What's Floating Aroud Cloud 9? 31 March 2014

Welcome to another week and its the official deadline day today for the 2014 Midlands Media Awards. The Midlands Media Awards is the Birmingham Press Club’s largest and most prestigious annual event, attended by over 300 of the region’s media professionals and key guests from the business community.

This exciting awards scheme will recognise and reward the very best local and regional journalists, broadcasters and photographers and will deliver an outstanding event celebrating the diversity of the media throughout the Midlands.

With an impressive and impeccable two stage judging process and categories created to reflect and reward the rich heritage and modern innovation within the media, this is an event not to be missed. The Midlands Media Awards are open to entrants from Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry, Wolverhampton and Derbyshire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

Entries are welcome from anyone working within the local media, journalists, broadcasters and online news contributors and there are over 20 categories to choose from including one which will enable the public to vote for their favourite source of news and information.

Cloud 9 is delighted to be working on the awards for the Press Club again this year and tickets will be available very soon for the actual ceremony which is set for Thursday 5 June at Aston Villa.

In other news this week we are pleased to welcome a new addition to the Cloud 9 Event Management team, as Becky starts today!

Becky will be working closely on our increasingly busy venue team and helping to develop FUSE by Cloud 9 to our clients, new and existing. 

Additionally, Becky will also be helping out with the Fresh Awards which is all set to launch in April for 2014, so please look out for details and don't forget to say hello to Becky!

To end the week Shannon, who is normally the first to snap up any invitation to anywhere that contains the word "spa", is instead heading for Space. Well, the National Space Centre in Leicester anyway!

The National Space Centre is the UK’s largest attraction dedicated to space exploration and space science. As such we have an amazing building filled with rockets, satellites, Martian surfaces and other amazing artefacts. The building also houses experts and a full Space Communications team.

In the past the Centre has worked with BBC, CNN, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, National Geographic and many other media outlets to provide content and location for news and educational pieces.

Of course the Centre must remain focused on its core objectives and ensure that visitors have the full experience of the Centre, so none of this activity is done to the determent of the public.

 Shannon has a pretty packed schedule for her tour that includes a look round the nearby Marriott Hotel before moving on to the Space Centre for an introduction in the Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium – followed by one of their 360 degree amazing shows.

After Space Cocktails (non-alcoholic) in the iconic Rocket Tower and a tour of the facilities, there will be lunch in the Shuttle Suites, and then an experience on a team building mission - and as long as it wont mess up her hair, Shannon will be up for it!

So that's it for this week, enjoy!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 24 March 2014

Welcome to another week and if its not yet in your diary, then don't forget this coming weekend is Mothers Day.We are all getting geared up here at Cloud 9 towers so this week we thought we'd prompt you to make this Mothers Day the most special one yet!

Mother's Day is not the same day all over the world, and the actual date varies from year to year too, just to confuse things. In the United States, and a large number of other countries, Mothers Day is the second Sunday in May whilst here in the UK, its always the fourth Sunday of Lent.

Usually on Mothers Day its a good excuse to treat your Mum to flowers, chocolates or a nice Sunday lunch in a local restaurant or pub. However getting a table can be tricky and these things are often overpriced, so just what are the alternatives to show your Mum you love her?

You could try a gift experience to do together. Maybe afternoon tea at a posh hotel or a wine tasting session (which we know our collective Mums would enjoy!) or even a chocolate making workshop. For the more adventurous Mums, a Hot Air Balloon ride or Racing Car experience might work.

Tickets to a show, a concert or even a sporting event are also always popular and if you buy the tickets you can maybe make a day of it with lunch or a couple of drinks out.

Green fingered Mums will always like a plant and at least they last longer than flowers but

if this is too safe an option and is getting a little traditional and boring, then you could try something a little more personal, like a personalised photo present where you take an image and make into a mug, a mouse mat, a keyring or whatever. The options are endless!

One of the nicest ideas is a trip down memory lane. Revive some of those memories, maybe of your mother's childhood, or when you were young. Good ideas including taking her out for a meal to an old restaurant or cafe from her past, buy an old film or TV series that she enjoyed many years before, or pick up a bargain on Ebay from when she was younger. 

A facial, massage or spa day are always a great idea and any form of pampering is normally very welcome, especially if your Mum is usually surrounded by lots of washing and ironing - whisk her away from it all! 

