Once the multi-million pound renovation is complete, Carton House, originally built in 1739, will be home to 170 bedrooms and suites, in addition to its two 18-hole championship golf courses.

The property is owned by the Belmullet Hospitality Group, controlled by Irish American businessman John Mullen, who said the rebrand will help ‘elevate’ the hotel’s reputation.

“Carton House is one of Ireland’s most significant landmarks, and we are excited to have Fairmont, one of the most prestigious hotel brands, to work with us to elevate the hotel to its rightful place in Irish hospitality,” Mullen said.

“The signing of Fairmont Carton House reflects our expertise in the luxury segment and reinforces our commitment to growing our luxury offering across the UK and Ireland, ” said Thomas Dubaere, chief operating officer of Accor Northern Europe.

Across its global portfolio Fairmont has more than 75 hotels.

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Cheltenham Racecourse tackles coronavirus

The Cheltenham Festival is one of sports most popular events of the year, attracting more than a quarter of a million people over the 4-day event.

Prior to the event, which starts today, there was mounting uncertainty due to the coronavirus, and the pressure to cancel following suspensions of large events in other countries. However, with the Public Health England advising that there is no requirement for the UK to ban large scale events it has gone ahead and is defying the coronavirus fears.

Instead of cancelling, which unfortunately other smaller events are doing – despite the governments’ advice to continue with holding events, Cheltenham Festival have instead issued pre-event communications to reassure attendees of the precautions and additional measures that will be in place. Cheltenham racecourse has increased the number of facilities available to racegoers such as washbasins and toilet facilities along with ensuring hand sanitiser will be readily available and paper towels. They have also increased the number of staff to ensure soap and drying facilities are constantly available.

According to The Racing Post, there will also be posters around the racecourse which will demonstrate the latest public health advice.

In the lead up to the event, advice was issued to those that have recently visited certain foreign destinations advising them to stay away from the event if they were displaying symptoms.

Ian Renton, regional director of Cheltenham Racecourse, said: “We’re working closely with the Department of Health to maximise hygiene facilities at the course. “We are looking to improve it where we can and hygiene is at the centre of what we are doing.”

As the coronavirus situation changes daily and many people are still unsure what is going to happen over the coming days and weeks, we should look at cases such as the Cheltenham Festival to gain confidence on how large scale events can still go ahead and be managed appropriately. The additional resources and procedures that are being put in place can be followed for smaller events and communication is key both before and during the events.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said that events such as Cheltenham should go ahead as planned despite cancellations and postponements being made public in other European countries. ‘We are guided by the facts and we are guided by the evidence. At the moment the advice is clear from the chief medical officer: there isn’t a need to cancel such events.’

These events are essential to millions of businesses worldwide providing platforms for people to network, engage and conduct business. The Cheltenham Festival is expected to attract around 70,000 people which will contribute to the economy and many businesses including in the supply chain are reliant on these types of events going ahead.

As a venue procurement platform, we are committed to encouraging these events to continue in times of disruption and will keep sharing positive case studies and information to our audiences.

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Coronavirus risks long term damage to the events industry

The rapid spread of coronavirus around the world is taking its toll on the events industry and the vast supply chain that supports it. The virus is presenting the industry with an unprecedented global challenge that could be longer lasting than the lifespan of the virus itself.

As the number of coronavirus cases climbs around the world, event organisers face the risk that the disruption will last for several months with people being overcautious to attend future events and the knock-on effect of events that have recently been cancelled.

At this point, it’s hard to know how fast it will spread or what the accurate fatality rate is so we can only learn as the situation develops. With the unknown, it therefore becomes very difficult to predict what the impact of the coronavirus outbreak will be but within the events industry. We are already experiencing consequences that will undoubtedly have a long term effect on certain businesses with the fear that a number will not be able to survive.

Public transport more likely to be a source of transmission than any events

The UK events industry is worth £43 billion and is suffering from many attendees or event organisers either postponing or cancelling outright, which goes against the advice that has been published. The Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Jonathan Van-Tam has stated that ‘There will be no ban on live events and other large-scale mass gatherings across the UK in the near future.’ He also adds that with the virus having a small radius of infection of two metres, pubs and public transport are more likely to be a source of transmission than any events.

Cancelling events will not only have a devastating impact on the supply chain but also on the local and wider economy. The current situation which is panic-driven rather than fact-driven is creating a negative impact on the industry and must be taking a toll on the mental wellbeing of all staff involved.

The events industry should set a positive example and not overreact

As an industry that is at the forefront of public and media attention, we should be setting a positive example in light of the coronavirus outbreak and not overreact. We have a duty of care to look after the large supply chain connected to the industry and until there is evidence or guidance stating events should be cancelled, we should continue with planned events.

Martin Fullard of Mash Media recently told the BBC cancelling events should be a last resort. He also commented that “The events industry is famously resilient and that through collaboration it has a duty to look after its supply chain, which in some cases could see businesses losing out.”

For more articles around the Coronavirus, including top tips for event organisers, check out our industry insights.

