What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 29 July 2013

Welcome to another week and whilst we wanted to share some exciting news about a new home for Cloud 9, it seems that last weeks freak weather may have delayed our enthusiasm. For some time now we have been on the hunt for new offices for the Cloud 9 team, and finally last Monday we found the perfect spot, not a million miles from where we currently reside.

As half the team headed off to Thetford for the Fresh Awards Judging, and sat in the sunshine, the landlords at our new offices had some bad news for us on Wednesday following Tuesdays torrential downpour.

Carpets and fittings have all been ruined and Severn Trent are having to investigate the drains and damage....

A month's rain fell with 56mm recorded in 3 hours and whilst in our immediate vicinity, the worst of it seemed to hit a local pub, and caused a few road closures, we were considerably luckier than residents in the rest of the city and especially Southwell.

We're a bit too busy to worry about moving immediately anyway and in comparison to lots of others, its no big deal but it does go to show just how much us Brits can be affected by the weather no matter the occasion.

Some of the major festivals from 2012 had some pretty devastating decisions to make last year following our soggy summer and for this year at least, up until now, all of us have pretty much been enjoying one of the best summers for many years so hopefully we will not see another series of cancellations despite the odd shower (or downpour!).

But just what are your rights if an event you are planning to attend gets cancelled?

 

If the organisers cancel the event, you are entitled to a full refund of the face value of the ticket, and usually the booking fee. The face value is the cost of the ticket as printed on it, without extras on top such as postage, administration and booking fees.
You are entitled to this refund because the organisers failed to provide what they sold you, and have broken their contract with you.This will often be done automatically , although some will explain the way to claim on their websites or through emails. 

All events have a risk associated with them and we know from past experience that sometimes you have to just go for it, and hope it delivers!

Check whether your ticket seller is a member of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR). If they are, they should follow a code of practice which says they must refund all fees, when an event is cancelled. Not always applicable in our industry when its a corporate event but we luckily have not been faced with any consumer orientated cancellations!

Sometimes the small print on your ticket, or wording on the website about the ticket sale, is unfair. For example, if it says you're not entitled to a refund if the event is cancelled by the organisers, this is likely to be unfair. In this case, you should complain to your ticket seller. If you have difficulty getting a refund for the event, you can contact the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR) if your ticket seller is a member.

The organisers have changed the date:If an event is changed to another date, your tickets should be valid. If you can't make the new date, then you're entitled to a full refund.

If you bought from a secondary ticket seller: If you bought from a secondary ticket seller you may not have the same chance of getting a refund. Secondary ticket sellers look for tickets and sell them on, often for much more than the cost printed on the ticket. Event promoters may only refund if you bought a ticket from one of their authorised agents or directly from the venue. You can find out more about secondary ticket sellers from the Association of Secondary Ticket Agents (ASTA).

We're members of IATA which has even tougher rules so you can be safe with Cloud 9! 

Refund of other costs such as travel and accommodation: If the event is cancelled or changed, the event organisers do not have to give you a refund for any travel or accommodation costs you have, unless you bought the tickets as part of a holiday travel package.

Getting a refund if you paid by card:If you paid by credit card and the ticket cost more than £100, contact your credit card company as you may be able to get your money back through them. They are likely to be ‘equally liable’ with the ticket seller to refund money, when the ticket seller has broken their contract with you. 

So there you are, our bit for consumer rights this year!

Have a great week, remember that The Fresh Awards nominations go live on Friday, and stay dry!

Enjoy...

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 22 July 2013

Welcome to another week and whilst we all continue to enjoy this rather spectacular summery weather (its probably the best Summer in Cloud 9’s history to date!) our thoughts are already turning ahead to rain macs, woolly jumpers, wellington boots and hopefully another great Summer next year.

Event planning requires just that, lots of planning so we are already booking venues for the Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer of 2014 and we have got a little bit of an issue.

Our schedule for next June includes around half a dozen awards ceremonies and conferences and it seems that every client wants a Thursday – which is not only impossible for us unless anyone has altered the calendar and not told us – but is also hampered by a little football competition next year – The World Cup!

