What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 13 March 2017

Welcome to another week and we're fresh from a great night at the newly refurbished Nottingham Derby Novotel at the weekend, who had  a casino night and black tie gala dinner to mark the occasion. 

A good time was had by all but sadly we don't have any winnings to brag about so work continues this week at Cloud 9 Towers!

On the subject of a good time, no one knows how to party better than the Irish and of course, this Friday sees the arrival of St Patrick's Day so no doubt every bar from Dublin to Derry will be packed to the rafters.

Here at Cloud 9 we are also getting in on the act and attending a St Patrick's Celebration on Thursday evening at the King Street Townhouse in Manchester along with Moulden Marketing who have organised the event.

The evening will be hosted by nine of Irish partners; a mix of Hoteliers, Venues and Regional Convention Bureau and starts with Irish themed cocktails, presentations and then a three course meal topped off with Irish Coffee!

We are using this trip to Manchester as an excuse also to introduce Fiona, one of our Ambassador's to the region as its one we use for many events and its not a part of the UK that she is familiar with. So the Melia, the Mercure Piccadilly and Alderley Park are all on our radar.

Manchester is certainly keeping up its end as the Northern Powerhouse, and when it comes to looking at future trends with regards to hotels and guest attitudes to both in terms of business and leisure travel, the North West always offers a good benchmark.

Business travel in the region has seen significant growth and more and more guests want to try and create a home away from home feeling, with the opportunity enjoy the benefits of the service and facilities provided by hotels, but also the flexibility to cater for themselves.

With an increase in International Flights to Manchester Airport the North West Hub and weak pound has also driven a hike in international visitors, both for business and leisure so occupancy rates in Manchester are enjoying a high.

With increased occupancy rates and growth in the number of companies choosing to stay in the UK for their annual events, many hotels and venues face the challenge of maintaining and improving their service levels to meet and exceed demand.

Additionally,  health and well being has increased as a priority for many guests and delegates in recent years, so healthy menu options and wellness-focused environments are increasingly important.

Manchester has always been a bustling and innovative city and some of the new hotels set to open offer increased choice for guests and delegates alike and we're looking forward to seeing just is what next for the region so watch this space!

Have a great week!

What's Floating Around? 3 October 20016

Welcome to another week, and this week we wanted to share with you an amazing opportunity to visit India with Moulden Marketing.

We are well travelled here at Cloud 9 Towers, but this is a destination we have yet to explore!

Family and Friends Trip to Jaipur, India 4-11 December 2016

This is a programme which captures the famed textiles, jewellery, and artisan crafts around Jaipur, whilst sightseeing is not forgotten (yes, we can get to the Taj Mahal!).

We don’t often get one of these, this really isn’t a fam trip, not even a paid fam. No-one will ‘sell’ nor push you through a tightly packed programme of endless guided tours of monuments and hotels.   

A restful programme - your reward, and to unwind after yet another busy year.
This is a ‘family and friends‘ trip, you can bring your spouse, or other personal guests of choice, you can nominate colleague/s. 

This journey is weaved around Textile & Jewellery in Jaipur. The program starts in this capital of Rajasthan and all the activities are planned in & around this colourful city which has endless activities & highlights to offer. So the journey is blessed with no long drives and no frequent change of hotels!

Some activities:-

Elephant safari with exclusive breakfast, visit to Anokhi textile museum and meet the textiles artists in Anokhi Interactive session with artists in Bagroo along with hands on experience on block printing, meeting the jewellery artists in Amrapali & Surana Jewellery, spend a day in Rajasthani village & try your hands on Saree & turban tying sessions, explore the exquisite textile shops in Jaipur, attend a cooking class followed by a family dinner. 

This opportunity will admirably suit those curious about India but who may never have had the opportunity to visit, either as your core business doesn't or hasn't included this fascinating destination (yet!). Plus we offer a business reason for coming, should you materialise a group within the next 12 months. 

All costs, ground programme, flights, accommodation etc are listed on p7 of the itinerary here

We hope you have enjoyed this - have a great week!

 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 23 May 2016

Welcome to another week and we do hope that everyone is continuing to smile! This week is all about the CHS Awards which take place on Wednesday in Manchester at the Mercure Piccadilly Hotel on Portland Street.

