Category: Blog

Posted on

Greetings from The Barcelona EDITION

Having just opened this summer The Barcelona EDITION is thrilled to be welcoming their first guests through their doors and having a lot of fun doing so!

At The Barcelona EDITION, they can host an array of events including product launches, board meetings, incentives & social parties. With 5 spaces welcoming from 10 to 130 guests. 

Here’s a sneak peak into some of the event space they have available…

PUNCH ROOM – The Barcelona EDITION

A fresh incarnation of The London EDITION’s award-winning Punch Room occupies the mezzanine floor. This space is adapted seamlessly to suit the Barcelona zeitgeist, with daily punch tasters and a creative menu using local spirits and ingredients.

During the day, Punch Room is a fantastic space for guests looking for a unique meeting experience. Welcoming up to 40 people sitting in lounge style (20 sitting in lounge style with screen) or 60 standing.

THE ROOF – The Barcelona EDITION

Located on the 10th floor, The Roof, offers an unparalleled panoramic view over the city and offers food and drinks throughout the day. The kitchen offers small plates of light, flavorful Latin-American dishes with an Asian influence. All designed to be shared and enjoyed amongst friends or colleagues.

For the cooler or rainy days, service continues as the glass sliding walls come to a close to offer guests one of the only year-round rooftops in Barcelona. The Roof can welcome up to 45 people for welcome receptions, cocktails or celebrations.

BAR VERAZ – The Barcelona EDITION

The restaurant offers all-day dining with a focus on Mediterranean fare, focusing on the freshest, seasonal ingredients to attract not only residents, but locals alike. Bar Veraz acts to unite the hotel’s reception with an informal all-day dining restaurant.

Overseen by executive chef and founder of the global movement ‘Cooking in Motion’, Sebastian Mazzola,  formerly of Adria’s Tickets, Pakta and Bodega 1900. Bar Veraz can welcome  parties of  up to 25 people  for receptions  or  20 guests  for lunch or dinner. Larger groups on request.

PENTHOUSES – The Barcelona EDITION

The penthouses are located on the 9th floor with expansive Santa Caterina market rooftop view and the Barcelona skyline. They feature private terraces furnished with dinning and lounge areas, spacious bedroom and a separate custom furnished living room. The fully equipped kitchenette even comes with a separate service entrance.

They welcome up to 8 people in boardroom, lunch or dinner or 25-30 people for drinks receptions and cocktails. With connecting options available, private events can encompass our entire 9th floor.

CABARET – The Barcelona EDITION

Cabaret is more than a restaurant, a supper club with a sultry lounge area, an impressive cocktail bar and a superior food experience based around a tasting menu concept. The long, velvet curtains at the far end of the dining room will be drawn back to reveal the stage, framed by a large archway and ready to expose the night’s entertainment. Anything from the hottest DJs and internationally renowned performers, playing out into the early hours of the morning.

Perfect for incentives, celebrations or product launches. Cabaret can welcome up to 80 people for lunch or dinner or 130 standing for parties and celebrations.

Find out more on EDITION Hotels here.

Posted on

Future proofing the UK Events Industry, together

Thoughts from the Business of Events Senior Leadership Forum on the UK Events Industry

The forum took place on Friday 26 October at the QEII Centre in Westminster and a wide variety of attendees from different sectors of the conference, meeting and events industry attended. The objective was to discuss challenges and opportunities, as well as their relationship with government to future proof the UK events industry.

James Heappey MP being interviewed on stage

The morning started with an interview with James Heappey MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Events Industry, who talked about using events to build communities. He brought up the idea of raising funds for the UK’s tourism industry with a bed tax on hotel stays. This was a controversial initiative amongst the attendees on the same table as me, because the UK’s air passenger duty is already higher than other European countries and an additional tax might be a disincentive to bringing an event to the UK.

