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Italy sees International events on the rise with 8.1 per cent increase in 2018

Italy has seen a jump in the number of international events, which have a significant proportion of overseas participants, increase from 7.9 per cent in 2017 to 8.1 per cent in 2018.

Most conferences and events (59.5 per cent) are local in dimension – with participants (excluding speakers) mainly coming from the same region as the host venue.

Overall, conferences and events held in Italy increased by 5.8 per cent in 2018, with participant figures slightly down (-2.4 per cent).

The decrease in growth figures was due to a fall in conferences promoted by international associations.

As a result, the recommendation was that Italy needs to undertake more promotional activities to combat competition from other destinations.

“Internationalisation, planning and quality are the three elements Italy needs to compete and get out of the impasse we have observed in the associations markets,” said Alessandra Albarelli, president of Federcongressi&eventi.

“Internationalisation means strengthening Convention Bureau Italia’s role in promoting the country as a MICE destination, in partnership with national tourist board ENIT; planning consists of implementing, together with all the institutions, particularly the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies and Tourism, long-term, targeted strategic activities for the sector.”

The latest results are from the Italian Survey of Conferences and Events, the research project by Italy’s meeting industry association Federcongressi&eventi.

Professor Roberto Nelli, who headed up the survey made some recommendations: “A first attempt at mapping events and conferences hosted in Italy shows that, given the current situation in which most events are hosted in places that can be described as part of Italy’s ‘Great Beauty’, it is possible to identify meeting industry development strategies that leverage the strengths of certain regions: for example, those with vast potential in their cultural and natural heritage that has not been fully exploited.”

Hotels and conference centres were the best performers. Conference hotels play host to most events: 80.6 per cent of the total, +6.9 per cent versus 2017. Conference centres also performed well, accounting for 3.2 per cent of total events (+3.9 per cent) but also registering the highest average number of events per venue: 156.3.

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H10 Atlantic Sunset, a new 5* hotel in Tenerife

This 5* hotel opened in June 2019 in Playa Paraíso – southern Tenerife. It faces west and has sea views of the sunset all year round, hence the name. The transfer from Tenerife South airport is 26km and takes about 20 minutes.

The hotel is contemporary in style with a bright interior. It has 291 spacious bedrooms, four swimming pools, and a Despacio Spa Centre. The H10 Atlantic Sunset has 11 bars and restaurants and the hotel offers different pricing options from bed and breakfast to an all-inclusive package.

For events, there are two meeting rooms, each of which has capacity for 110 people. In addition, there is a multi-purpose space for meetings and outdoor areas for breaks and banqueting.

Tenerife is a good choice for events, with an average temperature of 22 degrees all year round. For time spent outside the conference, there are a variety of activities available for groups, using the water, volcanic mountains, local gastronomy, as well as numerous golf courses.

For companies interested in sustainability there are activities which can be organised with the Environmental Participation and Volunteer Office. Divers can help to regenerate a micro marine reserve while discovering the beauty of the seabed or it’s possible to help with the supervised release of turtles. On land, there are projects to help people with disabilities by taking part in adapted hill walking using a wheelchair designed uneven terrain, removing rubbish from nature spots and maintenance work on forest paths.

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Skytrax announces world best airline for 2019

For the fifth year in a row, Qatar Airlines has taken first place in Skytrax’s World Airline Awards. The survey was completed by more than 21 million people in 100 countries and covered 300 airlines.

The world’s best airline – Qatar Airways
Serving more than 140 destinations in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America, Qatar Airways is seen to offer excellent levels of service.

2nd – Singapore Airlines has one of the youngest aircraft fleets and flies to destinations in six continents, with constantly high standards of care and service.

3rd – ANA All Nippon Airways is the largest airline in Japan. It was founded in 1952, and flies to around 80 international routes and over 110 domestic routes. A

4th – Cathay Pacific Airways is based in Hong Kong and runs passenger and cargo services to over 200 destinations in Asia, North America, Australia, Europe and Africa, using a fleet of close to 200 aircraft.

5th – Emirates. This airline was founded in 1985 and started flying from Dubai with just two aircraft. The company now has a fleet of more than 230 aircraft, and currently flys to more than140 destinations in more than 80 countries around the world. The Emirates network is still expanding, with over 1,500 flights departing Dubai each week.

6th – EVA Air was established in 1989, and connects destinations in Asia and Mainland China to Europe, North America and Oceania, linking more than 60 major business and tourist destinations. EVA operates from their hub at Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan.

7th – Hainan Airlines was founded in January, 1993 in Hainan Province. it operates in China and Asia with links to Europe, North America and the Pacific area. At the end of June 2018, it had more than 400 aircraft in operation and 24 bases/branch companies.

