What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 17 December 2018

Welcome to another week and for many this is the last working week of the year and a chance to take stock, get organised, and get ready for a well earned rest over the Christmas Period.

Here at Cloud 9 Towers, as a small business we are never really off work as such, but it is always a little quieter than usual so helps us tidy up a few things and more importantly plan well ahead for our 2019 event schedule and beyond. 

If you are planning some major events in 2019, please remember that we have a free venue finding service which operates locally, nationally and internationally and we also offer a full and effective event management service for corporate events. 

Picking the right dates is the starting point for most events, and to make sure you are not clashing with any already scheduled world events is usually a good idea, as well as anything in the vicinity of your event that might mean traffic or travel issues - and increased hotel prices. So some key dates for your diary for 2019 both in the UK and further afield to note, just in case!

January

1 January – New Year’s Day

1-31 January – Dry January

14-27 January Australian Open Tennis Tournament in Melbourne

February

3 February – Superbowl in Atlanta

5 February – Chinese New Year

14 February – Valentine’s Day

March

1 March – St David’s Day

5 March – Shrove Tuesday

14 -21 March Special Olympics Abu Dhabi

15 March – Comic Relief

17 March – St Patrick’s Day

31 March – Mother’s Day

April

1 April – April Fool’s Day

6 April - Grand National Aintree

19 April – Good Friday

21 April – Easter Sunday

23 April – St George’s Day

 May
 

5 May – Cinco de Mayo

14-25  May - Canne Film Festival 

18 May – FA Cup Final Wembley

 27 May – 2 June – National Barbecue Week

30 May -July - Cricket World Cup UK

June

14-16 June - Download Festival Donnington Park 

16 June – Father’s Day

26-30 June Glastonbury

July

1 July Wimbeldon Tennis Tournament

6-28 July Tour de France Belgium

7 July – World Chocolate Day

16 July – National Cherry Day

18-21 Gold Open Northern Ireland 

August

Nothing Doing to Note!
September

13 September – International Chocolate Day

20 November - Rugby World Cup Japan

October

31 October – Halloween

November

5 November – Guy Fawkes’ Night

24 November – Stir-Up Sunday

30 November – St Andrew’s Day

 December

25 December – Christmas Day

31 December – New Year’s Eve

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? 3 December 2018

Welcome to another week and the countdown to the Big Day! We can't quite believe how quickly this year has gone, but certainly this time last year all of the chatter was about GDPR and were we prepared for it moving forward, following the law change back in May.

Here at Cloud 9 Towers we duly did our research and undertook training to make sure that we were compliant should any issues arrive, but six months on, has anyone really noticed any major changes in how we all operate?We are still getting unsolicited emails, and occasionally we do ask to be removed from lists, but we did that before anyway. 

The level of hysteria around GDPR which was a bit like that of the Millennium Bug a few years ago, has been embraced by some but clearly ignored by many. However the reality is that its all so complex that the formal legislation will take years to implement and enforce properly and however prepared we are, or think we are, we probably are not prepared at all.  If that doesn't make sense try reading it through in full - you would need to be a legal expert to truly understand it.

Instead of relying only on targeted advertising, marketers have been forced to rethink their approach and because of this, personalisation in marketing has grown. Since GDPR became enforceable, the number of third-party cookies found on news websites in Europe has declined by 22%, according to a study by Reuters Institute, meaning marketers really have changed the way they track consumers.

The fuller effects of GDPR are perhaps more likely to be felt much further down the line and months ahead as people either become complacent, or decide to ignore the law and its perhaps less of an issue on our industry as its very people focused and B2B orientated. 

Ask how many suppliers business cards any agent has and they will probably tell you hundreds if not thousands and most of these probably end up in a box or a drawer. However, ask the same question to suppliers and you will probably find agents names on a mailing list, whether they met them at a trade show or a forum or if they have been scanned. 

Ironically enough, we still get the odd email from a supplier where we are just one of an endless list of agents who have been cc'd in and we always wonder what has happened to the person who hit send! Did the GDPR police come and take them away?!

 

 With Christmas just around the corner and festive campaigns well underway, most mail houses are currently seasonally busy but we do wonder how Santa is getting on now he has to be GDPR compliant?

Have a great week #eventprofs

What's Floating Around Clud 9? 12 November 2018

Welcome to another week and we're feeling a little fizzy here at Cloud 9 Towers as we have been organising drinks and activities for some of our clients Christmas Parties - as all good event planners know, its important to be organised as early as possible.