Launched in 2015 to celebrate aspects of venues, the Awards have very quickly been embraced by the industry and the 2016 entries were pretty spectacular in each of the 19 very carefully chosen categories.

With almost 70 leading agents judging the awards, the entrants knew that this was a great opportunity to get their venue on the radar of some incredibly well know and respected names and we look forward to celebrating their success.

So why is it that Awards are so popular? Well, as we run lots of them here at Cloud 9, we know that Awards matter and even with all of the advances in social media, instant feedback and independent reviews, getting everyone together to discover the winners can be an exciting and exhilarating experience.

Recognition for a job well done is always important and being a finalist, a nominee or making the shortlist for any awards event can be the first steps of a great PR story. The opportunity to show off to your clients, your colleagues and your employees is a great way of validating the work you are doing with your organisation.

Winning takes the story to a whole new level and makes your promotional abilities boundless, so we certainly will enjoy the coverage that the CHS Awards will generate over the coming weeks.

For now though we would like to wish all of the finalists at this years CHS Awards all success and a great evening!

 In other news this week we are gearing up for The Meetings Show which has moved to an earlier slot in June, rather than July. Last year our attendance was cut a little short by the tube strike as we had to leave early so we are hoping for no drama this year.

The Meetings Show is designed with productivity at the forefront of everything we do. In today's world, it is difficult to take even just a day away from the office, but working within an industry that demands face-to-face interaction, The Meetings Show offers an opportunity to source, learn and network with those that will make a real difference to your business. 

There will be more than 600 of the finest destinations, hotels, venues, DMCs and technology providers at the Show and we are aiming to leave inspired and energised - although probably with sore feet from all of that waling around - as we will have been on a journey across the UK and around the world at the UK’s largest gathering of meeting suppliers.

 Additionally there are over 80 free-to-attend educational sessions delivered by the most creative thinkers in the industry and a whole range of destination showcases which will allow us to grow our knowledge and choices for clients.

There are also a number of great parties planned around the Show taking place across some of London’s most exclusive venues, and as Paula, Janet & Charlotte will all be attending, we'll be experiencing the delights of the Montcalm with Moulden Marketing, St James' Court with Hotel Republic, The Radio Bar at the ME London with GTAssociates  and the Kensington Roof Gardens with SANA Hotels.Who said it was all hard work?

Have a great week and we look forward to seeing you in Manchester! 






 
 

  

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 11 January 2016

Welcome to another week and whilst we have all been ‘locked down’ escaping the incessant rain - our sympathies go out to the people in the North of England, Cumbria, Lancashire, Yorkshire etc. who were affected by the floods we witnessed over Christmas.  

As we waved goodbye to 2015, it was a time to reflect on all the lovely venues we visited last year.  At Cloud 9, we love our hidden gems and here are a few we unearthed:-

CharingworthManor:  Near the delightful area of Chipping Camden in the Cotswolds.

Charingworth were showcasing their beautiful new extension with amazing views over the stunning Cotswolds countryside.  We can thoroughly recommend the Pimms, which would rival anything served at Wimbledon. A great venue, with lots of potential for MICE business.

StanbrookAbbey: 

A former monastery, in beautiful grounds, with its own chapel, exclusive-use function rooms and hotel suites.  Stanbrook has added more hotel rooms to their venue and it is truly ‘Amazing’.  Located in the Malvern’s, an area of outstanding beauty – Stanbrook is a unique and beautifully renovated building, the bedrooms are luxurious and meeting space is unique.

Ashhorne Conference Centre:

Ashorne Hill is a dedicated conference centre set in 35 acres of Warwickshire countryside. The Grade II listed building offers a venue for conferencing and events, a bespoke training provider with residential accommodation.  Very near to Stratford upon Avon and M40.

TheMere: 

The Mere Golf Resort & Spa’s philosophy is centred on delivering a fantastic guest experience, whether you are staying with us for business or pleasure.  A short distance from Manchester and airport.  A multi-functional venue, offering seclusion and beauty in the Cheshire countryside.  Hosted CHS Independent Venue Show, providing excellent accommodation and meeting facilities.

Paula visited London and the rather incredible ME hotel, more to follow from the ME group in our February round-up.  www.melia.com/me-london

We look forward to welcoming our venue representatives to Cloud 9 Towers in the forthcoming months and will have the customary tea and biscuits ready to greet you.

