What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 26th November

Welcome to another week!

Newcastle beckons this week as we are off to scout round for venues for the CIPR Northern Conference 2013- even though we haven't finished evaluating the 2012 event yet!

'Power to the people' will be the theme for the 2013 Northern conference which will take place in NewcastleGateshead. In a post-Leveson world where the traditional media is on the back foot and social media is everywhere and all seeing, the opportunities and challenges for professional communicators have never been greater.

June 2013 will see a one-day conference focusing on how organisations and PR practitioners are getting to grips with the new media landscape and coming to terms with the ever-increasing range of skills you need to communicate effectively with your customers and stakeholders now that it is the people who are taking control.

We've already started to contact potential speakers and can promise you an exciting line up.

There are three venues currently under scrutiny including the Tyne & Wear Fire and Rescue Services Training Centre, which is housed in a self contained site, located just 6 miles from Sunderland, 10 miles from Newcastle and 17 miles from Newcastle International Airport.

The purpose built Training and Development Centre  consists of numerous state of the art facilities including a Breathing Apparatus Centre, Conference and Lecture rooms an ICT training suite and multi-media studio and edit suite.

Other venues also up for consideration include The Discovery Museum. Discover all about life in Newcastle and Tyneside, from the area's renowned maritime history and world-changing science and technology right through to fashion through the eras and military history. The museum is bursting with interactive displays, which makes it the perfect place to learn and have fun.

The displays are regularly updated and complemented by an array of free, fun learning activities. One of their favourite exhibits - Turbinia - dominates the entrance to the Museum. Invented on Tyneside, it is the first ship to be powered by a steam turbine. The 35 metre vessel was once the fastest ship in the world and her history is brought to life in the Turbinia Story display. She sets the standard for a day out that is guaranteed to be filled with breathtaking discoveries.

The Great North Museum is also under consideration. The Great North Museum incorporates collections from the Hancock Museum and Newcastle University’s Museum of Antiquities, the Shefton Museum and the Hatton Gallery.

Highlights of the £26million museum include a large-scale, interactive model of Hadrian's Wall, major new displays showing the wonder and diversity of the animal kingdom, spectacular objects from the Ancient Greeks and mummies from Ancient Egypt, a planetarium and a life-size T-Rex dinosaur replica skeleton.

The Living Planet display houses hundreds of creatures and by using a mixture of touch screen technology and hands-on investigations, visitors can investigate these animals and find out where they live and how they survive in such extreme places as the arctic and desert.

Live animal tanks and aquaria are integrated into this major display where visitors can see wolf fish, pythons and lizards to name a few. Star objects include a full size model of an elephant, a great white shark, a virtual aquarium, live animal displays, a polar bear, a giraffe and moa skeleton.

So, it should be an interesting day in Newcastle! 


As we run out of November this week and December beckons, the countdown to Christmas will begin and the frantic search for the perfect presents will no doubt add all sorts of stress to otherwise rational people!

Budgets are still tight for many so we have been looking at a few alternative ideas for Christmas 2012 and some of the current trends, and some cheap Christmas gift ideas that are sure to raise a smile.

Baked goods. Who doesn't enjoy a little "nummy in the tummy?"  Anything that is homemade is appreciated by recipients because, not only is it delicious (hopefully), but it shows effort on the giver's part.  Or, for anyone less than savvy in the kitchen, hit up your local deli and grab a cake, or even a nice bottle of wine.    

Picture frame. Here's a gift with a lot of heart for not a lot of cash.  Provide a loved one with a printed photo of a shared memory and pop it in a lovely picture frame.  You can get single photos printed quite cheaply and with a little effort, cheap but fab frames are easy to find.

  

Secondhand Treasures and Vintage items are still all the rage! Charity stores are filled with a plethora of items - some is trash and some is treasure. But hey, it's worth a gander for those valuable items marked down and always check out the jewelry and the artwork.  These are items that tend to still look great, even if they are used.  

Gift Baskets are also a great idea. The fun part about a homemade gift basket is that it can be made up with the recipient in mind at very little cost.  Baskets can be purchased at local craft stores or markets and you can fill it with items you know they will like, favourite candies, spa goods such as face creams, stuffed animals, and more. 

