What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 2 July 2018

Welcome to another week and after all of the glorious sunshine we have been enjoying (in between being inside for the Football!), it's time to turn our attention to Wimbledon which starts today.

In previous years here at Cloud 9 Towers, we have focused on Hotels and Venus in the Wimbledon area, not so much for for accommodation but for their meetings and event spaces - which don't forget we can source for free, locally, nationally and internationally - just ask and we are happy to help.

So rather than roll out the same old story, year after year, we thought we would focus on prestigious properties that feature tennis academies as well as extensive event space, and where better to start than with The Headland in Cornwall.

The hotel is a members of Pride of Britain Hotels and in addition to the amazing sports facilities and spectacular view, the hotel boasts an elegant interiors & epic seascapes with capacities from 4 - 300 delegates - and attractive rates as well. With 95 bedrooms on site plus self catering cottages, the venue also boasts a spa and both indoor and outdoor pools. Perfect for a little dip at the end of a conference or a knock about (assuming you don't hit a shot in to the Atlantic as the hotel has rather distracting 360º ocean views. 

Over on the French Riviera is the Mouratpglou Tennis Academy which is part of the amazing Beachcomber Resort (and in the interests of transparency - Beachcomber is a client).  In 2012 Patrick Mouratpglou became the official coach of Serena Williams, and over the last 20 years, he has used his experience to create a successful coaching method which is now the core focus of the Academy.  Whilst maybe not the first choice as a destination for MICE, this stunning property is certainly flexible and is situated between Nice and Cannes and  with 34 tennis courts, a pro shop, high tech fitness room and a medical centre, its perfect for sports enthusiasts. There is more to the resort than just tennis though, with two swimming pools, including one racket shaped, a 700-square metre spa and two restaurants, its well worth a look.

Part of the (Marriott) Luxury Collection includes the superb Pine Cliffs Resort in the Algarve. The spectacular cliff-top setting provides a stunning location for events, with both indoor and outdoor spaces.Located in a central area of the resort grounds, the conference facilities can cater for up to 700 guests and with flexible accommodation options on site, there are plenty of bedrooms to go round as well. This is a stunning resort and with 13 different meetings and events spaces, its well worth investigating not just for tennis, but for international conferences as well.

In Sardinia, the Forte Village is another dream destination for MICE, and lots of major brands have held conferences at this stunning resort including, Porsche, Ferrari, Vodafone, Volkswagen, Mondadori, Generali, Audi, Siemens and Mastercard. The beauty of Sardinia, the exclusive style of the resort and Business Centre, and the ease of location makes it ideal. There are some special event spaces on site and the resort can cater for large numbers, with a range of halls, and meeting rooms. Want a conference for 2000? No problem. Want an additional room for another 1,000 delegates, not an issue. Even the smallest event would feel right at home in this amazing village. They are also serious about sport, and host professional football teams as well as the legendary tennis academy which was founded by six time Wimbledon champion Mark Woodforde and includes Andy Murray's former coach Jonas Bjorkman amongst the star coaches.

We end our tour of the courts with La Manga Club in Murcia, sunny south-eastern Spain, and this resort is currently the Lawn Tennis Association's (LTA) official overseas training base. In addition to its 28-court centre and extensive leisure facilities, the resort also has over 2300 metres of event spaces and a flexible approach to hosting corporate events of all sizes. With both a four star and five star hotel on site, and eight football pitches, this resort is great for MICE style activities.

If all of the sport is driving you bonkers don't despair, we have a range of venues we can suggest globally for your next meeting or event, and even if you are not fan, we'll throw in strawberries and cream this week for any new venue finding requests.

Have a great week. 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 22 January 2018

Welcome to another week and we're gearing up for a trip to London for the judging of the Fresh Creative Awards and recovering from the excellent AIEA Event last Friday in Peterborough.

The AIEA is an Alliance of independent and privately owned event agencies working in the meetings, incentives, conference and events (MICE) sector. We are a group of unique and individual companies and as members of the AIEA we network and share our knowledge, experience and resource to enable us to provide the best quality service to our clients, and additionally the AIEA is a non profit organisation.

Hosted by the Holiday Inn in Peterborough (who were fantastic), we had our inaugural New Years Honour's which recognised the agency members in a rather irreverent way! 

The Crystal Clear Award for those agents whose briefs and RFP’s make working with them a pleasure for supplier was presented by Lafayette Travel and went to Lime Blue Solutions.

Here at Cloud 9 we won the Coffee Cup Award for making suppliers feel the most welcome so clearly we need to change our approach and only offer up a glass of tap water and no biscuits in future! Jupiter Hotels kindly presented us with our very expensive trophy!

The Buddy Award for those agencies who have partnered with a supplier for a specific project or pitch was presented by the Old Course Hotel Golf Resort & Spa, and went to Rede2 whilst the Welcome Award was also scooped by us here at Cloud 9 Towers.

Dawn from Accor presented the Bermuda Triangle Award to Ball Associates, who in form, were not there to collect their Award, and then we had the Willy Wonka Award for a reaction to Chocolate which went to our pals at Hatch Events.

Funky Office went to Chruis and the team at Purple Dog whilst we picked up our third gong - The Energizer Bunny Award for agents always on the go.

There were two Golden Cheque book Awards for both International and UK Business Growth which were scooped by Nexus venue and Lime Blue Solutions respectively, and then the Newcomer Award, which was for increased business presence rather than new agencies and was scooped by Matt and the Chew Events Team.