A special thanks to:- Moulden Marketing for bringing the lovely ladies from Toulouse and gentlemen from the Accor Group, Madrid, Paris and Zurich.  We enjoyed meeting them all.  

The special familiarisation trip to Seville - following a successful visit to IBTM.

Paula’s rather fabulous visit to Portugal with Sana Hotels. The Cloud 9 Team start the year with lots of eventing, awards, incentives and projects. 

We are expanding our Free Venue Finding Service, Worldwide, and look forward to receiving your enquiries for MICE anywhere in the world.  Whether it’s a small meeting in Moscow, to a vast bash in Vegas, we are here to make it happen! 

Have a great week and don’t forget the CHS Awards deadline is looming!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 30 November 2015

Following a very successful visit to IBTM Barcelona, it was off to Seville with Moulden Marketing, Gill Moulden and Cititours, our lovely hosts Paco and Angela.  Our hotel for the three day stay was the newly refurbished Melia Sevilla, located in the centre of Seville. An oasis of calm and tranquillity, providing a fabulous buffet breakfast.

Suitably refreshed - we embarked on our leisurely tour of Seville, in the early morning sunshine.  An impromptu stop at the very beautiful Hotel Alfonso XIII.  A quick coffee and pastry fill up and we picked up the pace and admired the beautiful orange trees and Moorish architecture.  No visit to Spain is complete without Tapas, and we duly obliged and visited three local restaurants.  All very different and charming.  A visit to Casa Salinas, a beautiful private residence with amazing architecture - a private sanctuary in the heart of Seville.

 Our next port of call was sherry wine tasting at Catador.  Fired up with four different strengths of sherry wine - we headed for the Flamenco Museum for our tour and workshop.  Our teacher cast a rueful eye and decided to be polite about our efforts to dance the flamenco.  We coyly took our front row seats to watch the real thing!  The incredible passion and dancing literally took the breath away, we were all hooked.  To round off the wonderful day, we were hosted by the Taberna del Alabardero restaurant and wolfed down five courses of Spanish cuisine, of the highest order.

Day Two in Seville started with a bike tour to Triana Market to purchase ingredients for the evening Paella cooking, followed by a refreshing boat tour on the Guadalquivir River.  A sumptuous lunch followed at the Abades Triana restaurant overlooking the river.

Dehehsa La Calera awaited and we started with a conventional coach to the ranch.  Half way along the track, we disembarked and climbed aboard our wagon and tractor.  A magnificent horseman upon his grey steed appeared and we followed him along the path to the ranch, to be greeted by a very enthusiastic and cute boxer dog.  Rounding the day off with fun and relaxing Paella cooking - we settled in front of the roaring fire reflecting on the all the interesting things we had experienced.

 

Day three concluded with our visit to the Royal Golf Club of Seville for a quick golf clinic and to admire the very beautiful fairways in the gorgeous Spanish sunshine.  Off to the airport for our return flights to Gatwick and a very bone chilling -0.5 degrees - welcome back Blighty!

Sincere thanks to Moulden Marketing and Cititours for a comprehensive and informative tour of Seville.  A must go MICE destination.

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 23 November 2015

Welcome to another week and even though we are counting down to Christmas and some much needed rest and relaxation, 2016 is looking rather close and our diaries are already filling up fast! 

But back to the here and now, and this week Janet returns from IBTM in Barcelona and then a fam to Seville with our friends at Moulden Marketing - next week we're handing over to her so she can tell us all about it!

We're all systems go on some of our project work including St Mary's in the Lace Market Nottingham which we're pleased to be working on helping getting the marketing off the ground. No, we are not moving from being agents to representing venues, its just that this is a fantastic opportunity to work with the team at the church and help it realise its full potential as a great venue for events.

St Mary's really has spectacular potential for events such as gala dinners for 200 or concerts/conferences for up to 500 guests. Whilst most 'dry hire' venues offer a blank canvas for you to style and enhance, the backdrop at St Mary's is stunning in itself.

The team at St Mary’s and Cloud 9 are committed to ensuring you have the best possible service and information available in order to have an event that exceeds your expectations, so whether you need audio visual support, caterers, hotels, table dressers or taxis, we can help with our excellent working partners and suppliers.