8th – Qantas Airways, the national carrier of Australia and Australia’s largest domestic and international airline.

9 – Lufthansa, the largest airline in Germany, and one of the five founding members of Star Alliance. Lufthansa’s primary hub is Frankfurt Airport, with a secondary hub at Munich Airport.

10th – Thai Airways is the national airline of Thailand, formed in 1988, flying to to 84 destinations in 37 countries, using a fleet of over 90 aircraft.

There is more information about these awards from Skytrax here

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UK’s hospitality sector to take part in Climate Action Week

The London Convention Bureau is bringing together senior leaders from the UK’s hospitality sector to sign up to commitments in line with the Mayor’s London Environment Strategy for Climate Action Week.

These include achieving 75 per cent recycling by 2025, reducing food waste by 20 per cent by 2025 and a move towards a net zero London economy by 2050.

London Climate Action Week was launched by Sadiq Khan, part of the London Mayor’s drive to make the UK capital a leader in tackling the global climate emergency.

Tracy Halliwell, head of business tourism and events at the London Convention Bureau said: “London Climate Action Week offers a perfect opportunity for the city’s hospitality tourism sector to lead the way in putting forward solutions to make the global industry more sustainable.

“We’re delighted that some of the world’s biggest hospitality organisations have joined us in making a commitment to the Mayor’s sustainable goals and we hope that others will support this important challenge for our sector.

“With over a hundred events taking place across the city and delegates visiting from all over the world, climate action week also offers further proof that London is fantastic place to host a meeting or event.”

Jeremy Rees, CEO, ExCeL London: “At ExCeL London, we are committed to reducing our environmental impact, whilst supporting our customers to deliver more sustainable events. Earlier this year, we launched our ‘No Plastic’ campaign, to outline our commitment to reduce the amount of plastic in our venue.

“We are hugely supportive of London Climate Action Week and hope that it encourages everyone to think about the difference we can all make to protect the future of our planet.”

Around 150 events are taking place this this week to mark, highlighting climate change solutions and sustainability. This is in support of the first-ever Climate Action Week, which brings delegates to London including scientists, business leaders, school children and politicians.

Some events taking place during the week include:

  • The City of London will host a Green Finance Summit on 2 July with 900 businesses discussing ways to expand London’s thriving green finance sector.
  • A Green Schools Summit at the University College London on 2 July will bring together 200 London school children with academics, climate scientists and politicians to discuss the climate crisis
  • The Economist Climate Risk Summit: The Economist will convene the inaugural Climate Risk Summit on 2nd July 2019 will bring together policymakers, business leaders, scientists and investors to begin a conversation about how organisations around the world can understand and manage climate-related risks.
  • The Natural History Museum will host two events at their Attenborough Studios on 6th and 7th July which will see two documentary films showcasing the results of climate change from two different perspectives, followed by insights from Museum scientist, Ken Johnson.
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Office workers dread all-day meetings, according to new study

A new study commissioned by Drayton Manor Park has found that out of 1,000 surveyed office workers, half of them dread-all day meetings.

The survey also identified that 59 per cent of respondents would rather concentrate on their work than have to attend a training session. A further 44 per cent attributed this feeling of dread with knowing that the meeting format would be the same as the last one they attended.

Other factors included too much being crammed into an agenda and the meeting not starting on time.

As a result of this dread of meetings, half of the survey respondents admitted to zoning out, while 12 per cent confirmed they had fallen asleep during meetings and 10 per cent said they had secretly listened to music during meetings.

“Our survey results show that businesses need to seriously think about the way it delivers meetings and training sessions. In a time where businesses are scrutinising all budgets, delivering effective meetings which people look forward to can ensure that no time is wasted when lots of talent is taken out of the office and invited to an all-day session,” said Melissa Penn, Drayton Manor Park conference and events manager.

An unsurprising result from the survey is that 82 per cent of meeting attendees agreed that productivity slumped after lunch, with only 22 per cent saying they joined in energising team activities, designed to help delegates break out of the post-lunch slump.

“It is clear that enthusiasm and motivation for meetings is flat at the moment and a change in format is required.

“We hope that our report will encourage event organisers to shake up their current meeting schedule and consider new methods to help re-energise attendees for the whole session,” Penn added.

One positive that was taken from the study if that 71 per cent of respondents said that would more receptive to all-day meetings if they were held off-site.

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UKCAMS reveals Conference industry now worth £20bn

New research into the UK’s conference and meetings sector, the ‘UK Conference and Meeting Survey 2019’ (UKCAMS), reveals a robust and buoyant industry. There was an estimated £20bn of direct expenditure generated by conference and meeting delegates in venues and in wider destination spend in 2018, up from £18.1bn in 2017. At the same time, the overall number of conferences and meetings held in 2018 was the highest in recent years – an average of 428 conferences and meetings per venue compared with 373 in 2017 and 419 in 2016.