Then we had the Agency and Personality of the Year which went to Slyvain from Nexus Venue on both counts.

It was a great fun evening and also fancy dress to match the irreverent tone of the night !

So we might not be the biggest venue finding agency or the best, but we still win the odd award! Lets hope the photos arrive soon so we can share!

Have a great week everyone.

 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 23 February 2015

Welcome to another week at Cloud 9! 

After last week's blog on industry exhibitions and a guide to making the most of exhibiting, we thought this week we'd talk about the technology side of things for the industry.

There is a melange of smart gadgets and wearable technology, but how will it be applied in the MICE industry?

Augmented Reality Sourcing 
The focus of augmented reality headsets like Oculus Rift is on gaming, but in the near future, hotels will allow planners to view meeting facilities virtually, from the comfort of their desk or home. 

Interactive Venue Set Up
Leap Motion allows you to control a computer in 3D with your hand movements. This technology will be used side by side with AR head-sets and allow planners to create their meetings set-up virtually and in an interactive way. The Leap Motion Controller is the beginning, but there's a lot more stuff on the way. They're already working to extend 3D interaction into many other digital devices, and embed our technology in products from the ground up. 


The End of Translation Booths
Microsoft's Skype Translator translates your voice and video calls in real-time. There is

room for improvement on this beta version, especially with contextualisation of conversations. Nevertheless, this technology could replace translation booths. Delegates will be able to follow any presentation in any language by smartphone. Skype brings people together to make progress on what matters to them. Skype Translator will open up endless possibilities for people around the world to connect, communicate and collaborate; people will no longer be hindered by geography and language.

Contingency Planning for Rain
A new kickstarter campaign presented the 'air umbrella' an invisible umbrella which takes advantage of airflow and creates shelter from the rain. Useful for big outdoor events or even when your running from one meeting to another! Air is everywhere on the earth. The flowing air can change the moving path of the object. The faster the air moves, the greater the energy is. The jet airflow can isolate some objects. So when we make use of the airflow, we can protect ourselves from the rain drops. Then the airflow forms an umbrella without a visible cover - brilliant!




Blabroids
Social robotics will also find its place in the meeting industry. Post-event questionnaires might be replaced by robots collecting feedback - Blabdroids. Some are more likely to engage emotionally with artificial intelligence than other people as robots can be seen as non-judgemental. 

Another very interesting technological creation that has currently taken a hit overseas, is the Instagram printer by Social Playground. This device allows you to: 

Spread Content Organically: Inspire attendees to share user generated content from anywhere in your event and build online conversations about your brand.

Drive your Hashtag Further: Incentivise consumers to tag their photos with your brand or event hashtag, driving viral reach. 

Engage via Offers and Competitions: Integrate hashtag competitions or brand your printed photos with exclusive offers to engage consumers further. 

Post Event Content and Insights: Social Playground will provide you with a digital copy of all of your photos and a detailed insights report so you can see exactly how much engagement was generated from this device. 

We don't know about you, but that's enough for us to take in for one week! 

Have a good one folks! 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 24 November 2014

Welcome to yet another week at Cloud 9.

As always, it's a busy week ahead. but we thought we'd give you an insight of what exactly Rubina and Shannon got up to in EIBTM last week. For those of you who are true Cloud 9 supporters will already know all about EIBTM, but for those who aren't (!)... 


EIBTM is the leading global event for the meetings and events industry, taking place in the award winning business and tourism destination of Barcelona. The event gathers over 15,000 industry professionals for three days of focused access to a dynamic business environment, thought provoking professional education and business networks. 

EIBTM not only provides networking opportunities during its exhibition hours; After exhibition hours, networking and business go on as meeting professionals connect in different ambiences. 


As hosted buyers, Rubina and Shannon were lucky enough to be spoilt by Accor and Moulden Marketing. After a long, tiring, insightful day Tuesday, Rubina attended the Pullman Skipper party at ’The ‘Le Club’. On arrival they were welcomed with a drinks reception, but once you headed in to the club, you was instantly thrown back in to the 50’s. With everything from a vintage Cadillac to a swing band – Accor got it spot on once again. Even the ladies were treated to a mini hair treatment with some local senoritas giving the girls classic up do’s that fitted with the theme of the party.

We can’t wait to see what the 2015 Accor party has in store!

However on Wednesday after the exhibition, Shannon attended Moulden Marketing's exclusive evening event at Barca del Salamanca where Catalan Tapas, local wines and meat/fish platters were served. 

The evening was attended by around 40 buyers/guests and a number of Moulden Marketing's partner co-hosts which included the likes of ConferenceWise Group, Dublin Convention Bureau, Korea MICE, Accor, Martins Hotels, Camden Court Hotel and many more. Needless to say, we were extremely well looked after and Shannon has now decided to go on an eating strike for the next couple of weeks! 

Additionally, Shannon joined Moulden Marketing on their familiarisation trip to explore the beautiful city of Madrid and what they have to offer for the industry. 

The trip included an overnight stay in the Hotel Auditorium and AC Palacio de Retiro, dining at the La Posada de la Villa, Hotel Santo Mauro and El Corral de la Moreria and activities such as an iPad Challenge around the city, watching the Flamenco Show and site visits of a number of great venues.

To conclude, we'd like to give a massive thank you to both Accor and Moulden Marketing for giving us the opportunity. Also in a result of attending the EIBTM we would highly recommend anyone within the meetings and incentives industry to attend next year, but don't be confused as they have now changed the name to IBTM World.

That's all for this week folks, enjoy!