What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 28 October 2013

Welcome to another week and can you believe that we’re only eight weeks away from Christmas?!

Bearing that in mind,  if you fancy a London based treat this Christmas for your office party or client night out,  we’d suggest a Christmas Celebration at from Late Night London who are promoting the Jewel Bar in Piccadilly pretty heavily at present - and if you book by 31 October 2013 you’ll receive a complimentary Christmas cocktail for all of your party guests, and whilst you might be a bit distracted by Halloween this week, Christmas is only around the corner...

They've even come up with a little tribute based on the Twelve Days of Christmas, so here we go...with no apologies for the cheese...

On the 1^st week of Christmas Late Night London gave to me….A  Party in Jewel Piccadilly On the 2nd week of Christmas Late Night London gave to me…. 2 Drinks Vouchers and a Party in Jewel Piccadilly On the 3rd week of Christmas Late Night London gave to me….3 Sweet Treats, 2 Drinks Vouchers and a Party in Jewel Piccadilly On the 4^th week of Christmas Late Night London gave to me….4 Themed Packages, 3 Sweet Treats, 2 Drinks Vouchers and a Party in Jewel Piccadilly On the 5^th week of Christmas Late Night London gave to me….5 GOLD RINGS, 4 Themed Packages, 3 Sweet Treats, 2 Drinks Vouchers and a Party in Jewel Piccadilly On the 6^th week of Christmas Late Night London gave to me….6 Dj’s Playing, 5 GOLD RINGS, 4 Themed Packages, 3 Sweet Treats, 2 Drinks Vouchers and a Party in Jewel Piccadilly On the 7^th week of Christmas Late Night London gave to me….7 Cocktails Brimming, 6 Dj’s Playing, 5 GOLD RINGS, 4 Themed Packages, 3 Sweet Treats, 2 Drinks Vouchers and a Party in Jewel Piccadilly On the 8^th week of Christmas Late Night London gave to me….8 Glasses Clinking, 7 Cocktails Brimming, 6 Dj’s Playing, 5 GOLD RINGS, 4 Themed Packages, 3 Sweet Treats, 2 Drinks Vouchers and a Party in Jewel Piccadilly On the 9^th Week of Christmas Late Night London gave to me….9 Hoola’s Dancing, 8 Glasses Clinking, 7 Cocktails Brimming, 6 Dj’s Playing, 5 GOLD RINGS, 4 Themed Packages, 3 Sweet Treats, 2 Drinks Vouchers and a Party in Jewel Piccadilly On the 10^th week of Christmas Late Night London gave to me…. 10 Bar Staff Pouring, 9 Hoola’s Dancing, 8 Glasses Clinking, 7 Cocktails Brimming, 6 Dj’s Playing,  5 GOLD RINGS, 4 Themed Packages, 3 Sweet Treats, 2 Drinks Vouchers and a Party NOT just in Jewel Piccadilly

If you would like to find out more about Jewel or any of the options in London for a Christmas bash this year, then please give us a shout here at Cloud 9 - we have some truly great crackers this year!  

Here at Cloud 9 Towers our Christmas Spirit and knowledge does extend to the rest of the UK and on a daily basis we are being inundated with some fantastic Christmas packages so we are certainly in know if you need some inspiration!

Q Hotels, which are always a favourite of ours, have some fantastic Christmas offers available this year and we are really loving the look of the festive breaks. As an example you could treat yourself to a two or three-night package at Stratford Manor. Your stay includes afternoon tea on arrival, dinner, bed and breakfast, a traditional Christmas Day feast and a spectacular Boxing Day Gala Dinner.

With great entertainment available throughout your stay, which includes a pianist, a local choir belting out some carols, magicians, race nights and evening discos, there is even a falconry display! 

With 21 different properties, Q are bound to have something near you, so take the stress out of Christmas! 

