Tag Archives: Newsletter

Event Organisers Update August 2016 ISSUE 143

Posted on by
Reply

TROUBLES ON THE TRACKS The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union which represents staff at Southern Railways, claims that its members have been hit, spat at …

PRESSING ISSUES A large majority of those reading newspapers were presented with arguments in favour of leaving the EU in the run-up to the referendum, according to …

EVERY CLOUD Brexit beneficiaries, due to the drop in the value of sterling against other currencies, have been UK hotels and attractions, especially in London which is now …

ART DECO IN PADDINGTON Lovers of the Art Deco style of decoration – said in its 1920/30s heyday to represent luxury, glamour and exuberance – will enjoy the decor of …

REGENERATION IN MANCHESTER A disused area near to Old Trafford in Manchester is to be the site for a new, football themed luxury hotel fronted by former Manchester …

BOOZE CRUISES We hear police in Spain are cracking down on organisers of parties afloat after a series of sex scenes on a party boat appeared on a porn website. Police …

DIARY DATES 2016
o 21-22 September, Venues and Events Live exhibition, Old Billingsgate, London …
o 19-20 October, Showman’s Show for outdoor events, Newbury Showground …

BUSTER KEATON Those who enjoy the slapstick artistry of the great silent films will enjoy the massive slice of movie history presented in a collection on Blu-ray of …

Marketing Matters Jul/Aug 2016 ISSUE 51

Posted on by
Reply

PRESSING ISSUES A large majority of those reading newspapers were presented with arguments in favour of leaving the EU in the run-up to the referendum, according to …

BANKERS AGAIN The majority of the electorate, who voted to leave the EU, are to blame for Lloyd’s bank having to cut 3,000 jobs and close 200 branches, according …

INSINCERITY EXPOSED Leaked messages from the organisations behind the long-running junior doctor’s strikes indicate that they were just pretending to want to “save …

EUROSTAR FIGHTS BACK Forecasting a dip in bookings for August travel – due to sterling’s drop in value and acts of terrorism putting travellers off – Eurostar’s …

TV LICENSE LOOPHOLE An increasing number of householders being chased for the TV license fee are using a legal loophole to prevent “enforcement officers” – actually …

MORE PLUGS THAN CURRYS Ofcom has upheld complaints from viewers that Channel 4 quiz show Countdown breached broadcasting rules by plugging products …

HEALTHY DIPS More processed foods have been found to contain high levels of salt and/or fat, according to a study by Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) …

SNAP! Marketing Matters has received emails promoting home-working for a salary of $2,500-$5,000 from “the personnel manager of a large International company” …

CONGRATS, SIR PHIL Sir Philip Green has been awarded the government’s prestigious UFOC award for business activities, the Unacceptable Face Of Capitalism. To win this …

Event Organisers Update July 2016 ISSUE 142

Posted on by
Reply

NEVER NEVER NEVER “How many Euros can we buy for £100 sterling?” we asked the man at the Western Union bureau de change at Brussels Midi railway station, a few …

HAS YOUR PILOT BEEN BREATHALYSED? Less than a week after an airline won a major best airline award two of their pilots were arrested on suspicion of being drunk at …

MORE WOW FACTOR Another roller coaster crash has again called into question their suitability for safe corporate events. Following last year’s incident at Alton Towers that …

FIFTEEN DRINKS PER PERSON? Party planners should allow three drinks per hour per guest for their parties, and allow for each guest staying for five hours…

HOOKERS AND HARD ROCKERS The 900-bedroom Cumberland Hotel, Marble Arch is to become the UK’s first Hard Rock Hotel, opening after re-branding in 2018 and the…

DEAL AT LANCASTER UNI A day delegate rate of £25 per person is being offered by Lancaster University at their Green Lane Conference Centre, this applying to bookings…

DIARY DATES
o 21-22 September 2016 Venues and Events Live exhibition London EC3.
o 19-20 October 2016 Showman’s Show for outdoor events, Newbury Showground.