These positive UKCAMS 2019 results show the industry flourishing. The research findings also reveal that the overall number of conferences and meetings in 2018 was an estimated 1.48m compared with the 2017 figure of 1.29m (and 1.45m in 2016). While most events (66%) comprised 50 delegates or fewer, with just 6% of events having more than 200 delegates, the average event size was 72 delegates, the same as for 2017.

Levels of capital investment by venues remained strong with 73% of venues reporting that they had invested in their property in 2018, with 17% investing over £500,000.

The ‘UK Conference and Meeting Survey’, now in its 26th consecutive year, has a specific focus on the value and volume of the market and the performance of meeting venues. It also highlights key market trends identified by venues. The results provide a definitive insight into the conference and meetings sector and are widely used to inform investment, advocacy and marketing activities.

Other key findings from the research include:

  • In 2018, there were an estimated 95.3m delegates accounting for approximately 152.8m delegate days.
  • The average duration of conferences and meetings was 1.6 days (unchanged from previous years), although almost two-thirds of events lasted only one day or less
  • Conference and training centres (640 events) and hotels (453 events) hosted higher than average numbers of events
  • Just over a third (35%) of conferences and meetings in 2018 were organised by a professional conference organiser (PCO) or event management agency

While the majority of UK venues are focused on the domestic meetings market, some 10% of venues are proactive in seeking to attract international conferences, which account for 11% or more of their business. Venues tended to target international conferences through trade shows and familiarisation visits.

Kerrin MacPhie, VisitBritain’s head of business events, commented: “The ‘UK Conference and Meeting Survey 2019’ provides UK destinations and venues with valuable insights into the sector’s scale and latest trends, helping to inform their business planning and marketing activity.

“The UK is home to many world-renowned venues that consistently host leading international events. Their success not only needs to be recorded but also celebrated. VisitBritain recognises the importance of the ICCA ranking as a key tool in achieving this. The UKCAMS research results show us that more can be done by UK venues to record ICCA activity and we strongly encourage them to consistently log their international ICCA events. Doing so recognises and celebrates their world-class credentials, reinforcing the UK’s position as a leading business events destination.”

Copies of the full UKCAMS 2019 report are available priced £180 + VAT. Click here to download the form.

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Global meetings and events industry set to converge at The Meetings Show

Meeting and event professionals from around the world will be coming together this week for two days of inspiration, education and networking at The Meetings Show, which is preparing for its biggest show to date.

Taking place on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 June at Olympia London, The Meetings Show will bring together more than 4,500 industry professionals, including over 700 exhibitors and more than 900 hosted buyers already signed up.

Following the hugely successful launch of a new two-day format in 2018, this year the show has seen significant growth in mid to long-haul destinations exhibiting, its education programme has been revamped with exciting new formats for sessions, and for the first time the show is offering dedicated initiatives to support young and up-and-coming talent in the industry.

To help you plan your visit, here are some of the highlights of The Meetings Show 2019.

Pre-Show Conference

Focus on this year being a sell out. A sell-out success in 2018, the Pre-Show Conference returns on Tuesday 25 June to offer exclusive educational opportunities to attendees of the three-day Hosted Buyer programme. Held this year at the Olympia Conference Centre, the conference will be opened with a keynote from one of the UK’s leading economists, Gerard Lyons, then followed with dedicated streams for agency, corporate and association buyers.

Hosted Buyer Welcome Reception

Hosted buyers will be getting into the swing of networking at the Tuesday evening Hosted Buyer Welcome Reception, taking place at hi-tech mini-golf venue Puttshack. Attendees will be able to vie for their place on the leaderboard for the night, while catching up with industry friends old and new ahead of the main show opening on Wednesday 26.

Inspiring exhibitors

With more than 700 hotels, venues, destinations and suppliers to the industry in attendance, visitors will be able to find all the inspiration they need for planning their next event. Walking the show floor, you’ll notice an increased international presence – 18% greater year-on-year – thanks to a whole host of new exhibitors, as well as many familiar faces from last year returning with bigger and better displays. You can see the full list of exhibitors here.

Engaging education

This year The Meetings Show is shaking up its education programme with sessions including expertise from outside of the industry and insight shared in a variety of unusual formats, including a courtroom trial, a dramatic performance and a live teambuilding pitch exercise. The Technology Tour will offer speed meetings with innovative suppliers and campfire sessions will provide the chance to participate in small-group discussions to get to the bottom of any burning issues.