Alternatively, you could celebrate the festive season and enjoy the excitement and vibrant atmosphere of one of Mercure’s festive themed party nights! With numerous hotels throughout the UK and further afield, we are particularly liking the schedule from the Mercure Bristol Holland House Hotel and Spa.

We like an excuse to get dressed up here at Cloud 9 Towers so we love the sound of the Black White & Diamonds party nights. Set in a a stunningly themed suite, guests are invited to get all glammed up and indulge with an arrival drink and delicious three-course dinner before partying the night away.

For those that fancy it, you could instead put on that old School Uniform and enjoy a Back to School themed Christmas Party night.  Get to school early and enjoy assembly at the Bar then let the Headmaster call you class by class into the hall for your three-course dinner served by the school canteen team. You’ll have the chance to re-sit your exams to see which tutor group wins the end of term prizes!

 Now if Christmas is not really your thing, then you might want to escape it, avoid the shopping, crowds and generally hide away. If this is the case then you can always indulge in one of the fabulous Spa Humbug packages available from a hotel we've had the pleasure of staying at recently.

The Clumber Park Hotel and Spa are offering full use of their spa facilities, with robes, towels and slippers, and then guests can choose from a selection of great treatments including a Three Kings’ Ritual (we dont know what that is but it sounds great!), a Gold, Frankincense & Myrhh hot oil massage (we dont know what this is either but anything to do with gold we like the sound of) and a Mulled Wine & Christmas Cake Grazing Board Lunch (we know what this is and we like!).

Additionally you can Detox Before you Retox, enjoy a Detoxifying Tropical Body Wrap, and a  Purifying Aromatherapy Massage whilst enjoying a Cleansing tea & Ytsara gift (we'll stick to the mulled wine we think!).

So there you are a few ideas for Christmas, which we hope will inspire a little! 

In other news this week, we finally get the keys to the new Cloud 9 Towers this Friday but as everyone will know, the logistics of a move are never straightforward so it will be a few weeks before we are in, settled and sorted so in the meantime normal service continues.

Have a great week and Happy Halloween! 

 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 21 October 2013

Welcome to another week and its time to get a little spooky as Halloween is approaching....! 

If you plan to take a trip to avoid all of those pesky trick or treaters calling at your door (and we need to be away as every time we buy sweets to make sure we are well stocked, we eat them!) then where is a suitable place to escape to for Halloween? 

Dunsley Hall in Whitby might well be worth a visit.Whitby is a traditionally gothic location, featuring Whitby Abbey, The Whitby Witches and the makings of Dracula.

Whitby Abbey dates back to 657 AD and inspired Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula – part of the novel is set in Whitby and Broker discovered the name ‘Dracula’ in the public library. 

Children’s novelist Robin Jarvis’ trilogy The Whitby Witches is also set in this mysterious town.

Dunsley Hall Country House Hotel was built in the 1990s and still retains many period features, such a four-poster beds, open fires and other memorabilia. Guests can enjoy fine wine and dining at the on-site bar and restaurant, and the hotel has four acres of landscaped gardens with a putting green and tennis courts.

If you fancy going further afield then where better than Villa Saint Antoine (Clisson, France). Castles are steeped in history and controversy: Château de Tiffauges, adjacent to Villa Saint Antoine, is no exception. Tiffauges is a medieval castle dating back to the 12th Century, renowned for housing notorious serial killer Gilles de Rais.

This sinister character not only summoned demons in the castle, but murdered an estimated hundred children. He was hung for his crimes in 1440 and is the inspiration behind French literary folktale Bluebeard – the castle is often referred to as Bluebeard’s Castle.

The hotel itself boasts 43 rooms designed in a contemporary style, with special castle-view suites available. There is a pool, restaurant and spa facilities for ultimate comfort and relaxation.

Del Coronado (San Diego, USA) This stunning and iconic Victorian building offers unrivalled grandeur in Southern California, and has been heralded as one of America’s most beautiful beach resorts.

