What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 31 August 2015

Welcome to another week and it might be a short one but as we venture in September and event season begins again in full swing, we thought it a good opportunity to look at some of the best apps that every #eventprof should be using.

There is a really wide variety of event apps available to help meeting planners and event professionals to increase efficiency, keep organised and create a more engaging experience for attendees and what's great, is that most of them are free and really simple to use. From short lists to lengthy research, no matter what form your writing takes, Evernote keeps you focused on moving those ideas from inspiration to completion and the fact that you can easily gather everything together really makes a difference. Clip web articles, capture handwritten notes, and snap photos to keep the physical and digital details of your projects with you at all times.

You can also connect your work with the people who help you get it done. Communicate, collaborate, and share in real-time with anyone in the world without ever leaving Evernote, and additionally you can have really fast and, effective meetings by presenting your work as it evolves. No need to build slides, just one click and your notes are transformed into a beautiful screen-friendly layout. The basic version is really simple but if you want to go pro, as with most apps, you can upgrade to include additional features.

 

The Pocket Planner is a handy event and meeting calculator that uses Convention Industry Council (CIC) standards to recommend food, beverage, service and safety quantities for events based on attendance. You can input your own settings and make last minute changes so that even if you can lots of last minute bookings or cancellations, any event confirmations you have made will still be on track and your financial situation completely clear! Always a plus with events!

Along similar lines is Super Planner, which is also a business app for the professional event planner. It provides a variety of planning tools, including calculators for venue capacity, staffing, catering, staging, projection and dance floor, as well as useful tips in several areas so it has more features that the Pocket Planner, and is as equally useful for #eventprofs. Incredibly good for keeping a track on event finances as the project progresses.

 

And whilst we are on the subject of finance, revenue from sponsors and stakeholders in events can be easily tracked, and you can attract new sponsors and exceed your revenue goals using the EventPilot conference app's unmatched variety of sponsorship opportunities and ad placements. Use the calculator to estimate your meeting app revenue potential. 

  

Asana is a great app for those running events as everyone involved can be assigned tasks and you can check on the status from anywhere of who has done what and when.  Against the speed, complexity, and scope of our modern work, email is no longer up to the task. Figuring out what needs to get done, getting on the same page, and finding the right information in email can be inefficient so   Asana has re-imagined team communication from the ground up. Conversations and tasks are in one place, so everything is actionable and transparent. When less of your time is spent in email, you’ll have more time to get work done.As email is the bane of our life here at Cloud 9 towers, this is an invaluable little app and we're on it! 

If you have ever had a tough time collecting photos following an event then Eversnap solves this problem perfectly. Just ensure you get your guests and attendees to to download the app and then upload event photos to one place. Instead of  having to ring round or email for images to share, Eversnap can store than all in one handy place ready for anyone to access.This is also a great tool for when it comes to promoting the next event of its kind, as you wont spend ages trying to remember just where you digitally filed the photos and images! And, should anything horrible happen to your computer and you have failed to store any images in a cloud or backed them up, then they wont be lost.

EventHero is a real productivity booster and the software aims to bolster your day-of event management capabilities. EventHero offers real-time alerts, on-site badge printing, a lead retrieval system for exhibitors, and access control management. It’s the total package for serious event professionals. If you need to print badges on site then this app has you covered. Use standard Brother™ label printers and blank badge shells for perfect, uniform badges, every time, you can also allow sponsors and exhibitors to easily scan badges and you can even offer them alerts or other data in real-time.

 

Additionally, imagine if you could run the entire floor of your event every 3 seconds. EventHero Real-Time Alerts allow you to set up the activities that you want to be made aware of. Has your keynote made it to the facility? Is a VIP from your largest exhibitor on the expo floor for you to talk about renewal? Wouldn’t your exhibitors like to know which attendees went to the 3 sessions that talk about the problems their product solves? You set up the alerts, EventHero sends you a text, email or both at the speed of light when it happens. Whilst its note free, it is a pretty amazing tool for busy event people and probably a must if you are running a major event with multiple sessions at a time.

 Planning Pod is also not one of the free Apps, but Planning Pod puts all your event planning & business management tools in one, central place. This makes it much easier to collaborate with team members and track event details. The service boasts more than two dozen management tools including budgeting, floor plan layouts, and task management. Some people choose Planning Pod because it's easy-to-use and fast to implement. Others like the fact that it's Web-based so they can access their information anywhere, on any device. 

 

Finally as anyone knows with running event, you can end up wasting a lot of time keeping track of all your event related contacts. Full Contact pulls in all your connections, updates them with social info, and syncs them back to your Apple devices or Gmail. This can save you time when integrating data into your CRM or scouting sponsorship opportunities. Just think, no more excel spreadsheets to worry about! Again, this is a free app, or you can simply upgrade to include all sorts of great additional features.

