What's Floating Around Cloud 9?

Monday, 13 February 2017

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 13 February 2017

Welcome to another week and we're delighted to announce the launch of our new Corporate Hospitality Division which we are running in conjunction with Optimise Hospitality.

Judi Oliver and her team are working with us here at Cloud 9 Towers to offer a wide range of bespoke solutions for clients wanting specific events that cater to their needs, as well as a range of established events throughout the year. From private boxes and tailor made travel solutions, our combined expertise means we can deliver to budget and to brief quickly and easily, saving you both money and perhaps more importantly time.

Here are just some of the amazing opportunities available for 2017 and beyond...

· March 2017

·        11th March, Rugby, RBS 6 Nations: England v Scotland, Twickenham Stadium

·         14th -17th March, Horse Racing Cheltenham Gold Cup, Cheltenham Racecourse

·         18th March, Rugby, RBS 6 Nations: Scotland v Italy, BT Murrayfield

·         18th March, Rugby, RBS 6 Nations: France v Wales, Stade de France

·         23rd March - 25th April, Cultural, Madame Butterfly, Royal Opera House

·         25th and 26th March, Concerts Craig David, The O2

· April 2017

·         3rd - 9th April, Golf, The Masters, Augusta, USA

·         8th April, Horse Racing   Randox Health, Grand National Aintree Racecourse

·         8th April, Rugby Saracens v Harlequins, Wembley Stadium

·         18th - 22nd April, Concerts, Bruno Mars,The O2

·         29th April, Boxing, Joshua v Klitschko, Wembley Stadium

· May 2017

·         7th May, Cricket, England V Ireland 2nd Royal London ODI, Lord's Cricket Ground

·         12th and 13th May, Rugby, Challenge Cup, Murrayfield Stadium

·         13th May, Motorsport, Monaco E Prix (Formula E), Monaco

·         14th May, Motorsport, Spanish Grand Prix, Barcelona

·         20th May, Motorsport, Paris E Prix (Formula E), Paris

·         21st May - 19th June, Cultural, La Traviata, Glyndebourne Festival, Glyndebourne, West Sussex

·         22nd - 25th May, Concerts, Eric Clapton, Royal Albert Hall

·         23rd - 27th May                , Cultural, RHS Chelsea Flower Show, London

·         24th May, Cricket, England V South Africa ODI, Headingley Cricket Ground

·         28th May, Motorsport, Monaco Grand Prix, Monaco

·         28th May - 11th June, Tennis, French Open, Roland Garros, Paris

·         29th May Cricket, England v South Africa Royal London ODI, Lord's Cricket Ground

· June 2017

·         1st - 18th June, Cricket, ICC Champions Trophy, Kia Oval Cricket Ground

·         2nd and 3rd June, Horse Racing Epsom Derby, Epsom Racecourse

·         4th - 9th June, Cultural, Phil Collins - 'Not dead yet', Royal Albert Hall

·         9th - 11th June Polo, Chestertons Polo in the Park, Hurlingham Park, London

·         10th June, Motorsport, Berlin E Prix (Formula E) Berlin

·         11th June - 6th July, Cultural, Hamlet at Glyndebourne Festival, Glyndebourne, West Sussex

·         13th - 17th June, Horse Racing, Royal Ascot, Ascot Racecourse, Berkshire

·         17th June Concerts, Stone Roses, Wembley Stadium

·         17th - 18th June, Motorsport, Le Mans 24hr race weekend, Le Mans, France

·         19th - 25th June, Tennis Aegon Championships, The Queen's Club, London

·         21st June, Cultural, Bryan Ferry at Hampton Court Palace Festival, Hampton Court

·         22nd June, Cultural, Rick Astley at Hampton Court Palace Festival, Hampton Court

·         24th June, Concerts, Jeff Lynne's ELO, Wembley Stadium

·         27th - 30th June, Tennis Tennis Classic, Hurlingham Club

·         27th June 1st July, Tennis, The Boodles, Stoke Park

·         28th June - 2nd July, Concerts, Adele The Finale Tour, Wembley Stadium

·         28th June - 1st July, Rowing, Henley Regatta, Henley on Thames

·         29th June - 2nd July, Motorsport, Goodwood Festival of Speed, Goodwood, West Sussex

· July 2017

·         1st July Motorsport, Brussels E Prix (Formula E) Brussels

·         1st July Concerts, British Summer Time Hyde Park - Green Day, Hyde Park

·         2nd July, Concerts, British Summer Time Hyde Park - Justin Bieber, Hyde Park