The Del Coronando resort offers spa facilities, conference rooms, shopping, dining, a range of rooms and suites, bike rental, kid’s club and three swimming pools. However, a chilling story lies beneath the elegant surface. In 1892, young and beautiful Kate Morgan checked in to room 3312 following her husband’s abandonment on finding out she was pregnant.

Four days later, she purchased a pistol in the town and shot herself on the beach outside the hotel. A bottle containing quinine was found in her room, to abort her unborn child. Ever since, hotel staff have reported strange happenings in room 3312...

Relais Castello Bevilacqua (Bevilacqua, Italy). Located in the heart of the beautiful Verona region in Italy, this authentic fourteenth century castle is rooted in history and tradition. Legend has it the castle has been haunted by former ruler Guglielmo Bevilacqua since a fire in 1884.

Today, the castle houses Relais Castello Bevilacqua – a romantic and luxurious four star hotel. The hotel retains its medieval charm with antique furniture, historical paintings and opulent chandeliers. Guests can enjoy four poster beds and double whirlpool baths in the Junior Suites, whilst sampling traditional Venetian recipes in the elegant restaurant.

And lastly the appropriately named Contele Vladimir in Bran, Romania. Even the name of this hotel sounds chilling. Contele Vladimir is located in the heart of Transylvania, at the foot of Bran Castle – Dracula’s Castle.

Not only was this castle the inspiration behind literature’s most blood-thirsty vampire, but housed a line of ancient rulers. The most notorious of these was Vlad the Impaler, named due to his practice of impaling his victims. His excessive cruelty claimed an estimated tens of thousands of victims. This four star hotel offers panoramic views of the mystical castle and was built and decorated in the Neo Baroque style, providing an authentic Romanian getaway.

So whatever your plans for Halloween this year we hope its a happy one...and not too spooky! 

Enjoy.. 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 14 October 2013

Welcome to another week and we are a little late this week for a change!

Despite being in planning mode for next years very busy schedule, we have been so manic getting sorted for the year ahead that our little blog got a little overlooked for this week - how terrible of us!

So, we are going to play tribute this week to the weird and wonderful Alpha Zoo – a fun-packed new app designed with parents and kids in mind, created by our pals Gareth Hopkins, Stu Jackson and Jonny Severn.

This bright, colourful and inspiring interactive world features all 26 letters of the alphabet reimagined as brilliantly bonkers animals, featuring stunning 3D animation and whimsical word-play. Alpha Zoo inspires children to explore the alphabet and rewards them for doing so. Every letter successfully navigated unlocks its animal counterpart and tongue twisting rhyme – from ant-snorting anteaters and fancy flamingos to slithery snakes and wobbly walrus.

With 26 lovingly crafted residents, Alpha Zoo will capture the imagination of families everywhere – not just our own children, nieces and nephews. That’s where you come in.  They need the help of lovely people like you so we can bring Alpha Zoo to life. 

Development is already well under way, as they set about creating something that they believe is truly unique. Every penny they raise will go towards ensuring our world is the best it can be, with the Alpha Zoo gates ready to open in time for Christmas 2013. 

So here’s a big THANK YOU for supporting our project – from the humans and all of the animals at Alpha Zoo.

Gareth Hopkins, Stu Jackson and Jonny Severn have no experience of working in an actual zoo. However a lifelong love of storytelling, design and mind-boggling technology brought these three creative types together. Between them they have over 30 years' experience delivering award-winning software, products and creative campaigns for some of the world's biggest brands including Jaguar, Sony, Microsoft, Land Rover and EA. 

They’ve pulled together a list of gifts to thank you for your support, including gorgeous

screenprints of your favourite letter, a personalised print of your name using our animal typography, plus a copy of our limited edition Alpha Zoo book. Huzzah!

Become an honorary Alpha Zoo warden and help them to open the gates at our wonderfully wacky world.

