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The first Barcelo Hotel opens in Hungary

The 4-star Barcelo Budapest will open next month and is located right in the heart of the city. It’s in Pest, the east side of the Danube, in the Terezvaros district VI which is the historic centre of the city and surrounded by museums, art galleries and restaurants. Most of the major sights are within 15 minutes walk from the hotel. The transfer from the airport takes about half an hour.

The hotel will have 179 bedrooms and a stylish roof terrace which is perfect for drinks receptions. There are three meeting rooms with a maximum capacity for 110 people. The meeting rooms all have natural daylight and the outdoor terraces can also be used for events.

Much of Budapest is an UNESCO World Heritage and many of the historic buildings can be used for events, such as the Castle in Buda, overlooking the city or the Art Nouveau Gellert Spa baths. The main street is Andrassy Avenue, home to the State Opera House. The Museum of Fine Arts and the Hall of Art can both hold dinners and conferences, and these are located in Heroes’ Square, at the end of Andrassy Avenue, which is one of the most visited sights in Budapest.

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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.

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Creating better places to live, meet and thrive in

The Global Destination Sustainability Index’s Whitepaper highlights trends and strategies undertaken by 47 leading cities to become regenerative hubs for economic, social and environmental development.

At the European Cities Marking Conference, the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index) released their third Whitepaper that details the case studies, data analysis and the actions taken by 47 Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) and municipalities to become destinations of choice for meetings, events and business tourism.

The whitepaper defines six converging mega trends that present destinations and the Event Industry with opportunities to improve their performance and adapt to the risks presented by climate breakdown, ecocide, demographic shifts, social change and digitalisation.

It highlights four fundamental building blocks for DMOs to become sustainable destination stewards and changemakers and defines eight tactics on how destinations can integrate sustainability into their core strategy and become leaders in future-oriented collaboration.

According to MCI’s CEO Sébastien Tondeur, “Scientific predictions about the rate and effect of human impact on climate and our living planet are increasing in certainty and accuracy. As an industry we need to step up, scale up and speed up our sustainability efforts. Destinations are key to the transformation of our industry, and the GDS-Index is an important catalyst helping them transform.”

Petra Stusek, ECM President, comments that “Destination Management Organisations are evolving into destination stewards and changemakers. They are progressively taking a bigger role in accelerating their city’s sustainable development plan. Through this report the GDS-index is sharing best practice and pieces of wisdom with the ultimate goal of supporting other destinations to focus on sustainable growth.”

Senthil Gopinath, CEO of ICCA, comments: “ICCA is proud to provide strategic support to the GDS-Index and contribute to the ever-growing sustainability of the global meetings industry. Alongside our global community of member-suppliers and international associations, we continuously seek to ensure every aspect of our strategic planning, events and general activities strongly adheres to and promotes best practices in sustainability.”

Carina Bauer, CEO of IMEX Group, mentions that “the economic, social and environmental significance of the Events Industry is massive. We could influence safe and fair working conditions for 26 million jobs, direct $1.5 trillion USD towards more responsible supply chains, and inspire 1.5 billion participants to action. Our industry has a decisive role in the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and its 17 SDGs. The next couple of years represent a serous tipping point for us all – and for the generations to come.”

Guy Bigwood, Managing Director of the GDS-Index adds: “Driven by concerned students, citizens, local governments and corporations a new era of sustainability is rising, and will touch every corner of the events industry. We believe that a better and more restorative global future lies in urban innovation and collaborative action. The GDS-Index plays a key role to engage, inspire and enable destinations to become more sustainable places to visit, meet and thrive in.”

The whitepaper is available for download.

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London hotel occupancy drops by 0.6% in May

New hotel openings resulted in a slight decline in hotel occupancy rates in London during May, according to new figures from data company STR.

The supply of hotel rooms increased by 1.8% alongside a 1.2% increase in demand, resulting in a 0.6% fall in occupancy to 82%.

The Chelsea Flower Show from 21 to 25 May helped drive up average daily rate (ADR) by 1.6% to £147.76, with the first day of the show recording ADR of £182.33.

Revenue per available room increased by 1% to £121.17.

STR will release its full results of the performance of London hotels during May later this month.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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HotStats report UK hotel rates down 11 per cent in April

Hotels in the UK saw an 11 per cent year-on-year decrease in average room rate to £102.35 in April.

And there was also a 1.6 per cent year-on-year drop in room occupancy to 75.9 per cent during the month, according to the latest data tracking full-service hotels from HotStats.

Hotels in the UK suffered their largest margin of year-on-year profit decline since late 2016, as ancillary revenues fell and costs soared in April,.

The 10 per cent year-on-year decline in GOPPAR (gross operating profit per available room) to £43.22 was far greater than the 1 per cent decrease in RevPAR (revenue per available room), which came in at £87.39 for the month.

Revenue declines were felt across all departments, including declines in food and beverage (down 6.4 per cent) and conference and banqueting (down 14.2 per cent) revenue.

