Tag: exhibition

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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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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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Inside the Dubai Exhibition Centre, host venue of Expo 2020

The team behind the in-construction Dubai Exhibition Centre has released a ‘fly-through’ video of the venue, ahead of its opening on 20 October 2020.

The venue will be home to Expo 2020, the six-month world expo taking place in Dubai next year.

DEC will comprise 45,000sqm of space spread across two campuses, a theatre, auditorium, several multi-purpose halls, four suites and 24 meeting rooms.

The DEC aims to create a legacy of business and tourism in the region, encouraging a sustainable and diversified economy in line with UAE Vision 2021 – a set of national priorities to mark the country’s Golden Jubilee.

Ahmed Al Khatib, Chief Delivery Officer, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “By any standard, the Dubai Exhibition Centre will be a cutting-edge venue that will play a pivotal role during Expo 2020.

“But the impact of such a unique space will stretch well beyond the six months of the Expo, boosting the region’s meetings and events industry, furthering the UAE’s reputation as a destination for major conferences, and fuelling growth in Dubai’s knowledge-based economy for many years to come.”

Shaun Vorster, Vice President, Strategy and Business Integration – Programming at Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “There will be no place on the planet offering more exceptional business networking opportunities than Expo 2020 Dubai, and the DEC will be right at its heart.

“Bookings are already going well and this latest 3D animated fly-through, which gives a taster of the high-tech facilities on offer, has already sparked keen interest among the 190 countries participating in Expo 2020.”

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Conference and Hospitality Show 2019 welcomes 1,350 attendees

The 2019 Conference & Hospitality Show welcomed 1,350 attendees to the First Direct Arena in Leeds on 30 April.

Attendance was up by 10% from last year, as were pre-registration numbers. The event had a 74% conversion rate from pre-reg to attending the show.

Emma Cartmell, CEO of CHS Group, said: “We’re delighted with the response we’ve had to the Conference & Hospitality Show (CHS19) this year. 

“We’re blessed with a really loyal following who come to CHS every year and the 10th anniversary status has also attracted a high percentage of new exhibitors and visitors this year who will get to experience Leeds hospitality for the first time.”

“The city has been very good to us and Leeds BID, who have described CHS as the conferencing ‘jewel in the crown’ has been a great support, particularly when we upscaled to First Direct Arena. 

“An economic impact survey estimated the show attracted £0.5m to the city in 2017, our estimates predict we are on target to substantially beat that figure this year.”

CHS group communications manager Julie Phillips said: “CHS is the premier meetings, incentive, conference and events (MICE) shows outside of London and its reputation, and indeed, numbers have grown YoY to become one of the best events, venue and hospitality showcases in the industry calendar for event professionals.”

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Exhibitions and Forums – what they can offer an organiser

one to one meeting
Katharine Jordan, Director of Marketing, Trinity Event Solutions

Over the years, I’ve been to many exhibitions, forums, workshops, networking events and educational trips and now I’m quite selective about the ones that I attend. It’s important to use my time well and I need to make sure that my clients will benefit from the places I visit and people that I meet.

Last year, I went to and M&I Forum in Sorrento, IMEX America and The Meetings Show in London. I attend a different event every year to get a wide view of the conference industry, make new connections, catch up with old contacts and keep in touch with what’s going on.

Industry Forums

There are several organisers of forums and I feel that these events give us three main benefits:

• One-to-one meetings with a selection of hotels and venues who really want to do business with you. There’s time to talk about my clients’ events and how they will match the venues.
• Introduction to a destination, to see how it can work for your clients. You’ll experience a hotel, offsite dining options and activities in the area, so by the end you’ll understand what that destination can offer, and the logistics involved.
• Networking opportunities, with venues, agents and corporate organisers. It’s a great way of learning what’s going on in the industry, sharing experiences and benefiting from other people’s knowledge.

You’ll might have some free time during the event and be able to visit another venue or just explore the area and get a personal perspective of the destination.

IBTM 2018

Exhibitions

IMEX in Frankfurt, IBTM in Barcelona, IMEX in Las Vegas, The Meetings Show in London and many more … there are plenty to choose from.

I hadn’t been to IMEX America for years and went specifically to talk to North American venues for a client who regularly holds events there. I attend to the European shows for European destinations and The Meetings Show for the UK venues, but usually only go to one every couple of years.

The exhibitions are great to meet everyone in one place, although there is very little time to explore the destination whilst you’re there. You’re committed to pre-booked appointments and it’s worth keeping some time free to walk the show, see what’s new, catch up with old contacts and attend educational sessions. IMEX is well organized and the appointment booking system is flexible, so that if you get a last-minute brief it’s possible to change your diary to suit.

What I hate

• Wasting time, but I think that applies to all of us. I don’t want to leave home in the early hours, to catch a plane which arrives at the destination at 10am for an event that starts in the evening. If that’s necessary because of the flight times, then I arrange site visits myself, during the day at competitors’ venues, which is probably not what the host venue wants.
• A packed diary of appointments at an exhibition. I’ve been allocated meetings at times before I arrive at the event and with exhibitors of no interest. How is that of benefit to either of us? A couple of breaks during the day are essential to eat and collect your thoughts before the next session.

Knowledge is key to us all and when I attend an industry event I always learn something unexpected. The forums and exhibitions are constantly evolving and for me, these are about keeping in touch with what’s going on, finding out about new venues and experiencing something different.