So there you have it, lots of great apps for you to consider using for your next event, whether during the planning or at your next event. Have a great week!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 24 August 2015

Welcome to another week and whilst we are not suggesting that you need any thing to do with Rodgers and Hammerstein, (look them up if you are too young to remember who they are), you will need your passport as we prepare to go long haul as our look at new hotels continues, this time in the South Pacific.

So with our bags packed we head off initially to the new Vibe Hotel Marysville which is just 90 minutes from Melbourne. Part of the TFE Hotels Group, the new Vibe Hotel offers a stylish, contemporary hotel to relax and discover one of Australia’s most beautiful regions.

Tucked away in the forested foothills of Victoria’s Great Dividing Range, Marysville has long been a favourite getaway destination thanks to its tranquil riverside location, culinary delights, wonderful scenery and outdoor adventures. The Vibe Hotel Marysville is inspired by its natural surroundings, and you will be too. From the local art, spectacular views of the Yarra Ranges National Park and Cathedral Ranges right through to the superb Radius Bar & Grill featuring premium locally sourced produce and a menu designed by Executive Chef Leigh Colville.

Guest rooms are comfortable and modern, the business facilities are well-equipped. Recharge or refresh in the wellness area, or explore the local area – the Vibe Hosts will be happy to share their local knowledge.

But what is also great about this hotel is that it has a massive capacity for Events with flexible, functional floor space for up to 480 guests with naturally light-filled with floor to ceiling glass windows and state of the art audio visual technology and complimentary high speed internet. A must we feel these days for events.

 

From there we head to off to Lizard Island. Cyclone Ita devastated this petite Great Barrier Reef island when it hit in April 2014 and some 12 months on, and following a massive rebuild and remodeling effort, the isle and its resort have a rather special resort now up and running.

Lizard Island is truly secluded from the rest of the world. With 24 powdery-white beaches and 40 luxurious suites, it is the most northern resort in tropical Queensland and is located directly on the Great Barrier Reef. 

A National Park covering 1,013 hectares with 24 sandy beaches and a lagoon, Lizard Island is accessible only by private charter from Cairns Airport in northern Queensland, Australia. Cairns Airport is accessible from all major Australian airports and directly from some cities in Asia.

The island is reserved for the fortunate few who will experience an unforgettable holiday like no other. Enjoy secluded picnics and sunset beach dining on private beaches, five star cuisine in the beautiful Salt Water restaurant and indulgent spa treatments in the Essentia Day Spa. Relax in style in premium accommodation and take in the wonders of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef – right on your doorstep.

Whilst it's not really set up for meetings, if you can afford to go there and take the resort over, then you can probably do anything you like there! 

From here we move to Capri by Fraser in Brisbane which is Urban inspired. High tech. Intuitive. The Capri by Fraser, Brisbane hotel residence offers guests the freedom to choose how and when you want to work, live and play.

An effortlessly stylish and vibrant hotel residence designed by award-winning Ministry Of Design, Capri by Fraser, Brisbane brings a touch of the rainforest to an inner city development featuring living vertical gardens, trendy art installations, and restaurant featuring fresh and nutritious menus designed by Chef Pete Evans.The hotel is centrally located in the heart of Brisbane CBD within walking distance to Queen Street Mall shopping, City Botanical Gardens, and riverside dining at Eagle Street Pier.

It's pretty well set up for Meetings too and is well-equipped for business presentations, and events in Brisbane, as the hotel offers thoughtfully designed event spaces complete with free + fast WiFi and the latest integrated audio visual capabilities.

Showcasing an abundance of natural light and leafy outlook, The Pod is a versatile function space that can cater for up to 150 guests. For a contemporary styled boardroom, the Pow-Wow is an ideal place for small meetings and private dinners.

Well-known chef and paleo ambassador Pete Evans has partnered with Capri by Fraser, Brisbane to design thoughtfully constructed catering menus allowing delegates to enjoy a variety of fresh and delicious selections with paleo inspired dishes and an emphasis on high quality, seasonal and local produce.

Looking ahead to next year, leading Australian accommodation provider, Mantra Group, will manage the five-star hotel within the new M Docklands development set to open in 2016. The 68-room apartment hotel will operate under the group's luxury Peppers brand and will be known as Peppers Docklands Melbourne. We'll keep you posted about this one!

And just a short hop away, the Sofitel So Hotel is also almost open for business in Auckland. The Sofitel So Auckland, the fourth of the So brand, will be smack in the middle of the central business district, putting visitors within close proximity to everything the Kiwi metropolis has to offer. Setting up shop in the former New Zealand Reserve Bank, design junkies will be able to walk one block to the city's harbour and still be just five minutes away from the Auckland Viaduct, the hot entertainment district. 

