Category: Blog

Posted on

EDGE Venues creates new role to support growing demand after just six months

EDGE Venues launched in December 2018 as the ‘go to’ global venue sourcing platform for agents, corporates and associations.

Since its launch, EDGE has seen considerable growth with higher than expected levels of venue licensees signing up, and agents/corporates registering to use the platform. The positive market reaction has led to the creation of a new role and the appointment of Tracy Winsworth to the new post of Commercial Director.

Tracy Winsworth

Tracy has worked at Trinity Event Solutions – the event specialists which built EDGE Venues – for over more than nine years. She joined as finance manager, before being promoted to director of finance and subsequently commercial director. Tracy will continue in her role at Trinity, while taking responsibility for EDGE Venues commercial strategy.

Tracy shares her excitement at this new opportunity: “EDGE Venues has been on an amazing journey in the last six months and I’m really excited for its future. We want EDGE to be the ‘go to’ platform for corporates and agents to source venues, and for venues which want to achieve growth in the corporate market. And we will take the platform to new heights by working closely with all of them on the technology, sourcing and commercial approaches.”

Jacqui Kavanagh, Managing Director for EDGE Venues explains the importance of this appointment: “Within six months we’ve raised the brand profile of EDGE – built by the industry for the industry – to the point where we need Tracy’s commercial expertise for further growth. The relationships she’s built with Trinity’s suppliers over the last decade have been key to the launch of EDGE, and I’m looking forward to working with her to strengthen this fantastic solution for the meetings and events industry.”

Following Tracy’s appointment, further re-structure within the team will ensure that growing demand is met as new licensees come on board and subscriber numbers increase. The newly formed team will be at The Meetings Show (26th/27th June) on the EDGE Venues stand – D500*.

Contact the EDGE Team to find out more:

+44 (0) 1780 484051

enquiries@edgevenues.com

*Make sure you stop by to say hello – the team would love to show you the exciting developments behind the platform, along with what’s in store for the next six months.

Posted on

Belfast wins bid to host Europe’s largest conference on archaeology

Belfast has been chosen to host Europe’s largest annual gathering of archaeologists, joining Barcelona, Istanbul and Lisbon in a strong international line-up of cities to bring up to 2,500 delegates together in one place, Visit Belfast has confirmed.

The European Association of Archaeology (EAA) will visit the city in August 2022 for this major week-long event, boosting the travel, hospitality and conference economy by £3.8m.

ICC Belfast will host the main four-day conference event, supported by other venues across the city including Queen’s University Belfast, before delegates enjoy three further full days of field trips exploring historical sites throughout the island.

Visit Belfast, Queen’s University Belfast and ICC Belfast, with funding support from Tourism Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council, secured the prestigious conference for the city.

Based in Prague, where it was founded in 1994, the EAA has 2,500 members from over 50 countries of all continents, making it the second largest archaeological association in the world. This year’s conference takes place in Bern, Switzerland, followed by Budapest in Hungary in 2020 and Kiel, Germany, in 2021.

Rachael McGuickin, director of business development at Visit Belfast, said: “We are delighted to work with partners Belfast City Council and Tourism Northern Ireland, Queen’s University and ICC Belfast to secure this major international conference for Belfast and Northern Ireland.

“The EAA Conference will bring an estimated £3.8m to the local economy, contributing to the important role conferences and events play in developing and sustaining Belfast and Northern Ireland’s tourism economy by providing mid-week and year-round business that benefits event venues, hotels, restaurants, transport providers and attractions.

“This was a real Team Belfast effort – the city’s bid was a combination of the world-class research undertaken at Queen’s University’s School of Natural and Built Environment, as well as investment in Belfast’s hotels, venues and tourism product which has increased the destination’s appeal internationally and allows us to compete at the highest level.”Through its Belfast and Northern Ireland Ambassador Programme, Visit Belfast worked with Professor Eileen Murphy, Head of Archaeology and Palaeoecology, which lies within the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Queen’s University, to bid for the conference.

Welcoming the announcement, professor Murphy said: “We are delighted to be welcoming archaeologists from across Europe to our wonderful city and we very much look forward to introducing them to our rich archaeological heritage. The conference organisation team has partners from archaeological and heritage organisations across the island and there is huge excitement in our sector that it is coming to Belfast.

“Archaeology and Palaeoecology at Queen’s University is regularly in the Top 100 in the QS World Rankings and the conference will give us an opportunity to showcase our leading research to colleagues from throughout Europe. This will be the greatest concentration of archaeologists the city will have ever experienced, and we are in no doubt they will have a fantastic time savouring the friendly, vibrant atmosphere of Belfast”.

