What's Floating Around Cloud 9? July 2019

Wow it's been a warm one - and even though it was a little short lived, it shows that we can occasionally enjoy some amazing weather in this country. With record sales of BBQ items and Beer, a little sunshine is certainly good for the economy along with everything else you associate with summer. The big brands are probably rubbing their hands together in glee and who can blame them!

So whilst this might be somewhat of a tenuous link, it does bring to mind a story we heard recently involving three of the big brands in the event industry and their interesting history.  So if you have ever wondered why only Pepsi is available at Marriott and Starwood Hotels #EventProfs, then read on!

Loyalty clearly is the foundation of this story, and it starts with a senior executive from Coca-Cola Co who stated the soft-drink company lost a big contract with Marriott after Coca-Cola refused to lend Marriott around $100 million despite the brand being stocked in all of their hotels for over 20 years. 

Marriott were in a little trouble financially and turned to their suppliers to help and whilst the numbers might seem staggering here, someone somewhere at the Coca-Cola company must be kicking themselves today. 

Marriott’s switch to Pepsi followed Coke’s refusal to lend Marriott somewhere in the region of $50 million to $100 million in loans and although the brand is not a bank,  someone at Pepsi stepped in to the breach and helped out the hotel chain during their rocky patch. Subsequently all of the hotels in their portfolio now stock Pepsi products rather than Coke.

When Marriott took over Starwood in 2016, any stocked Coke products started to slowly be replaced around their global portfolio and as the big hotel chains continue to expand, they are certainly not being left behind and made record organic room signings in Europe in 2018.

The US hospitality giant ended the year with a portfolio of more than 6,900 properties and more than 1.3 million rooms in 130 countries worldwide, and their plan is to add an additional 1700 hotels to that portfolio in the next three years. We are not economists here at Cloud 9 but let's, with a really really really low estimated guess, look at a single sale of a pepsi drink a day in each of those hotels - 6,900 x 365 days - that's an awful lot of sales to Pepsi...

Now, where did we leave our ice, it's time for a fizzy drink?! Have a great week...

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 10 December 2018

Welcome to another week and its Christmas Party Season peeps! Here at Cloud 9 Towers we have already enjoyed a few festive events which kicked off with the AIEA Christmas Drinks last week, and then a party night up at Trump Turnberry on Friday. And this coming week, we're lucky to be guests of Visit Scotland who are hosting a Christmas Dinner at Hotel Du Vin in Birmingham.

We are very lucky as event profs in that we get inundated with invitations to events by suppliers, and luckily we get to be a little selective about which ones we attend, but we do know that many people dread the official office Christmas Party. So with that in mind, here is the Cloud 9 Guide for survival!

So, rule one is even though you might be surrounded with free booze, it's best not to over indulge as you don't want to end up doing or saying something you shouldn't and whilst it might seem like a good idea at the time, it's likely to come back to haunt you back at work in the cold light of day. 

Pace yourself and make sure you eat something beforehand or during the party so you’re not drinking on an empty stomach, tipsy is about the max level to aim for!

Even if you have been a little careful with your dosage of Dutch Courage this is not the time to declare your undying love for the office hunk or tell your secret crush what you’d like to do to them behind closed doors. Not only could you face a possible rejection, you also might end up in serious trouble at work, especially  if you have taken your flirting too far. People are sometimes a little more sensitive than we realise so be careful, especially under mistletoe!

Rule three is all about the dress code and even if the weekends usually find you in skin tight Lycra strutting your stuff, remember this a work do so notch up what you would normally wear to work with a little glitz, but keep it professional people.  

Use the Christmas Party as an opportunity to get to know people you don't normally mix with at work. Network and mingle and especially be a little kind to those who clearly are more shy than you - the Christmas Spirit can be a force of good!  

Yes, its a work party but that doesn't mean that you have to talk about work. Keep it social and fun, and whilst you don't need to bore everyone with your hobbies or interests, its a good opportunity to start a little small talk and get to know your colleagues a little better. Should that conversation be with your boss, then this is most definitely not the time to ask your boss for that promotion or pay rise. 

Lastly, have a great time and enjoy! 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 30 July 2018

Welcome to another week #EventProfs and as August rolls in this week it's time to remind you about the fabulous Alliance of Independent Event Agencies - if you are small independent agency and you are not a member yet, then you should be! 

The AIEA is an Alliance of independent, small and privately owned event agencies working in the (MICE) sector and is a group of unique and individual companies, sharing our knowledge, experience and resource to enable us to provide the best quality service to our clients. 

Collectively we responsible for a significant proportion of the business generated in the MICE sector, and in addition to providing education, training and a support mechanism for smaller agencies, the Alliance has also enabled us to strengthen our relationships with suppliers.

Our suppliers are hotels and other unique venues that offer first class meeting and event space. The relationships we have with them are vitally important as they provide us, through meetings, forums, exhibitions and fam trips, the information we need and to keep our clients up to date.The main criteria for choosing a supplier is that they fit our client brief. 

We are completely independent and do not favour or exclude any venue based on prearranged override or fulfilment contracts. Our suppliers also understand the value we add to the booking process and work closely with us to make sure our client’s expectations and needs are fulfilled.  
 

The AIEA is finding new and innovative ways to work, and network with suppliers and such initiatives as our irreverent annual awards and summer carnival are underlining the important of this small but perfectly formed Alliance. The AIEA is not for profit and is open to any independent agency with less than 20 employees. For details please see www.aiea.co.uk

Have a great week.

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 23 July 2018

Welcome to another week #EventProfs and its the last week of July already - blimey - where is the year going! We are all so busy these days that managing our time has never been more important and keeping in touch with people never easier, so how come we sometimes fail to stay connected?

From keeping up with friends to finding a new job, or securing a new client or business project, there are endless ways to stay in touch, but how to do it without appearing as stalker and suddenly popping up on someones radar when you have been silent for a long time, and surprising them so much they fail to respond.

If staying in touch and keeping connected with people is a priority, then make a little time to do it and to do it right. Set yourself aside a little time each day, 15 minutes a day should do it. Get a new positive habit and before long it will become part of a daily routine and not a chore.

Platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn, are ideal for conversations and connections, and if you see something relevant, engage and respond. If you spend time on social media anyway, you might as well make it a positive experience. 

We all enjoy events and it's great to run into people we know, but make a little time to connect with people who you might not know as well, who knows where it might lead - from a new client to a new friend - and once you have made a connection, try and keep them. 

If you haven't done it already then sign up for Google Alerts which is great way of tracking certain words when they appear in news stories. You can also track people so if they change jobs or get a promotion you will know about it and can pop them over a congratulatory message. This could be the start of a whole new client relationship as well.

Don't give up. You might not get  a reply the first time you reach out someone, and whilst you don't need to continually harass them in to submission, a follow up email or message or two is not going to hurt. Just don't turn into a stalker or take it personally, as they are probably as busy as you are.

And, if you don't hear back at all move on. There are lots of people out there so connect with someone who can make a difference and will come back to you. 

Have a great week everyone and stay connected! 

PS. We are all in Linkedin so make sure you connect with us here at Cloud 9