·         2nd July, Motorsport, Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull Ring, Spielberg

·         3rd - 16th July, Tennis, The Championships, Wimbledon

·         4th - 9th July, Horticultural, RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, Hampton Court Palace, Surrey

·         5th - 9th July, Concerts, Henley Festival, Henley on Thames, Oxon

·         6th - 10th July, Cricket, England v South Africa 1st Investec Test Match, Lord's Cricket Ground

·         6th July Concerts, British Summer Time Hyde Park - Kings of Leon, Hyde Park

·         8th July Concerts, U2, Twickenham

·         16th July, Motorsport, British Grand Prix, Silverstone

·         20th - 23rd July Golf, Open Championship, Royal Birkdale, Merseyside

·         20th - 24th July Flowershows, RHS Tatton Park Flower Show, Tatton Park, Cheshire

·         23rd July Cycling, Tour de France, Paris

·         26th July Equestrian, Royal Salute Coronation Cup, Guards Polo club, Egham

·         26th - 30th July Horse Racing, Qatar Goodwood Festival Goodwood, West Sussex

·         27th - 30th July Cricket England V South Africa 100th Test, Kia Oval Cricket Ground

·         29th - 31st July Motorsport, German Grand Prix Hockenheim Ring

·         29th July - 5th August, Sailing, Cowes week, Southampton

·         30th July, Motorsport, Hungarian Grand Prix, Budapest

· August 2017

·         6th - 13th August, Sailing              Cowes Week

·         18th August, Racing, Newmarket Nights - Olly Murs, Newmarket Racecourse

·         23rd - 26th August, Horse Racing, Yorkshire Ebor Festival, York Racecourse

·         26th August, Racing, Summer Saturday Live - Jess Glynn Newmarket Racecourse

·         26th - 28th August, Motorsport Belgian Grand Prix, Spa, Francorchamps

·         25th August , Cricket, England v West Indies Test series Headingley Cricket Ground

·         31st August, Motorsport, Salon Prive, Blenheim Palace

· September 2017

·         1st and 2nd September Motorsport, Salon Prive, Blenheim Palace

·         3rd September Motorsport, Italian Grand Prix, Monza

·         7th -11th September, Cricket, England v West Indies 3rd Investec Test match, Lord's Cricket Ground

·         8th - 10th September, Motorsport, Goodwood Revival, Goodwood, West Sussex

·         15th - 19th September Cultural London Fashion Week, London

·         13th - 16th September, Horse Racing, The Ladbrokes St Leger Festival, Doncaster racecourse

·         17th September, Motorsport, Singapore Grand Prix, Singapore City

·         24th September, American Football, NFL - Baltomore Ravens v Jacksonville Jaguars, Wembley Stadium

·         27th September, Cricket, England v West Indies ODI, Kia Oval Cricket Ground

·         30th September, Horse Racing, Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe, Chantilly Racecourse, Nr Paris

· October 2017

·         1st October, Horse Racing, Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe, Chantilly Racecourse, Nr Paris

·         1st October, Motorsport, Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang, Kuala Lumpur

·     1st October, American Football NFL - New Orleans Saints v Miami Dolphins, Wembley Stadium

·         19th and 20th October, Festivals, London Bierfest, London

·         22nd October, American Football, NFL – TBC, Twickenham

·         24th - 29th October, Cycling, 6 Day London, Lee Valley Velodrome

·         29th October, American Football, NFL – TBC, Twickenham

· November 2017

·         18th November Rugby, Scotland v New Zealand, Murrayfield Stadium

·         26th November Motorsport, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina Circuit

·         25th November Rugby, Scotland v Australia, Murrayfield Stadium

· December 2017

· 15th and 16th December, Concerts, Pete Tong Classics, The O2

· Throughout December, Various Christmas Parties, Various

· September 2018

· 26 - 28th September, Golf, Ryder Cup, Le Gold National, Guyancourt

Have a great week and let us know if you would like any additional information on our new service. This is Corporate Hospitality Cloud 9 style!

Monday, 6 February 2017

What's Floating Around? 6 February 2017

Welcome to another week and tomorrow is the launch of a very special new initiative within the industry. Cloud 9 along with several other key agencies in the UK are launching the Alliance of Independent Event Agencies at The Marylebone Hotel in London on Tuesday evening.

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.

There are a large number of small to medium sized independent event agencies in the UK who are responsible for a significant proportion of the business generated in the MICE sector. Working closely with our own select client base we create very little threat to each other. Indeed, many of us have become close friends and associates.