Much of the conference will take place in ICC Belfast, which, following a £29.5m extension funded by Belfast City Council, Tourism NI and the European Regional Development Fund, has been a key catalyst in Belfast’s development and growing success as a conference destination.

EAA president, Felipe Criado-Boado, said he was looking forward to Belfast hosting its annual event. “EAA is a project that promotes inclusive, collective discourse, communication and professional networking in archaeology and continues to build a strong unified voice for archaeological heritage and research in our culturally and politically diverse Europe, and we are delighted to head to Belfast in 2022 for our annual conference.

“Belfast is a modern city that looks to the future with confidence, as we do in the EAA. By coming to Belfast, we wish to acknowledge the support of our large number of members from the UK and Ireland and endorse their support of the EAA over the past 25 years.”

In 2018-19, Visit Belfast worked with its partners to secure 112 new conference wins for Belfast bringing in over 38,000 delegates and 116,000 hotel bed nights, generating an economic return of around £52 million for the city in future years.

Belfast now ranks 115th in the world for international association conferences and meetings ahead of established international destinations such as the Hague, Abu Dhabi and Dusseldorf.

Posted on

Dublin: ‘remarkable accessibility’ secures SITE annual conference

SITE (Society for Incentive Travel Excellence) has chosen Dublin as the destination for its Global Conference in 2021.

Following the review of several international bids, SITE’s board of directors selected Ireland’s National Tourism Development Agency, Fáilte Ireland’s, “Meet in Ireland” bid for a multitude of reasons, including its portfolio of hotels and venues, convenient global access and its socio-cultural appeal.

Philip Eidsvold, SITE president, said: “While we received several strong submissions to host Global Conference in 2021, Meet in Ireland’s proposal was distinguished by a combination of powerful logistical considerations such as Dublin’s remarkable accessibility and a true sense of partnership with the entire destination working together as a single unit in support of the bid.”

Ciara Gallagher, manager at Fáilte Ireland added: “This was a true pan-destination submission and our entire local team is looking forward to co-creating with SITE a truly unique Global Conference with Dublin as your village.”

SITE has a 40-year history with Ireland, dating back to 1973 when it elected its first president, Anne Wold Graham, an employee at the Irish Tourist Board in New York. SITE’s relationship with Ireland has continued to grow and SITE Ireland is now the society’s biggest chapter outside of North America with more than 120 members.

Didier Scaillet, CEO of SITE said: “With established chapters in nearby Scotland and Great Britain, resurgent chapters in Germany, Benelux, Spain and Italy and other new European chapters coming online soon, we’re looking forward to a Global Conference in Dublin in February 2021, with a distinctive European flavour and feel.”

SITE now has a global network of 2,500 members from 90 countries, representing industries in the meetings and incentive supply chain, such as airlines, agencies and cruise companies.

Incentive travel accounts for seven per cent of all business event activities and according to the Events Industry Council’s Global Economic Impact study (2018), the incentive industry is worth around $75 billion globally.

The annual SITE Global Conference is a hallmark event for the society, one that aims to connect and educate incentive industry professionals.

SITE Global Conference 2020 will be held in Vancouver between 24-27 January.

EDGE Venues recently ran a Destination of the Week on Dublin, highlighting just some of its key selling points. Check out some of it’s hottest venues and why it is such a popular destination for events.

Posted on

ICC Wales launches recruitment drive for ambassador programme

With the imminent opening of ICC Wales (International Convention Centre) the Ambassador Wales programme is aiming to expand to attract national and international association conferences to Wales.

Most recently, the Ambassador Wales programme held a recruitment drive at Swansea University to inform academics about the programme and how they can get involved.

Andrew Rhodes, registrar and chief operating officer at Swansea University said: “We were very pleased to welcome the team from ICC Wales to Swansea University and it was great to learn more about the venue we have all seen take shape as we drive past along the motorway.

“This conference centre is a very important new facility for Wales and we were excited to hear about how we can best work together to benefit from this fantastic opportunity, and the part the university and its faculty members can play in attracting and hosting new events.”

Much like other ambassador programmes in the UK, the Ambassador Wales programme aims to bring together a leading network of professionals, often academics, who believe in championing wales as a conference, event and business event destination.

Recruitment drive speaker and Manchester ambassador, professor Jackie Oldham, director of strategic initiatives, Oxford Road Corridor, shared her experiences of being an ambassador, while at the event.

“I used to think the role of ambassador was only for famous people like Brian Cox but I realised I was travelling to lots of conferences and making lots of connections, and that I could make a difference by promoting Manchester to these audiences. Not just the city as a destination but the expertise Manchester has developed within my own field of healthcare.