Plants and Flowers are always a great idea and whilst other items may be forgotten, anyone with a green finger can enjoy your gift long after the festive season!

And finally, in a world of computers and technology, books are all but forgotten.  However, the beauty of this gift idea is that there is a book out there for everybody...and chances are it can be acquired on the cheap.  Between online bookstores and local libraries, books can cost very little and be enjoyed for ages, and if you are a Kindle Owner, then a gift certificate to top up a Kindle is a great idea!

However, if you are feeling rather frivolous this festive season then you might want to splurge on Christmas  Crackers and we think we have found just the ones for you - a snip at £599.00....

Celebrate the festive season in true Harrods style with these 6 Romanov luxury Christmas crackers: individually handcrafted and hand decorated with the finest trims, each cracker contains handmade bespoke headgear, humour and trivia booklet and superb individually wrapped gift. Available exclusively at Harrods.

So there you go, and have a great week!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 19th November

Welcome to another week!

With the countdown to Christmas officially underway, if you haven't yet sorted your Christmas Party for 2012, we thought this was a great time to bring you some of the top trends for Festive events so you can really dazzle your guests this year!

There was a time – and not so long ago, too – when all it took to impress your guests was a particularly outré vol-au-vent filling. Today, things are a little trickier and if you really want to stand out from the crowd, then a molecular canapé menu and molecular themed drinks is certainly the way to go!

Creations such as nitrogen-poached matcha tea and grapefruit mousse, steamed brioche with pistachio and mozzarella spheres, mango discs with goats’ cheese, red onion and micro rocket and even deconstructed spherical olives.

Of course not everyone will have Heston Bloomingheck on hand to deliver, but with a little thought and some interesting serving ideas, you can really dish up a molecular marvel at this years bash!

 And if you are searching for something sweeter, then slap a jelly on the table and everyone will smile. The joy of it is universal. Spotted at London Fashion Week, on The Fat Duck’s menu and at a myriad of celebrity parties, jelly is no longer the stuff of children’s birthdays. Gelatinous works of art have been showing up at events all around town. But forget plastic bowls and dollops of soft scoop, Jelly in the catering world has reached the level of haute-cuisine. Earlier this year, Champagne and gold leaf jelly was served at the press launch of the London Restaurant Festival, and at The Ivy – a restaurant whose prosecco and blood peach jelly is as popular as any of the A-listers ordering it.

We don't all have easy access to the trends currently setting the event world alight and whilst the Cube Cakes from Harrods do look truly delicious, we are pretty sure that with some coloured lolly sticks, a pack of fondant fancies would look equally as stunning - especially for those of us who watched the Great British Bake Off this year with any sense of delight.

And, whilst we are on the subject of all things British, after the year we have had, celebrating the Jubilee and the London Olympics, why not end your 2012 with a Best of British Christmas celebration? Enter a venue filled with everything British (except the rain!). To ensure you get the full British experience this event could provide you with red, white and blue furniture, black cabs, red telephone boxes and a union jack backdrop, as well as a buffet of famous British foods. You can even fit in some posh tea drinking with cocktail teapots for a night of fun and laughter. Finish the night by putting yourself in the shoes of the Royal family with a customised party cut-out as a souvenir for the evening of entertainment.

Or alternatively you could think Mini Fish & Chips, a Panto theme and your stage is set. You can hire an adult Punch & Judy (if you wish!) but the alternative is to pick a panto and run with it!

Grab as many green vines as you can to decorate your venue, get a cardboard cow (easier than you think), lots of magic beans (jelly beans make good substitutes!) and you are away.

If you really want to go to town on this, you could hire a harp player, a pair of enormous boots from a prop store and a golden egg laying goose - but costumes are up to you!

For those with a more aspirational feel towards the Christmas Do, then a classy Fire & Ice Party is always easy to stage and will astound your guests. Enter a frosty room, from stalactites hanging from the ceiling to a room of ice sculptures, cool blue lighting and even an ice bar with a slush machine! Sound like it might be a bit chilly? Not to worry, the evening will also contain flame lights and fire entertainment, ending the night toasting marshmallows by the fire in an ice cave!

