What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 25 April 2016

Welcome to another week and this week its all about the CHS Show which takes place in Leeds tomorrow at the First Direct Arena. The Conference and Hospitality Show (CHS) is the leading event in the North for event organisers, venue finders and PAs.

The show is now in its 7^th year and for 2016 is moving from Elland Road to the world class First Direct arena in central Leeds. The event incorporates an exhibition of national companies - including venues, hotels and suppliers of meetings products and services, numerous education sessions and networking events.

The show has a well-established hosted buyer programme and specialist education streams serving both the PA and the event organiser and it has to be said, that out of the oodles of event trade shows that take place within our industry each year, CHS is right up there as one of our favourites here at Cloud 9 Towers.

We are lucky enough to attend as Hosted Buyers which means that the lovely CHS people treat us to an overnight stay and welcome party the night before the exhibition and even though we are hosted, we are not obligated to do a set number of appointments which is usually the case.

Instead at CHS we have the opportunity to wander round and talk to those venues exhibiting with who we are interested in finding out more, or simply catching up with those properties that we know well and have an existing working relationship with.

This informal approach is one of the reasons we love CHS and also the fact its just one day is also a plus as many of the shows these days run over two or three days and if you are hosted, it can be a big chunk out of your working week to attend.

But what makes Trade Shows important for our, and all other businesses?  With so many potential clients gathered in the same venue, trade shows present incredible marketing opportunities. They give companies the chance to connect with the customers who are most interested in what the company offers. 

Most companies set up booths featuring video displays, printed signs, promotional materials, and well informed sales people to highlight what is exemplary and appealing about the company. Representatives will provide presentations, hold competitions and all sorts of promotional activity to capture the attention of trade show attendees and CHS is no exception.

We're not typical trade show visitors though as if you are not careful you can find yourself bogged down by a million and one brochures - many of them duplicated if more than one of us is attending and we prefer to try and keep most of activities online these days. So exhibitors don't need to worry about the bag collectors from our end anyway - you know the type - not interested in the stand apart from the freebies! 

Luckily in our industry, everyone who attends CHS will be interested and qualified to attend so its unlikely that the exhibitors will be plagued by lots of visitors wasting their time.

However, exhibitors can sometimes get it wrong and those that don't understand the importance of marketing in advance can fail to get visitors to engage at their show. Also exhibitors who don't have a clear goal can come a cropper. It's all well and good handing out leaflets and promotional material but if you want to attract business then make sure you are getting your message across.

Additionally, its all very well collecting a million and one business cards, but exhibitors should concentrate on the quality of the visitors to their stand, not the quantity. Its also really important to follow up as many leads as possible as soon as possible after the show.

Promotional giveaways are a constant presence at trade shows and you can spend a fortune on water bottles, bags, phone chargers, pens, stress balls, as well as printed brochures, but what are these really doing for you, especially if you’re handing them out to anyone who walks by the booth.

 

Lastly, social media really counts as well and is a great way to engage at exhibitions, with photos and commentary online.

 

We'll be engaging at CHS on Tuesday and using the assigned hash tag #CHSRocks and in our opinion, it certainly does!

 

Have a great week everyone and don't forget that the nominations for the CHS Awards are out on Tuesday too...

 

 

 

 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 18 April 2016

Welcome to another week and without further ado, this week we'd like to mention our Ambassadors Programme - as we over half way there in appointing some incredible people to represent our brand - Cloud 9 - to the wider world.

We like to think we have a pretty good relationship and reputation with our existing clients, but who doesn't like new business - so we decided that rather than invest in a sales person, we would instead appoint Ambassadors in different regions around the UK to expand our network a little.

As a result, we have been meeting some great people from different parts of the UK to work alongside us and introduce our free venue finding service to a wider audience.

There are, we know, lots of other agencies offering the same service in the UK, but we like to think that we go that extra mile in that our FUSE Service is pretty unique and sets us aside from the competition. And, its all completely free, all of the time! 

 

So, just what is FUSE? Well, yes, it is FREE Venue Finding, so whether you want a small

meeting, a large congress, a gala dinner, an incentive, an awards ceremony, a conference, a golf trip or any event at all, then we have the experience, and tools to find you the perfect fit for your next event. We do this for free, and we’re fast and efficient and above all friendly, so even if you change the brief, we don’t mind!