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International Womens Day celebrated by all-female board of directors

EDGE Venues and Trinity Event Solutions based in Stamford, Lincolnshire will be celebrating International Women’s Day on Sunday 8th March. They will continue their commitment to value diversity and inclusion and lead the way in the events industry when it comes to attracting and retaining female employees.

Trinity Event Solutions Ltd was formed in 2006 – a specialist venue procurement agency offering expert industry knowledge to deliver volume venue sourcing for creative conferences and meetings. The company delivers over 4,500 events each year into the global events and venue market. EDGE Venues was launched in December 2018 and is the brainchild of the Trinity Event Solutions’ team. It is an online digital portal which supports Corporates, Associations and Agency buyers to search and procure venues for their event programmes worldwide.

The Board of Directors overseeing both companies are an all-female operation and the senior management team has a majority of female employees. Both companies also enjoy a diverse group of employees spanning different ethnicities, ages and backgrounds.

The teams are working collaboratively to push the brand forward in a competitive and fast-paced industry. The company have an inclusive and encouraging management philosophy where all ideas are listened to and the underlying success of the brands originates from product strength, a relentless focus on customer relationships and above all a strong team collaboration.

CEO of Trinity Event Holdings, the parent company of EDGE Venues and Trinity Event Solutions, Jacqui Kavanagh looks at how perceptions of women within the workplace have changed and encourages others to chase their dreams.

“The events industry is one of the most exciting and innovative marketplaces in the world and we have the privilege of affecting every industry from the complex to the bizarre.

When I set up Trinity back in 2006, our female senior management team happened by coincidence! But I couldn’t be happier with my team. The sheer determination and ability to work as an effective team has progressed the company in such a determined and fast-paced way. I would encourage any women to educate themselves, follow their dreams and become part of a supportive workforce that will push you to develop professionally to your highest ability.”

Both EDGE Venues and Trinity Event Solutions will continue to develop the talents of their teams and push ahead to drive the businesses towards becoming the market leaders in venue procurement.

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EDGE Venues is opening the doors for its EDGE EXPO

Join us at our EDGE EXPO to see what we’re all about and why the EDGE Venues platform is the right platform to advertise your venue on globally. Let us show you how to maximise your business opportunity and what exciting developments are in store for 2020.

Spaces are still available on the 13th, 17th or 19th March for our FREE 2020 EDGE Expo Event held at our offices in Stamford. There will be an exclusive offer available on the day for those venues that wish to upgrade. We’ll be holding sales and marketing presentations and offering the chance to meet the team and ask any questions.

All attendees will be able to take away a free copy of the Business Intelligence Review which is worth £1,500. Want to know more?

Click here to go straight to our event booking page.

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The Meetings Show pledge to tackle food waste

With the help of WRAP’s Guardians of Grub resources, The Meetings Show will be encouraging its exhibitors and event buyers to help cut food waste and take sustainability seriously.

WRAP’s Guardians of Grub campaign aims to tackle the £3.2 billion worth of food wasted each year across the entire hospitality and foodservice sector and aligns with the Courtauld Commitment 2025 and the Mayor of London’s objectives that were outlined in his London Environment Strategy.

As well as tackling food waste, organisers working for parent company Northstar Meetings Group, will continue to challenge suppliers to further increase the use of recyclable and reusable products at the show while educating and encouraging exhibitors not to bring single-use plastic promotional materials and paper onsite.

Part of its 40 hours of free educational sessions will continue to help address the 1.1 million tonnes of food that the UK’s hospitality and foodservice sector throws away each year, 75% of which could have been eaten.

Jack Marczewski, Northstar Meetings Group’s Event Director, said: “Since our first show in 2013, we have been making great strides to further minimise our environmental impact. All of our floor covering is recycled with 50% being reintegrated by our supplier, for example. Yet, we can always do more, not only to help minimise the impact of the show, but also continue to play our part in educating and raising awareness of the tools and resources that are available by providing a stage for the industry to share best practice.”

The announcement has been welcomed by The Meetings Show host venue Olympia London.

Abbey Short, Catering Manager at Olympia London, said: “We are proud of the progress we have made so far with WRAP’s help, having already reduced annual food waste by 17%, since signing up to Guardians of Grub in September 2019. This has also helped increase our overall waste recycling rate to over 98%. Our commitment to eradicating food waste continues; we shall continue to engage with our clients, visitors and colleagues to understand behaviours and work collaboratively until we can say we are a ‘zero food waste’, in addition to a ‘zero to landfill’ venue.”

The capital’s international promotional agency, London & Partners, similarly welcomed the news as it has been working alongside the Mayor of London, WRAP and event tourism organisations, such as The Meetings Show to focus efforts on its key city targets.

Paul Black, Head of Business Events at London & Partners, said: “We are delighted that Olympia London and The Meetings Show are demonstrating strong commitment and action to reducing food waste working with WRAP at this year’s show and other events. The Mayor of London 2018 Environmental Plan has set out clear city targets to achieve in the coming years and the event industry has a fundamental role to play by convening the key people and companies necessary to take positive and immediate action”

Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Shirley Rodrigues said: “We’re delighted to see The Meetings Show joining the fight to reduce food waste. We estimate that food waste, including food packaging, makes up around 30 per cent of London’s municipal waste. The Mayor has set strong targets in his Environment strategy to cut food waste by 50 per cent by 2030.