Even the least talented chefs around will appreciate this, but if you cook her a meal - she probably cooked you hundreds, even thousands of meals, and maybe still does - then she will probably appreciate the thought even if your skills in the kitchen leave a lot to be desire. With so many supermarket deals around, it shouldn't be that hard to stick some thing tasty in the oven! And don't let you Mum wash up irrespective of how many dishes you create! 

Finally, tell your mother how important she is to you and how grateful you are for all she has done for you over the years. There is probably no better present that this!

On another note this week, there is just a week left now to enter the Midlands Media Awards 2014 so make sure you get your entries in toot suite to the team here at Cloud 9. 

The categories. criteria and full details are all on the Midlands Media Awards website so as its free, don't miss the deadline!

Lastly this week, we thought we would share with you a few tales about our visitors book that Carol was most insistent was needed when we moved in to our new offices just prior to Christmas, even though it took  us until February to actually get round to buying one!

No sooner has some unsuspecting hotel or venue representative sat down, and before they have even managed to sip their tea, she pounces with pen in hand to make sure no one escapes from signing the book! Luckily we don't have any room for comments in our book, but we do love some of the great stories from visitor books, especially those left by tourists.

Complaints about the level of frog noise and possessed hotel rooms are among some of the most bizarre comments people have left behind in Australian guest books. When most travellers leave a message behind in a visitor’s book, it’s usually a comment of appreciation or a practical suggestion for improvement. But not everyone sees it this way.

Some tourists use the opportunity to have a last laugh, while others are perhaps unaware of just how much is under the control of their hosts. One visitor staying on a property located on 32 acres of bushland had trouble getting to sleep and left a comment behind to express his frustration.

“I like the sound of the frogs but they are only on one side of the building and it was very difficult to sleep when I could only hear them out of one ear," they wrote on lastminute.com.au. “I really would have appreciated someone moving some of the frogs to the other side of the building so they are even on both sides of the bed."
Another complained the room was a little overcrowded: “I didn’t sleep a wink all night due to the demon in my room.” and one customer was clearly unimpressed, saying she’d seen and done it all before - in a previous life.

Meanwhile, another was unhappy with his fellow lodgers, complaining of hearing an “adult photo shoot” in a nearby room.
But despite the odd messages, some travellers did leave behind quite logical suggestions including “We suggest you put the bath towels & soap in the bathroom - not on the bed!”

Some of our other favourites from "down under" include “Love the white cabinet with mirror in our room! We were thinking of a way to take it back home with us but thought that would be too obvious, plus we have no space due to buying lots of wine.” 

We also like, “We had to check out early as there was a ghost in the hotel that didn’t want us here.” and “Provide shorter flight times from Scotland”.


It's clear that there is just no pleasing people in some hotels! 

So that's it for this week, enjoy! 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 17 March 2014

Welcome to another week and after our recent excursions, fams and attending this, that and the other, its a fairly sedate week ahead here at Cloud 9 Towers.

However, we are sending half of the team off on Wednesday to something called Digital 360 which is organised by McCann in Birmingham, as we are very committed to training and development.  

Today, digital communications, digital devices and digital platforms have become totally interwoven into the fabric of consumers to such an extent that they no longer require specific consideration on where or how to engage with a brand or service online. The natural relationships between traditional media, physical experiences and digital interaction have blurred the boundaries beyond what marketers have known for many years.

Digital 360 is an event aimed at exploring how brands are fully integrating digital into the fabric of their organisations, communication strategies, customer experiences and service propositions to help inform the way we all must think about true digital – 360 degree integration.

As many of our clients are within the media and marketing sectors, we always think that continually improving our knowledge about the digital sector is vital to our continued success so it will be interesting to see how Shannon and Rubina get on.

Social media continues to play a big part in everything we do from promoting the projects and awards we are actively involved with, to tweeting about our various hotels and venue reps that pop in to see us.

With our FUSE by Cloud 9 service, we also offer complimentary social media as part of the free venue finding and styling service so you can be sure your event will get the maximum amount of exposure. Understanding that Social Media is very probably something that already features within your event agenda and we’re not here to teach you anything new (unless you ask in which case we’d be pleased to help) but what we can do is enhance any of your social media activity. Just let us know the hash-tag and we’ll shout about you and engage to increase your Klout.

We’ve a high profile following here at Cloud 9 and regularly engage with the Media and journalists throughout the UK so if you are looking to increase the awareness of your event, then we can help.