The app is already in development and they’re confident of finishing ahead of our planned launch date in December. The money they raise will go towards ensuring our app meets the highest of standards, including additional functionality, calling on their animator friends to help them create something truly special. If you’ve got any questions about the project, their background or what their favourite animal is, hit the contact button to send them a question or come say hello at thealphazoo.com

We love the passion of these guys so lets all rally and get them some support! 

Short and sweet this week....but look out for BIG news coming soon.

Have a good one..

 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 7 October

Welcome to another week and its a very very very early start for the team on Monday morning as we taking part in events with our friends at m360 for East Midlands Trains, with singing butlers at Nottingham, Derby and Sheffield Stations.

From 7.30am-8.30am lucky commuters will be able to sample some of the delights available from the first class menus from East Midlands Trains, great way to start the week!

Last week was another busy one at Cloud 9 as we helped the lovely people at Bristol Media deliver the inaugural Brand You Awards. 

Over 140 people gathered at Bristol's Cutlers Hall at Brasserie Blanc at a sold out event to toast the winners of the first Brand You Awards in association with Synergist and Social Heads.  The atmosphere was buzzing as Fraser Bradshaw, CEO of Bristol Media, announced the winners in 14 categories across the creative sector. Fraser said "I'm absolutely delighted that the Brand You Awards have been such a success in their first year.  We received a fantastic response for nominations from the creative community in Bristol and Bath and it was a tough call for the national and regional judging panel to choose the final Highly Commended and Winners.  Congratulations to everyone - we're really looking forward to hosting the awards again in 2014".

Without further ado, here are the winners:
PR, sponsored by Synergist:
Pam Beddard, Winner
Lauren Nicklinson, Highly Commended
Client Services, sponsored by Social Heads:
Dieter Lloyd, Winner
Digital, sponsored by Smart Traffic
Emily Trotter, Winner
Matt Sutherland, Highly Commended
Karl Tynan, Highly Commended
David Smith, Highly Commended
Social Media, sponsored by Foxclock
Sam Beament, Winner
Gez Smith, Highly Commended
Marketing, sponsored by Synergist
Lizzie Everard, Winner
Video, viral and online:
Tiffany Maddox, Winner
Design, sponsored by FD Works
Luke Francis, Winner
Lizzie Everard, Highly Commended
Events & Experiential, sponsored by Commstar
Alex Pearn, Winner
Animation:
Dan Barker, Winner
Harry Powell, Highly Commended
Photography:
Charley Murrell, Winner
Games & Apps:
Ben Templeton, Winner
Hemel Dave, Highly Commended
Broadcast:
Olivia Thomas, Winner
Print and Publishing, sponsored by TSPM
Rebecca Paddick, Winner
India Rabey, Highly Commended
Advertising, sponsored by Synergist:
Sophie Klevenow, Winner
Brand You Recognition Award:
Debbie Rawlings, Director, Bristol Games Hub

Thanks to Bristol City Council, all of the winners and nominees also received a complimentary ticket to Bristol Medias second Master Class Day plus a certificate and the winners also took home a copy of the Little Book of Winners.  If you would like to order a copy of the Little Book of Winners, you can do so from Blurb.com. We are very grateful to all our sponsors without whose generous support the Brand You Awards could not have taken place.  Very many thanks to Synergist, Social Heads, FD Works, Smart Traffic, Commstar, Foxclock, TSPM, Bristol City Council and to Paula Kelsey at Cloud9 for her impeccable organisation. (We pinched this off the Bristol Media Website).

And we end this week with a thank you to the lovely people (you can tell we are sharing the love this week) at Hellidon Lakes who held a showcase event on Thursday evening at their hotel. It was a rather fabulous evening all in all!

Nestled in 220 acres of beautiful rolling Northamptonshire countryside lies Hellidon Lakes Golf & Spa Hotel. Just 14 miles off the M40 and 20 minutes from the M1 the hotel is also just 15 miles from Silverstone.