We have a great deal of knowledge and experience between us and when shared enables our individual businesses to operate more efficiently and profitably. As membership increases we believe the Alliance as a whole will quickly become one of the top 10 MICE buyers in the UK market.

The Alliance is not a competitor to any other existing association or society. We are happy to work with and alongside other organisations that benefit our industry as long as they share the same values and aims as we do.

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.

You may already be working with a small independent event agent to help you find that perfect venue for your next meeting or event. You’ll know the benefits of having a very professional and personal relationship with them and having a single point of contact from start to finish. If you don’t, then why not contact one of us today and find out how we can help you.

You may not know that as small independent companies we actually talk and share our knowledge and experience on the venues we use. The AIEA has been created to help independent agents share information in order to provide you our clients with the very best service.

Please do take a look at the website for more details which is www.aiea.co.uk

Have a great week!

Monday, 30 January 2017

What's Floating Around? 30 January 2017

Welcome to another week and thankfully after the mania of last week and judging for the Fresh Awards it should be a little quieter here at Cloud 9 Towers this week.

Having said that, all of our Ambassadors are descending on the offices on Tuesday for a catch up and team meeting. We are also going to partake in a little team building activity so it won't be that quiet after all!

If you haven't had the chance to check out our amazing Ambassadors yet, please make sure you take a look at our team page.

Fiona, our South East Ambassador is off to Confec Red in Venice later this week. In an exclusive and intimate results-oriented business setting, CONFEC Red 2017 brings together the United Kingdom’s top agencies, corporate and incentive organisers to meet with international major and emerging hotel chains, individual properties, unusual venues, convention bureaux, tourist boards and DMCs to participate in a series of one-on-one

meetings over two dedicated business days.

Set on the peaceful banks of Giudecca Island, the Hilton Molino Stucky is a former flour mill refurbished to become a unique hotel. This Venetian masterpiece, with its contemporary décor, elegant furnishings and views of the town and the canal, will make the most of her stay by offering the services you need, the amenities you expect, and the extras you deserve. We are just a bit jealous here at HQ!

It's not all fun though as throughout the event, attendees meet senior level executives in top agencies, corporate associations and suppliers during meals and other planned networking activities. This fosters communication and cross sharing of ideas, best practices and future business relationships. Taking networking to a whole new level, they have a fun evening planned during the social networking activity!

It remains to be seen whether Fiona will find time for a gondola ride whilst she is there as she will have a busy schedule and lots of appointments with suppliers.

Confec is just one the international meeting events and we notice that a lot of suppliers are getting in early this year!

We've already had numerous invitations to attend IMEX and the Meetings Show in May and June respectively, and although forward planning comes with the territory in our industry, we can't think that far ahead at present...

Have a good week everyone and welcome to February - January is almost over!

Monday, 23 January 2017

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 23 January 2017

Welcome to another week and it's "Awards Central" here at Cloud 9 Towers!

This week most of the team and a couple of our Ambassadors are camping out at the beautiful Stoke Rochford Hall in Grantham as judging for the Fresh Creative Awards will start on Wednesday.

With around 800 entries covering everything from Advertising, Design, Media, Digital and PR we are in for a busy week, and we have around 50 judges descending on us from various parts of the UK for a very intense three days.

It's hard work but incredible fun and always very interesting to see the sort of Creative work being produced around the UK.

We're also heavily involved in the 2017 CHS Awards again which accompany the CHS Show which takes place in April and once again we are coordinating the judging and awards for Emma and the team.

The awards provide hotels and venues with a unique opportunity to showcase their facilities to the industry at large, compete in each of the carefully chosen categories and be recognised at a glittering Awards Ceremony on the 11th May 2017 at The Royal Armouries in 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 within the UK.

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 fun setting.

What's interesting about both awards programmes and indeed all awards is that their credibility is only valid with judges who are respected and know what they are talking about and we are very lucky to enjoy some incredible support in both awards.

Busy Busy as ever, so have a great week everyone and don't forget to celebrate Burns Night this week!

Monday, 16 January 2017

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 16 January 2017

Welcome to another week and its Blue Monday, officially the most depressing day of the year apparently. Well not here at Cloud 9 Towers, we don’t do depressed so here are 9 reasons to embrace the day and look ahead positively!

Firstly today is a great day to kick start something new, have a different lunch, take some exercise or finally invest a little time and unsubscribe from any emails that you no longer wish to receive. Alternatively you could plan an event for your team – and save yourself some time and trouble by using our free venue finding service. So Monday 16 January is now known at Cloud 9 Monday instead of Blue Monday!