With the rise in Candy Buffets at events this year, and we know because we have delivered a few - then a Chocolate Theme is always a popular choice. Relive the glory days of childhood with your own Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory inspired party. Ditch the diet for the night with chocolate fountains, sweet feasts and candy floss machines with Oompa Loompas on hand to serve you and your guests. Treat your guests with a personalised chocolate bar but the question is, who will find the golden ticket?

Budget is still an issue for many, so forget the dress code, get down to your local supermarket for some cheap plonk and sausage rolls and then dig out that fashion faux pas or gift from your Granny that you just can't bear to wear!

Everyone owns that one ugly Christmas jumper they can’t help but love. With this ugly jumper themed Christmas party, now is your chance to show these off. Celebrate with a traditional Christmas party, including those favourite family games such as pass the parcel. Win a prize for the ugliest jumper of the party and make sure you take lots of pictures! The other advantage with this theme is that you don't need to spend any money on sprucing up your venue as the guests will provide all of the colour you need!

If you still haven't found a venue for your Christmas bash yet, then don't forget we can help with our free venue finding service!

So lots going on and lots to do - have a great week and see you soon!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 12th November

Welcome to another week!

We've been incredibly busy just recently and our venue finding service is proving incredibly popular with lots of lovely new clients, all saving time and money with our new (free) service.

Additionally our Daily Venue Tip via Twitter is starting to attract all sorts of attention with venues lining up to get a mention, and so we thought it was high time for another in our Destination series, and this time its Leeds.

Leeds has everything you need for a conference that stands out above the crowd – award winning venues, a great location only 200 miles from both London and Edinburgh, a compact and accessible city centre and 3,500 hotel bedrooms! Leeds has seen a huge growth in meetings and events over the last 5 years which has placed the city in the top five meetings destinations in the UK for the 3^rd year running in the British Meetings and Events Industry Survey.

With five miles of shopping streets, excellent nightlife scene, numerous restaurants and independent bars, you can see why Leeds is so popular so here are a few of our favourite venues

The Rose Bowl was the venue for our CIPR Northern Conference 2012, which we held on 31st October, and a landmark for the city of Leeds. This state of the art development features the very latest in modern conferencing facilities and design. Offering a corporate level of service, this venue is ideal for banquets, receptions, conferences, exhibitions, meetings and training. 

Meeting rooms are available for up to 80 people; the largest auditorium will hold 256 delegates and their banquets can cater for up to 300 dinner guests.

An impressive oval-shaped landmark with a stunning glass feature, the newly opened Rose Bowl Leeds is not just a lecture venue for Leeds Metropolitan students but also the perfect choice as a conference venue.

Choose to dine at The Rose Bowl with menu’s including hot fork buffets, afternoon tea, bistro menu or a simple light working lunch. Or venture out into Leeds city centre to The Living Room. The sophisticated restaurant is situated at the heart of Leeds’ prolific dining and drinking scene of Greek Street. This first floor restaurant within The Living Room provides the perfect setting to suit special celebrations. A quality food and drinks selection and a brilliant atmosphere, The Living Room is one of Leeds’ most sought after venues for almost five years.

Another great venue is the Northern Ballet Theatre. It offers exceptional facilities and flexible options for conferences, meetings, formal dinners, cocktail parties and performances. The venue is unlike any other venue. It is home to two world-class dance companies, Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre. 

Northern Ballet is a purpose-built, six-storey facility located on Quarry Hill in central Leeds in the thriving cultural quarter. Located next to BBC Yorkshire, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Yorkshire Dance and Leeds College of Music.

With seven dance studios, it provides exceptionally flexible space ideal for conferences, dinners, rehearsals or exhibitions, as well as dancing!

All rooms feature natural light and full AV facilities plus Wi Fi. An on-site catering team is on hand to provide anything from light refreshments to full dinners with a variety of packages to suit requirements.

Clients can also take advantage of Northern Ballet’s unique offer by introducing an element of dance to their event through team-building or energiser sessions, or a talk from one of one of the Northern Ballet Artistic team.

