What's Floating Around Cloud 9 Week Commencing 19 March 2018

Welcome to another week and we are pleased to unveil a new initiative here at Cloud 9 Towers with the launch of Famtastic. No, this is not a typo, it's the name of a new platform designed to connect agents with unprecedented opportunities to experience a whole host of invitations and fam trips - and to enable suppliers to connect with new agents and expand their guest lists with new and relevant buyers.

We are only a small agency, yet we receive around 50 invitations a month to attend events, relaunches, site visits and fam trips and whilst it's flattering to be on the guest list of so many suppliers, we do recognise that accepting invitations comes with both a responsibility to at least look at a reasonable opportunity to ensure the suppliers get an ROI on their investment - and - we also have to justify our time.

Recognising that suppliers go to a lot of time and trouble as well as making a significant financial investment in any invitations to agents is also a key factor behind the new initiative. It's often that we receive several invitations to attend events on the same date, many of them amazing opportunities and yet it must be frustrating for the suppliers to attempt to compete for similar audiences.

Having researched extensively, we couldn't find anywhere that offer a centralised point for both agents and suppliers to check the fam trips and invitations available, and to ensure that when planning a date, you are not going up against another event or indeed Industry Trade Show.

Whilst we love micebook and the industry titles that often list events, groups like the Delegate Wranglers and Elites often have last minute invitations listed, so Famastic will take the strain out of attracting last minute place with regular shout outs and an invitation hub.

Quality not quantity counts when it comes to fams and invitations, and most suppliers will be disappointed if its the same old audience for their events every time, so the site will be a great way to enable a new audience. Additionally, many agents will decline invitations if its the same old suppliers attending forums and one to one events, so Famtastic should encourage new conversations and more importantly new business relationships.

It is not designed to allow industry blaggers, and we all remember the news articles from last year which named and shamed some of the biggest interlopers, to attend more event in search of freebies, or to encourage agents to attend the opening of an envelope. Hopefully, it will instead provide opportunities for agents to make an informed choice to improve industry knowledge and education about venues - and - to provide suppliers with less empty guest lists - especially when investments have been made on expensive flights and travel.

Famtastic has a very thorough code of conduct when it come to etiquette related to agents attending events or fam trips and every suppliers will also be able to list some basic qualification criteria to make sure the right audiences are with them at events.

Will it work? Well that's down to the industry we guess, and whilst we are not charging a fortune for any listings we do need to cover some basic admin costs - however our main aim is to actually make the whole invitation process easier for everyone involved.

So meet Fred our Famtastic Flamingo and have a great week!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 12 March 2018

Welcome to another week and now that the Nottingham Media Festival is over for 2018 it's time for us to look at some of the other major projects and events we have on the go, including the CHS Awards.

We are pleased once again to be working with the team at the CHS Group on all aspects of the judging for the awards so that the results remain impartial and judged fairly.

Now in the fourth year, the Awards have been steadily growing and gaining momentum and if you are a venue who needs to connect with agents, then we encourage you to get your entries in now - as the deadline is 23 March 2018 - but why leave it to the last minute?!

Entries are free and with over 75 leading agents from around the UK, it's a great platform to get in front of a receptive and interested audience - and you could end up celebrating the success of your venue at the Awards Ceremony on 31 May at the McDonald Hotel in Manchester.

The awards will once again recognise individual elements of venues rather than the entire property in order to provide a level playing field for all entrants, irrespective of whether they are a national chain or a small independent venue. This proved really popular last year and we were really delighted by the support that the industry put behind the awards.

There are some great categories and some new ones for 2018 including recognition for both supplier and agency personalities and we are also looking to encourage more International entries this year.

We’re still looking for senior event agency professionals to join our panel of great judges and we promise it won’t be too onerous, as judging is done completely electronically, there are no site visits required. 

You can also do as much or as little as your time allows and many of our judges love getting involved and discovering new venues as part of the process, so if you'd like to get on board please let us know, or complete the form on the CHS Website.