All of our recommended suppliers, each of whom is equally committed to delivering excellence in events at St Mary’s, are guaranteed to provide first class service for your next event.

As St Mary's is first and foremost an active church with commitments to its community and congregation, we do have a few points for you to bear in mind when using St Mary's as a venue, but we are committed to working with you to ensure the best possible events are welcomed to this spectacular venue.

 As part of our marketing activities we are planning to attend the CHS Show in Leeds in April and not just as hosted buyers this time, but also as exhibitors to showcase St Mary's so we look forward to seeing you there, if not before!

Whilst we are on the subject of the CHSGroup its timely to mention the Character Awards which we are running on conjunction with them. Irrespective of whether you exhibit at the Conference and Hospitality Show, these awards offer a fantastic opportunity for any venue outside of the M25 to shout about their facilities, and although we’ll be announcing the shortlist live at the show, we’ll also be using social media #Character16 and making a really big splash about all of the finalists in the industry at large!

We could do with some additional judges from the industry for the awards so if you are an agent, at manager level or higher, then we'd love to hear from you please - and you never know, a few hours of your time in the New Year to help us assess the entries could mean a great night as we will be able to invite you to the awards themselves in Manchester next May. Check out the website for more details or email Janet in the office.

On other news this week, Paula is off to Birmingham this Thursday to be a guest at the Civic Reception of the Lord Mayor of Birmingham to help celebrate the Birmingham Press Club's 150th Anniversary - so she will be watching her P's & Q's possibly learning how to courtesy but who knows!

We have lots more news to share but no time to share it as Cloud 9 Towers remains super busy - so please make sure you follow our news and updates on our social media feeds, and as ever, have a great week - see you soon!

 

 

 
 

 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 25 May 2015

Welcome to another week! Paula was lucky enough to go to Morroco with Moulden Marketing earlier in the year, and as well as enjoying a fabulous stay at La Mamounia, she also visited the newly opened and rather fabulous Royal Palm Beachcomber Hotel in Marrakech.

As we continue our series and look at new hotels around the globe, this week its Africa that beckons...

Africa is becoming the new battleground for global domination among hotel groups, so let's have a look at just some of the fabulous new openings!

Park Hyatt Zanzibar opened in March, and is the quintessential destination to experience the idyllic East African island of Zanzibar and embrace the rich culture, heritage and historical significance of the hotel's location. Sitting majestically on the beachfront in the heart of the Stone Town, a designated UNESCO heritage site, Park Hyatt Zinzibar provides the ultimate haven amongst Stone Town's labyrinth of winding alleys, bustling markets, mosques and famed Zanzibari doors, featuring magnificent ornate wooden carvings.

From the spacious, elegant guest rooms, authentic cuisine and spectacular views to the oceanfront infinity pool, Anantara Spa, fully-equipped fitness centre and exceptional meeting, event and private function facilities, Park Hyatt Zanzibar offers both discerning business travellers and luxury holiday makers rare, intimate and unforgettable experiences. 

Radisson Blu Marrakech is due to open in October 2015! Located in the recently built Carré Eden complex in the central Gueliz district, the Radisson Blu Hotel in Marrakech is surrounded by trendy bars and restaurants as well as a shopping mall populated with high-end international stores. Gazing at the hotel’s striking modern lobby, patio, restaurant and bar designed by famous architect Imaad Rahmouni, it’s easy to forget that the historic medina, with the vibrant Djemaa El-Fna square and famous souks, is just a short walk away. 

The 198 rooms and suites, created by acclaimed architects Lotfi Sidi Rahal and Meriem Benkirane, feature a warm, contemporary style and amenities like Free high-speed, wireless Internet and LED screens with satelite channels. The unique open dining area combines a restaurant, lounge and bar and serves organic meat and fish cooked over a charcoal grill as well as tapas and sushi. The hotel also features an aquarium swimming pool, an expansive patio with sun beds, a fitness centre, a spa and a ballroom, as well as 10 large meeting rooms for business events.

Park Hyatt Marrakech is set to open in 2016, and will welcome you into the exclusive universe of one of the world’s most prestigious hotel brands.

