What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 28 September 2015

Welcome to another week and its another manic one here at Cloud 9 Towers. We've two big awards events looming and launching another three whilst we also have various other events on the go, plus our free venue finding service is also a little popular at present but we'd rather be like this and busy and buzzy than wondering what to do next!

With training courses, new business meetings, websites to update, social media and the endless stream of emails (and yes we are still being invited on endless fams despite Paula's Blog on the CHS Group website last week), it can be tricky to squeeze everything in.

So we could use this week's blog to wax lyrical about time management and also to save a bit of time we could just blatantly pinch the online offering of some training company. But instead and to keep it personal, we thought we would share our tips for keeping all of those plates spinning! 

Our first rule here is about emails. There was life before emails and electronic communication which our younger team don't seem to fully appreciate, but we spoke to people, we telephoned them, we visited them and if needs be, we then wrote to them afterwards to confirm exactly what we had spoken about. This process could have taken a couple of days and factor in postage and weekends and sometimes it could be almost a week. Whilst we appreciate we live in a society where everyone, including clients, wants everything now, but the world really won't end if you leave your emails a little while. That's why we ban anyone looking at emails until 9.30am in the morning. 

That first half an hour in a morning allows you to focus on what you need to do that day and catch up on anything you may have missed. We also use this time to look at our social media and make sure everything that should be up to date, is up to date. If anything really is that urgent, then call us. Or text us, or message us. Just don't email us unless you really need to, and whatever you do, don't fax us. We're not sure how the fax even works any more!

Next up is sharing. No matter how experienced or knowledgeable you think you are, it's important to remember that you are still always continually learning and whatever you think you know, there is probably someone else who knows as much if not more. It doesn't matter if you have always done something in the same way for years and years. Getting a fresh perspective on how to work differently and more efficiently can be a really useful thing especially when you have a lot on.It may be sound obvious, but it's something that many managers often forget, especially when it comes to how they manage their time. In fact, some of our biggest time management mistakes are simply caused because you don't know any better?

Also sharing skills can be a massive help. Assign tasks to those who are pretty good at that particular aspect of a project and ensure those that need some help with certain tasks or some additional training in that area, understand why things are done in certain ways. That way everyone benefits...and even though every project at Cloud 9 has someone to lead it, every project, event and client we have are collectively discussed to make sure we are using each of our own particular skill set.

This is photograph A 1699 from the collections of the Imperial War Museums.

Communication is also vital and it doesn't matter how great your external communication is with clients, if people don't understand what is happening internally, then you have no or little excuse when things go wrong.

Whilst we all might complain about the sheer number of emails we all get everyday, BCC has become our friend here at Cloud 9. Forget Blind Carbon Copy the original glossary of BCC, as here it stands for Better Clouds Connected. On a large proportion of our daily emails we BCC in at least another person or a couple of people in the team.

The couple of seconds it takes to do this, and to briefly scan an email that's been sent out, can firstly stop having to have unnecessary meetings but also means that if one of the team is suddenly kidnapped by aliens or worse still, run over by the No.47 bus, then as sad as we would be, at least one other person on the team has a fighting chance of picking up a project to ensures its successful continuation!

So knowledge is power and sharing key. We're also list maniacs here. One a week which we are collectively responsible for. It's amazing what you can do with the power of a few bodies all pitching in!

 
Just ask any of our clients! So, have a great week, see you soon!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 21 September 2015

Welcome to another week and we like a little technology here at Cloud 9 Towers so we are finding it fascinating that the simple hotel Apps that we are all fairly used to for booking hotels, have really come on leaps and bounds recently.

We’ve not found an App yet that will do everything we want but some of the bigger hotel chains are really stepping up the features and making guest experiences much more interactive.

For example, The Ritz-Carlton brand is all about helping you to create lasting memories of your stay, and with their enhanced mobile app, you can enrich your hotel experiences and share them more easily than ever.

You can check in prior to your arrival and receive a notification when your room is ready and check out without stopping at the front desk and having to queue and you can also view your bill and track and any extra charges through the app. Additionally, it doesn’t matter whether you need a shoeshine, turndown service or more fresh towels, you can request it via the app rather than ring housekeeping.

Another lovely feature via the Ritz Carlton App is that you can transform your photos into unique, vintage-inspired travel posters that you can share easily and as they use GPS technology, once the app recognises that you have arrived, you’ll be sent all sorts of special offers and tips from the Group President.

With the Hilton Hotels & Resorts app for iPhone, you can browse, book and access your information on the go really easily but in addition, there are all sorts of extra features these days such as being able to access pillow menus in advance so your room is just how you want it on arrival.

No need to check in either, you can simply access your room using the App, so if you don’t want to wait, or are simply feeling like having some alone time, you can pretty much sneak in and out without seeing anyone at all!

Starwood also have an app and their new SPG app delivers a richer, more intuitive experience that’s loaded with the features you want. Not only do you get access to the 1,200 hotels and resorts of Starwood’s award-winning loyalty program, but you can also explore all of the brands from Sheraton and Westins, through to W and Le Méridien.

It has all of the usual features you would expect including the opportunity to book and check in well in advance, and provides all of the latest offers and promotions, but it also has lots of hotel information related to your travel plans and around the clock assistance from the SPG support team.