EDVARD MUNCH It is folly to argue with Ingemar Bergman’s description of Edvard Munch, the 1974 documentary by Peter Watkins of the Norwegian Expressionist artist…

Charity Matters Jun/Jul 2016 ISSUE 67

Posted on by
Reply

MORE QUESTIONABLE CHARITY ETHICS Charities that seem to be run for the benefit of direct marketing firms, rather than those the charity is supposed to be helping, have …

TRUST THE TRUST? The National Trust, Britain’s largest charity with more than 4 million members has been accused of hypocrisy over its sales of greenfield land for building …

GOOD COUNTRY, US The Good Country Guide has placed the UK fourth in a list of 163 countries for its high contribution to the common good of humanity. The guide ranks …

CASH GRAB BY CHARITY Donors allowing charities access to their bank accounts to collect agreed donations may wish to revisit the wisdom of this after charity Concern …

DANGEROUS ELECTRICAL FAKES If you’ve bought, either knowingly or unknowingly a counterfeit electrical product in the last twelve months you are in the company of 2.5 …

SOMEONE WILL LOOK AFTER THEM The actions of an unmarried woman in Newcastle who has had seventeen consecutive children taken into care over the last …

RETAIL THERAPY Oniomania, the posh word for compulsive shopping, is as likely to take over and damage the lives of its sufferers as gambling, sex or work addictions …

WELL YOU WOULD, WOULDN’T YOU? Portable loos at the Glastonbury festival are delivering charitable messages from Water Aid to music fans, using the voices of Brian …

Event Organisers Update June 2016 ISSUE 141

Posted on by
Reply

MORE DIE ON DANGEROUS COURSE Four more riders have been killed at this years Isle of Man TT races. This brings the total to more than 260 people killed since the race …

BOOZE LAW BITES The Lush Bar in Magaluf, where a British teenager claimed to have been egged on by bar staff as he drank 75 Sambuca and caramel vodka shots, is being …

DON’T BE LATE EasyJet passengers arriving at the security check with less than half an hour before their flight leaves will not be allowed to board. The new policy, which is …

SAFARI ROCK The famous Glastonbury Festival could be moving 15 miles west, from Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset to Longleat, Wiltshire in 2019. The organisers, who …

BIG LONDON SPACES To the Hilton London Metropole hotel, Edgware Road, one of Europe’s largest with 1,059 bedrooms, dining space for up to 2,000 and conference …

HOTEL NEWS
o Twelve guests were rescued by fire crews at the 22-bedroom three-star Rushmore …
o BLOC Hotels, which currently has a unit in Birmingham and one in Gatwick, is …
o The St Regis Hotel, Dubai has opened the Sir Winston Churchill Suite. This is 9,828 …

(1900) NOVECENTO It could be argued that when Italian film director Bernardo Bertolucci made “Twentieth Century” forty years ago in 1976, his memorable five-hour …

Marketing Matters May/Jun 2016 ISSUE 50

Posted on by
Reply

TRUST The secretive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement between the large corporations of the USA and the EU is fast becoming a major …

BULLY FOR RYANAIR Good to see that Michael O’Blarney’s bullying Ryanair was rapped over the knuckles earlier this year by the courts for one of its ludicrously unfair…

BOILER ROOM PAYBACK Two men convicted and imprisoned over a massive “boiler room” share fraud have been ordered to pay back a total of £11 million to the victims …

£180,000 FINE FOR EMAIL SLIP An HIV clinic run by Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust has been fined £180,000 for accidentally emailing its list of 781 …

BAD DEMAND Meanwhile one organisation backing an OUT vote on the EU is not doing itself any favours in its marketing. Formerly the World Development Movement the …

SOME VERY GOOD MARKETING Asda’s “Bag for life” very strong plastic carrier bag for just 6 pence is a useful alternative to shoppers who dont like to be forced into …

DONT GET SAD World’s latest medical phenomenon is Separation Anxiety Disease (SAD) which occurs when people are separated from their mobile phone …

WRONG FOOTED Accountancy giant PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) have distanced themselves from the demand by their recruitment contractors that female employees in …

Event Organisers Update May 2016 ISSUE 140

Posted on by
Reply

GRAVY TRAINS It would be good to think that when our nation votes on the EU next month there might be some who are not just selfishly thinking about themselves and …