Although the competition kicks off on Thursday 12^th June, and England have yet to formally qualify, assuming they do, they are not scheduled to play their first match until 17 June – however, World Cup fever will no doubt have an impact on any events next year…

The Preliminary Draw was widely adjudged to have smiled on England, with bookmakers immediately making them odds-on favourites to top Group H. Nonetheless, the Three Lions would do well to heed some historical warnings before they begin booking flights for Brazil 2014. 

Points have, after all, been dropped to both Ukraine and Montenegro in recent preliminary campaigns, while Poland were famously responsible for a rare English qualifying failure in 1974. Few will envisage a similar slip-up this time around, but while Moldova and San Marino are unlikely to threaten the top spots, none of the leading quartet can be discounted. 

We don’t confess to know much about football here at Cloud 9 Towers and even less about the host country of the 2014 tournament, Brazil, but we do predict that if England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all make it through, we may need to think about additional screens at events to accommodate any football fans and we will have an even bigger headache on dates!

Whilst we rarely run events or escorted tours that take us out of good old blighty, we are definitely dipping our toes in more and more international events just recently so this seemed like an opportune time to find out a little more about the country hosting the World Cup in 2014, Brazil.

The largest country in South America, Brazil stretches over almost half of the continent. With the Atlantic Ocean on its eastern coastline, Brazil shares frontiers with Venezuela, Guyana, French Guyana and Surinam to the north. Its neighbours to the west are Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru, while Colombia is to the north-west and Uruguay directly south. Of all the countries in South America, only Chile and Ecuador do not border Brazil.

With a surface area of 8,547,404 km², Brazil is the fifth largest country on the planet behind Russia, China, Canada and the United States. It covers 4,345 km from north to south between its furthest points and 4,330 km from east to west. The highest population concentrations are along the Atlantic coastlines, most notably in the two largest cities, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The capital Brasilia has a population of 2,094,000, according to 2003 estimates, and it is situated over 1,000 km inland.

Nearly a quarter of the world's coffee comes from Brazil, with its plantations spread around the states of Sao Paulo, Parana, Espiríto Santo and Minas Gerais. Likewise, Brazil is one of the foremost producers of sugar cane, used not only to make sugar but also the alcohol that fuels 2.5 million specially-designed vehicles. Production levels of ricin, cocoa, corn and oranges are among the highest in the world as well, while soy, tobacco, potato, cotton, rice, wheat, manioc and bananas are also produced in large quantities. In addition, sheep and cattle are reared in almost every state.

The Brazilian rainforest is another source of natural riches, including tung oil, rubber, carnauba oil, caroa fibre, medicinal plants, vegetable oils, resins, timber for construction and various woods used in furniture-making. Brazil has also begun mining fairly recently, again taking advantage of its abundant natural resources.

Brazil has roughly 190 million inhabitants, making it the fifth most populated country on Earth. Almost 75 per cent of them are Catholics, whilst another 26 million are Protestants. Brazil's Jewish community is very small by comparison.

The country is divided into five regions (Centre-West, North, Northeast, South and Southeast), which are themselves divided into 26 states plus the Federal District that houses Brazilian capital Brasília.

Known for its enormous hydroelectric potential, the Southeast region is the most heavily-populated in Brazil with almost 80 million inhabitants, roughly 40 per cent of the total. It is also the most densely-populated (84.21 inhabitants per km²) and has the highest urbanisation rate at 90 per cent.

The official language is Portuguese, however many Brazilians speak other languages according to their origins. German and Italian, for example, are fairly prevalent in the cities of the South.

Better start brushing up on our Portuguese then just in case!

In other news this week, Brand You for Bristol Media is well underway with entries just about to be sent off for judging to their respective juries and the Cloud 9 team will be at The Fresh Awards judging - no easy task!

And our planning for 2014 continues, anyone got a spare Thursday?!

That’s its for this week, enjoy the sunshine!

See you soon

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 15 July 2013

Welcome to another week and whilst we are firmly in Fresh mode, last week we did our bit for Cloud 9 with a couple of days very wisely invested in the inaugural Meetings Show UK.

The Meetings Show UK was a major new event for the UK meeting industry offering an unrivalled platform of inbound and outbound business and bringing together the heart of the meetings community.  The hosted buyer programme – the first in the UK –  identified influential buyers, the education programme was devised by a panel of leading industry figures guaranteeing the very best content and the networking opportunities provided even more chances to build those critical relationships.