Although Proseco seems to be the popular choice for many an event these days, there are still clients around who prefer the real stuff and yes, we are talking the proper bubbly stuff, Champagne.It's been the drink of royalty going back to the 1800s and even Winston Churchill once said of World War II, “Remember gentlemen, it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s Champagne.”

From Wedding toasts to celebrations it's been the staple, but what about those people who still want a cocktail with a kick but would rather avoid the Champers?

The current trend is to think different and what better time of year to enjoy experimenting with new

flavours, styles and cocktail mixes. But are you brave enough to try one of these for your next event?

One of the biggest holistic trends of the year has been to have a tablespoon of apple vinegar a day – believed to be excellent for digestion and weight loss and this trend has spilled, literally, into cocktails. Shrubs, and not the kind you find in the garden – but rather the fruit vinegary infused syrup – are the latest rage in cocktails. Often sustainable and local to source, shrubs cocktails are popping up in many trendy bar and restaurant. 

It might sound odd but but vegetable based cocktails are edging their way into the mainstream as well and its not hard to find a Bee Pollen Bellini or a Pumpkin Potion, and its an interesting way of getting your five a day! 

Turmeric adds a punch to many a dish and is regularly used in cooking so why not cocktails? You will notice an increased use of turmeric syrup or popular turmeric gin based cocktails including turmeric gin and ginger and the turmeric gin sour.

Never forget thought that not everyone likes a tipple but we can do so much more than orange juice when designing your drinks menu. Mocktails deserve to be creative and with an ever-increasing health conscious culture, take some inspiration form the non alcoholic section on your next cocktail list. 

Cheers, and have a great week!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 3 April 2018

Welcome to another week and we hope everyone had a good Easter - April already, wow, where is the year going - and without wanting to invite anyone to lambast us, did you know that as of today there are only 266 days to Christmas....

Take out weekends and the remaining Bank Holidays and the Festive Season will be upon us before you know it. So time to book that Corporate Christmas Party.

Seriously, if you want to secure the date you want, at the venue you want, then now is the time to get it booked or at least ask us to research the options.

Our Free Venue Finding Service is on standby and ready to help, so forget Santa's little helper, ask the experts instead and either call us on +44 )115 9333811 or email janet@cloud9em.co.uk, she is standing by and ready to help.

We would have popped in Carol's email but that seemed a little corny - Christmas Carol....

Oh well, we thought it was funny.

Have a great week everyone!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 18 December 2017

Welcome to our final full week of the year! Cloud 9 Towers will be closed from this Friday, 22 December until Wednesday 3 January 2018, when the team will be raring to go for the New Year.

If you have any urgent enquiries, or want to use the Christmas break to plan any events for the coming year then we are happy to help, and in between the odd mince pie and glass of sherry, Paula will be on hand with her mobile for the duration: +44(0)7774 741883.

In the meantime, our best wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year....

 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 28 November 2016

Welcome to another week and wow the countdown to Christmas has really started although we’re a bit fed up with the whole Black Friday thing here at Cloud 9 Towers.

We lost count of the emails we had collectively last week about it and if that wasn’t enough, it’s Cyber Monday today and we’re all groaning in the office about the sheer number of sale, deal and discount offers pinging our inboxes every few seconds!

A generally happy lot we’re not anti-Christmas and we all like a bit of retail therapy (especially Janet – just ask her about shoe shopping) but enough is enough. So here is the Cloud 9 Guide to the better things you can do to avoid the Black Friday/Cyber Monday madness that is gripping the nation!

First, have a big office tidy up and get rid of your rubbish. See what can be recycled, donated or thrown and get ahead with a big Christmas clear out. Good excuse to make room for your Christmas Tree and dig out those decorations at the same time.

Next, plan. Instead of staying glued to your screen all day, have an office get together and plan 2017 in advance. Key dates, key client activity, industry news and events – get ahead and get planning. If you haven’t got a 2017 diary yet, then this is the one bit of shopping you are allowed to do!

Our third tip is to walk it off. Instead of munching your lunchtime sarnie at your deck as usual, get wrapped up warm and take a walk – even if it’s just round the block. We’re all advised to do this anyway, but how many of us actually do it?

