What's Floating Around? 25 March 2019

Welcome to another week and it occurs to us sometimes (and we do check the stats) that some weeks we get very few hits, views or even visitors to our little blog site. 

Now, we could take this very personally here at Cloud 9 Towers, as we have been blogging since 2011 and we average about 49-50 blogs a year, which in itself is a pretty impressive number, as that equates to over 400 blogs.

But the time it takes to find suitable content and look up relevant information to include cannot be ignored and we reckon, with around 400 blogs, an each one taking around half an hour or so to write, and then put online, comes to at least 200 hours - and that is probably a pretty low estimate.

Just think what we could have done with all of that time?!

Blogging for us has never been about a vanity project or a chance to blow off steam about any particular subject, it's been basically to try and help our SEO and by bloggging externally and then changing some of the key words and content on our own website, trying to improve our rankings a little - and get some new business. 

We like to think we are fairly well informed and know our stuff, but we must be doing something wrong as we are just not getting an audience of any note. If however, you do check in with us often then thank you! 

Clearly, our blogs are not bringing in the bacon so to speak and as Albert Einstein is credited with saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” 

So, to anyone who is still reading - and again, we thank you, this will be our last hurrah! No more blogs externally - not unless we get in to triple figures! 

What's Floating Around? 18 March 2019

Welcome to another week and here at Cloud 9 Towers we do like to stay on top of new hotels and venues for our clients -this way we can offer the very best free venue finding service possible. With this in mind we thought we would share some of the hottest new hotels and venues around so here goes.. 

 Fingal, a former shabby ship, has now found a permanent home in Edinburgh’s historic Port of Leith following a £5million development project. Offering beautiful cabins, dining and entertaining space, choose from a luxury cabin with private deck, a duplex cabin with comfortable living space or the stunning Skerryvore Suite with extensive outdoor space for events.

From the Marriott group, and set in The Duke of Marlborough’s former country estate, The Langley has been undergoing a complete multi-million-pound renovation over the last five years. As an exquisite 41-room boutique hotel and spa, set within 500 acres of idyllic Buckinghamshire countryside and one of the most exciting UK hotel launches of 2019. With stunning interior design by Dennis Irvine Studio, with original features at the heart of designs and a world-class Sisley spa facility, The Langley is set to be a great venue. 

One of the most talked-about openings of 2019, Grantley Hall is a 17th century Palladian-designed property in the heart of the idyllic Yorkshire countryside, complete with a lake and English Heritage-listed Japanese Garden, and looks amazing. Check into one of 47 rooms and suites, seven diverse drinking and dining venues, a state-of-the-art conference and event spaces plus a tranquil spa and fitness centre.

Monkey Island Estate, a seven-acre island sitting in the river Thames in Bray, Berkshire, has been given a new lease of life as a 30-bedroom hotel by YTL Hotels and looks just amazing. The island, accessible only by boat or footbridge, has an 800-year history but is bang up to date for a great range of events.

So that's it for this week, and have a good one! 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 11 March 2019

Welcome to another week and we're pleased to be announcing a new service exclusively for Executive and Personal Assistants which is being headed up by Daniel in our team. It does exactly what it says on the tin and is designed to be a super quick solution for busy people. 

Cloud 9 Assists offers a 24/7 service and if the idea of using it seems a little crackers then consider all of the time and effort you need to invest into running a successful event and this usually starts with selecting the ideal venue, on the date that works for you.

It may not seem like the hardest job, and if you have set a brief for an event, or have been asked by your employers to to find a venue for a specific event, then you know what you’re looking for, how many people will be attending and what your requirements and budget might be. 

You start your search, you find some potential venues online,  and then you call or email for quotes -  in amongst everything else you have to do that day - and the next thing you know you are inundated with length proposals all in different formats, some with vat, some without, and what's worse, they haven't answered all of your questions about the specifics.

Then you have to face the barrage of calls from venues following up to see if you have made a decision, as if you weren't busy enough! 

This is where Cloud 9 Assists is ideal. With over 25 years of combined, experience in sourcing venues, and delivering amazing events, we can take the arduous research away from you all for free - and we'll come back to you with a formatted document with a range of suggestions, enabling you to make an informed and educated choice. 

We'll ask the questions you might not think of, even down to ensuring that the day of your event, you will not arrive to be faced with scaffolding or building work! 

You'll have one point of contact, who can negotiate on your behalf to get you the best deal and rates, and arrange any site visits should you need them. And even if you don't like any of the venues we suggest, you can always ask for more or change your mind about location - we understand about being flexible and our service if fast, friendly and effective. 

It's also 100% free all of the time, so give it a try. There is no obligation to book any of the venues we suggest, so there really is nothing to lose, and everything to save when it comes to your time and your sanity!

Have a great week.

What's Floating Around? 4 March 2019

Welcome to another week and we're all about the invitations this time - as agents we are lucky to receive all manner of invitations to fam trips, trade shows and wonderful incentive trips across the world. 

We know every travel destination, hotel and venue wants publicity and to be on the radar of agents, and every DMC wants their services recommended but as agents you have to be realistic. The first class service and red carpet welcome you get as agents, might not be the same experience enjoyed by clients - and yet its clients that pay the bills.

Fam trips are of an educational nature to give planners ideas, inspiration and networking opportunities with local suppliers and some are really well planned to maximise time, whilst some seem to miss the point - but we wont dwell on the negative experiences we have had with fams or at trade forums. 

However, we would like to make some suggestions  for suppliers when it comes to fams and educationals, for instance, on the first day attendees are coming from different destinations, some have short, others long journeys and rather than rush right in to a manic schedule, give people a little time to adjust to their new surroundings. Keep it light, with a relaxed evening event, and allow delegates to have a good nights sleep and save the energy for second day. 

Try to facilitate introductions, make a simple ice breaker game or add name badges including name, company and maybe a flag of the country of origin, and if you are splitting people between hotels, try and think in advance about any language barriers.

Also, whilst  we all  appreciate the fantastic hospitality, sometimes there is simply too much food. Less is more and although we don't want delegates to go hungry, waste is far worse. Stick to a theme and budget - most event professionals would rather have a glass of something anyway! 

If you want to attract decision makers, you must think creatively to prove it’s worth their time and the initial invitation is the first impression you give them and because they get many invitation, yours needs to stand out.

Fam trip organisers show us the best venues and when it comes to business, planners want to know how much it costs. It’s surprising how often suppliers send junior staff members to welcome the group and are not always informed or confident enough to talk about prices and share a couple of examples with the attendees - it will give them a much better chance to being able to sell to clients. 

Finally, try and avoid arranging an amazing trip at the same time as someone else, or when they is already a major industry event taking place - and what better way to check this than by using Famtastic. It lists all of the key industry events and fam trip invitations.

Have a great week, and enjoy!