Panel discussion at the Business of Events

A panel presentation followed with the Heads of Visit Scotland, Visit Wales, Tourism Northern Ireland, London & Partners, and Visit Britain. They outlined the challenges and achievements that their organisations have faced over the last 12 months. The value of events to the UK’s economy is thought to be £33bn and the country has experienced 8 years of increasing tourism visits, since the 2012 Olympics in London. It is 3rd in the world in attracting association events and one of the objectives is to make the UK the 1st country of choice for associations.

The Event Management Apprenticeship Programme

Sarah Wright, chair of the Events Industry Board Talent Taskforce explained the Event Management Apprenticeship Programme, which has set up 85 apprenticeships and will expand the programme further. She also announced the results of the EIB Talent Taskforce, which surveyed 265 people representing c34,000 employees:

  • 61% of respondents identified a skills shortage
  • 54% reported vacancies, 40% of which in mid-level roles
  • The skills gaps are in sales and business development; project management; creative (suppliers); technical (venues); management and leadership (agencies); client handling (venues and agencies)
  • 6% of employees are offered no training
  • 23% of the workforce is classified as freelance or temporary

Future fit working lunch

This session was an opportunity to discuss topics that government could help with to develop the events industry. Issuing of Chinese visas is slower in the UK than Europe and only gives the visitor access to the UK, but a European visa gives access to all Schengen countries. The speed of issuing a visa to a Chinese citizen is under review, but the UK only access means that the visitor will stay longer in the UK and therefore spend more here. However, a Schengen visa encourages the visitor to move around more easily and encourages a ‘whistle-stop visit’ to each country.

Training and development was seen as key, with discussion around an industry-wide qualification that could be achieved whilst working. 64% of entry level employees move to a new job within two years, which is not very different from other industries. They often stay within the industry, but it does cause a high staff turnover at lower levels.

The day was rounded off by Kerrin MacPhee explaining her key objectives for Visit Britain; and Future focus – what happens next from Simon Hughes, Vice Chair BVEP.

A couple of things to think about

All attendees lined up according to years worked in the events industry

During the day we were asked to line up around the room in order of the years that we had worked in the events industry. The amount of knowledge in the room came to a total of 3,788 years, nine months and five days. With this amount of experience, we must be able to ensure that the events industry has a bright future?

Attendance at events is a problem across the board. There were 140 registered attendees, but only around 100 were there on the day, so getting people who’ve committed to actually turn up happens to us all!

Photo credits Ben Lister Photography

Posted on

3 new hotels to watch out for in 2019

From discreet meetings in Paris and medical conferences in Amsterdam, to incentives in the South of France, the Far East, the Caribbean and beyond, Amplified Hotels represent hotels and brands who have the know-how to make your event a success and excited to announce 3 new hotels planned for 2019…

#1 Club Med Magna Marbella

From next summer, Club Med returns to Spain.  Event planners can look forward to a ballroom for almost 900 delegates with two outdoor terraces, a dedicated events hub, 7 meeting rooms and almost 500 bedrooms.  All set within 14 hectares of lush gardens at the heart of the Costa del Sol.

Fly to Malaga Airport Costa del Sol (AGP) – 40 minutes

Club Med Magna Marbella
Club Med Magna Marbella

#2 Leonardo Royal Amsterdam

Few hotels in Amsterdam can boast a ballroom that can seat almost 800 people, with 6 metre high ceilings, natural daylight and an adjoining outdoor terrace. In total, the new Leonardo Royal Amsterdam will offer 11 meeting rooms and 490 bedrooms. Opens April 2019.

Fly to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) – 20 minutes

Leonardo Royal Amsterdam
Leonardo Royal Amsterdam

#3 Club Med Les Arcs Panorama

Set within one of the world’s largest ski areas, Club Med Les Arcs Panorama will open for winter and summer incentives from December. Surrounded by forest in the Tarentaise valley, the 4T resort will also feature an exclusive luxury 5T space – le Belvédère. 