The Meetings Show UK was the first UK event to offer a fully hosted buyer programme which accommodates buyers from Europe and beyond and we were lucky enough to be included.  In addition to this, unprecedented industry support and a powerful marketing campaign attracted thousands of additional trade buyers from across the corporate, association, agency and public sectors.

We enjoyed a great event with Manchester Live at BAFTA with a performance from Lesley Garrett and a great overnight stay at the Grovesnor at Victoria and whilst at the event we also managed to catch up with some of our key contacts from some of the fantastic venues we use in Manchester.

As a new event there were a few teething problems but on the whole, it was a pretty well run and organised event, which featured an exhibition showcasing UK and International destinations, venues and hotels along with key providers of meetings and technology services.  A major professional education programme was also available and whilst we were too busy networking to take advantage, the speakers and their content looked great.

One of the sessions we would have liked to attend was hosted by Steve Elliott, Managing Director of Blackberry Productions who presented a free QEIICC Masterclass, titled ‘20 Tips for attracting more people to your events’. Essential for all event organisers, and even after all this time, we recognise that its sometimes good to go back to basics!

So what did Steve have to say....

1. The start point for almost any event has to be Research. Finding who, what, where and when other events are taking place around your planned event date is critical to optimising the number of people that can and will attend your event.

2. You’ll probably have a good idea of the Objectives for your event. That is until someone asks you what they are. If you are not crystal clear on the aims and purpose of your event and what success is going to look and feel like you risk not communicating clearly with your target audience.

3. A Draft plan Is always a great way to begin to get your ideas and thinking structured and begin to create a framework around which other elements of the event can be developed. Begin with simple logistics, start and finish times, get in, break down, key features of the event and then build on from there.

4. Particularly for ‘first time’ events it is good to Test your draft plan with groups of people that have a vested interest in the success of the event. Include target audience groups in the testing exercise. The wider you test the longer time you’ll need to carry out the exercise.

5. Content they say is king. All speakers must be effectively briefed and managed to align their content with your core theme. Rich content, properly communicated will encourage people to get involved and excited about your event.

6. People need to know if attending an event will be ‘worth their time and/or money’. A clear statement of features and Benefits, repeated frequently in your marketing will attract and encourage people to attend events.

7. Frequently the first thing people do before starting planning an event is book the Venue. This is a big mistake. It’s not just about availability on your preferred dates and capacity. The choice of venue should reflect the personality of the event.

8. Thinking hard about your target number of guests/delegates/attendees is critical. I’d always plan to ‘Sell out’ and be oversubscribed. It is so much easier to manage a waiting list than chase numbers.

9. To maximise the numbers of people attending your event effective Promotion is vitally important. I believe in going out to the market as early as possible to achieve the best results. Establish the date in the diary, run a tease campaign releasing an early indication of headlines and highlights. Feedback from previous years is really useful.

10. Ultimately it’s about designing, developing and delivering a high quality event experience that establishes and builds a positive Reputation with a target audience as the ‘go to’ event for your chosen theme.

Successful events that attract an audience, engage and interact with them and ultimately inspire them will be based on robust upfront research, detailed planning and excellent delivery to ensure that what we create not only meets but surpasses the expectations of our audience.

In other news this week we are also looking ahead to 2014 and various events we have in the pipeline.....the 2014 DARE Awards with the PRCA, the CIPR Northern Conference with the North West CIPR Committee and others...

And it would be remiss of us not to mention that the World Cup returns in 2014 with all eyes on Brazil....! 

But our focus for now is both Fresh and the Brand You Awards with Bristol Media which both officially closed last week - although we are starting to wonder how anyone in the world manages to get anything done as deadlines don't seem to matter any more - but maybe that's us being far too soft!

Check back next week for updates on Brand You and Fresh and in the meantime, enjoy the sunshine and have a great week!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 8 July 2013

Welcome to another week and although our Fresh hats remain well and truly on this week, we are still finding a little time to attend The Meetings Show in London.

The Meetings Show UK is a major new event for the UK meeting industry offering an unrivalled platform of inbound and outbound business and bringing together the heart of the meetings community.  

