What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 5 October 2015

Welcome to another week and its still all go here at Cloud 9 Towers, and we're off to Manchester at the back end of the week for both the Fresh PR & Fresh Creative Awards at the Piccadilly Hotel.

Whilst we are on the subject of Manchester, it looks like there will be another 622 hotel rooms to add to the mix as there are five new hotels planned for the City. 

We've already seen Hotel Gotham, Hotel Football and the new Melia Hotel open as part of the huge First Street Development, all this year and yet there are more to come!

First up is The Trafford City Hotel which will be a 203-room hotel covering a 1.75-acre site opposite Trafford Centre's EventCity. Work on the hotel is anticipated to start early next year prior to the planned Metrolink extension to the Trafford Centre set for 2018/19.

Budget airline easyJet have announced plans to convert a Grade II listed building in the Northern Quarter into a six story 116 room budget easyHotel. They already have easyHotels in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow (plus lots of International ones) and Manchester is next. 

Work on Bradley House which is know locally as The Flatiron Building and sits on the corner of Dale Street and Newton Street is due to start next Summer.

Travelodge has plans for two additional hotels in South Manchester. One with 86 rooms in Stockport on Heaton Lane and one in Sale on Cross Street, with 67 rooms and work on both should be up and running before the end of the year, with plans to open late in 2016.

Travelodge already have 16 hotels throughout Greater Manchester and long term they have plans to look at further seven new sites to increase their portfolio. Potential sites include two in in Manchester central, plus locations in Cheadle, Oldham, Rochdale, Wigan and Worsley.

Last but by no means least, Hilton are starting work on a new 150-room, four-star hotel at Emirates Old Trafford. The existing 68 room lodge is being replaced and the new hotel will feature a bar, cafe, ticket office, glazed bridge link to the pavilion and balconies overlooking the cricket pitch. Now news yet on an opening date, but exciting times ahead in the City all round!

We are also aware that there are other plans afoot, throughout Manchester and the Thistle on Portland Street is being rebranded as a Mercure, plans have been submitted for a new

350-room hotel planned for the 24-acre Mayfield Quarter development at Manchester Piccadilly and there are also plans for a 'major five-star hotel by Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville.

Additionally Allied London are looking at the potential for two or three new hotels in Manchester, Crown Plaza with a new 210 room hotel and the Staybridge Suites with 116 Rooms both on Oxford Road to be near the Manchester campus redevelopment. There are also plans in place for a new four-star hotel within Urban & Civic's £75m Gay Village development, with plans for another 200-bed hotel for a scheme at the Marriott Rennaisance hotel on Deansgate.

There might already be 11,000 hotel rooms in Manchester with around 7000 of these in the City Centre, but you can guarantee when you want a room you might struggle, such is the popularity of Manchester as a destination for both business and leisure. Good job we're around to help you make an informed choice!

Have a great week! 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 17 November 2014

Welcome to another week at Cloud 9 and most of the team are floating around to many different places and events! 

As mentioned in our previous blog, from last week, we told you all about the EIBTM event which is taking place in Barcelona from Tuesday to Thursday! Rubina and Shannon are attending on behalf of Cloud 9 this year, and Shannon has very kindly been invited by Moulden Marketing to join the post-event to Madrid.


In the meantime, Paula is off to the Palace Theatre in Manchester for a showcase of hotels and venues from Leeds Hotels & Venues Association (LHVA) and then to join CHS to watch Northern Ballet's performance of Cinderella. 

Hotels in Leeds is owned by the Leeds Hotel & Venue Association (LHVA), a membership organisation covering a wide cross section of all the best hospitality brands the Leeds city region has to offer. The benefit of booking via our website is that you are dealing direct with the hoteliers and not through a third party website. You will find a range of accommodation from boutique and beautiful to grand and majestic so there really is something for everyone. Leeds Hotels and Venues Association collectively provide everything from 4000 bedrooms, venues for 1200 delegates, unique locations and intimate settings to action packed team- building and incentive programmes.

However, that isn't all from us this week, as last week saw the launch of two of our inaugural award programmes! Firstly, we launched the MMA Student Awards, on behalf of the Birmingham Press Club...

To celebrate the historic 150th Anniversary of the Birmingham Press Club in 2015, a new awards programme has been introduced which recognises the talent of tomorrow in journalism and broadcasting.

Working with all of the leading academic establishments throughout the Midlands, Students are invited to enter the MMA Student Awards 2015,  in order to demonstrate their skills, knowledge and flair in either journalism or broadcasting in any of 11 categories.

Covering everything from Fashion to Food, Social Economics to Sport, the categories have been chosen to allow Students a real platform to showcase their passion for a particular subject matter or topic, irrespective of the outlet they choose to use.

Entries are invited in to the MMA Student Awards on any of the topics listed, completely free of charge, and the subject matter must have been written, filmed, blogged, produced, broadcasted, posted online or photographed between Wednesday 01 January 2014 to Friday 23 January 2015.. 

Ed James, Chairman of the Birmingham Press Club said...