“Through our London Business Climate Leaders programme we’ve worked with major businesses to help them become more sustainable and cut emissions. It’s great to see the capital’s events and hospitality sectors are joining us to tackle this challenge.”

Marcus Gover, CEO of WRAP, said: “We will not tackle the impact of global warming if we don’t fix the food system, and everyone needs to play their part. If everyone in the hospitality and foodservice industry put as much passion into reducing waste as they do into creating delicious food, it would make a massive difference to cutting the damage food waste is doing to our planet. Guardians of Grub provides the tools to help everyone to reduce food waste without compromising on quality, or customer experience, and save money. It’s a double win; for the environment and for business.”

Meanwhile, Northstar Meetings Group has agreed to a ‘Better Meetings, Better Future’ partnership with Positive Impact and will be looking to introduce similar pledges across its portfolio of events. The company produces more than 80 face-to-face events in 13 countries in retail travel, hospitality, corporate travel, travel technology, sports travel, and the meetings and incentive industry.

For more information about The Meetings Show, visit www.themeetingsshow.com. EDGE Venues will exhibiting – make sure you pop by our stand to say hello!

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What can we do to avoid cancelling our events?

There’s been a lot of talk around large events cancelling due to the Coronavirus. On 3 March, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government was not currently recommending the cancelling of large events such as the London Marathon or school closures, unless this was advised by Public Health England.

“There may be things that we have to do down the line that we may not want to, but we will need the powers to do that, hence proposing emergency legislation.”

The message we keep hearing is to carry on as normal and to remain vigilant. Wash our hands every two hours for a minimum of 20 seconds, and always cough and sneeze into a tissue – then bin it! It’s the same basic hygiene that we all know and use to avoid catching common colds and flu. Now, it’s just about reinforcing that common-sense message.

It’s also reassuring to hear from travel agency boss Miles Morgan. Appearing on a BBC News coronavirus special on Monday 2 March with Independent travel correspondent Simon Calder, Miles said that the ‘vast majority’ are carrying on with their travel plans. He commented: “I’m pleased to say the vast majority, over 99% of people, are just carrying on as normal with their holidays which is absolutely right. It’s a perspective. It’s a matter of looking at just how many people are affected, the areas that are affected, and in the scheme of the world, it’s still very small numbers of people and areas.”

So, as an industry, to help avoid cancelling, what are we doing to support our events going?

Duty of care

We’re all watchful with the latest developments on the news, but it’s important we communicate between ourselves. We want our events to run, and we must be mindful of duty of care to our delegates.

Hotels and venues – are you putting any additional measures in place for appropriate sanitary, health and hygiene to ensure delegates remain vigilant? Let us know if you have anything in place and we’ll share this for you.

WHO event planning guide

The World Health Organization has released an interim guidance on how to deal with Covid-19 outbreak.

Some of the most significant passages include setting up dedicated areas for isolation in the event a participant should develop symptoms during the event. These requests may impact the delicate balance of many events, usually planned months in advance and with set budgets.

These recommendations are in addition to local governments’ requests.

We’re all responsible for ourselves

With IMEX due to take place in May, the organisers currently have no plans to postpone or cancel its show, despite some major events cancelling across Europe in the past few days. They’ve shared that it is a collective responsibility to focus on the facts and to act with common sense and sound judgement, taking the advice of the relevant authorities and scientists. In the words of Gloria Guevara, President and CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), “containing the spread of unnecessary panic is as important as stopping the virus itself.”

Event organisers – get yourself insured!

As much as we don’t want to think in, cancellation might be your only option. We have to listen to what the experts are advising us and act accordingly.

Purchasing event cancellation insurance helps to protect you against financial loss due to a health crisis or disaster such as the current coronavirus. In a recent article on MPI by Maria Lenhart, she discusses the importance of event insurance, especially for those that run events as a revenue stream. Understand what coverage you are purchasing and ensure it covers not only cancellation of the event, but for reduced attendance. There will be a premium to pay for this level of insurance, but if the worst-case scenario was to happen, you might be thankful.

Click here more advice and guidance for event organisers.

Extension in cancellation fees

Marriott International and Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) have both extended their cancellation fee waivers for stays booked in South Korea and Italy, due to the rise in the coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in these countries. Marriott International’s cancellation fee waiver policy also covers Japan.

Melia Hotels draws up post-virus action plan

A post-coronavirus sales and marketing action plan has been prepared by Melia Hotels. The aim is to boost the recovery of hotels that may be affected both in China and elsewhere. The Spanish chain also has a “comprehensive” global contingency plan in place. This includes the preparation and response to public health and safety in all its hotels and offices worldwide, the “continuity of business and operations” as well as legal and financial aspects.

Let’s work together – let’s communicate

As a community, let’s not be afraid of the Coronavirus, but work together to ensure, where feasible, our events can run. If you can’t avoid cancelling an event or do have a big cancellation, let us know. We’ll communicate this across our platform and see if we can support you in filling the space and reduce cancellation fees.