Number four on our list is to get charitable. Pick an adopted charity for the year ahead and see what you can do as a company to support them. Get a logo, get them online and make it clear that is the cause your organisation is backing for the year ahead. Maybe you can organise to volunteer periodically as a team building exercise?

Update your Christmas Card list – give everyone half an hour to get their personal Christmas Card list up to date, and then have a collective office list for clients, potential clients and prospects – and then actually write a few cards – don’t rely on printed rubbish – get personal.

Share a skill is tip number six. See what core skills people in your office have and share it. We’re not talking Strictly, X Factor or I’m a Celebrity here, so no dancing, singing or eating kangaroo’s wobbly bits. If you are a social media queen, or a coding king it might be nice to share some key tips with your colleagues. Provide them with the basics and let them have a go.

At seven is one stage further. Ask the team what skills they would like to learn in 2017 and get online and see what courses or training is available in the New Year. Sites like Eventbrite often list a range of courses covering core business skills which can develop skills both personally and professionally.

Our number eight tip is to stage your office Secret Santa Draw. Okay, we are trying to encourage you not to shop, or think about shopping but at least you will have an idea of what you will need to get your allocated person with a little notice. We won’t tell anyone if you go online and crack!

Lastly, and this is dependent on the boss. Stay in bed. Avoid all electronic devices, emails, advertisements, and notifications. Not that practical for anyone trying to run a business we know, but at least you can avoid the communication overload!

Have a great week!

What's Floating Around? 26 September 2016

Welcome to another week and we have been so manic that we have missed a couple of weeks with our news so please forgive us as we tell you what we have been up to!

There is never a dull moment at Cloud 9 so here goes...

The National Acute Pain Symposium in Chester on 14/15 September was a pretty big event over two days for 250 medical professionals took up a big chunk of our time with main plenary sessions, workshops, socials and last week we have been in major evaluation mode for the event as well as issuing attendance certificates and tying up the details of the event - and sourcing a venue for 2017 as the event is growing considerably.

We've also been prepping for the 2017 CHS Awards which we run on behalf of Emma Cartmell and her team at the Conference and Hospitality Show, which is set to launch in October and is scheduled for next Spring at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

The new look Fresh Awards is also now live and up and running for entries so as well as coordinating around 50 judges on six juries and sourcing a venue to take all the work we will be amassing, its been a bit of a challenge to cover it all.

Preparing for the Midlands Media Awards which take place on 20 October at the Rep in Birmingham is also a priority at present and scripts, logistics and formats all take time to ensure the 2016 event is a success.

We've also been tying up our Ambassadors Programme and in October we will be pleased to announce our nine new additions to the Cloud 9 team, each of whom will be based in a different location in the UK.

Add in our "All Wrapped Up" Campaign, securing venues for Christmas Parties for numerous clients and our usual round of Venue Finding and you can see we have been a little manic.

However, we wouldn't have it any other way...

Have a great week and look out, we will be back next week!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 5 September 2016

Welcome to another week and it's time to tell you about our All Wrapped Up service for Christmas, so ask yourself?

Have You Booked Your Christmas Party yet?

Although the sun is shining and everyone is still in the summer mood, Christmas will be here before you know it.

Not only can we find you the perfect venue for your Christmas Party (completely for free), we can also deliver Christmas to your office or place of work with our “All Wrapped Up” Christmas service.

Catering, decorations, entertainment and all of the fun stuff you associate with Christmas can be delivered, discretely set up and designed to delight your staff – and we can even put a guard on the photocopier so that any and all pictures of bottoms remain un-copied and un-circulated! Our very own 'elf & safety officer will be yours for the duration.

If you would rather take Christmas to a hotel or venue locally, nationally or internationally then we can help with our free venue finding service – and please remember that we don’t charge for this, ever.

So get Christmas All Wrapped Up with Cloud 9 and make sure you call our very own Christmas Carol here at Cloud 9 on 0115 9333811 - and if you ask her nicely she might even sing you a carol or two....

In other news this week, its the Midlands Media Awards Judging, we're gearing up for the National Acute Pain Symposium next week, interviewing our Ambassadors, attending the Chamber Business Awards, securing multiple venues, launching Fresh, organising a couple of corporate hospitality days and helping with a special event at St Mary's to celebrate the success of the East Midlands Olympians in Rio so its just another week at Cloud 9 Towers! 

Enjoy everyone.