If you feel that you can spare some time to be on the judging panel, we would be delighted to have you on-board and supporting the Awards.

The finalists will be announced just before the Conference & Hospitality Show in Leeds on the 24th April with a special drinks reception to mark the nominees with many of the judges in attendance, so a great networking opportunity as well as a reason to celebrate.

So good luck everyone, and have a great week!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 5 March 2018

Welcome to another week and after months of planning, we are delivering the Nottingham Media Festival from Thursday to Saturday so it's going to be a very busy week indeed.

Thursday sees the start of the Nottingham International Microfilm Festival with various speakers and screenings and features a special screening of the Festival Selection from the Ningbo Festival in China.

Taking place at the Nottingham Contemporary, the event will welcome Short Film makers from around the globe and is supported by the Nottingham Screen Partnership.






Also taking place on Thursday evening is the Fresh Creative Awards at the Mercure Hotel in Nottingham and a VR in Music Night at the Bodega.

The NIM Festival continues on Friday with the Awards Ceremony in the afternoon and headline appearances from Mabel Cheung and Alex Law from Hong Kong.

Friday also see's a dedicated one day VR Conference which focuses on Medical Applications in Immersive Technology and we are pleased to welcome the godfather of VR, Skip Rizzo, who joins us from California.

The VR Expo Awards takes place on Friday evening again at the Mercure, and on Saturday we start with the NIM Festival Workshops and conclude the day with the One Minute Film Competition.

Saturday also sees the International Short Film Show Awards Ceremony which is being filmed for broadcast on television as part of the series.


With lectures for Students and a whole host of stakeholders involved, it's going to be a very busy week and we'd love you to join us - tickets are still available so please check the website for details and we look forward to seeing you.


Have a great week and stay warm!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 26 February 2018

Welcome to another week and it's an interesting one here at Cloud 9 Towers as we get ready for the Nottingham Media Festival and more specifically the Nottingham International Microfilm Festival.  Many of the major film events around the world have been marked recently with the recognition of the #MeToo campaign globally and whilst we are fully supportive of any initiative that applauds equality and acknowledges and fights some of the appalling behaviour many women in all professions have had to suffer - we do debate whether this is a topic that should be included within our event. Not for any reason other than we have no agenda when it comes to recognising talent from the submissions irrespective of whether they were entered from a man, women, professional, student, or simply an enthusiast of this amazing genre. We just like great films. Especially short films or Microfilms. It seems wrong to jump onto a global bandwagon but also churlish to ignore an international campaign, and not to understate the Nottingham International Microfilm Festival, but our judges are a diverse mix of genders. We do look forward to welcoming the winners, finalists, sponsors and stakeholders to the Festival. We would also like to wave a flag for everyone involved irrespective of gender, nationality or status. Great films and great events require great people so we applaud you all. Have an amazing week! PS. Don't forget our free venue finding service is poised and ready to go for any enquiries you might have for your next event so please email info@cloud9em.co.uk

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 19 February 2018

Welcome to another week and we've gone a little Lego Crazy at Cloud 9 Towers as our Lego Legends Competition as part of the Nottingham Media Festival, hots up.

We're inviting all enthusiasts of LEGO® to get truly creative as part of the event, and submit designs of iconic Nottingham Buildings or Landmarks, or even historical figures such as Robin Hood.

We'll need to see three photographs of your completed design and a max of 250-300 words describing your creation no later than Wednesday 28 February 2018. 

This will enable our judges to make the decisions about which teams have been shortlisted to display their work. Please use the official entry form to submit your design details and photographs. We don't mind where you are based but you must be able to display your work in Nottingham from 8-10 March 2018 as part of the Nottingham Media Festival. Set up will need to take place in advance of 8 March and we will put you in touch with the the relevant host venue : Nottingham Media Festival #LegoLegends.