“Being a destination ambassador is a win-win from my point of view because it’s fantastic to bring colleagues you have met all over the world to Manchester and show them all that we have to offer, and it’s also of huge benefit on a more local level to work and network with my fellow ambassadors and achieve more by working together.

“The best example for me was bringing the inaugural World Healthcare Congress Europe to Manchester this year. That was something I never believed we would be able to achieve.”

When it opens this year, ICC Wales will accommodate more than 5,000 delegates and include a 4,000 sqm pillar-free main hall, a 1,500-seated auditorium, 15 flexible meeting rooms, a double-height glass atrium with views of the surrounding Coldra Woods and a 2,500sqm outdoor plaza.

The ICC Wales team will be visiting more universities in the coming months to further promote the benefits of joining the Ambassador Wales programme.

Posted on

8 reasons why EDGE Venues wants to #MeetYouAtTheShow

EDGE Venues is planning to make a big impact at this year’s Meetings Show, on 26th and 27th June at Olympia London.

The Meetings Show marks six months since EDGEvenues.com, innovative meetings technology, launched. And the team behind it has loads to share with show visitors.

Whether you’re an agent, a corporate or a venue, here are eight reasons why you should meet us at the Show:

1. Our technology

During our years of experience in the meetings and events industry, we’ve listened. We’ve listened to bookers and venues on what they needed to improve the simplicity of venue-finding. And we spent the last 18 months developing a new meetings platform that allows fast searches, intelligent comparisons and easy bookings everyone involved in the booking process. Want to know more? Then we’ll #MeetYouAtTheShow and show you first-hand how easy EDGE is to use.

2. See venues on the big screen

We’re going big at The Meetings Show – so big we’ve got a 86 inch screen to show you how great venues look on EDGE. And if you’re from a venue, we’ll go through your page with easy steps to improve your profile to achieve a spot in our 100% Club – because improving your searchability helps bookers match your property with their needs!

3. Central hub of information

New features, articles, venue news, special offers, commission deals, fam trips – and much more – are uploaded to EDGE Venues on a daily basis. So, it’s easy to find out what your favourite venue is doing, or with what’s happening across the industry. You can access many of the updates and all of our members’ amazing special offers by following us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Not only that, these offers are shown by city and destination – so pick your location and see what offers we have available there.

4. Be part of our booker prize draw

The Meetings Show wouldn’t be doing its job if there wasn’t a prize draw thrown in for visitors. Our first prize draw is for bookers (don’t worry venues, we’ve a got a treat in store for you as well), and it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t draw on the influence of our MD, Jacqui’s, to offer something with a real Irish Experience.

Dublin Weekend Experience for 2 to include:

Return Flights to Dublin from the UK.  2 nights bed and breakfast with a fabulous dinner each evening for 2 – with golf and lots of other treats at the wonderful 5 Star Carton House Hotel – sponsored by Visit Ireland and Carton House Hotel.

Visit our stand to enter and meet with our Irish friends to hear all about what Dublin and Carton House have to offer your event. 

5. Understand how to compare and share venues in your searches

One our key features is venue comparison and share options. Let us take you through some simple searches to compare some of your favourite venues. Then save and share this comparison with your colleagues or clients with a personalisation and your own insights on the venues offered. Whether you’re in need of a specific meeting room layout, or a hotel with capacity for overnight accommodation, our search function lets you easily compare your options. What’s more, where a venue has a special offer or a ‘buy it now’, it will be visible in the search so that you can take immediate advantage.  

6. Capture our destination knowledge

EDGE Venues is more than just a UK hub of venues, we’re global! We have profiles of more than 125 destinations over 45 countries. We’ll tell you the average flight time, the currency, whether Visas are required and how you can get value for money whilst you’re out there.

So why don’t you come and test our knowledge and let us show you how easy it is to find a venue in your chosen destination?  

7. Venues opportunity to win a fantastic prize

We promised that venues would also have the chance to win one of our fabulous prizes… Fancy winning a 3-night stay in Glen Cottage including one dinner for two people at Michelin star pub restaurant – The Olive Branch wand why not drop into the office and meet the Trinity / EDGE team on route whilst enjoying the delights of the Historic town of Stamford.

8. Meet the team behind the magic

We’re a relatively small team here at EDGE Venues, but we’re a team who is passionate about making a difference to the meetings and events industry. We always want to put a face to a name, so stop by stand D500 and let us show just how passionate we are and how we can help you make a difference to your bookings.

Our final call out to Agents/Corporates – Find out why EDGE Venues should be your first point of call for all meeting and event bookings – come and see us on stand D500.