FUSE starts with our free venue finding service. Simply send us the brief and we’ll not only source a variety of venues for you, we’ll also ensure you get the very best rates and full details of availability and all of those little added extras that really make a difference to your event. Don’t waste your time spending hours online, or making endless calls, when we can do it all for you and get back to you quickly and efficiently with everything you need to know all in one easy to read report.

We’ll even book on your behalf and make sure you get the best service possible from your chosen venue. What’s more, as we strive to continually improve our service, and the service that our clients receive at events, we’ll also evaluate the event afterwards to ensure that any feedback, positive or otherwise is fed back to the venue in question.

Styling at events can create the mood or kill the room and with over 10 years of running successful events here at Cloud 9 you can imagine we have a pretty good inventory at our disposal. From Glittering Lava Lamps to Giant Martini Glasses, Peacock Feathers to all manner of Props, we’ll gladly offer complimentary hire of any of our suitable stock to in-house event organisers as part of FUSE.

We can also ensure that we work with you to secure lots of little extras at your event that you may not have previously considered. Whether getting the venue to throw in some complimentary drinks, or donate a raffle prize, then our FUSE styling service will certainly help to give you that extra special edge.

Event Website Leverage is vital. Your target market or client base might be small for your particular activity, but that doesn’t or shouldn’t mean that you shouldn’t be making a big noise about your event. Sharing and swapping links with your event site can not only help it shoot up the search engines, but it’s also more likely to be easily found and accessed by the right people.

We’ll ensure your event is listed and the links are shared with at least five suitable sites, including ours if appropriate. The last thing you ever want to hear is “I didn’t know about the event”. FUSE can and will help.

Additionally, online post event activity is a great way to ensure the sustainability of any events and really engage with your audience long after event has ended.

Alternatively, we can offer you an Evaluation of your event, in order to determine the R.O.I. or to establish trends for your next event. FUSE is free so take your pick! 

Finally this week, and its been a long time coming, the new Cloud 9 Event Management Ltd website should be up and running so check it our and let us know what you think.

Have a great week, and don't forget its not long to the deadline of the 2014 Midlands Media Awards!

Toodle Pip! 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 10 March 2014

Welcome to another week and its a busy one all round this week again, kicking off with a photocall this morning for Shannon at Birmingham Airport, who are once again headline sponsors of the 2014 Midlands Media Awards, which we run for the Birmingham Press Club.

Adrian, Shannon, Paula & Ed at the MMA Editors Lunch

Last week we hosted an editors luncheon at Bournville College to officially launch the awards and today's event at the airport is sure to be a heightened one as we understand its taking place in the control tower.

Just in case Shannon gets her hands on any controls, we would like to apologise in advance to any airline diversions taking place today! 

In other news this week, we are off to Confex on Wednesday. In addition to catching up with some of our favourite venues we always use the event as an educational platform to discover new venues and options for our clients. 

Also this year, there are some great speakers including Karren Brady CBE, Vice-Chairman of West Ham Football Club, business ambassador, UK sporting executive and star of The Apprentice, who will provide the keynote speech on day one of International Confex this year.

Following Confex, Paula is off to enjoy the hospitality of Visit Scotland which is running a  whirlwind tour over the weekend of some of the finest venues. We kick off with a showround of the Best Western Plus Keavil House Hotel in Edinburgh before travelling to The Bay Hotel.

From here its off to the Balbinie House Hotel for lunch and then to the Hill of Tarvit Manion House which includes some traditional Hickory Golf on the Kingarrock Golf Course.

After a little free time in St Andrews we are then off to Fairmont St Andrews for an overnight stay and dinner in the Squires Restaurant.

Saturday is time to blow the cobwebs away!  Get the adrenaline pumping and try our hand at Land Yachting along the famous West Sands Beach where Chariots of Fire was filmed.  A hugely popular activity for groups apparently, but we are not too sure this is Paula's thing and Carol and Rubina in the office have an ambulance booked on stand by!

After we have enjoyed a showround of the  five star Old Course Hotel & Golf Resort followed by a lovely lunch in the new Ham’s Hame overlooking the Old Course, we'll travel a short distance to the city of Dundee, famous for Jute, Jam and Journalism, where we will visit the  Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa to see the facilities available for meetings and conferences.

Our next stop is Malmaison Dundee, which opened its doors in February this year. We will see the meeting and F&B options available and then relax with some free time prior to dinner. Dinner this evening will be hosted in the beautiful Kinnettles Castle not far from the city.  We will discover how the Castle can be booked exclusively and enjoy a fantastic dining experience before returning to Malmaison overnight.