Fly to Geneva Airport  (GVA) – 150 minutes

Club Med Les Arcs Panorama
Club Med Les Arcs Panorama
Posted on

Easthampstead Park Conference Centre joins Classic British Hotels

Easthampstead Park is a Victorian mansion set in the Berkshire countryside. It is surrounded by 60 acres of woodland, parkland and formal gardens, yet is only minutes from Wokingham and Bracknell. There are easy transport links to the M4, M3 and M25. The centre is ideal for a variety of conferences, meetings, training workshops and team away days.

There are 19 meeting rooms suitable for anything from 2-180 delegates, along with 29 en-suite bedrooms. All meeting rooms include projector and screen as standard, with two meeting rooms include a huge 95″ LCD screen and Barco Clickshare wireless presentation technology. Meanwhile, our largest meeting room includes a 5m wide projection screen and Crestron touchscreen controls.

Future development plans are already in place with significant investment. These include an additional 67 bedrooms and a complete refurbishment of the existing bedrooms to give a total of 96 bedrooms. A new reception, lounge, café and afternoon tea area. A revamped restaurant, dedicated bar area and revised meeting space.

Posted on

Considering North America for your event?

Photo of Katharine Jordan
by Katharine Jordan, Marketing Director, Trinity Event Solutions

The Watkins Research Group produces a report every 2-years about destinations in North America. This year, as well as in 2016, Vancouver topped the poll of the most likely city that organisers would recommend to a business associate or colleague for an important meeting. I’ve just visited Vancouver and can endorse the findings. The city has a quick transfer from the airport to the centre, the hotel stock is excellent and accommodation is close to the convention centre, which is on the waterfront with beautiful views and it offers good value for money.

The survey was completed by almost 1,000 event organisers and the destinations with the best hotels for large meetings are as follows:

photo of Orlando, Florida
  1. Orlando
  2. San Diego
  3. Las Vegas
  4. Chicago
  5. Seattle
  6. Vancouver
  7. Indy
  8. San Antonio
  9. Houston
  10. Toronto

This is based on:

•  Proximity of hotels to the convention centre
•  Rational convention rates
•  Close coordination between the convention bureau and hotels
•  Making sure adequate room blocks are available
•  Attractively furnished meeting rooms

The top 10 easiest destinations to fly to:

Photo of Chicago
  1. Chicago
  2. New York
  3. Washington
  4. Atlanta
  5. Las Vegas
  6. Orlando
  7. Los Angeles
  8. Dallas
  9. San Francisco
  10. Boston

Top 10 cities that feel “safest”:

Photo of Vancouver
  1. Vancouver
  2. Salt Lake
  3. Montreal
  4. Toronto
  5. San Diego
  6. Nashville
  7. Minneapolis
  8. San Antonio
  9. Phoenix
  10. Austin

5 tips to consider when you’re planning an event in North America:

  • Think about transfer time to the destination, as well as the flight time, compare this with the length of stay and make sure everything is in proportion. No-one will thank you for a flight, followed by a lengthy transfer, which results in limited time at the destination. Also look at whether the transfer is by coach, train, boat or taxi and think about what the possible problems are – then try to pre-empt them.
  • Check the nationalities of the attendees and what passport they travel on. Make sure that any visas or visa waivers are organised well in advance – you don’t want people dropping out because they are unable to enter the country.
  • Speak to the Conference Bureau – a good conference bureau will help with contacts at Convention Centres and hotels, give you suggestions for off-site dinners, recommend DMCs and can assist with site visits.
  • Check the rates, as pricing is structured differently in North America. The meeting space is allocated depending on the quantity of bedrooms and is included in the bedroom rate, but syndicate rooms will be chargeable. Usually breakfast, dinner, lunches and breaks are priced separately and there will be a minimum food and beverage spend.
  • Rates are usually quoted excluding tax and the rates may be different on different items eg bedrooms, meeting rooms, food and beverage etc. The local tax and state tax vary, depending on the destination and they will also add a gratuity charge which is taxable. There can be a tourist tax per night or for the whole stay. A rate that initially looks great can be less attractive once the taxes are added.

For more information about venue finding and planning an event in North America, contact enquiries@edgevenues.com