Category: Blog

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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.

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COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak causes uncertainty throughout the events industry

Working alongside venues, venue bookers and attendees there is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 Coronavirus situation globally. Hotels and venues are working above and beyond to ensure the safety of both staff and guests. They are providing up-to-date information to help both pre and post events.

Last Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a document to help those that are planning large events. Within this document contained key recommendations including preventative measures, risk assessments and crowd density. The document also provides critical guidance if any attendees display any symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 virus during an event.

The following guidance has been excerpted from the WHO document:

  • Promote hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette. Include this advice within multilingual informational materials.
  • Soap and water or alcohol hand-sanitizers and tissues should be easily accessible in all common areas.
  • Where possible, event organizers should consider distancing measures to reduce close contact among people during a large event including staggering arrivals and minimising congregations at sanitary stations and food and water distribution areas.

A UK-wide action plan to tackle Coronavirus was agreed by today’s COBRA meeting which was chaired by Boris Johnson. Elements of this action plan will start to appear as early as next week.

Here at EDGE Venues, we will continue to provide relevant updates and be in close contact with those affected within the industry. For event organisers planning an event, please see our advice to help you plan.

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Ricoh Arena set for a Hampton by Hilton

A new £15m Hampton by Hilton hotel could open at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena next year, subject to planning permission.

If the planning application is successful, work on the 150-bedroom hotel could start this summer. Completion is scheduled for the fourth quarter of next year. This will be in time for Coventry City of Culture and ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

Wasps Group’s Ricoh Arena complex already boasts a 32,600-capacity stadium alongside 20,000 square metres of event space. The proposed hotel is hoped to attract more conferences, exhibitions and other multi-day events.

The Ricoh Arena already stages more than 1,300 events a year and has a 121-room DoubleTree by Hilton hotel.

Stuart Cain, chief executive (venue) at Wasps Group, said:

“This is an exciting project which will greatly benefit not only Wasps Group but the city as a whole. The new hotel has the potential to create more than 30 new jobs in the hospitality sector. It will bring in around £3.5m per year to the local economy.

“It will also support Wasps Group’s ambitious commercial plans. We have some of the finest conference facilities in the Midlands. Unfortunately, a shortage of bedroom stock at Ricoh Arena means that we are not always able to reach our full potential by accommodating people on site.

“The new hotel will make us an even more attractive venue for organisers that are looking to stage large events over more than one day, and we estimate that it will boost revenue by as much as £1m per year.”

Councillor Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs and regeneration, added:

“This is great news. A hotel has always been part of the wider plan for the whole development, so I’m glad to see this progress. I’m sure it will enable the team to secure even more brilliant events at the Ricoh and of course it will create new jobs for local people.”

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Value of 2020 meetings sector to be uncovered by UKCAMS survey

UK conference and meeting venues are being urged to take part in the 2020 UK Conference and Meeting Survey (UKCAMS). This will help determine the value of 2020 meetings for the industry.

Though designed to be answered by venues, the survey will help event planners determine levels of investment made by venues in their product. It will give an indication of what percentage of event management is outsourced to a PCO or event management agencies and collect data on average rates achieved by venues and average durations of meetings and conferences.

Scheduled for publication in June, the UKCAMS 2020 report is hoping to achieve a minimum of 300 survey responses from UK venues.

Tony Rogers of Tony Rogers Conference & Event Services said: “We work on there being a universe of circa 3,500 primary conference and meeting venues across the UK. In 2019 we achieved 340 responses, approx. 10 per cent. We are also asking some new questions this year, alongside our traditional questions.”

“These cover factors that may impact levels of business, such as labour shortages, Brexit, competition, climate change, the economy, and also factors that are important to buyers in selecting venues, such as non-traditional seating and modular spaces, facilities for hybrid meetings, security and privacy.”

Value of 2020 meetings survey focus on venues’ conference and meeting business during 2019

Questions include:

  • how many events were hosted
  • rates achieved
  • event duration and size
  • client type
  • levels of residential and non-residential business
  • origins of the business
  • and capital investment undertaken.

The results aim to provide a definitive insight into the conference and meetings sector. They are widely used to inform investment, advocacy and marketing activities.

Last year’s research found that the conference and meetings sector was worth an estimated £18.3 billion to the UK economy. 1.48 million meetings taking place in 2018.

UKCAMS 2020 also includes a section on the targeting and securing of international events by UK venues. There will also be a question on factors likely to affect venues’ level of business over the next few years.

Venues that participate in the survey will receive a complimentary, personalised summer report. This will enable them to benchmark their performance in 2019 against other comparable venues.

The survey is accessible here.