MORE TITANIC The possibility of cashing in on the Titanic tragedy, in which 1500 people died, continues to attract entrepreneurial types from the hospitality sector …

THANK YOU THOMAS RYAN In fact all of us owe a debt of gratitude to Thomas Ryan for establishing in the courts that White Star was negligent in refusing to slow the …

HOTELS IN THE NEWS Two masked gunmen with white hoodies and Eastern European accents raided the Dean Street Townhouse in Soho at 3.00am on August …

SMITHFIELD PARTY VENUE St Barts Brewery at 66, West Smithfield, London, opened in July offering industrial-chic spaces for parties and other functions for up …

BIG CLOSURE IN CAMBRIDGE The University Arms Hotel in Cambridge is closing at the end of September for a substantial refurbishment that will take nearly two years…

ANOTHER IN SOTON The City Cruise Suite, Atrium and Exhibition Hall that make up the City Cruise Terminal at Southampton docks is also closing for some significant …

TWO MORE IN SOUTHAMPTON The three-star Best Western Chilworth Manor hotel, located just outside Southampton, is an Edwardian Manor House set in 12.5 acres …

MADAME DUBARRY The story of the doomed courtesan at the Versailles court of Louis XV was an early (1919) black and white silent film of director Ernst Lubitsch …

POLICE PROBE FIFA HOSPITALITY FIRM  A British company director working with FIFA on selling hospitality services is being held by police in Brazil as part of an enquiry …

LOSING THE GLOSS  Jetting around seems to be losing much of its glamour and prestige, with passenger planes shot down, understandably harsh, but still tedious …

REPRIEVE? The decision to demolish the Earls Court exhibition centre is now up for review following the switching of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham …

HAPPY SCORE Those who want to visit countries where people are generally happy could consider Sweden, Canada and Australia. These three, in that order, topped the …

TITANIC AND SOUTHAMPTON Those looking to run an event in Southampton, and learn more about the sinking of the White Star Line’s RMS Titanic on 15th April 1912 …

SOTON CENTRAL  One comfortable, historical and classy venue in the centre of Southampton is the 500 year-old four-star Mercure Dolphin, with links to writer Jane …

CHECK THAT DATE  Organisers wishing to avoid clashing dates with other events that might reduce their numbers are invited to use the National Events Diary…

CATHAY ON TOP FOR SERVICE  Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific has topped the Skytrax 2014 poll of airlines for its overall service. They were followed by, in …

HOSPITALITY WELL REPRESENTED Three of the 25 employers named and shamed by the Government in June for illegally underpaying their staff comprise two hotels and …

BROUGHT THE HOUSE DOWN Many West End theatres are not fit for purpose and urgently need refurbishment, or demolition. This is the view of Howard Panter, CEO of …

SURGE IN WORKING FROM HOME CONTINUES A record number of 4.2 million people – 14% of the workforce – worked away from the office in the first quarter of this …

A CINEMA NEAR YOU? If you’re a fan of film you’ll want to know about Scalarama. This group promote an annual September programme of films, many in the specialist …

BE POLITE TO US, FROGGY French taxi-drivers, waiters and locals need to stop being hostile, aggressive and rude to foreign tourists, or risk losing the valuable business …

SHAKESPEARE CENTRAL The boutique Arden Hotel, Stratford-on-Avon, is located in the centre of town with its own car park, is opposite the Avon River and a very short step …

BIG AND RELAXING IN MANCHESTER Those who like a large bedroom with a proper bath to relax in will like the fully air-conditioned four-star Renaissance Hotel in …

MORE BY THE AVON Meanwhile, further down the Avon, near Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire, the rustic and quirky Old Manor Hotel in a four-acre rural setting is also a …

REFURB IN CHESHIRE A £1.5 million refurbishment is taking place at the Best Western Plus Pinewood on Wilmslow hotel, in Handforth, Cheshire, around ten miles from …

THAILAND NOW A BIG RISK Those organising overseas events will know that the recent imposition of military rule in Thailand makes the country a no-go area as a destination …

LASER POINTER DANGERS More warnings have been given out regarding laser pointers, popular with trainers and presenters for highlighting items on a screen…

