Opinion: Online availability
display in venues across the UK may be the answer to
the ‘bookings-blocking’ phenomenon identified
recently at the HBAA conference. This refers to the
habit of agencies and corporate buyers to hold on to
any number of provisional bookings in any number of
hotels, and which is a situation made worse by the tardy
release of such (selfish?, or at least self-interested)
practice. LateMeetings.com provides the answer to such
multiple ‘bookings’ where space is unlet,
by offering a far wider choice of venues – instantly
– within close proximity. Colour-coding also highlights
space that is ‘under offer’.
Now for yet ten more emerging categories of meetings
types:
· LunchMeet – timed for 11am until around
3pm, to include a working lunch, a shorter agenda, and
less delay with traffic. Allows time in the office,
too.
· SatNavMeet –
the deliberate choice of out-of-the-way conference venues
that are quieter and cheaper, but need a good navigation
system to find easily!
·
EthicalMeet – the selected venue has
to have a good record for environmental responsibility,
and adherence to sustainability practices.
· SmartMotorwayMeet –
not all motorways feature three (or more) lanes of nose-to-tail
traffic from 6am to 8pm. Some quieter examples facilitate
speedy long-distance travel to a suitably private and
good-value venue. Examples include (usually!), the M74,
M180, M20, and more….
· EarlydoorsMeet – an
event staged from 7am until, say, 11am in order to beat
the traffic, get the agenda over with, and go back to
the office to beat the opposition.
· GlobalwarmingMeet –
the growing sense that winters are less severe (weather-wise)
and hazardous (driving-wise) is leading to more events
taking place in the months December to February, inclusive.
· DieselengineMeet – even
though fuel prices remain relatively high, the increasing
proportion of corporate cars using (more economical)
diesel fuel is helping those venues that are further
away.
· RyderCupMeet – the recent
golfing triumph is prompting a boom in bookings for
venues that have golf courses or can offer golf nearby.
· AshesMeet – the up-coming
cricketing clash in Australia (November to early January)
will attract bookings to the meetings facilities at
cricket stadia (e.g. Old Trafford; Lord’s).
· CelebrityMeet – venues
popular with celebrities are becoming more desirable
because of the inferred glamour that arises (e.g. The
Grove in Hertfordshire).
Note: the next edition of Outlook ’06 from www.meetingstrends.com
will appear in December … looking ahead to 2007.
September 2006
Research by the IMEX exhibition has confirmed the trend
towards the ever later booking of MICE events (say 58%
of decision-makers in Europe, and 80% in North America),
and has also identified key reasons. Amongst European
buyers the main factors tend to relate to internal decision-making
processes and the busyness of the individual concerned,
plus considerations that reflect competitive pressures
within respective markets. The momentum towards shorter-notice
planning nevertheless seems unstoppable….
Meanwhile, ten additional categories of meetings types:
· After-hoursMeet – a
quickie event near the office from 6-8pm to plan for
the week/month ahead
· PerformanceMeet – deliberate
emphasis on getting the most out of each delegate present
by careful advance planning of their intended contribution
· SpeedMeet – as much
an interview as a get-together, with the focus on senior
managers talking one-to-one with each delegate
· IntegrationMeet – in
the interests of bonding, the bringing together of two
offices at a half-way point to ensure synchronised efforts
· Off-the-shelfMeet –
doesn’t matter where it is, or which brand it
is, ‘get me a venue for tomorrow ….’
· SmalltownMeet – the
deliberate selection of a modest hotel in a small town
destination in order to save money, ensure anonymity,
and heighten the itinerary of the event
· ResortMeet – a seaside
location for an end-of-summer thank-you meeting that
combines business with informality
· MetropolitanMeet – the
selection of a top cool city destination (e.g. Birmingham,
Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle) in order
to underline the ambitious and youthful and energetic
image of the company
· SpeakerMeet – a meeting
that is largely inspirational – because a keynote
speaker has been engaged
· FestiveMeet – choosing
venues deliberately in the run-up to Christmas for a
meeting that is part end-of-year assessment, part looking
ahead, part treat
Note: The next edition of Outlook ’06 from www.meetingstrends.com
will appear in October.
Previous Outlooks:
January 2006 - Click here to view
March 2006 - Click
here to view
May 2006 - Click
here to view
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