Only 15 minutes away from both the "medina" (old city) and the international airport of Marrakech, Park Hyatt Marrakech hotel features 131 spacious rooms and suites as well as 44 deluxe villas built inside the private gated grounds of the hotel complex. Park Hyatt Marrakech’s rooms, suites and private villas are generously sized and offer a unique atmosphere along with exceptional views of the landscaped gardens and the 18-hole golf course designed by Kyle Phillips.

At Park Hyatt Marrakech every staff member is dedicated to providing guests with an incomparable level of personalized service designed around your lifestyle and preferences.

Residents of the villas can enjoy full access to Park Hyatt Marrakech hotel concierge services, spa facilities, the golf course and clubhouse and to all other facilities and services the hotel has to offer.  Learn more about the Park Hyatt Marrakech villas.

Park Hyatt Marrakech presents a wide selection of authentic cuisines from different parts of the world and offers a diverse range of meeting facilities to cater an exclusive board meeting to large conferences and social gatherings.

Four Seasons Casablanca is opening towards the end of this year. Cool and avant-garde on the beachfront of Morocco’s largest city, Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca enjoys a prestigious resort-style setting, just a short distance from the business district and the historic city centre. 

The new hotel is part of the master-planned Anfa Place community, combining residential, business, shopping and entertainment. The 183 guest rooms and suites share a range of dining and recreation amenities in a style that mixes French and Arabic traditions. Meetings and events unfold in the ballroom and five function rooms, open to outdoor terraces that celebrate Morocco’s year-round warmth and sunshine.

Mandarin Oriental Marrakech is our final hotel opening of this week, and With the snow-capped Atlas Mountains as a backdrop, Mandarin Oriental Marrakech lies in 20 hectares of landscaped gardens and olive groves, only minutes from the bustling medina. With just 63 villas and suites, a world-class spa and 5 innovative restaurants and bars, it provides a unique oasis of luxury in the heart of the city.

Contemporary in style, the resort’s interiors have been conceived by French design duo, Patrick Gilles and Dorothée Boissier who have combined their contrasting styles to create a balanced look. Patrick has focused on clean lines and symmetrical forms while Dorothée has added subtle Berber and Spanish Arabic touches. The Gilles & Boissier style is clearly seen throughout the hotel, with its emphasis on juxtaposing aesthetics: striking but discreet, luxurious yet unobtrusive.

Guests at Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech will delight in an atmosphere that combines the exotic charm and relaxed lifestyle of the Red City with the oriental heritage of the award-winning hotel group.

So that's it for this week folks, have a good one! 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 16 March 2015

Welcome to another week and this week we're all about Marrakesh, following the recent fam that Paula took with the marvellous Moulden Marketing. Hosted by Activ Travel, one of the best DMC's we've ever encountered at Cloud 9, it was truly a wonderful trip and rather surprising in terms of just what you can do with groups and incentives in the region.

With regular flights from both British Airways and Easyjet, its a very accessible location and the range of hotels is fantastic. 

We were met by Activ Travel, who have been providing high quality MICE programmes and travel to Morocco for almost 20 years. Founded in 1996 by Abdellatif ‘Ben’ Benmoussa and Hicham Tahri, Activ Travel is one of the most experienced and well renowned DMCs within Marrakech and Morocco. Working with a dedicated team of full-time staff, and cleverly utilising their fantastic relation-ship with the local people of Marrakech, Activ Travel are able to provide their guests with an incredible insight into the culture, colours, experiences and beauty of the country of Morocco.

We stayed at the La Mamounia a stunning hotel. Ravishing and regal, La Mamounia hotel is set in royal gardens, styled with Moorish opulence, and as sensuous as a seraglio. Aware that its guests (Winston Churchill was a fan) expect the best, and you won't be disappointed. 

After a quick change, it was off for an orientation tour by night of Marrakech rampart and the Famous Djemaa el fna square. Marrakech's famous Central Square. This was followed by a great evening and dinner at the M Restuarant Lounge, with belly dancers and fire eaters!

Up with the lark and after a great breakfast, we were off again exploring and the first stop was The Royal Palm Hotel, sister hotel to those in Mauritius and our friends at Beachcomber. Simply stunning is how we would describe the hotel!

After a 4x4 driving experience into the Atlas Mountains of Marrakech  with a stop off at a remote traditional Berber Village for some mint tea, it was off to Terres D’amanar.