Sunday starts with a trip to Perth Racecourse for a look at the facilities available for conferences, meetings, incentives and corporate hospitality.  We will meet Land Rover Experience who work closely with the racecourse and provide team building activities either on site or at their home location in Perthshire.

Our last visit takes us to the breath-taking Gleneagles Hotel, host to the Ryder Cup 2014.  We will see the vast facilities that are on offer at this resort and sample some of the delicious cuisine over lunch before participating in some of their onsite activities to conclude our visit before departing for returning flights home.

Sounds like a great trip, if somewhat exhausting and we have been warned to pack our waterproofs just in case of the weather! So fingers crossed it will be warm and dry outside and as wet as we like inside (the various bars!). 

That's all for this week folks, have a good one!  

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 3 March 2014

Welcome to another week and its a busy one again with all sorts of exciting stuff ahead, including quite a bit of activity with the Birmingham Press Club for the upcoming Midlands Media Awards and the launch of the second inaugural Brand You Awards for Bristol Media. 

We start this week, with the Editors Launch Lunch which recognises the official launch of the 2014 Midlands Media Awards. Chaired by the Birmingham Press Club's Chairman, Ed James, the event will be attended by the West Midlands Editors and headline sponsors, Birmingham Airport. 

Bournville College, principal sponsors of the Birmingham Press Club are very kindly hosting the Lunch for us. They were established in 1913 by George Cadbury, as a continuation school for Cadbury workforce. A hundred years later, the College now caters for around 15,000 students, offering a wide variety of courses for school leavers, adult learners and employers. It’s a truly international college with offices in Malaysia and India and a strong presence across all continents, welcoming around 1,000 international students every year.

In September 2011, Bournville College moved to a new £66 million purpose built campus in Longbridge, kick-starting wider regeneration of the area after the collapse of MG-Rover in 2005. The new campus features state-of-the-art facilities which include Mac suites, motor vehicle maintenance workshops, music studios, training kitchens, over 1,000 computers, Wi-Fi internet access, 3D cinema room, online learning material and much more.

Many facilities are also open to the general public including: a purpose built conference centre for up to 200 delegates, Urban Elegance hair salon, Urban Serenity beauty salon, Urban Flavours restaurant, Urban Fitness gym and sports hall and The Garage, offering MOTs and services for cars and motorbikes.

The College has sponsored the Press Club since 2011. Norman Cave, Principal of Bournville College, commented: “We are pleased to continue our association with Birmingham Press Club, which will have a positive impact on our courses in media and related areas, thereby strengthening students’ experience at Bournville.”

We're very much looking forward to lunch at their new Urban Flavours restaurant which is a contemporary training restaurant situated inside Bournville College, Longbridge. The restaurant offers high quality dining, using fresh locally sourced produce. It seats over 70 diners and is also open to general public as well as Bournville students. It also offers an extended range of services, including afternoon tea, twilight sessions, festive food and more.

We're also in the process of organising an East Midlands Conference on behalf of the Birmingham Press Club, open to all Journalists, Photographers, Broadcasters & Students which will focus on the Emergency Services. We already have a great line up of speakers from East Midlands Ambulance, Police and Fire Services, so it should be another interesting and successful event! More details to follow soon.....

Brand You is back this week which we help Bristol Media to organise. With categories that cover everything from Advertising to Design, Photography to PR, this unique awards programme is one of the few schemes in the UK that recognises individuals, hence the title, Brand You!

You have loads of time to enter as the deadline is not until 20 June, but plan ahead and don't leave it until the last minute. You can follow news and updates about Brand You on Twitter using #BMBrandYou.


Twiter remains a powerful outlet for Cloud 9 so if you are in events and want some help with understanding how social media can benefit your next event, then you might like to give our new FUSE service a try.

Its completely free and is already proving to be a hit with many in house event organisers.

FUSE is a new and completely free service available to anyone working within events for an in-house organisation. Here at Cloud 9 Event Management Ltd, we’re not after pinching or indeed pitching for your business, but instead, helping you to enhance your events in a subtle and unobtrusive manner, leaving you to do what you do best for your clients, staff

and stakeholders.

What exactly is FUSE? It’s four simple elements all bundled together to help event organisers make the most of their events, without any additional work – in fact using our FUSE service will actually save you time, increase awareness about your events and could also save you money.

With Free Venue Finding, Understanding Social Media, Styling for Events and Evaluation, all packed together for free, then FUSE could be the answer to your event headaches!

That's all for this week, so have a good one - enjoy!