Our final call out to Venues – Find out why you can’t miss out on the opportunity to showcase your venue to its maximum potential which will increase number of enquiries into your property – come and see us on stand D500.

Register for The Meetings Show here.

Posted on

Hilton Hotels 100th birthday

The London Hilton on Park Lane celebrates 100 Years of Hilton, today which marks a century since founder, Conrad Hilton, opened the first hotel back in Cisco Texas.

Celebrating 100 years of firsts, today is a special milestone for the London Hilton on Park Lane, as it was the first Hilton hotel to open in the UK back in 1963. A specially curated retrospective has been exhibited in the hotel’s lobby taking visitors on a journey of Hilton, both as a global empire and the London Hilton on Park Lane as a London institution, the exhibition closes this Sunday 2 June.

Part of the exhibition looks at the hotels position in Mayfair, both physically right on the doorstep of Hyde Park, but also as a hub for the local community including the economic and cultural impact the UK’s first Hilton has had. The London Hilton on Park Lane is proud to have been the height of glamour when it opened, and continues to pioneer the hospitality and travel industry as we know it.

Celebrations today culminate in the hotel where guests and team members will gather along with Hilton’s President for EMEA, Mr. Simon Vincent OBE and Mr. Jon Scott, Area Vice President London, to cut a special birthday cake, created by Executive Chef Anthony Marshall, and to toast to the next 100 years of Hilton hospitality.

Posted on

The Eastside Rooms set to launch in Birmingham

A new conference and events venue – The Eastside Rooms – is set to launch in Birmingham in the spring of 2020.

The venue, which will include an onsite hotel, is being built  as part of the Eastside development of the city, which will include HS2 and will be form part of the ‘Knowledge Quarter’.

The Eastside Rooms will feature one of the city’s biggest pillar-free banqueting spaces, with room for 1,200 delegates and  more than 2,980sqm of event space.

“The Eastside Rooms is a really exciting new development for the industry and is arriving at just the right time, in a dynamic city with a heritage of fantastic venues and interesting meeting spaces,” commented regional general manager, Matt Huddart. “This part of Birmingham has an amazing heritage that will be woven into the design of the hotel, but it also has a great future, and will becoming the city’s knowledge and information district, with businesses and innovation centres being built around it.

“We’ve worked really closely with event organisers from the very outset of this project to make sure we’re creating the right spaces with the right infrastructure for a modern event. Over the next few months we’ll be inviting more #eventprofs into the space so we can continue to listen to what they are after and give them the space they need.”

The Eastside Rooms will open in spring 2020, however the space itself will be presented to meetings and events planners in the autumn this year.

Posted on

Radisson Hotel Group launches incentives offering for event industry

The hotel group’s five-year plan includes the ambition of becoming the market leaders in the meetings and events industry.

An important components is Radisson Rewards for Business, the group’s loyalty program for event planners. Members can earn points toward rewards for all bookings at all Radisson Hotel Group brands.

Eric De Neef, Radisson Hotel Group’s executive vice president and global chief commercial officer stated that the offering was in response to changing market trends and expectations.

“We are investing in our meeting venues at our 1,100+ hotels worldwide, in training of our teams, and in technology. A state-of-the-art IT infrastructure and distribution platform are core elements helping us to deliver our brand promise. Finally, all Radisson Meetings are carbon neutral – we are the only hotel group worldwide to automatically offset any carbon footprint at no cost to our customers.”

Excellent customer service is one of the factors that matters most to event planners when selecting a venue.

To this end, the hotel group to making a multi-million investment across its portfolio in new audio-visual technology and improved facilities. Implementation has already been completed in 55 properties across 11 countries in EMEA and will be progressively rolled out globally across the group’s portfolio by the end of the five-year operating plan in 2021.

Sustainability is also a key area, and Radisson Hotel Group has teamed up with FirstClimate, one of the largest carbon offsetting organisations in the world.

For each meeting, the carbon footprint is calculated and then offset through First Climate by supporting projects that combat climate change and have a positive sustainable development contribution in Peru, Kenya, and India or invest in wind energy in Turkey and the USA.

Radisson currently has 500 hotels in their portfolio, across 80 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Half of the portfolio is in emerging markets such as Africa, the Middle East and Russia, whilst the other half is in mature markets such as the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Scandinavia.

Posted on

IHG® unveils new brand prototypes

IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading global hotel companies, has unveiled its latest brand updates and innovations to its mainstream hotel owners. During its 2019 Americas Investors and Leadership Conference in Las Vegas, IHG shared the next phase of design prototypes for Holiday Inn®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®.