It’s UNDERSTANDING Social Media for Events. If you’ve used our FREE Venue Finding Service, and you want to engage with your guests or delegates in advance of an event, then we can help. We can set up and monitor all of your social media channels, schedule and post so that you create awareness in advance, and we’ll even help post event with longevity to ensure your event stays memorable. We can even build you an App if you want one – free…

It’s STYLING for Events. Again, simply use our FREE Venue Finding Service and if you are running an event that requires stunning centre pieces or decor then we’re happy to help and we’ll even deliver it for free locally. If your event is national then we might ask that you make a small contribution towards postage and if your event is International then we can put you in touch with the right people – it doesn’t matter to us if you are holding an event in Nottingham or Nepal, with our experienced team, we can help! Unfortunately, we are unable to ship our items to Outer Mongolia and we have yet to have any requests for Outer Space, so kindly bear with us on this one!

It’s EVALUATION for Events. Sometimes it can be really important to know and recognise the R.O.I. on your event spend. How on topic were your speakers? How was the venue? Did your delegates come away with a positive impression following the conference or meeting? As part of our FREE Venue Finding, we can help you evaluate your event and collect the results, helping you easily and effectively evaluate each and every event.

So there you have it. FUSE from Cloud ⁹, it’s unique, it’s effective and more importantly, its free, zilch, zero, complimentary, gratis…and you can’t get better than that!

Our Ambassadors will be offering this great service to clients around the UK, but we still have opportunities available for the right people - and these are the people who are already in a professional environment, who like to network and meet new people.

If this sounds like you, please let us know as we are yet to appoint anyone in the North East or North West, or the South West of England. We'll even throw in a Ferrero Rocher for the right people!

Have a great week and don't forget its the Midlands Media Awards for Students on Thursday which you can follow live on Twitter using #MMAStudents16.

 

 

 
 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 11 April 2016

Welcome to another week and its certainly all go here at Cloud 9 Towers with a whole host of client events, conferences and awards looming. One of the key things we're looking forward to is the Conference & Hospitality Show in Leeds which takes places on 26 April at the First Direct Arena and is now recognised as one of the leading Trade Shows, and certainly the most prolific in the North.

It's a bit different for us this year as in addition to attending the show as hosted buyers, part of the team will also be on hand to man a stand, and we're representing the spectacular St Mary's Church in the Lace Market, Nottingham.

Following  major and significant refurbishment, St Mary's is both a living church and the latest Nottingham venue 'with a difference'; as such it offers a unique historic and atmospheric setting for a range of events. There is a spacious interior with 8,000 sq ft' of flat floor space, under floor heating, comfortable and flexible seating possibilities.

St Mary’s is an ideal location in Nottingham's Lace Market and Creative Quarter situated just a few minutes walk from three car parks, tram stops, the railway station and the city centre itself. There is a world of possibilities available at St Mary's with seating available for up to 500 guests. The Nave Space can accommodate up to 200 guests for Gala or Formal Dinners. With our range of local suppliers able to deliver everything from superb catering to stunning audio visual solutions, you are guaranteed a truly spectacular event at St Mary’s. So we look forward to telling you more about this amazing venue the show.

Also, this years Show will be the platform for announcing the shortlist for the CHS Awards and following record entries, we are expecting a bit of a rush on ticket sales, especially as we sold out in record time for the inaugural awards last year. 

But getting back to being Hosted Buyers though and its a term that is used frequently in our industry and accompanies all sorts of invitations. For the uneducated though, exactly what does it mean to be a Hosted Buyer, what are the qualifications and obligations? honour?

Hosted buyer programs are springing up everywhere. The hosted buyer concept was designed by Ray Bloom, founder and director of the IMEX Group originally and although still relatively new in North America, these programs have been around for years in Europe.

Hosted Buyer Lounge at the Meetings Show London

In a nutshell, hosted buyer programs are a way to engage buyers (event planners) and sellers (suppliers such as hoteliers, DMC's, Venues etc) outside of the traditional trade show. Accepted hosted buyers set appointments, share RFPs and have the opportunity to meet with suppliers they want to meet before the conference. Relationships are established pre event so that come the actual event, the face-to-face appointments are productive. The key benefit for both parties is the time efficiency and also making sure you are meeting the people you need to meet. No point in only meeting suppliers with whopping great convention bureaus if your average group size is only 40 or 50 people.