"As the world’s oldest Press Club, it is only fitting that we should recognise the wealth of young and exciting talent that is emerging in the Midlands media sector.

That is why, as part of Birmingham Press Club’s 150th anniversary celebrations, I am delighted to announce that in 2015 we will be launching the Midlands Media Student Awards.

A spin-off from the Midlands Media Awards, now in their 14th year, the Student Awards will recognise the progress and achievements of next-generation media stars developing their skills via the fantastic range of journalism courses now being offered by universities in the region.

In the past, a Students and Newcomers category has always featured as part of the Midlands Media Awards. However, the time is now right for the Press Club to take a further step forward and create a special “Oscars” event for the legions of talent now beginning to make their presence felt in what is becoming an increasingly diverse industry.

The media sector is currently facing enormous challenges and traditional outlets are under immense pressure. But I am sure the vitality and imaginative creativity of today’s students will ensure its continued existence – even though a few years from now the landscape may well have changed again!

My sincere thanks go to universities in the Midlands for supporting our Awards – and may I also say “good luck” to everyone who takes part."

Additionally last week, we launched the CHS Awards on behalf of our good friends from CHS Group. This awards programme provides hotels and venues with a unique opportunity to showcase their facilities, compete in each of the 12 carefully chosen categories and be nominated at the Award Ceremony taking place on Thursday 30 April 2015 at The Queens hotel, Leeds.

With guaranteed exposure to a receptive audience of hosted buyers, an industry seal of approval for a job well done, a great platform for promotional marketing and first rate networking, the Awards are open to any hotel or venue outside of the M25.

Judged in two key stages by leading industry professionals and then by agency decision makers, these Awards, which will be fun, fair and credible, will also offer the perfect environment for entertaining clients and customers alike in a relaxed setting.

There’s no overpriced Black Tie dinner to worry about the cost of either, instead it will be an informal supper, with a snappy ceremony recognising excellence, followed by first rate entertainment.

We are inviting entries so there is no pressure to be a part of the programme, However, The nominees will be announced on 24th March 2015, the day of the Conference and Hospitality Show 2015, giving you something great to shout about on the day!

Increase your brand exposure, have a real platform for PR as part of this exciting and innovative programme.

Emma Cartmell, Director of CHS Group said:

'We’re delighted to launch the CHS awards alongside the Conference and Hospitality Show next year. The awards sit nicely alongside our flagship event that is now established as a show for the meetings and events industry. The awards will give the industry an opportunity to celebrate some of the UK’s most outstanding venues the evening before the show and we’re delighted to be joining forces with Cloud 9 Event Management to deliver the awards with style.'

The CHS Awards 2015... we'll see you there!

So that's all from us this week folks, enjoy!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 16 June 2014

Welcome to another week at Cloud 9 Towers and again, we are pleased to inform you that another event has passed and went extremely well. 

The CIPR Northern Conference that took place last Thursday at Manchester Metropolitan University was really successful. We would like to thank everyone who attended the event and to everyone who was tweeting about the event, as the hashtag #CIPRNC14 was trending in Manchester!

Towards the end of this week though, we have the Bristol Media, Brand You Awards Deadline looming! Brand You, is produced by Bristol Media and Social Heads and supported by ourselves, and this year they are looking for individuals working right across the creative sectors in the South West. It doesn't matter whether you are just beginning your career or you have already established yourself in your field. 

The Awards are celebrating the outstanding contribution that in house, agency staff and freelancers make to campaigns, projects and productions. So it's now time to make a stand and shout about your success, or indeed the success of someone you know!

As we all know, the credibility of any awards programme is measured by the calibre of the judges there is an excellent judging panel for each of the categories from length and breadth of the country. With a leading professional from the South West plus three or four additional judges from outside the region to add balance, you can be assured that the results will be completely fair and unbiased. 

The popular awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday 16 September at Bordeaux Quay this year, so make sure you enter before Friday 20 June or you really will be missing out!

Also this week, in fact this evening, half of the Cloud 9 team will be attending the Independent Venue Showcase at The Nottingham Belfry, organised by the CHS Group. 

The showcase which is one of 6 held across the UK is an event for Meeting and Event Planners who wish to find out more about some of the UK's most exclusive and unique venues. 

The showcase will feature over 20 venues including Champneys Health Spa, historic Weston Park Hotel and a selection of boutique country house properties from Pride of Britain Hotels. Meeting Planners will be able to mingle with venues at a mini exhibition before enjoying drinks and a Summer BBQ and also have the opportunity to win some superb prizes in an exclusive prize draw. 

Emma Cartmell, Director of CHS Group explained: "We have a growing reputation for delivering great Showcases, this is now the 12th one that we have done over the last 2 years and they just get better and better. We know that Agents like being able to see some many independent venues in one place at one time and particularly enjoy the relaxed, informal format of our events." She continued: "We know also that access is really important to our guests, so wanted a stylish venue with a city centre feel but with great access to the motorway networks, The Nottingham Belfry offered a perfect fit".

So we're looking forward to attending that this evening and to everything else that is thrown at us this week! 

Have a great week folks!