EDGE Venues

The Trinity EDGE Challenge is an annual CSR initiative in which Trinity EDGE Solutions’ team pledge our time and support to our chosen charities. It culminates in a team challenge, tied to industry product knowledge, of collecting items for our annual charity auction.

Now in our 10^th year, we’ve selected three local charities to our Stamford office and have already been making headway with collections and fundraising ideas. 

Who we’re working with

• Don’t Lose Hope – a charity that offers a professional counselling service for all members of the community from age 4 upwards.  This is a free service for families/individuals receiving certain state benefits and affordable to all others and now proud to be able to offer their online shop.
• Second Helpings – a project run in partnership with Stamford Methodist Church and the whole community. Their aim is to ‘feed bellies not bins’ and they are passionate about reducing food waste and working with the community to reduce environmental impact.
• Bumps and Beyond – founded in 2009 by Alice Scott in a small cupboard on the Stamford Hospital site. Ten years on and it is now a fully-fledged charity in its own right and has helped thousands of parents and care-givers!

Deena Squires, Business Development Director at Trinity EDGE Solutions is leading the CSR team and is excited about the initiatives planned. “It’s been a challenging time as we all recover from the impact of Covid, and now facing the rise of cost of living, it’s important to us that we support our local community. Our aim is to support with cash donations where we can, but to work alongside them and help raise the profile of what each of the three amazing charities do.

“We’ve already made a fantastic start with our recent Easter initiative. We get so many amazing treats from hotel suppliers when they visit the office, that we’ve been collecting these Easter delights and shared them at the recently opened Community Café at Second Helpings as an Easter surprise for the children.”

Trinity EDGE Challenge

As well as our own internal initiatives, we are excited to relaunch our successful Trinity EDGE Challenge. The Trinity EDGE Challenge sees members of the team visit venues to soak up product knowledge and collect donations that are auctioned off to raise money for the chosen charities.

Tracy Winsworth, Managing Director of Trinity EDGE Solutions is delighted to see the return of the Trinity EDGE Challenge. “In the years we have been running this initiative we have successfully raised more than £100,000. Last year we raised nearly £10,000, which went towards the Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Fund through the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).

“This year, we’re looking forward to bringing the Challenge back closer to home and being able to support our local community challenges. We’ve been running this initiative for more than 10 years and we always get fantastic support from the industry, and it’s a great way to ensure our teams continue to build their product knowledge.”

The auction will go live towards the end of the year, so there will no doubt be a special prize to treat someone special at Christmas time.  

This Monday’s Insights (17 April 2023) feature brings you the latest news including VisitEngland’s new visitor economy partnerships, Canadian event bookings, embracing CSR in team building, and more.

Headlines

VisitEngland has announced new Local Visitor Economy Partnerships.

VisitEngland has announced 12 destinations to gain Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) status, in addition to the three North East Destination Development Partnership (DDP) pilot LVEPs announced earlier this year.

Marketing Cheshire, Experience Oxfordshire, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Visit Hull and East Yorkshire, Visit West, Marketing Manchester, Visit Peak District, Derbyshire and Derby, Visit Hertfordshire, Visit Kent, Liverpool City Region, Cumbria Tourism, and Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country join the programme alongside the North East DDP pilot LVEPs NewcastleGateshead Initiative, Visit County Durham and Visit Northumberland.

Developed and administered by VisitEngland, the national portfolio of strategic and high-performing LVEPs support collaborative working locally and nationally on shared priorities and targets to grow the local visitor economy. The creation of LVEPs was part of the UK Government response to the recommendations of ‘The de Bois Review: an independent review of DMOs in England,’ to reshape destination management across England, reducing fragmentation and bringing coherence to its DMO landscape.

VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said: “VisitEngland is delighted to welcome onto the programme the new LVEPs, who will play a central role in transforming the visitor economy in England in an inclusive, accessible and sustainable way. Ensuring we have the right national and local infrastructure in place to grow our visitor economy will ensure England continues to be a compelling destination, for both domestic and international visitors, for years to come.”

“We look forward to working in collaboration with the LVEPs, providing ongoing support including a team of dedicated VisitEngland regional development leads. LVEPs will also have access to resources and guidance from VisitBritain/VisitEngland in areas including product distribution, business support, bidding for funding and marketing.”