We do also like the fact that you can store your hotel room number so you never lose it, which is handy if you like a particular room at a specific hotel and also there is a great feature which provides an In-language address for when you’re travelling abroad.

Finally the Accor App which allows you to access and book with all of their brands including ibis, Novotel, Mercure, Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Suite Novotel, Adagio, ibis Styles, ibis budget, hotelF1, and Mama Shelter.

Yes you can book and find a hotel near you if needs be, but you can also watch each of the hotels videos in advance and access the trip Advisor rankings on each in advance to help you make an informed choice.

In addition to sending you a booking reminder once you have booked, you can check in online from 2 days before your arrival at the hotel and even check the wether at your destination before your trip so you know what to pack!

The App also allows you to book your own Uber private car to get to your hotel and allows you access to your favourite press publications for free on your mobile using ACCOR PRESS powered by PressReader.

And something which is really rather clever, is that you can discover just where the in crowd are going as you can check the most popular destinations within the Accor portfolio, Berlin to Bangkok, Lyon to London, Strasbourg to Sydney.

So, app(y) booking everyone, have a great week!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 14 September 2015

Welcome to another week and now that the Summer Holidays are well and truly behind us, we're in somewhat of an educational mode.

With this in mind, we thought this week, it a good idea to mention essential reading this week for event people. Don't worry, we are not into all of those huge Self Help books, but we do firmly think that inspiration can come from a variety of sources and we like to be well read!

We do get a lot of Industry Magazines here at Cloud 9 Towers and we do like a quick flick through them over our butties at lunchtime, just to make sure we are keeping up to date and we even featured some of our suggested essential reading on our latest YouTube post a couple of weeks ago - which if you haven't seen we suggest you watch!

However, we also like a good book here and we mentioned Judy Allen a couple of weeks ago and her brilliant book for event planners. Event Planning: The Ultimate Guide to Successful Meetings, Corporate Events, Fundraising, Galas, Conferences, Conventions, Incentives and Other Special Events is a bestselling all–in–one guide to the event planning business  and has been  fully updated and revised to reflect the very latest trends and best practices in the industry. This handy, comprehensive guide includes forms, checklists, and tips for managing events, as well as examples and case studies of both successful and unsuccessful events and some of content we are sure you will find particularly relevant!

Another great read by Judy is the Marketing Your Event Planning Business book, which is a must for any event planner looking to start up their own business – mostly because it contains every bit of advice to follow if you’re going to become a known brand. Established firms should also give it a read; it’ll be a godsend if you’re looking to expand your client base.

Given that corporate meetings are pretty much an integral part of the events industry,  there are plenty of books on how best to plan them. Thing is, most of those works focus primarily on logistics – something which most event planners are fairly capable of dealing with so Into the Heart of Meetings by Mike van de Vijver’s book instead delves into a number of core questions and practical issues involving meeting design; most importantly, it teaches how to tailor content so meetings deliver the best results possible.

 'Rework' by Jason Fried and David Heinemeir Hansson is also on our list. With chapters like 'Meetings are Toxic,' 'Fire the Workaholics,' and 'Planning is Guessing.', it's a great, short read and certainly some of the content will stick with you.

 

We also like 'Boring Meetings Suck: Get More Out of Your Meetings, Or Get Out of More Meetings' by Jon Petz as its a very lighthearted and engaging book and is anything but boring! 

 

So there you have it, a little reading about reading! Enjoy and see you soon! 

 

What's Floating Around this Week? 7 September 2015

Welcome to another week and it's a busy one here at Cloud 9 Towers! Our first order of business is to welcome Janet to the team who joins us from HRG in Leicester and will be overseeing various projects here as well as streamlining our venue finding systems for clients.

We're then off to the Crowne Plaza in Chester to attend the National Acute Pain Symposium which we're taking over as a project for 2016. As with all events, it's important to get a feel for the delegates and stakeholders and see what works, what doesn't and what we can do to  add a little magic to an existing but respected event to really give it a boost.

From there it's Aston Villa calling as it's the Midlands Media Awards which we run for the Birmingham Press Club. It's a special year for the organisation as they are celebrating their 150th Anniversary this year so we need to make sure the event is extra special this year - and we have a few surprises up our sleeves for the guests! 

We're also using the awards to launch the MMA Student Awards which proved incredibly popular earlier this year and are set for just after Easter next year.

And, whilst we are talking about launches, we've also just launched the next CHS Awards which we run in conjunction with the CHS Group, the lovely people behind the Conference & Hospitality Show.

As the inaugural event was so well supported, we've decided to take the event up a level next time round and therefore, we've increased categories, added some new ones, changed how we approach judging and we're also getting more agents on board to make sure its a really well balanced event. 

Designed to give all venues, irrespective of their status, a chance to be well and truly recognised for aspects of their service or facilities, this a great project and we're excited to be taking it to the next level.

Whilst we are on the subject of venues, we're also delighted to be part of the team developing the wonderful St. Mary's Church in the Lace Market, Nottingham. Although it is occasionally hired out for events, there is a real potential to make it one of the best venues in the City for corporate events and therefore, we are going to be looking after the venue in terms of agent enquiries and coordination so it will be nice to be the other side of the fence for once!

So, lots going on and lots to do, but one thing is for sure, there's never a dull moment and we wouldn't have it any other way! Have a great week...