If you know So, you know there will be a big-name designer to take the building from its financial glory and turn every one of its 133 rooms and common areas into stunning canvases. No doubt the lobby lounge bar, rooftop restaurant and sexy swimming pool with get the designer touch, but we will have to wait and see which artist will put their stamp on the property. SoSpa and the gym, SoFit, both located in the old bank's vault, will also be included undoubtedly getting the designer flair.

So there you have it, an update on the South Pacific for all of those planning long haul trips in their future! Have a great week and we will see you after the Bank Holiday.

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 17 August 2015

Welcome to another week and rather than continue our series on new hotel openings, we thought it was timely to talk about the whole issue of Fam trips and what constitutes a good one. Additionally which invitations should you accept and which shouldn't you?  For the uneducated amongst you, fam trips or familiarisation trips are a great way to discover new venues and to really get a grip on potential new venues for any new enquiries that might come your way. 

Along with many other agencies, we get a bit inundated here at Cloud 9 Towers, with invitations to all sorts of open days, weekends, lunches, dinners, breakfasts, excursions and lots of opportunities to explore far flung destinations abroad.

Getting the balance right between having enough staff in the office to cover our workload but also ensuring we use these experiences as an education can be a bit tricky - and where we can, we also want to try and convert business at some point so that we do actually deliver a return on the investment that is made on us. We don't want to be known as Fammer Scammers! That's not an official term but we love it!

For example, Paula went on a great trip at the back end of 2014 to Amsterdam with Accor Hotels, but it was only this last month that we managed to get some business in two of the hotels that featured as part of the trip.

 

Fam's are also a great way to connect with our agents and sometimes this can be equally as interesting as its always useful to discover just how other agents are doing, and how they approach the various issues that sometimes arise in this business of ours.

It's fair to say that if we wanted, we could probably be at something or other almost every weekend of the year, and the number of invites we have to turn down by far outweighs those that we accept. 

A client of ours in the Travel Industry regular takes agents away and its always interesting to hear stories about the trips and just how badly some of the guests behave on these trips - despite the fact they are fully hosted and paid for. 

Unfortunately, we have also witnessed this here as on some trips we have noticed both a distinct lack of manners and grumbles about hotel rooms, travel arrangements and even really petty stuff such as having to buy the odd drink or cover extras like newspapers. It never fails to amaze us just how much some people take these invitations for granted and we have a strict policy here when it comes to fams.

We only accept those when we think we may actually have a chance at getting some business for the property, destination or region. We always make sure we are on time and genuinely interested in the show rounds, be a hotel, venue or area. It doesn't matter whether we are seeing 17 different categories of hotel bedrooms in a single hotel, we maintain our enthusiasm. We tweet and put it out there on social media, both in advance, during and afterwards and we always, always, always, thank our hosts and the venues included for the wonderful experience. It is after all just good manners.

And, we only go if we have the time to do it!

Judy Allen wrote a great book called Event Planning Ethics and Etiquette: A Principled Approach to the Business of Special Event Management and it has a great chapter on Fams with the odd horror story thrown in for good measure, but its a must on this subject.

 Virtual Fams are a great idea if you don't have time but want to get a feel for a venue and Meet Pie have a great online destination reference tool for event planners.  Containing all the relevant data needed for meetings and incentive travel organisers to build an event programme, Virtual Fam Trip is constantly updated to provide necessary real time information for event planners - from dates of public holidays to visa requirements, meeting venues to local destination management companies, team-building to transportation, weather conditions to restaurants plus useful additional links and more. In this fast-moving world, Virtual Fam Trip gives you everything you need to research your next event location without even leaving your desk, allowing you to respond to the most demanding brief quickly and efficiently.

So, what's our Fam diary looking like? Well, Carol has just returned from a rather lovely visit to Ardencote Manor in Claverdon, Warwickshire. Over the years the Ardencote has evolved from a family home to an award winning Hotel and Country Club offering unrivalled facilities and excellent customer service. It's more a resort property these days with a Spa, Leisure Club and all sorts of really great facilities and its fair to report that Carol loved it and is already trying to interest clients in the venue for their next event.

Rubina is off to Scotland with Gleneagles next month, and Paula is off this coming weekend with Accor to enjoy Chester Races Ladies Day and three of the Mercure Hotels in the North West. And we have just signed up our new signing for IBTM in November, which includes a fam to Madrid....

So, that's it for this week, enjoy and we'll see you next week!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 10 August 2015

Welcome to another week and whilst we are enjoying some sunshine here at Cloud 9 towers, we're continuing our series looking at new hotel developments around the globe.  