COLLIDING RIGHTS Calls for all meat products to be labelled with the method of slaughter have been made following the latest controversy over halal meat – animals …

HOSPITALITY TOO EASY Hospitality and media studies, considered soft options that are easy for the “less academic” to get a qualification in, could be scrapped as GCSE …

PLAY A PIECE OF HISTORY Croquet as a competitive, stylish and fun corporate activity is offered by Berkshire company Croquet for Events. (croquetforevents.com)

CAMELOT OR WHAT? “Camelot on the Thames” is how Lady Nancy Astor enthusiastically described, in the 1900’s, her rather lovely home at Cliveden, Berkshire…

GARDEN WALKS IN WARWICKSHIRE Those whose idea of relaxation is strolling around a beautiful English country garden will love the ten landscaped acres around the Mallory …

MEETING IN SALFORD One well-located Manchester hotel is the four-star 166-bedroom Millennium Copthorne, the first to be built on the waterfront at Salford Quays, with easy …

MORE SALFORD QUAYS The area is of course well-known as the home of the contemporary Lowry art and entertainment centre – not to be confused with …

A NICE TOUCH IN CHESHIRE It’s always worth checking the cost of using the room phone in hotels, often considerably more than using one’s mobile, and a recent 37…

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT Following the recent introduction of sharia law in Brunei by its absolute monarch, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiahhe, there have been calls for the boycotting …

BULLYING AT OXFORD UNI? A former events co-ordinator at Kellogg College, Oxford University has lost an employment tribunal case she brought against its management …

GET FRESH AND FUNNY Fresh, locally-sourced and seasonal food for events is increasingly being specified by organisers looking for sustainability, according to food …

NIGEL PULLS IT OFF? As readers will know it recently emerged that a female “voter” featured saying supportive things about Ukip in their European election …

QUANDERRY Event organisers visiting Northern Ireland’s second-largest, attractive, compact and friendly city will be first faced with the small problem of what to call it …

LOOKING FOR A WINE TASTING VENUE? One newly-opened London wine shop offering tasting opportunities for groups is Vagabond Wines of Fulham, now also …

DON’T BUY CURRENCY AT AIRPORT A survey by the Post Office has found that the 1.63 million travellers who buy their foreign currency at British airports are paying £21 …

VENUE SELECTION CRITERIA SURVEY It’s early days yet but so far “Presence on social media” and “Membership of trade body” are not highly rated by event organisers…

POLLUTION RISK TO EVENTS? Lots of those hearing about the Saharan sand pollution hitting the UK on April 1st thought it might be an April Fools joke – remember the …

TAKE YOUR PARTNERS Those who regularly travel by train with partners, colleagues or friends, and can travel together after 9.30 am, might find the latest national railcard a …

LOOK AT PORTUGAL Organisers of events overseas are invited to a free London showcase, Visit Portugal. This is being held at the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel …

NEW IN MAYFAIR A meeting room for up to 48 for private dining, sixteen boardroom style is offered at a new luxury Mayfair hotel, The Beaumont, planned to open …

CHECK THEM OUT? If you use an event management company would you like to know how they are doing financially? Do you need to care? …

PLACEMENTS The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) has started to build a list of students on event courses currently looking for placements with organisations staging …

SAMPLING OPPORTUNITIES Those organisers wanting and/or needing to improve their knowledge of food and drink should look at the wine and food tasting opportunities …

ARE THEY, OR YOU, REALLY SAFE TO DRIVE? Here are some important questions about moderate drinking at events …

TIME TO GET EVEN Have you noticed how much we are being ripped off for buying bottled water from airside airport shops and airlines? Are they exploiting sensible …

WE’LL NOW TELL YOU WHEN WE RIP YOU OFF  Awards for business integrity are due, it seems, to a number of large online ticketing agencies that have agreed, after …

BOB CROW DEAD Bob Crow, the £145,000 a year leader of the RMT trade union has died suddenly of a heart attack. He was 52. …

WORKING FROM HOME Two more survey responses in from two readers who commute to work, one by train at an annual cost of £2,224 and one by car at an annual …