“Whether or not unfinished Brexit is to blame, the hope is that the profit deflation this month is an exaggerated blip due to the timing of Easter, rather than something more ominous,” said Michael Grove, director of intelligence and customer solutions, EMEA, at HotStats.

The leisure-led Stratford-upon-Avon hotel market was one location to benefit from the timing of Easter, as events in key visitor attractions across the town, including the RSC Theatre and Guildhall, helped fuel a 10.3 per cent increase in RevPAR to £64.30, as the recovery in the market in 2019 continues apace.

Occupancy was at 75.2 per cent, up from 70.1 per cent year on year, while the average room rate was up 2.6 per cent on 2018 at £84.42.

In contrast to the wider UK, it was a positive month of performance for hotels in Reading, with a 4.2-percent increase in RevPAR to £62.08, contributing to a 16.4 per cent increase in profit per room.

The increase in profit was supported by an eighth consecutive month of ARR growth to £89.69, and a sixth consecutive month of room occupancy growth to 69.2 per cent.

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Networking is key to success in events, The Meetings Show reports

A survey of meeting and event planners carried out by The Meetings Show has found that the majority of event planners think networking is vital in their jobs, with millennials valuing it the most highly.

Overall, 59% of participants in the survey regarded networking events as an important part of their job, but this figure rose to 85% among 18-30-year-olds, who cited making new contacts (80%) and raising their profile in the industry (71%) as the key reasons for attending.

While the younger generation clearly see the value in networking, the majority – 85% – were averse to attending on their own, preferring to go with a colleague or group of colleagues.

More experienced event planners were happier to go it alone, with over a third (36.4%) of 31-45-year-olds preferring to attend by themselves.

Motivations for attending differed among the older generations too, with generating new business leads and meeting with existing industry contacts and friends being cited as key drivers by more than 50% of respondents over 30.

The survey also looked at the logistics which make the ‘perfect’ networking event and found that midweek events were most popular, with 69% preferring events held on Wednesdays, while more than half (52.2%) said they would be willing to travel no more than an hour to attend an event.

When it comes to the format of events, paired or group activities was the most popular option, chosen by 53% of respondents, although for the 31-45 age group appointment-based networking was preferred, while for planners aged 46 and over, seat rotation at a dinner was chosen by 70%.

David Chapple, group event director of The Meetings Show, said: “Networking is one of the core pillars of The Meetings Show, and so we are always reviewing the way we facilitate networking to make sure it’s of the most benefit to our exhibitors and visitors. The findings of the survey have reinforced just how important it is, especially for younger event professionals looking to grow their networks and raise their profile within the industry.

“Walking into a room full of people you don’t know can be daunting, which is why this year we have introduced a new initiative specifically aimed at helping junior event planners. If they have a senior colleague who is attending the show as a hosted buyer, then on the second day of the show the junior colleague will be able to join them for all of their appointments, as well as having access to the hosted buyer lounge, for a less intimidating introduction to the industry.

“With networking at The Meetings Show being provided in a number of different formats, all either on the show floor or within easy reach of Olympia, we hope that all of our attendees will benefit from the opportunity to come together at the show.”

The Meetings Show

Throughout The Meetings Show, networking opportunities will take place in a variety of locations and formats, making it the ideal opportunity to meet new contacts as well as catch up with industry friends.

For hosted buyers, the networking will get off to a swinging start with the Hosted Buyer Welcome Reception on Tuesday 25 June. This year attendees will have the chance to tee off at one of London’s top alternative venues, Puttshack, where a friendly – or ever so slightly competitive – round of mini golf will help to break the ice.

When the doors open to the show on Wednesday 26, networking opportunities will be on offer throughout the show, including on-stand receptions hosted by exhibitors, a charity party hosted by MPI and dedicated networking for young event professionals.

Hosted buyers will also have exclusive chances to network in the Hosted Buyer Lounge at the show, and can apply to join post-show fam trips to the West Midlands, Aberdeen, Brighton, Bristol or Paris to discover all the destinations have to offer on a fully-hosted tour, departing when The Meetings Show closes on Thursday 27.

For more information about The Meetings Show’s hosted buyer programme, which offers one, two and three-day attendance options, visit https://www.themeetingsshow.com/visit/hosted-buyer-programme.

The Meetings Show takes place on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 June at Olympia London. To register, visit www.themeetingsshow.com/register.

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Barcelo will open a new hotel in Mexico in 2020

The Barcelo Maya Riviera and Arena is planned to open in Q1 2020 and will be a completely new construction within the existing Barcelo Maya Beach Resort. It will be a 5* hotel and has been built on existing beach space on the west hand side of the resort’s land.

The new construction has 850 luxury suites and 269,000ft of meeting space. The largest meeting room will accommodate over 7,000 people in theatre-style with flexible space, which makes it one of the largest meeting spaces in the America’s. In addition, there will be more meeting rooms, with flexible walls that can be divided in to a maximum of 28 smaller rooms.

The Maya Riviera will have three restaurants and its own beach and swimming pools.

This new property will be in addition to the Barcelo Maya Beach’s existing properties and convention centre, adding to the choice of hotels on the same site.