Heather Balsley, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing Mainstream Brands, IHG, commented: “We are continually evolving and investing in our brands, and at the center of our latest enhancements sits extensive customer research and close collaboration with our owners. This is crucial to delivering brand experiences that fit the ever-evolving needs of mainstream travelers and drive performance for our hotel owners. As these new prototypes start rolling out across the market, we know they will take guest satisfaction and brand strength to the next level.”

As an industry icon, Holiday Inn continues to innovate the guest experience through H4 Design. Launched in 2017, this flexible solution empowers guests to adapt the space to meet their individual needs and is a brand standard for all new hotel openings, conversions and hotels undergoing renovations.

The brand introduced the H4 prototype, an evolution of H4 Design, which provides owners with a more modern and efficient building that flexes to meet the needs of individual markets, including:

  • Flexible, open public spaces that allow guests to be productive while maintaining their connection to the wider social environment.
  • Multiple restaurant and bar concepts which can be tailored to the available space, allowing for flexibility while offering guests high quality dining in an inviting environment.
  • Adaptable meeting space which can be quickly and easily adjusted to the needs of both business and leisure groups.
  • Welcoming guest room design including thoughtful touches to ensure a great night’s sleep, abundant power and connectivity points, and the signature “Welcome Nook” that provides multi-functional storage so guests can unpack in a way that works for them.

Both of IHG’s extended stay brands, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites, also unveiled prototypes and interior design solutions for new build hotels and properties going through renovations. These have been designed to help create an inviting space for guests while maintaining a cost per key for hotel owners that is in line with the previous prototype.

The new design solution for Staybridge Suites, Generation 7.0, will roll out in October 2019 and includes:

  • A new exterior design with a front porch to create a more vibrant sense of arrival.
  • A reimagined public space designed to create a wide-open sense of arrival with shared workspaces, areas to socialize, more seating, a breakfast space that seamlessly transitions to a comfortable lounge area, and stronger connection to the outdoor space.
  • Updated suites with distinct zones for working, relaxing and sleeping, ample storage options, contemporary kitchens and furniture that is easy to move so that guests can easily make the space their own.

Candlewood Suites revealed a new brand logo alongside its new design program, Beacon 4.0. Starting this summer, the logo will appear on all new hotel openings, refurbished hotels and across marketing platforms. This is ahead of the full Beacon 4.0 roll out, which will commence in December 2019.

While updating the public spaces and hotel exterior, the brand is introducing significant changes to the guest suites to better meet the changing needs of extended stay travelers, including:

  • A distinctive building exterior that delivers storefront windows that let in more natural light and an updated Gazebo Grill with bar-like seating.
  • An open and modern lobby with spacious communal areas offering a variety of seating; and a refreshed Candlewood Cupboard – the 24-hour market – which is now integrated into the lobby itself.
  • Enhanced comfort in the guest suites featuring the brand’s signature recliner, larger TVs, twice as much storage, contemporary kitchens and easy-to-move end tables with integrated cupholders.
  • A signature “welcome perch” in the one-bedroom suites where guests can immediately begin the process of settling in by dropping their bags or taking off their shoes.
Posted on

Birmingham set for £32.1 million boost from Cricket World Cup

Birmingham is set to benefit from a £32.1 million economic boost by hosting five matches of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup (30 May-14 July).

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup takes place in England and Wales for the fifth time this summer, with the hosts joined by nine other nations, including Australia and Pakistan.

The figure comes from analysis by global accountancy firm EY. The report – conducted on behalf of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) – considered a number of factors.

These included ticket sales; match day spending on food, drink and merchandise; wider spending from international visitors in the hospitality, retail and transport sectors; and the tourism and business legacy from the tournament’s global exposure.

The global sporting spotlight will be at Birmingham’s Edgbaston Stadium on 30 June, as it hosts the eagerly-awaited clash between cricket’s current top two One Day International sides, England and India.

The fixture will also feature a day of celebration for UNICEF’s #OneDay4Children, helping children to learn, play and be healthy.

Nicola Hewitt, Commercial Director for the West Midlands Growth Company, which operates Visit Birmingham, said: “Sport plays a hugely significant role in drawing record numbers of domestic and international visitors to the West Midlands, boosting the region’s economy.

“It also brings us firmly to the attention of worldwide investors and our global target markets, helping new and existing businesses across our patch to grow. 

Neil Snowball, Chief Executive of Edgbaston Stadium, added: “With five games in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the opening Test of the Specsavers Ashes Series both coming to Edgbaston, 2019 will be the biggest summer of cricket that we have experienced in Birmingham. 

“Edgbaston undertook a substantial stadium redevelopment project in recent years to ensure that we continue to bring the biggest matches in the global game to Birmingham.