Ideally located a stone’s throw from Quarry Hill car park and Leeds Bus Station multi-story. Leeds Bus Station is only a 2 minute walk away and Leeds Train Station a 15 minute walk.

The Queens Hotel Leeds is a luxurious 4 star establishment, centrally located just by Leeds Train Station in Leeds City Centre and across the street from City Square. A listed Grade 2 Art Deco style building, the 150 year old hotel is one of the last remaining great English railway hotels and is considered to be one of the most important historical landmarks in Leeds. Designed by the same architects who designed the famous Dorchester hotel in London, the Queens has since underwent a £10 million pound refurbishment when it was acquired by owners Quintessential Hotels in 2003. It now boasts some of the most opulent rooms and furnishings in the city with its business class service. The unrivalled skyline view of Leeds city centre from QClub at the top of the hotel is also a must-experience.

The Queens pulls out all the stops at providing some of the best conference facilities: the elegant executive boardroom can hold a meeting with 14 people while the elegant ballroom is perfect for an event of 600 people. Refreshments can also be arranged in the form of buffets, and teas.

If you are looking for an exclusive dinner in The State Dining Room prepared by the Michelin starred Box Tree Restaurant, open spaces to hold a major outdoor event for thousands - or anything in between – Harewood is the place for your function!

Get out of the office! With 100 acres of stunning parkland, Harewood’s outdoor spaces offer true flexibility and versatility. From concerts to car rallies, craft fairs to festivals, corporate days to show days, Harewood’s grounds are available to stage events small or large.

The Courtyard is an 18th century stable block that predates the House. It contains three brand new state-of-the-art event suites whose neutral decor and stylish design provides a blank canvas for endless customising, whilst original features such as exposed beams and oak floors add warmth and character.

Harewood has a wide range of teambuilding programmes designed to promote communication amongst colleagues. Packages include clay pigeon shooting, duck herding, blindfold driving and archery, along with a whole range of indoor activities too, such as chocolate making, film making and circus skills.

ParkPlaza Leeds enjoys a central location, with meeting facilities in the heart of Leeds city centre overlooking City Square.   

• Opposite Leeds Rail Station with express links to London and Scotland
• Close to major M1 and M62 motorway networks
• 10 miles from Leeds Bradford Airport 
• Preferential car parking rates

The hotel's two dedicated conference floors house 11 meeting rooms and four large function rooms, all of which are bathed in natural daylight and feature floor-to-ceiling windows with wraparound views over City Square. Opened out for larger events or broken down for smaller board meetings or training sessions, this flexible space is perfect for seminars, private dining, proms or graduation ceremonies. Chino Latino Pan-Asian bar, lounge and brasserie offer award-winning cuisine and banqueting menus and Scene Bar are open all day for refreshments and snacks.

Park Plaza Leeds features 185 refurbished Superior and Executive guest rooms with air-conditioning, spacious work desks, Wi-Fi and movies on demand. The hotel's 20th floor boasts four beautifully appointed Suites with far-reaching views.

Set in the vibrant heart of central Leeds, the Hilton Leeds City hotel is footsteps from Leeds Central railway station, minutes from the M62 and less than 25 minutes from Leeds Bradford (LBA) International Airport. Close by many of the corporate businesses that have made Leeds their home, Hilton Leeds City is convenient as a base for touring the Yorkshire Dales.

Relax in front of the 32-inch LCD TV in a guest room and stay in touch with WiFi at the desk. Enjoy the river or city views from a Deluxe Room and spread out on the sofa of a Suite. Discover British bistro classics at the City 3 Restaurant and sip a Costa coffee over the morning papers at Caffe Cino. Choose from the cocktail menu at City 3 Bar before hitting Leeds’ club scene. Enjoy free WiFi in the lobby, lounge and bar whilst you relax.

With 14 meeting rooms for 2-350 delegates, a Business Centre and wireless internet in public areas, the Hilton Leeds City can cater for any type of meeting or event.

So there you have it, Destination Leeds all wrapped up - although this is just a snapshot of some of the great venues in Leeds, so please let us know if you would like any more information, or have an event that needs a venue - we can help!

Have a great week!