The hosted buyer programme – the first in the UK – will identify influential buyers, the education programme will be devised by a panel of leading industry figures guaranteeing the very best content and the networking opportunities will provide even more chances to build those critical relationships.

The Meetings Show UK is the first UK event to offer a fully hosted buyer programme which accommodates buyers from Europe and beyond.  In addition to this, unprecedented industry support and a powerful marketing campaign will attract thousands of additional trade buyers from across the corporate, association, agency and public sectors.

The event features an exhibition showcasing UK and International destinations, venues and hotels along with key providers of meetings and technology services.  A major professional education programme is also  offered and a series of high quality business networking events will round up the show.

Whilst we need to dip in and out a little at the event, we are delighted to be joining Manchester Live at a rather exclusive event on Wednesday evening. Set in the prestigious BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, guests will network with the very best MICE venues and event suppliers Manchester has to offer, before being treated to an intimate live performance rounding off an unforgettable evening of entertainment.

As we cover a whole host of events in Manchester, this should be a fun and more importantly, relevant event for us.

And as if that wasn't enough, we are also lucky to be a hosted buyer which means our accommodation is also included for the event and we are really looking forward to checking out the hotel we have been booked into, especially as its next door (well almost) to our pal Liz.

Built by the Victorian railway pioneers in 1862, The Grosvenor Hotel Victoria ushered in a Golden Age of travel. Restored to its former glory, this Grade II listed building combines modern luxury, including free wi-fi throughout the hotel, with unique period features. Enjoy the best of London from the 4-star Grosvenor Hotel, located within walking distance of Buckingham Palace.

We don't think the event includes an invitation to tea at Buck House, but hey, you can't have everything can you?!

And there is no such thing as a free lunch, or overnight stay, or party for that matter....

As part of the event you need to book a number of meetings but luckily for us, most of the exhibitors we have chosen to visit are all very relevant to our current schedule of activities.

So that's this week, and in addition, despite our manic June, planning for next year is already underway on a number of projects including the CIPR Northern Conference 2014.

2014 sounds an awful long time away at present we know, but the rate this year has flown by, it will be here before you know it.

So, what can we tell you about 2014...well, it will start on a Wednesday and amongst other things will be the International Year of Crystallography.

For the uninitiated (and that includes us) Crystallography is the science that examines the arrangement of atoms in solids. The word "crystallography" derives from the Greek words crystallon = cold drop / frozen drop, with its meaning extending to all solids with some degree of transparency, and grapho = write. A more comprehensive definition is: "Crystallography is the science of condensed matter with emphasis on the atomic or molecular structure and its relation to physical and chemical properties

Sounds a bit too Big Bang Theory for us to be honest so we'd rather mention the World Cup in Brazil next year, the possibility of a cuppa with Queenie next week and hopefully a great party at BAFTA!

Enjoy your week...and hopefully some sunshine!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 2 July 2013

Welcome to another week and we are a little late today as we have just completed our whistle stop tour of the UK with the PRCA and the inaugural DARE Awards Programme.

Five cities, two weeks and numerous award winners, all of whom we would like to congratulate!

South East

Innovation and Intergration

Fever, Launch of the Jackpotjoy FUNdation                                     Winner

Jackpotjoy

Marketing, Media and Measurement

IAM, Winter Driving 2012                                                                 Winner

Liquid, Hawksford - Thinking Beyond Tomorrow                                Winner

Hawksford      

Campaign Challenges

Say Communications, ACT on CMA – The Challenge of Delayed Reactions

Danone Baby Nutrition                                                                     Winner

Social Strategy

Remarkable Group, Homecoming/Equal Marriage                             Winner

Coalition for Equal Marriage

Research and Results

CubanEight, Reinventing Direct Selling                                              Winner

The Direct Selling Association

Effective Engagement

Weber Shandwick, We Believe in D&T                                               Winner

The Design and Technology Association

Consumer Choice

O2 (Telefonica UK), Taking Chargers Out of the Box … for Good        Winner

Live, Launched and Loud

Fever, Launch of the Jackpotjoy FUNdation                                      Winner

Jackpotjoy

Technology and Trade

Champion Communications, Creating a Buffalo Stampede               Winner

Buffalo Technology

Internal Inclusion

URENCO, URENCO flies high with BCD Travel                                   Winner