Tomorrow’s Talent

The Meetings Show is celebrating and championing the rising stars of the industry with its Tomorrow’s Talent initiative. Launched in December 2018, Tomorrow’s Talent has sought out the 10 brightest under 30s from event agencies, associations, venues and suppliers to the industry to offer a platform for furthering their careers. The 10 winners will be in attendance at the show, and meeting with fellow event professionals at the MPI Foundation Cocktails for Charity event at 5pm on Wednesday 26.

The Future of Meetings

Once again, The Meetings Show in partnership with the Meeting Design Institute has selected the five most promising start-ups in the meetings technology sector to be shortlisted for The Future of Meetings Award. All five nominees will be exhibiting on the MDI stand and the winner will be announced on Wednesday 26 at 16:30.

The Meetings Show takes place on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 June at Olympia London. For more information and to register as a visitor, visit www.themeetingsshow.com/register. Join in the conversation and find out who else is attending by using the hashtag #MeetYouAtTheShow.

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VisitScotland launches Legends Legacy Network

VisitScotland Business Events has launched Scotland’s “Legends Legacy Network” – an evolution of its award-winning Legends marketing campaign.

The initiative was announced at a dinner hosted by The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and Heritage Portfolio, attended by 15 organisations across Scotland.

The Legends Legacy Network will bring together Scotland’s innovation centres, industry representative organisations and research hubs. It will utilise Scotland’s business events to enhance the country’s inward investment, inclusive growth and global profiling ambitions.

The evening welcomed a variety of sectors including technology, data science, creative, food & drink, marine, publishing, sensors & imaging and life sciences. These groups are represented by internationally renowned institutions such as The Data Lab, The Scottish Association for Marine Science, The Roslin Institute, Creative Scotland and many more.

Focus was on the importance of legacy and collaboration, both nationally and internationally, and how the country can connect with international businesses through business events. It aimed to promote Scotland as “a place where new #ideasbecomelegend.”

Rory Archibald, Associations and Sectors at VisitScotland Business Events said: “Legacy is much more than a fun run or a one-off public event as part of a conference programme.

“It is key to work closely with Scottish expertise, so that event organisers and delegates can see Scotland as a destination with world-class knowledge, which can create lasting partnerships, secure mutually beneficially investment and help discover the next idea that will become legend, the next idea that can change the world.

The Legends Legacy Network will continue to push and develop on the outstanding work that has already been achieved through the Legends campaign and continue to show that Business Events are a critical tool for economic and social progress.

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Keeping fit while you’re travelling

We all know how difficult it is to keep fit and healthy when we are travelling and in the events’ industry we are always on the move. The small hotel gym isn’t very appealing and it’s easy to eat and drink more than you would at home. However, there are some exercises that are simple, effective and don’t require much equipment. Some hotel groups are now helping with improved facilities and fitness equipment in the bedroom. At the moment, this seems to be more in North America than Europe, but like most trends it should spread here in time. Here are a few of the hotel groups that make it easier for you to keep fit while you’re away from home.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts offers guests Adidas training gear through their Fairmont Fit progamme. Loyalty club members can have workout clothing, trainers and fitness equipment delivered to their guestrooms for use in the room, gym or outdoors, free of charge.

Yoga gear is easy to pack but the mats and other equipment is not. Kimpton Hotels have yoga mats in bedrooms and they provide extra towels, water, fruit, and on-demand fitness TV programming. Omni Hotels offer a complimentary Get Fit Kit that contains a yoga mat plus weights, a muscle therapy foam roller and push-up bars. Even Hotels, IHG’s wellness brand has four hotels and the group is growing. The bedrooms have a yoga mat and block, foam roller, core exercise ball, mounted fitness wall with resistance bands and an in-room training guide

Scandic Hotels, particularly in Scandinavia, often have bicycles to borrow free of charge and it’s a great way of getting to see the area too. Village Hotels, in the UK, usually have good leisure facilities with group exercise classes, gyms and swimming pools.

Hilton has launched a Five Feet to Fitness concept, where guest bedrooms have guided workout routines on a fitness kiosk, an indoor spin bike, suspension accessories, resistance bands, exercise balls, yoga mats and sports performance flooring. The plan is to introduce this programme to more than 560 of Hilton’s Doubletree hotels by 2020.

Many hotels now offer stationary bikes in-room and Westin has designed WestinWORKOUT rooms in over 50 hotels across the USA, where guests can work out on Peloton bikes.

Mirror, is a digital personal trainer that works though a screen on the wall and instructs on different fitness routines, from yoga and Pilates to boxing and cardio. This technology has been introduced at Mandarin Oriental Hotels’ suites in properties in America.

With a bit of motivation, we can all go back to basics and some squats, sit-ups, press-ups, planks and jacks can all be done in the comfort of a hotel room. A fitness band doesn’t take up any space of weight in your suitcase or there’s always the option of going for a run, walk, or swim. That’s if we have the time!

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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.