Located on a beautiful plateau overlooking the Atlas mounts and their beautiful valleys in the heart of the High Atlas Mountains near the town of Asni, the Terres D’amanar domain is a unique site with an exceptional environment and very authentic feel. There is an adventure park in the trees and on the Arial rope slide, assisted by professionals, as well as equestrian, pedestrian, and mountain bike excursions. The more leisurely inclined can relax by the pool, or discover the Berber customs and tradition during the culinary and artesian workshops. This is what Paula opted for whilst the other mad fools were crossing rope bridges and zip wires!

We returned to La Mamounia by late afternoon for a quick dip in the pool and then it was

off for a tour and pre dinner drinks at at Palais Soleiman, which is a little difficult to describe, but truly amazing and well worth hiring exclusively if you have a small group and a reasonable budget. 

Then it was off to one of the best experiences ever, a  Party Dinner in a private camp in the heart of the PALM GROVE, with traditional Berber entertainment - The idea here was to  show us how to give our guests experience a magic moment. A single moment doesn't do it justice. It was simply full of magical moments, from the arrival, through to drinks, dinner, entertainment and departure. Even the loo's are worth a mention! This was a real introduction to Moroccan culture. It is a recreation of a “Moussem” or a traditional feast where locals celebrate the harvest. 

Despite the late night, it was an early start as we enjoyed a most entertaining hot air ballooning flight over the north of the palm grove of Marrakech between the river of Tensift and the Mountains of djebilets. The banter of the Pilot was worth the trip alone!

Then we were off to visit Marrakech gardens, and then Marrakech souks discovery, which I was glad to have had a guide as we had to navigate our way through the souks and food stalls, and learn how to haggle like a pro! 

It is a riot of colour, noise and activity, a wealthy storehouse of all the treasures of this vast and varied country, and then we had an introduction to Moroccan cooking and lunch at Al Baraka restaurant, located in the Famous Djemaa El Fna square.


We packed a lot into a short trip and it was without a doubt, a fabulous experience, so if you fancy Marrakech for your next event, please let us know. It really will be worth it!



Have a great week!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 26 January 2015

Welcome to another week at Cloud 9 and we'd like to start of by thanking Moulden Marketing for hosting Paula at Conventa, despite the nightmare flight and luggage logistics, she has had an interesting time away!

There's a lot of travelling within the MICE industry and no matter how long you have been in the business, you always come across new experiences and as mentioned above, travelling terrors! Which brings us on to the topic of top tips for surviving a long haul flight, we'd like to share with you...

If you are travelling long haul this year, check out these top tips for ensuring a stress-free journey:


1. Book a Decent Seat 
Most airlines that fly long haul allow you to select your seat in advance of the flight via their website or app, although some do charge for the privilege so keep your eyes peeled!

2. Pick the Best Airline
The top airlines have improved things for long haul passengers over the last few years including seats with more space in front of your knee; 'wings' on the headrests to support your head; and on-demand seat-back entertainment.

3. Avoid Peak-Time Flights
You will have more space, more air, more personal service and arguably a nicer experience all round on a half-empty flight. You may also pay less for it as fares vary due to demand.

4. Wear Layers
You've got to contend with airports at each end, and different levels of air-conditioning on the plane, so layers are best.


5. Drink Water
At least one litre every five hours is the recommendation from researchers at St John's University in Taipei. Dehydration on flights happens because passengers don't drink enough water, drink too much alcohol and the cabin microclimate increases the rate of dehydration.

6. Break the Journey
For any flight more than 12 hours, you are likely to have to change planes during the journey or disembark while the aircraft refuels. Use this break to get some sleep, freshen up or stretch your legs while enjoying some sightseeing.

7. Beat Jet Lag
Set your watch to the destination time as soon as you board to help you adjust to the time difference. Flights east generally cause worse symptoms than those westbound.

8. Stay at the Airport
Having to leave home in the middle of the night to catch an early morning flight is not likely to help with the long haul journey. Start off with a full night's sleep by booking an airport hotel the night before departure.

One other tip, Cloud 9 would like to add is, always pack essentials i.e. straightners, make-up, travelling documents, the correct currency etc. in your hand luggage!