This week, we're off to a place where it's always sunny, and sometimes even a little too hot for us fluffy white lot! 

Having secured the bid to host World Expo 2020, big things are on the horizon for Dubai. The six-month run will be the first time the event has ever taken place in the Middle East, which will also be the start of the country’s Golden Jubilee anniversary celebrations. With an estimated 25 million visitors set to make their way to the Dubai desert, the rush is on to open a convoy of remarkable new hotels.

Sprawled out along the Dubai Creek is an opulent project by Italian mega-brand Versace. A 214-room hotel will be flanked on either side by two wings of palatial residences designed with the upper crust in mind. The thread count is set to be high, the floors mosaic and marbled and the rooms completely outfitted with Versace’s signature fabrics and finishes. Original plans called for a “refrigerated beach”, but this has since been scrapped. But chances are this won’t sway your decision on staying at the Palazzo Versace Dubai. If anything, it’ll be the price. How much will a night be? Well, if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it!

The famed Hollywood studio, Paramount Pictures will lend its name and prestige to a four-tower development
located in western Dubai showcasing immaculate views of the city’s skyline and jet setter luxury amenities such as private yacht and jet charters. You can guarantee this hotel will be a looker if you have seen the films they've created in the past. 

You would've thought that hotel designs couldn't get any better after these. But a more modernised hotel, soon to be open in late 2015 'Kempinski Al-Othman Hotel, Al-Khobar' boasts 141 rooms, 57 suites and 20 elegantly appointed serviced apartments. Nine restaurants and cafes are sure to bring inventive cuisine experiences to the local market.

 

The Hong Kong-based Langham Hospitality Group will not only open its first establishment in the Middle East, but also the company’s first resort in what it’s calling a “global collection”. The whopping 323-room resort will provide all guests with beautiful outdoor terraces where they can all enjoy the sun, breath-taking seascapes of the Persian Gulf, along with a 13,000 square foot recreational facility including a pool, kids club and the Chuan Spa with 26 treatment rooms.

If you are looking to stay close to shopping and city amenities is what you’re after then The Address The BLVD will be the perfect place to stay come 2015. Standing 370m high, the 72-storey building will include 523 private residences along with a 200-room, an astonishing five-star hotel. The hotel will be linked to Downtown Dubai via an air-conditioned footbridge, allowing guests to enjoy a world of superlatives within walking distance.

Back to reality, we could all do with a holiday to the above hotels. But until then, Have a great week!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 3 August 2015

Welcome to another week and its another one in our current series looking at new hotels around the world. This week if you have ever heard the expression "Made in Taiwan" then this week's blog will be right up your street, as we head over to the East to look at some of the new hotels opening in far flung destinations.

We start with the Westin Tashee Resort which opened on 1 July, and is situated in northwest Taiwan amid verdant hills and forests, Taoyuan County sits at the edge of the greater Taipei area. The Westin Tashee Resort, Taoyuan is conveniently located in Daxi on Rixin Road. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) is a 40-minute drive away, Taipei Songshan Airport (TSA) is 50 minutes away, and the Taoyuan Railway Station can be reached by car in 20 minutes.

Walk along the transparent skywalk at Xiao Wulai Scenic Area, and marvel at the three-tier waterfall, redwood forest, and panoramic views from the observation deck. Find spiritual wellness in an ancient cypress forest at Mount LaLa. Elevate your senses and sample delightful fish at the Shihmen Reservoir. The rich red and golden maple leaves are especially beautiful in season (November through January). Highlighted by a magnificent temple in its center, Longtan Pond is equally enriching day or night. Just 20 minutes from the hotel is the serene Cihu Mausoleum, the final resting place of the former president of Taiwan, Chiang Kai-Shek.

Play a stimulating round of golf at Ta Shee Golf & Country Club. Redesigned by Robert Trent Jones II, the 27-hole championship course is located next to the hotel. Delight in the rides, water park, and dozens of miniature models of famous buildings from around the world at Windows on China. The theme park is only 40 minutes by car from the hotel, the theme park is fun for the entire family.

Peruse the wonderful traditional architecture and shops on Daxi Old Street. Once a hub for camphor and tea trade, this famous street also offers a wide array of Daxi specialties, including bean curd dishes and peanut caramel candy. More entertainment can be found in Taiwan’s celebrated night markets. Featuring stalls selling all kinds of goods, and an impressive array of Taiwanese snacks, both the Taoyuan Tourist Night Market and the Jhongli Xinming Night Market are not to be missed.

From Taiwain we move to Thailand and the first hotel is the Hotel Indigo in Bangkok.

Have a great week, and we'll catch you soon!