VisitEngland will work closely with LVEPs during the set-up process and beyond, with ongoing support from a team of five new Regional Development Leads. As well as a nationally recognised official status, LVEPs will also be able to access expert advice, dedicated toolkits and training programmes, targeting their needs, from VisitBritain/VisitEngland in areas ranging from distribution, accessibility and sustainability to business support and marketing. An important strand of support will be highlighting available Government funding streams as well as developing and providing a ‘toolkit’ to help LVEPs with bids to those streams.

VisitEngland welcomed the first three LVEPs, NewcastleGateshead Initiative, Visit County Durham and Visit Northumberland, into the programme earlier this year. They form the pilot Destination Development Partnership (DDP) in the North East of England, led by NewcastleGateshead Initiative, first announced by the UK Government in November 2022. The pilot is a valuable opportunity to prove the DDP concept and the impact the model can have on growing the visitor economy, strengthening the case for future funding.

VisitEngland has worked in close consultation with DMOs to develop the LVEP programme, holding a series of roundtables across England in autumn 2022 with more than 100 participants.

CHS Leeds has expanded its Hosted Buyer Programme due to an increase in demand as the show continues to grow its visitors.

Conference News has shared that CHS Leeds show organisers are already predicting a 32% rise in hosted buyers, with a strategy focused on bringing new buyers to the event.

The show’s announcement supports the event’s strategy of putting specific resource around its Hosted Buyer Programme, while tapping into Leeds’s growing media and financial hubs and targeting event professionals within the many companies attracted to the city.

Read more on Conference News.

Future Canadian event bookings have stalled at 55% according to Skift Meetings.

Meetings and event bookings in Canada are 55 percent of pre-pandemic. And, according to Skift Meetings, the critical five-year booking window for larger gatherings is 47 percent causing major concern for cities and event venues nationwide.

While Canada only fully reopened its borders in October of 2022, after being closed for more than two years, that’s only a small part of the Canadian market’s story.

Read the full analysis here.

The Business of Events has extended the deadline of its sector-wide Consultation.

The aim of the Consultation, now closing on 30th April is to gather sentiment among those owning, running, managing, and working in the events industry, which will lay the foundation for a comprehensive Policy Agenda for the sector.

Responses to the Consultation will be categorised into sub-sectors and discussed as part of a Policy Unit which will lead to the publication of multiple reports, which will be reviewed by MPs sitting on the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Events, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Policy Unit’s Advisory Council.

Complete the Consultation here.

IMEX Frankfurt registrations seem to be mirroring the industry’s return.

With 3,000 buyers from over 60 countries registered so far, buyer demand for IMEX Frankfurt in May continues to track upwards. This is a solid indication of the industry’s appetite to come together at the show, taking place 23 – 25 May, to address challenges and build forwards.

The wide variety of suppliers lined up to exhibit span the world and include: Europe – Germany, France, Spain and Croatia; North & South America – Peru along with Boston and Georgia (both of which are increasing their presence); Asia – Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia.

Despite bumpy economic headwinds, demand for in-person events is strong and many parts of the global market have responded with investment in refurbishments, new properties, product innovations, new technologies and enhanced attendee experiences. IMEX Frankfurt will be the stage for several important news announcements including Cairns Convention Centre, which is set to re-open this spring following a major refurbishment and expansion. The Asia Convention Alliance will hold their inaugural event during IMEX, while Cvent are among several suppliers presenting new research.

Education programming centres on IMEX’s 2023 Talking Point – ‘Human Nature’ – which gives attendees the chance to learn and embrace skills such as public speaking, experiential design, emotional intelligence as a leadership skill, focused attention and more. IMEX Frankfurt 2023 also makes allowance for sessions of evergreen interest including contract negotiations, talent acquisition and management, incentive programming and food and beverage planning.

“While doing business and powering industry growth sit at the heart of our forthcoming show, IMEX Frankfurt is designed to deliver an enriching, broad experience that ripples further than the eye can see. We recognise that creating experiences, not events, is more important than ever and that people in our global industry also want to feel connected, revived and re-inspired. We’re happy to lead the way and play our part,” sums up Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group.

IMEX Frankfurt takes place 23 – 25 May 2023. To register click here.

Can embracing CSR impact change, improve engagement, and retain employees?

It certainly can according to North America team-building company’s Roy Charette. Writing in MPI’s latest feature, Roy discusses how organisations that make corporate social responsibility (CSR) a part of their mission reflect their accountability and commitment to contributing to the well-being of society through various environmental and social measures.

Most of us will recognise that doing good feels good. This is also an effective way to engage and retain employees. And as Roy says: ‘when meeting planners incorporate CSR into their events in a way that aligns with the organization’s goals, it leads to stronger outcomes.’