Hosted Buyers are normally invited to apply and then have to go through a qualification process so that the organisers can determine the potential for business, any buying power and more importantly that any needs are being met by the suppliers in attendance. If its unlikely that you will ever have a need for a hotel or venue in certain parts of the world, then some of the Trade Shows are simply not for you and you are wasting your own and the suppliers time.

Qualified buyers normally then can expect that their travel, accommodation, transfers and any event registration fees will be covered, and in most cases with our own experience, usually some fantastic dinners and social events too. This is of course funded by the income that the suppliers bring in and it also guarantees a good audience at the event for the organisers or hosts - hence Hosted Buyers! 

World Travel Market Stats

As a Hosted Buyer you are normally expected to attend a number of pre-arranged appointments or workshops but as you can usually select just who you want to see, being hosted has lots of benefits. Of course having that investment in you means that you are duty bound to attend your appointments, be on time and be professional at all times, and its important to try and maximise your experience at the event, so we never expect anything less from our our team here as we are always appreciative of the invitations.

We also recognise that its a sizable investment also for the suppliers, and we all know that its not always easy to establish a measurable sales ROI at Trade Shows. Having buyers there at least ensures an exhibitor or not standing around all day waiting for an opportunity to talk to someone! With a Hosted Buyer Programme the supplier knows that the meetings they schedule are with buyers that want and need their specific services.

 

So the next time someone mentions being a Hosted Buyer, you will now know the terminology and what to expect - and it will also help you ensure that the suppliers are the ones you want to meet and to talk to!

We look forward to seeing you at CHS, whether you are hosted or not! Have a great week!

  

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 4 April 2016

Welcome to another week at Cloud 9 Towers and we can't quite believe that April has come around so quickly - at this rate it will be Christmas before we know it!  We are still very busy as always and this month see's us at the Midlands Media Awards for Students with the Birmingham Press Club, attending CHS in Leeds and gearing up for the CHS Awards in Manchester.

Whilst we are on the subject of the CHS Awards, we are pleased to be working with GTAssociates who are kindly sponsoring one of the categories at the awards, and we are delighted to welcome a guest blog from them this week, all about the magic of Venice, Capri and the Amalfi Coast.

"GTAssociates and our DMC family love working with Cloud 9 and, below, share an example of what you may do in Italy.

 

“Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go.”  Truman Capote

Venice is a city of lavish fantasy; arguably the most beautiful city in the world. A city to spellbind your audience be it for Corporate meetings, Incentive travel, Conferences or other Events. Venice defies both the seas and description while its age defying beauty captures every visitor’s imagination.

Venice was created more than 1,000 years ago by men who dared defy the sea: erecting their splendid palaces and churches on mud banks in a swampy and treacherous lagoon. For centuries Venice was the mistress of trade between Europe and the Orient. Today Venice is a mistress of art, historic architecture and romance.

A beguiling place to meet. A master of Meetings and Incentive programmes. Sunlight shimmers and silvery mist softens every perspective here so small wonder the city was renowned during the Renaissance for its artists’ rendering of colour. Venice is full of secrets, ineffably romantic and an exotic mélange of Byzantine, Gothic, and Renaissance styles.

"You may have the universe if I may have Italy" Giuseppe Verdi

Capri & Amalfi Coast: Let this alluring Land of The Sirens lure you to amazing VIP Travel Incentives and Board Meetings. According to Homer The Sirens lured you onto the rocks. Nowadays with Capri & the Amalfi coast you are “lost” only in the sense you will be at a loss to choose where to hold your Event. 

Capri: Carefree, captivating and romantic. Beautiful beaches, amazing rock formations, luxurious hotels, nightlife, a sailing regatta in May, swimming marathon, summer classical music concerts and an International Folklore Festival, the Capri film festival in December and to end the year a spectacular fireworks display in La Piazzetta on New Year’s Eve. 

Capri an island loved by artists, writers, the rich and famous. Capri entertains and enchants so entertain and enchant your top performers or top clients with a travel Incentive to Capri."

Our thanks for a great insight in to the wonders of Italy and please do let us know if you have any requests as we would be delighted, along with GTAssociates to get a proposal over to you. Have a great week all!