Chinese New Year starts on 28 January and it’s the year of the Rooster. We’re not suggesting that you use this an excuse for a take-away but if you have an International Event Schedule and you are looking for a potential destination, then why not make China an option.

Maritim Hotels has confirmed plans to open two new hotels in China, in Hangzhou and Hefei. Well located in prosperous cities in eastern China, both properties will be expertly designed, stunning new-build hotels featuring a distinctive interior inspired by the local culture of the region. Ask us for details of these amazing new properties for your next international event.

February 28 is Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day - The ancient Greeks and Romans ate pancakes, sweetened with honey; the Elizabethans ate them flavoured with spices, rosewater, sherry, and apples. They were traditionally eaten in quantity on Shrove Tuesday, a day of feasting and partying before the beginning of Lent and whilst we can’t do much to take you to a bygone age here, we can suggest that maybe an event in Greece this year is worth a look.

Sani Resort, Greece’s much-loved five-star resort and ecological reserve, is expanding with a band new adult-friendly hotel, Sani Dunes, in 2017. The chic new destination will offer a private beach, indoor and outdoor heated pools, an exclusive spa with six private treatment rooms including a couple’s suite with private steam bath, a special Thai massage cabin, Jacuzzi, fitness studio and gourmet restaurants. With 80 open-plan suites and 56 spacious rooms with handcrafted furniture and uncluttered interiors, it will be one of the hottest places for events and escapes in 2017.

March 17 is St Patricks Day so what a great excuse to make Dublin a go to destination for your next event. It is reported that billionaire Virgin boss Richard Branson is looking to tap into the ongoing demand for hotel rooms in Dublin by establishing a new property in the capital.

"Dublin is a city we're actively pursuing as part of our European growth strategy," said Alex Andjel, vice-president of development for the company, adding that, "At this stage, we have not confirmed a location. Further details will be release in due course so look out for a new Virgin Hotel in the City.

On April 23 its St Georges Day, so why not consider the Saint Georges Hotel in central London for your next event. The Directors Boardroom on the 15th floor overlooking the West End is ideal for meetings and private dining for up to 10 people. It is also possible for the Directors boardroom to be combined with the Small Lounge to accommodate up to 18 people.

The Heights Venue next to Heights Restaurant Bar and Lounge on the 15th floor with a wall of windows can cater for functions ranging from formal dinners, cocktail parties and wedding receptions for up to 100 guests. This area features a wooden floor, a raised balcony, modern furnishings as well as high quality audio equipment and plasma screens. Ask us for details of this hidden London gem.

May 9 is known as Liberation Day in Guernsey and Jersey, so if you fancy getting away from it all for your next event, but without a huge commute or flight, then both of these charming channel islands could be ideal.

Hand Picked Hotels has introduced a range of options for meetings, conferences and business events to ensure that delegates enjoy a productive, creative and memorable experience without the distractions of the office.

The Channel Islands hotels are great places to escape for meetings. In Jersey, L’Horizon Beach Hotel & Spa and Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa have stunning sea views and outdoor terraces. St Pierre Park Hotel & Golf Resort in Guernsey, set in 35 acres and overlooking a beautiful lake, provides a range of spaces. The newly refurbished La Fontaine Suite has a capacity for 350 for a reception.

The big American Eclipse on August 21 offers a range of great destinations in order to enjoy the event and there are lots of places claiming to offer the best view and best parties. If you stick to the length of time you can enjoy the eclipse, then we suggest Hopkinsville, Kentucky where they have totality for 2 minutes and 41.2 seconds.

The civic boosters of Hopkinsville cite their fair city as the best spot in the nation for the eclipse. While Hopkinsville is a great location, you can travel for hundreds of miles east and west along the eclipse centerline and receive within 1 or 2 seconds of maximum eclipse duration. But if you would like to join a festive crowd, Hopkinsville will certainly be a great location to enjoy the eclipse.

31 October is of course Halloween and although the American influence of making this a major holiday in the Uk continues to expand, if you want a truly magical Halloween experience, then Londonderry in Northern Ireland is for you – just ask some of our team who have first hand experience of this amazing destination which is now the European Capital of Halloween!

And finally, although you may have only jst recovered from this festive season, no reason to plan ahead and get next years Christmas Party all sewn up. From 1 December until the big day itself we’ll be personally selecting the best hotels and venues for our clients to celebrate Christmas 2017 in style.

So there you have it, no reason to be blue today – just on Cloud 9!

Have a great week and enjoy.