A LOOK AT THE IOD The headquarters of the Institute of Directors (IOD) at 116 Pall Mall, London offers seven elegant and Regency-styled function rooms. These comprise the …

CENTRAL IN NOTTINGHAM The Park Plaza Nottingham, located in the city centre, offers 178 modern and comfortable guestrooms, including King-size bedded Executives…

GO UNDERGROUND? One unusual option in Nottingham, for small groups of up to 20, is offered by one large and connected network of man-made caves lying underneath…

LUNCH AND CROQUET AT CLIVEDEN Organisers from the corporate sector responsible for booking events into luxury hotels are invited to apply for complimentary …

DANGER IN JAMAICA Police in Jamaica shot and killed 245 suspects last year as part of a zero-tolerance approach to gun crime, crime that saw more than 1,000 murdered in …

TOUTED TICKET WARNING Those organisers of hospitality buying touted tickets for sport or theatre events this year could find themselves seriously out of pocket and …

EVENT ORGANISER JAILED A Slovakian event organiser working in Moorgate has been jailed for 12 months for her part as a “bride” in a 2011 fake wedding ceremony designed …

NEW HOTEL WANTED Any hotelier or developer out there looking to add another hotel to their portfolio might want to talk to the folk at Newark Showground, Notts…

DECADENT LUXURY IN MARYLEBONE Those organisers looking for some elegant splendour of yesteryear for their events will want to know about the newly …

NOTTINGHAM LUXE The four-star Deluxe Crowne Plaza in Central Nottingham offers 210 modern bedrooms with individually controlled air-conditioning, comfortable beds …

WORKING FROM HOME SURVEY  Two more responses in. One respondent commutes by car, bus and bike at an annual cost of £800, the other by car for £1500 …

VEGGIES RULE, OK? Would your delegates or guests take kindly to being told that they would have to eat, by law, only vegetarian food at their event, be it conference…

NEW CHINESE CITY HOTEL OPPOSED The building of a new 13-storey, 275-bed, four-star hotel in Aldgate High Street, East London is being opposed by church…

WELCOME TO BRITAIN Meanwhile taxpayers are paying £300,000 for more than 100 asylum seekers to enjoy a nine-week stay at the luxury £125-a-night Amblehurst hotel…

TRY THE TRAIN? Those organisers looking to lose the well-documented hassles offered by air travel into and around Europe and to check out the train instead can…

MORE ON WORKING FROM HOME Another three responses to our working from home survey were as follows.

CHECK OUT DESTINATIONS A one-day appointments-based destination workshop for pre-registered organisers is being held on Thursday January 30th at the Radisson…

EXCURSIONS 2014 Featuring more than 250 UK and European attractions offering options to group travel and other organisers this exhibition takes place on Saturday…

HOSPITALITY AND CUT-OUTS WITH MR FOGG Being invited to press events does give us scribblers opportunities to view and experience venues that we might…

LIGHT UP, LIGHT UP Buttonlites are small, powerful and safe plastic LED lights, around the size of a 50 pence piece, with a built-in non-replaceable battery that lasts…

GET IT RIGHT, KIDS Given all the latest kowtowing to the Chinese government it is clear that our politicians and business leaders are not going to let a few murdered…

TRUST ME – I’M YOUR BANKER No-one with more than one brain cell is likely to be surprised by the allegations that the taxpayer-owned Royal Bank of Scotland, and…

GROOM JAILED FOR VENUE BOMB HOAX The panicked Liverpool groom who staged a bomb scare at St Gearge’s Hall on his wedding day to cover up the fact…

A BIG ONE IN HAMBURG Those looking for big conference capacity in the centre of a major European city will want to know about the CCH – Congress Centre Hamburg…

FIVE-STAR IN HAMBURG A recent press trip to Hamburg included enjoying a two-night stay in the five-star Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (Four Seasons to us Brits)…

TAKING THE NIGHT TRAIN For many there is something adventurous and romantic about travelling through the night by train, especially in the comfort of one’s own…

WORKING FROM HOME Our survey has so far pulled in two responders, both of whom commute to work via bus, train or car. One spending £3,000 a year on the…