EDGE venues is really excited to announce our forthcoming Live Broadcast on Wednesday, 3rd March 2021 at 11am. This is definitely one not to be missed!
During the past 12 months EDGE has been working really hard to prepare for our industry’s comeback. We have used our time wisely to look at the various aspects of the business and technology, so that that we are not only fitter for the future, but will deliver what you need from a venue finding platform.
We will be showcasing our new designs and functionality across the site and really help you prepare for our industry’s revival, so that you will be Fitter for the Future.
What does the agency sector say? Interview with Dale Parmenter, CEO, DRP and Jacqui Kavanagh
What are our customers saying about events returning – views from our clients
We really hope you will join us, on what will be an exciting insight to our industry, the future and how EDGE can really help you maximise all your opportunities.
Coronavirus COVID-19 has highlighted the benefit of face-to face meetings and the rules about staying at home had a huge and immediate impact on the events industry. Not knowing what the future holds, how and when the events industry will recover is the big question for all of us.
The first thing that we need is for businesses to recover, as soon as they have confidence then the conferences and meetings will return. However, there will be a long-term economic impact from the measures that the government has taken. The attendees will need to feel comfortable to meeting in groups and to feel save travelling. So, until there is a vaccine and reduction in social distancing, they may not be willing to attend events.
Opinion
Jacqui Kavanagh, CEO of EDGEvenues, thinks that smaller meetings in the UK will be organised first, but then it will take at least nine months for the larger International events to recover.
The venues will also need to play their part to get the industry going again and make their Terms and Conditions very clear, particularly if there are more waves of Coronavirus COVID-19. Jacqui said, “Venues need to make their policies transparent and part of the selection process. There needs to be clearer communication of when the cancellation charges kick in and the payment schedules. Venues need to look at their Terms and Conditions now, because they will need to me more flexible to win business. The quicker they do this, the more likely they are to gain the booking from the client.”
what do the surveys say?
There have been several surveys recently which have asked event organisers when they are rescheduling postponed events and when they are planning to organise new conferences and meetings. We’ve looked at three polls which have come out in the last week and give an prediction of the trends.
I-meet do a weekly survey of more than 900 event planners, which are made up of 33% corporates, 20% associations, 31% 3rd party organisers and 16% others. The results of this on 20 April, were 50% anticipate returning this summer and 76% before the end of this year. This was a slight increase in the number of events being planned for Q4 of 2020 and in 2021 compared with the same survey the week before.
Before the end of May
3.83%
June or July
18.84%
August or September
30.78%
October to December
26.19%
Not before 2021
10.57%
Uncertain at this point
9.80%
On 15th April MeetingsNet did a poll of organisers who had dialled in to a webinar. The quantity of responses isn’t known, but similarly 50% are planning to return to events this summer and 87% by the end of this year.
Before the end of May
2.00%
June or July
12.00%
August or September
39.00%
October to December
36.00%
Not before 2021
12.00%
MPI’s held Global Meeting Industry Day online on 14th April and they asked more than 6,200 attendees when they were planning to resume events. This is by far the largest survey and was from MPI members throughout the world. It found that 72% are planning to return to events this summer and 90% by the end of this year.
September
27%
August
16%
June
15%
July
14%
October
11%
Not before 2021
6%
November
5%
May
3%
December
2%
We all hope for a swift recovery to events and hopefully we will come out of it soon, but the feeling is that the world will be a different place and we will have to adapt accordingly. As we said at the beginning, not knowing what the future holds, how and when this situation is going to end is the big question for all of us and one we can’t answer at the moment.
EDGE Venues, specialists in global venue sourcing for
meetings and events, have appointed Tracy Winsworth into the newly created role
of Managing Director.
The appointment comes as Jacqui Kavanagh, CEO
of Trinity EDGE Holdings, continues to make further investment into both EDGE
Venues and Trinity Event Solutions as the businesses trade under their separate
entities.