Roy’s interests obviously sit with increasing team-building. Yet his points about incorporating CSR into team building to make a big impact on employees and the community are compelling and valid.

Read his full feature here, which examines everything from organisations showing heart and investing in teams to making meetings and events part of something bigger.

This Monday’s Insights (03 April 2023) feature brings you the latest news including Manchester visitor tax, APPG for Events re-elects Theresa Villiers, sustainability in the US, and more.

Headlines

Manchester visitor tax has gone live on accommodation bookings.

Manchester has become the first UK city to charge an overnight accommodation fee. The £1 per night charge is part of the new Manchester Accommodation Business Improvement District (BID) initiative.

73 hotels and serviced apartments in Manchester’s BID zone have introduced the charge on accommodation bookings to enable BID to “deliver better visitor experiences and drive more staying visitors to the city”.

The tax isn’t new to Europe, with cities including Rome and Barcelona introducing similar charges for overnight stays.

Find out more about the thinking behind the Manchester visitor tax, here.

M&IT’s Paul Harvey spoke to Anna Valley’s team about brining back the fun to live events.

Check out the podcast below.

M&IT Agency Challenge 2023 has opened for registration.

Industry peeps are invited to celebrate the Agency Challenge’s 10th anniversary on 3-4 October 2023.

M&IT editor Paul Harvey said: “The Agency Challenge is designed to connect event industry venues, destinations, hotels and technology providers with some of the best planners in the industry. It’s an unrivalled opportunity to build long-lasting relationships in a business-meets-fun setting. There’s also plenty of opportunity for personal and professional development too. 

More info here, with the registration link for anyone who wants to take part this year.

APPG for Events has re-elected Rt Hon Theresa Villiers as its chair.

At its official Annual General Meeting, held on Tuesday 29th March 2022, the All Party Parliamentary Group for Events (APPG) re-elected the Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP, Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet, as its Chair.

Commenting on her re-election, Theresa Villiers said; “I am delighted to have been re-elected as Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Events following yesterday’s official AGM.

The events sector provides an enormous opportunity to deliver significant growth in our economy, help every community reach its productivity potential and contribute to the Government’s objective of creating opportunities for everyone in the UK.”

Scotland’s National events strategy is getting a refresh.

Scotland’s national events strategy, ‘Scotland the Perfect Stage (2015 – 2025)’, is being reviewed and updated. The refresh will extend its term to the end of 2035. The Scottish events sector, Scottish Government and VisitScotland are working together with trade unions and local authorities to do this.

Scotland the Perfect Stage was first published in 2008 in response to Scotland’s burgeoning potential to be a global leader in the events industry. It was last reviewed and updated to cover the period 2015 – 2025. Its vision is that Scotland’s reputation as the perfect stage for events is recognised nationally and internationally. It looks to use and develop Scotland’s assets to deliver a portfolio of events that provide world leading authentic experiences for Scotland’s residents and visitors.

Although Scotland has had many successes under the current strategy, the event sector has recently endured a period of unprecedented disruption. This presents a number of challenges and potential opportunities for the sector in Scotland, as set out in Annex A. Scottish Government has therefore committed to supporting another review and update of Scotland the Perfect Stage.

Discussions in December 2022 with industry, trade union, local authority and public sector representatives have informed this survey. Those discussions considered themes of business and economy, Fair Work and skilled workforce, environmental sustainability, and wellbeing.

Its new survey provides everyone with a role in Scotland’s world-class event industry the chance to shape the sector’s updated strategy. It takes about 30-40 minutes to complete. Its target audience ranges from people who attend or would like to attend events in Scotland to organisations and people working in and with the Scottish event industry, and more.

Read more about how to take part.

UK regional airline Loganair is expanding at London Heathrow after securing access to 30 additional pairs of slots each week.

According to The Business Travel Magazine, a new agreement will enable Loganair to develop regional connectivity from UK domestic destinations, offering both point-to-point access into London itself and a broad range of new worldwide connections.

Read more here…

Why Aren’t Sustainability and Net Zero as Important in the U.S. as in Europe?

Meetings and event industry sustainability efforts such as the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative are a top priority in Europe. But, according to meetingstoday.com, ‘the sense of urgency seems to be a great deal less in North America’

Why is this, and how can travel and meetings industry professionals join the fight against climate change via self-regulation? Meetings Today interviewed James Rees, executive director, conference and events, ExCel London and former president of the International Congress and Convention Association, about the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative and other major sustainability efforts underway in Europe and North America.