This week at Cloud 9 Towers is yet again another eventful week, as we celebrate the birthday of our Event Executive, Shannon Jenkins, some of the team are attending Moulden Marketing Destination Showcase and the deadline of the CHS Awards approaches!

The CHS Awards provide hotels and venues with a unique opportunity to showcase their facilities, compete in each of the 13 carefully chosen categories and be nominated for 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, the Awards, which will be fun, fair and credible, will also offer the perfect environment for entertaining clients and customers alike in a relaxed setting.

The nominees will be announced on 24 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. www.chs-awards.com

Thanks for reading and we hope you all have a fantastic week - enjoy!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 19 January 2015

Welcome back to another week at Cloud 9! 

Within the Meetings, Incentives and Events industry, we can imagine that your diaries are already starting to look chock-a-block (especially if you read our blog last week!). However, we do have an additional event we'd recommend you add to your diaries as part of Moulden Marketing; it would be a journey of a lifetime...

Traversing the Tropic of Cancer through India – Bangladesh - 12th October – 17th November 2015

From the Arabian Sea to the border between India and Myanmar, the journey covers a distance of almost 4300km and explores how uniquely different the West is from the East...

On your once-in-a-lifetime journey, we will take you along a line that connects places that would otherwise be extraordinarily different and diverse. The Tropic of Cancer divides India almost equally into two and is remarkable in the locations that it connects. Experience how much more to India there is than outsourcing, IT, economy, snake charmers or elephants. The tour highlights include meeting a number of influential and passionate people that live or work in this incredible country, from a Bollywood director to an evening with a well-known UK TV presenter and New York Times best-selling author and a famous fashionista.

The journey is divided into 3 chapters. You can choose to travel on all 3 chapters, any 2 consecutive chapters or along a single chapter.

Chapter I – Across Gujarat: Your journey starts from close to the Western border of Gujarat. On a no-moon day you might be able to see the lights of Karachi, Pakistan from Lakhpat. You then wind your way through a region that is known for the myriad hues and precise prints. Speaking with hands, craftsmen here would create carpets and wearable prints of such fine quality that it is constantly exported. Learn more about these arts whilst also visiting the stories that the various temples and palaces of Gujarat speak of.

Chapter II – Central and Eastern India: Buddhism in Sanchi. Tigers in Satpura. Mughal architecture in Bhopal. French architecture of Chandannagar. British architecture in Kolkata. Terracotta crafts in Bishnupur. A new concept in education in Santiniketan. Baul (similar to wandering friars) music across the border. Fishing with Otters in Tangail. Sarees in Dhaka. Grassroot initiatives in Kushtia. Need we say more ?

Chapter III – Bangladesh and the Easternmost extremity of India: Bangladesh is an enigma – and we know that it isn’t at the top of your mind of holiday destinations in India. But a journey along the country is brilliant fun. Trust us. We have been there. For starters, the food is awesome. For the mains, the country is known for the exquisite sarees that it manufactures – some of which may cost more than the latest on the Milan runway. As you travel along the country, you will be stunned by how green it is. You will be stunned by how polite people are. You will be stunned by how they are themselves trying to change the country. As you cross into Tripura and Mizoram, you will miss the country. But Tripura and Mizoram are awesome in themselves. Your journey would end near the rolling meadows of Meghalaya. From your resort near world’s wettest region of Cherrapunji, you can set forth to explore the root bridges, the 800 odd caves or just take it easy and grab a beer… and compare this beer to the one you had on the white sands.

If that isn't quite up your street, then why don't you have a look at Moulden Marketing's Destination Showcase!

Held at The Radisson Blu Portman, London on Thursday 29th January 2015, this free-to-attend one-day Destination Showcase will bring together over 45 international suppliers of the MICE industry including Hotels, DMC's, Convention Bureaux & Tourist Boards from around the world. The workshop allows guests part or full-day attendance, and the opportunity to select suppliers of your choice for 15 minute appointments.

- Determine your arrival and departure times based on your busy schedule! Choose from AM, AM/PM or PM only appointment slots.

- Select which suppliers you would like to meet, and they pre-allocate the appointments for you! List of suppliers available here

- An opportunity to build relationships with senior MICE dedicated suppliers.

- Network with colleagues, expand your destination and venue knowledge, and WIN PRIZES including a range of 4* & 5* hotel stays!

That's it for now folks, have a great week!