Jacqui launched EDGE Venues in December 2018 with Tracy supporting as Commercial Director. In the 12 months, the business has been operating, Jacqui has been mentoring Tracy to take the reins to become Managing Director.
Tracy has been in
the meetings and events industry for more than ten years, having started with
Trinity Event Solutions as Finance Manager. Tracy shares her excitement at this
new opportunity: “Both EDGE Venues and I have been on a fantastic 12-month
journey. Having developed as a person over the 10 years, both
within the business and industry, I’m excited to see how we can continue
driving results and success for EDGE.
“We want EDGE to be the ‘go-to’ platform
for corporates and agents to source venues, and for venues that wish to achieve
growth in the corporate market. I look forward to taking the platform forward
and seeing what the future holds for us.”
Jacqui, CEO for Trinity EDGE Holdings, explains
the importance of this appointment: “It’s important that Trinity Event
Solutions and EDGE Venues are considered separate entities. I need to oversee
both businesses while having the best management team in place to run each
company. Tracy has been with me from the original EDGE concept and having
worked closely with her on the commercial side, I know she’s ready for this
role.
“This is such an exciting time for us all
as there’s so much happening in our industry. It needs to adapt, and EDGE,
through its innovative technology, is a disruptor which is driving some of that
change.”
EDGE Venues, supported more than 4,000 events
in its first year through its comprehensive booking platform. EDGE not only
offers a venue-finding solution for all event planners and agencies, but it’s
also seen as an engagement platform, providing expert industry trends,
knowledge, and insight.
Procurement is often seen as a dirty word focusing only on price and terms rather than fit for purpose and value for money.
Jacqui Kavanagh shares her thoughts on procurement and suggests the following approach…
Commercials
Be clear and transparent on your commercial proposition. There is a fear that someone will come in and it will immediately cost the company money whilst they lose control. Try offering a pilot with some key deliverables.
People
One of the biggest problems to companies who would like to add a control and process system to their procurement of products is that the people who have been in control of the procurement process have often been doing this outside their job role and they like doing it. I.e. booking venues, buying travel etc.
Sadly, this means that sometimes it is very hard to actually know who is responsible for what as it is such a fragmented approach. The key features and benefits need to demonstrate that whilst the procurement process is being controlled, the selection process can still remain in the domain of these people. Therefore, you are not taking away what could be perceived as a nice or good part of their job.
Selection process by experts
Experts will be invested in that market and will know what the market prices are; whether they are going up or down, what are the trends, what’s hot and what is not! The ultimate decision maker then benefits from that expert advice.
Noise
Searching for goods and services online delivers lots of noise which can be very stressful for already time poor executives that are supporting the sourcing process over and above the day job
Manage risk
It may be very easy to be swayed by slick sales and glossy websites, but without a proper assessment process on suppliers there may be a risk to the business to buying from the wrong company that does not align with your Corporate Governance – e.g. CSR, Human Rights or even current legislation. Also, when people leave then the knowledge and relationship, and sometimes deals, leave with them, reducing control by the company.
Save time
Sourcing products often without knowing a full specification of what is needed due to lack of training is very time consuming and it is hard to quantify the time being spent on this process. Having a procurement process on supplier selection will save time and increase choice as the initial and time-consuming process of selection of suitable suppliers can we done by experts the choice. Matching the strive to the specific requirement then becomes a quality led process to find the fit for purpose.
Transparent process
With the movement of people it’s important to have a strong process that that can be audited and ensure that it keeps delivering value for the company. This then allows the process to be measured which can then be managed.
Visibility of cost savings
Monthly reporting on cost saving that can be drilled down by product or region allows visibility of the where the costing saving are being made these can then allow the market share to be managed.
Audit-able process
The company needs to protect itself and ensure that all purchases can withstand the scrutiny of how the purchasing process is run. This is especially relevant and valuable in compliance led markets
Reduction of numbers of suppliers
Thus allowing for a more refined and managed purchasing system to be managed in the business again delivering cost savings due to process management which does not reduce cost or choice.