Listen here…

This Monday’s Insights (27 March 2023) feature brings you the latest news including All Party Parliamentary Group for Events general meeting, event industry recruitment trends, Artificial Intelligence, and more.

Headlines

All Party Parliamentary Group for Events announces annual general meeting & policy unit briefing

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Events (APPG) is to hold its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 28th March 2023, in line with Parliamentary rules and requirements.

The meeting will take place in Westminster, at Portcullis House, and will be an opportunity for the Parliamentary Group to review its current Plan of Work, elect a Chair and Vice Chairs for the next parliamentary session, and be briefed on current issues affecting the events sector.

Specifically, this meeting will hear from members of the newly formed Business of Events Advisory Council, on the work of the independent Think Tank’s Policy Unit and progress on its industry wide consultation on a new Policy Agenda for the sector.

 The APPG’s current Parliamentary Plan of Work is focussed on five key areas of policy:

• A Government led/supported confidence campaign
• The impact of major events on local communities
• A set of financial incentives to create new UK based events
• A co-ordinated approach to bring existing international events to the UK
• Government support to develop a more sustainable events strategy

This will be reviewed as part of the AGM and updated to reflect current priorities that have been identified as being able to unlock growth and have a positive impact on the events sector;

A full copy of the APPG’s Plan of Work for 2022 can be found on its official website https://appgevents.inparliament.uk and further information on the work of the Policy Unit can be found at https://the-business-of-events.com

Robert Kenwood has released his first in a quarterly series of event industry recruitment trends.

According to Conference News, Robert’s (of industry recruitment firm, You Search & Select) key word for Q1 2023 is ‘uncertainty’. 

Check out the full feature, here, including three key trends for the quarter (FO-LI-FO: The ‘Fear of Last In First Out’, The Rise of the Counter Offer, and Long Recruitment Processes).

With Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools evolving rapidly, now is the time for planners to grasp their potential, according to Skift Meetings.

In his recent Skift feature, Miguel Neves speaks to Liesl Leary-Perez, fractional chief marketing officer at Axis Integrated Mental Health. Liesl’s views are interesting given the rise in popularity and debates around the use of AI tools such as ChatGPT, and their use in event content.

Read the feature here.

UKEVENTS has confirmed members of its newly elected Executive Committee.

Nick Morgan, Commercial Opportunities lead and Chair of the Outdoor Events Working Group, has been re-elected, while Glenn Bowdin has been elected as Vice Chair and Treasurer.

Meanwhile, Priya Narain, Vice Chair, takes over as Chair of the Diversity, Skills and Talent Working Group from Caroline Jackson, who has stepped down from her role after serving a multi-year term on the UKEVENTS Executive Committee. Jackson has been a pivotal member of the umbrella association, leading on the work to update SIC and SOC codes and well as developing policies towards skills, diversity and inclusivity.

As a newly elected member, Bowdin is Principal Lecturer in Events Management at the UK Centre for Events Management (School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Leeds Beckett University), where he has established events management degrees and masters courses since 1996. He is co-author of the Event Management textbook, the fourth edition of which is to be published in 2023 and is currently pursuing a PhD to explore the potential use of quality costing as a management tool for the events industry.

He was Founding Chair of the Association for Events Management Education (AEME) where he continues to serve on the Executive Committee as Treasurer, and has represented AEME at UKEVENTS (formerly BVEP) since 2006.

On his appointment, Bowdin said: “I am very pleased to be appointed to UKEVENTS as one of the Vice Chairs and Treasurer. UKEVENTS is an organisation that has been increasingly active in supporting all sectors of the events industry over recent years. I will be championing events education and research and supporting the Executive Committee and partners in taking the industry forward.

“Education plays a major role in supporting the sustainable growth of the events industry, with further and higher education providing some of the talent required to address immediate and future workforce needs and research.”

Priya Narain is currently Purpose and Impact Manager at KERB, as well as Co-Founder of Event First Steps and Diverse Speaker Bureau, and has been part of the Diversity, Skills and Talent Working Group for two years.

Prior to her time at KERB, Narain was General Manager at the Event Marketing Association (EMA), where she spent most of her time engaging with corporate event managers.

On her new position, Narain said: “I am delighted to take on the role of Vice Chair and Chair of the Diversity, Skills and Talent Working Group as it allows me to contribute to the important work that the associations are doing to support the industry.

“The industry is nothing without its people, and it is important we set the right path for talent from all corners of society to flourish.”