Open to individuals, teams, friends, schools, clubs and colleagues, we invite you to submit

your design in LEGO® representing Nottingham (an iconic building or landmark, historical figure or famous scene) and the finalists will all be displayed at a variety of venues around the Lace Market for the duration of the Nottingham Media Festival.

If your LEGO® skills are superb you might want to enter something a little more modern with a Media related structure so check out the categories and how to enter...

There will be some amazing prizes for the winners and lots of media coverage so get building and we look forward to being wowed with the LEGO® Legends Competition 2018.

So get a move on people as entries close soon - have a great week.

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 12 February 2018

Welcome to another week and it's all about Skip Rizzo this week as we get set for the VR Expo & Awards from 8-10 March 2018.

Albert "Skip" Rizzo received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Dr. Rizzo conducts research on the design, development and evaluation of Virtual Reality systems targeting the areas of clinical assessment, treatment and rehabilitation - and you will have the opportunity to meet him at the VR Expo in person very soon.

He is also working with a team that is creating artificially intelligent virtual patients that clinicians can use to practice skills required for challenging clinical interviews and diagnostic assessments (sexual assault, resistant patients, suicide lethality, etc.). 

His cognitive work has addressed the use of VR applications to test and train attention, memory, visuospatial abilities and executive function. In the motor domain, he has developed VR Game systems to address physical rehabilitation post stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury and for prosthetic use training. He is also investigating the use of VR for pain distraction at LA Children's Hospital and is currently designing game-based VR scenarios to address issues of concern with children having autistic spectrum disorder. 

His research also involves designing and evaluating 3D User Interface devices and interaction methods and he has created a graduate level Industrial and Systems Engineering course at USC entitled, "Human Factors and Integrated Media Systems". In the area of Gerontology, Dr. Rizzo has served as the program director of the USC Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and is currently conducting a VR study of visuospatial and wayfinding ability with persons with Alzheimer's. He is associate editor and on the editorial board of several VR and CyberPsychology journals, notably with MIT press, and has created his own Listserve (VRPSCYH).

Book Now to Enjoy the Godfather of VR in Nottingham Coming Soon! 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 29 January 2018

 

Welcome to another week and it's all hands on deck for the Nottingham Media Festival this week.If you haven't already booked then make sure you get on board for a truly amazing time.

The Festival is running from 8-10 March and there are a range of great events taking place, which in addition to our free venue finding service, we are managing here at Cloud 9 Towers. 

The VR Expo & Awards is a brand new event concept embracing all aspects of  Immersiv  Technologies. With panel sessions, workshops, an exhibition, VR in Music, career clinics and an awards ceremony celebrating innovation, this three day event is not to be missed.

The Nottingham International Microfilm Festival returns to the City for the third time, bigger and better than ever. With more content, a packed programme including a summit, awards ceremony and workshops, plus a special film competition,  this truly international event is a must for any Short Film enthusiasts.

The Fresh Creative Awards are in Nottingham for the first time, celebrating the Best of British and strengthening the UK's platform as a world leader in the creative industries. No boundaries, no categories, just a showcase of the very best ideas from Great Britain & a great big Awards ceremony to recognise the winners on Thursday 8 March.

There are two opportunities to enjoy the Short Film Show as part of the Nottingham Media Festival. The first is an informal and relaxed evening at the Nottingham Contemporary where we will be screening three hours of short films back to back from the official selection of The Short Film Show. Stay a little or stay for the duration and enjoy the selections from the TV series in all of their glory on the big screen.   

The Lego Legends competition invites individuals and teams to submit their designs for display as part of the festival with a range of great prizes available. Open to any age group this is a chance to show off your skills and design expertise to a  wide audience and have some fun!

Plus we have a new initiative, introducing SLICE: Student Lives in the Creative Enterprises, which are a series of engaging coffee mornings and one on one afternoon teas as part of the Nottingham Media Festival. These are not your traditional lectures, but intimate events designed to enable students to enjoy a real opportunity to have a chat over cake with the very people who can help to shape your future. 

Check out the Festival website for full details of the events!