The hotel name derives from the eight sparkling lakes within the beautiful landscaped grounds.  Whether gazing out from the restaurant or trying to avoid them whilst enjoying a round on the 27 hole golf course, the stunning lakes plus the spectacular scenery make Hellidon Lakes a gem in the Northamptonshire countryside.

Whether you are looking for a business hotel, a retreat for a spa break, a golfing trip or a base for a family holiday, Hellidon Lakes offers something for everyone.

As a conference and meeting venue the hotel offers 24 state-of-the-art meetings rooms, suitable for board meetings, training seminars, annual conferences and awards dinners.  The beautiful setting and the flexibility of space makes the hotel one of the most prestigious wedding venues in the area.Hellidon Lakes Golf & Spa Hotel has thought of everything for those looking for a leisure break.  From the 27 holes of exceptional golf to the 4 lane bowling alley, the leisure facilities to the heavenly spa, there is so much to do you'll have to extend your stay a little longer to fit it all in.

Have a wonderful week everyone....! 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 30 September 2013

Whoops, this was scheduled for Monday but with all of the current chaos at Cloud 9 we forgot to hit that button.....! 

Welcome to another week and we've made it back in one piece after the madness that was the Freshtival last week. After the combination of two awards ceremonies, over fifty industry speakers, film screenings and a raft of other activities, we could certainly do with a little quiet time....

No time to relax though as tomorrow night its The Brand You Awards for Bristol Media, and an awards ceremony that recognises individuals rather than teams or agencies! The event sold out weeks ago so we're looking forward to a great night in the company of some great contenders and best of luck to all of the nominees! 

As soon as Brand You is over, we're then hosting an event with East Midlands Airport as part of our Ambassadors Role on behalf of the Birmingham Press Club. The plan being that there will be quarterly events within the East Midlands for the great journalists and broadcasters from outside of the East Midlands.

This will also help us to make sure that the Midlands Media Awards remain a key highlight of the calendar both in the East and West Midlands.

Additionally our new office move is imminent and its not until we started packing that we realised just how much stuff we have accumulated and how many bits of paper we have - how on earth people manage in paperless offices, we will never understand! 

Luckily our new premises are only around the corner from the current Cloud 9 Towers and very soon we'll be sending out our new address information, for the rather lovely Rosewood House.

A former nursing home, Rosewood House has undergone a major transformation and is now a suite of offices downstairs with apartments above so we are looking forward to having a little more space in which to work! The other advantage about the new office, its much closer to the pub (which cannot be a bad thing!).

Lots of other event news to come in the weeks ahead, but the one topic that we really feel we need to cover this week concerns applicants looking for work in event management....

We are only a small team and usually manically busy but we do our very best to try and reply to everyone who emails about employment opportunities, and we get at least 10-15 a week.

Whilst we appreciate its a tough market out there, we do despair that most of those applying are not really interested in our company, automatically think event management will mean rubbing shoulders with celebrities, or is just one long party.

The reality especially at Cloud 9 with so many awards ceremonies, is an awful lot of admin, meticulous attention to detail, and not very much partying or glamour!

When we get a good applicant we are always willing to see them, and if you want to impress then a few key tips, starting with the most basic. Spelling mistakes in emails, especially in these days of automatic spell checkers are guaranteed to get you a negative response.

Try and find out a little about us, what we do and who we work with. Google is a marvellous invention...!

Let us know what you can bring to the business. 

Whilst being able to swim 100m backstroke, baking cakes for your brothers Scout Group and knitting are all admirable skills, we'd like to know a bit about your gumption and aspirations and more importantly, why you would make a great member of the team.

Finally if we do call you in, make a bit of an effort. Although we all have a tendency to dress down this days, making a good first impression really matters. 

You never get a second chance at this, so at least make sure your outfit has seen an iron!

 There you have it...something to maybe ponder on before you hit send.....

Enjoy the week.