On Jackson’s tenure, UKEVENTS Chair, Chris Skeith said: “Caroline has been a key member of the executive committee and has selflessly given up much of her time to pursue a fairer, better represented events industry.

“Caroline lives and breathes the events industry, and I speak on behalf of all partners when I thank her for all that she has done.”

On the election of Bowdin and Narain, Skeith added: “Glenn is no stranger to the UKEVENTS team, and his experience will be vital in the months ahead. His knowledge in the field is a result of tireless research and this makes him a strong addition to the Executive Committee.

“Priya has been a central figure working on the Diversity, Skills and Talent Working Group and her support for the work of UKEVENTS has been invaluable. The events industry must recognise the role diversity plays in success, and I have no doubt Priya will continue to highlight the best practice.”

• Chair – Chris Skeith, OBE
• Vice Chair – Glenn Bowdin, Treasurer
• Vice Chair – Nick Morgan, Commercial Opportunities lead (Chair of the Outdoor Events Working Group)
• Vice Chair – Priya Narain, Chair of the Diversity, Skills and Talent Working Group
• Vice Chair – Susan Tanner, Membership lead
• Advocacy & Government Relations Lead – Michael Hirst OBE (Chair of the Advocacy & Government Relations Working Group)
• Special Advisor Communication/PR – Robert Wright
• Immediate Past Chair – Simon Hughes

The new UKEVENTS Executive Committee is as follows:

Find out more about UKEVENTS.

This Monday’s Insights (20 March 2023) feature brings you the latest news including Facial analysis at events, mia’s survey findings, menopause in the events industry, and more.

Headlines

Facial analysis at events is the subject of an interesting new piece in Skift Meetings. 

Is there a reason to be concerned about this AI-powered analysis? Dylan Monorchio writes: ‘Would you feel comfortable with a sanctioned robot stalker at your event? While the situation is not as Orwellian as that, it’s important to consider the potential benefits and pitfalls of using facial analysis technology.’

Read the full overview at Skift Meetings.

The latest findings from the mia’s January 2023 survey are out.

Kerrin MacPhie, chief executive of the mia has shared the latest findings from its sector surveillance with Conference News. 

The result reveals the impact of industrial strikes, rising costs, recruitment challenges and more on our sector. 

The feature states that the survey provides ‘optimism that demand is returning’. Yet it also demonstrates’ the significant damage and disruption caused by ongoing externalities’.

Read the full feature with key finding here.

M&IT’s, Holly Patrick, has written an insightful article about menopause in the events industry, following a recent Round Table event.

The event, organised by Northstar Meetings Group and chaired by Holly, hosted 15 female event professionals. The discussion focused on topic of menopause in the workplace. 

Holly’s follow-up feature mentions a report by the Fawcett Society. The report found 10 per cent of the 4000 45-55-year-old women surveyed left their job because of menopause symptoms. These numbers come at a time when our industry needs more experienced professionals. So, how can we support women to stop them from leaving the talent pool?

Read Holly’s feature in full.

The Meetings Show’s 2023 hosted buyer programme is open for registrations.

The show encourages senior meeting and event planners to register for its hosted buyer programme. The programme aims to optimise their time at the event at ExCeL London on 28 and 29 June 2023.

Hosted buyers attending can access a dedicated appointments diary to book pre-scheduled exhibitor meetings. They are also supported with travel, accommodation and a host of other benefits.

Those opting to engage in the three-day programme will also be invited to attend a bespoke educational experience. It provides targeted content for event planners, before welcoming them with an exclusive evening reception at an exciting London location. Hosted buyers can discover a venue in the heart of the city, featuring stunning views of London’s iconic skyline. The venue will be announced soon.

Jack Marczewski, portfolio event director of The Meetings Show, TEAMS Europe and Business Travel Show Europe, commented on the programme. He said: “We welcome applications from domestic and European event planners keen to hold valuable meetings with the show’s diverse list of exhibitors. We don’t make appointment matches, so it’s entirely down to the buyer who they want to meet with, and with the three attendance options it provides more flexibility for those tight on time.”

Olympia London’s CEO, Julie Driscoll has joined the AEV’s board.

The Association of Event Venues (AEV) director, Rachel Parker, spoke to Event Industry News. She said: “The combined skills and experience of our board members is instrumental in setting strategic direction for our association. Julie is acknowledged as a leader in change management, spurring growth and driving expansion. Her appointment will make the AEV Board an even stronger force for good in the venue sector and the wider event industry community.”

Read more below.