North

Innovation and Integration

Acceleris, Time Moves Slowly for UK Business Drivers                     Winner

RAM Tracking

Marketing, Media and Measurement

Havas PR UK, A puurfect Christmas                                                   Winner

Pets at Home

Campaign Challenges

Acceleris, Navigating a ‘Perfect Media Storm’                                   Winner

The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations

Social Strategy

Wolfstar, LCF Men                                                                              Winner

London College of Fashion

Research and Results

Havas UK, The Return of Leigh Toaster Cheese                                 Winner

Asda

Effective Engagement

Wolfstar, LCF Men                                                                              Winner

London College of Fashion

Live, Launched and Loud

Weber Shandwick, Launch Zip World Snowdonia                               Winner

Zip World Snowdonia

Technology and Trade

Shrewdd Marketing, LeafNut – Seeing the Light                                Winner

Harvard Engineering

Weber Shandwick, Sealed Air: Will it Break?                                     Winner

Sealed Air

 

Liquid celebrating DARE success!

Midlands

Innovation and Integration

McCann PR, Britain’s Top Tradesman                                             Winner

Screwfix

Marketing, Media and Measurement

McCann PR, 20 years of Premier League Stickers                              Winner

Topps Ltd

Liquid, Hawksford - Thinking Beyond Tomorrow                                Winner

Hawksford      

Campaign Challenges

The Corner Shop PR Ltd, Stockhausen’s ‘Mittwoch Aus Licht’           Winner

Birmingham Opera Company

Social Strategy

Lava, Getting Social With Childminders                                             Winner

Research and Results

McCann PR, Reaching MSBs                                                               Winner

npower I&C

Effective Engagement

Liquid, Welcoming a New Academy into the Heart of the Community

Charles Coddy Walker Academy/Erudition Schools Trust                  Winner

Consumer Choice

McCann PR, Summer of Sharpie                                                         Winner

Sharpie

Live, Launched and Loud

Big Cat Group, The Voyage                                                                 Winner

Birmingham Hippodrome

Technology and Trade

Grayling Midlands, Driving Interest In Mira Technology Park            Winner

MIRA

Internal Inclusion

Derbyshire County Council, Ditch the Data Demon                           Winner

Scotland

Innovation and Integration

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Panda Breeding Season 2012 at Edinburgh Zoo                                                                                                 Winner

Marketing, Media and Measurement

3x1 Public Relations, Celebrating Britain’s National Dish                 Winner

Seafish

Campaign Challenges

CM Porter Novelli, St Andrew's First Aid                                            Winner

St Andrew’s First Aid

Research and Results

Stripe Comms & The Scottish Government, Reflecting on Womens Drinking Habits

Scottish Government                                                                           Winner

Consumer Choice

Fairground Communications, Home Is Where The Haggis Is             Winner

Macsween

Live, Launched and Loud

MC2 and Clark Communications, Krispy Kreme Takes Scotland by (snow)Storm

Krispy Kreme UK                                                                                  Winner

South West and Wales

Innovation and Integration

HRSM Limited, Union Jacks High                                                        Winner

Barbury International Horse Trials

Marketing, Media and Measurement

Liquid, Hawksford - Thinking Beyond Tomorrow                                Winner

Hawksford      

Campaign Challenges

Remarkable Group, Keep Calm and Get Tested Campaign                Winner

Solent NHS Trust

Social Strategy

Remarkable Group, Homecoming/Equal Marriage                             Winner

Coalition for Equal Marriage

Effective Engagement

JBP PR & Parliamentary Affairs, Daring to Use Social Media for a Large, Contentious Planning Application                                                                        Winner

London Metric

Consumer Choice

Liquid, Pro Bono PR for Largest Ever Fundraising Campaign in Guernsey

Les Bourgs Hospice                                                                          Winner

Live, Launched and Loud

Bray Leino, Kiss-As-You-Go with Joey Essex                                      Winner

Virgin Media                                                                                      

For additional information, photographs and more, please see the PRCA website.

Normal service will resume next week all, but in the meantime, congratulations again to all of our DARE winners...

Have a great week and don't forget its the Fresh Awards deadline this Friday!