IMPACT OF TERROR Travel by UK business travellers to high-risk destinations is on the increase, according to new research carried out by the Collinson Group and published …

CURRY KILLS A 38 year-old man with a severe peanut allergy died after he ate a take-away curry from the Indian Garden restaurant, Easingwold, North Yorkshire in January …

SCAM EXPOSED BY MARRIOTT, AGAIN Fraudsters are getting consumers to listen to a sales pitch by telling them that if they do they will be given a free stay at a Marriott …

FINE FOR STAFF ABUSE AT THE HILTON Ashley Walters, 33, actor and rapper with the So Solid Crew has been ordered to pay £1,000 after he aimed a foul-mouthed tirade …

CHECK YOUR PASSPORT Those travelling to the USA who would rather not have problems with those nice, caring and polite types at USA passport control might want …

LUXURY IN BRUSSELS To Le Plaza luxury hotel in Brussels, which is independent, four-star, family-run and holds a Belgian Royal Warrant from 2004. Offered are 190 …

HOTEL NEWS
o Ten UK hotels that produced total revenue of £48 million in 2015 have been put up for …
o The Grade 11-listed, historic Martins Bank building in Liverpool is to be converted into …
o Easy access to Birmingham from most parts of the UK could be making it an …

MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA The 2015 Radio Times Guide To Films, described by film critic Barry Norman as “This is really the only film guide you’ll need” lists 23,000 films …

Charity Matters Apr/May 2016 ISSUE 66

Posted on by
Reply

TOO MANY CHARITY SHOPS NOW?  Many high street charity shops should be closed as they cost the Government more in tax breaks than they make in profits…

CHARITIES DEPRIVED BY FRAUD A treasurer of a Lancashire branch of the Unite union has been jailed for 20 months after he stole monies due to be given to charities…

CRITICISM FOR CHARITY, AND THE COMMISSION The Times has published strong criticism of the League Against Cruel Sports, which it says has “squandered” a £3.5 m…

DIANE ABBOTT”S CHARITY FACING FINES AND PROSECUTION The modestly-named Diane Abbott Foundation, an educational charity set up last year by the Labour …

CRIMINALISING HOMELESSNESS Housing and homelessness charities have warned that recent moves by local councils to ban rough sleeping are counter-productive…

DON’T FALL FOR THIS ONE Charities are being used by fraudsters to persuade computer users to click on a link that then encrypts all their files in seconds, allowing …

FREE SEMINARS ON GRANT APPLICATIONS A programme of short seminars on grant applications is offered free to charities wanting to learn more about the subject…

SWEET RELIEF Cyclists cycling from John O Groats to Lands End to raise £250,000 for Sport Relief came across a van parked on a lonely road near the Cornwall and Devon …

Event Organisers Update April 2016 ISSUE 139

Posted on by
Reply

THEY MUST NOT WIN The three nail bombs triggered by ISIL’s suicide bombers at Brussels airport and a Metro station on March 22 killed 32 innocent people and …

SWITCH-SELLING AT PARK GRAND? One hotel user we know has told us of a bad experience received at the four-star Park Grand in Hogarth Road, Earls Court …

SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN LANCS There can’t be too many hotel venues in the UK that have their own garden centre and marina just up the road, but the Barton Grange …

WELCOME Those looking for a small, three-star, independent boutique hotel in Brussels centre should check out the charmingly quirky Brussels Welcome Hotel, which really …

ONE IN WIGAN To The Brocket Arms, a traditionally-styled Wetherspoons pub/hotel around three-quarters of a mile from Wigan town centre. This offers 28 en suite …

HOTEL NEWS
o Concerns that the 212-room Britannia Airport Hotel at Northenden is changing its use …
o Planning permission for the US Embassy in London’s Grosvenor Square to be …
o Dutch firm Flexotels, which offers temporary cabins for accommodation to festival …

THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR Those who like taut, cat and mouse political thrillers will love this prescient 1975 film of a rogue cancer in the CIA that desperately wants …

Marketing Matters Mar/Apr 2016 ISSUE 49

Posted on by
Reply

BAD NAME OF SPORT A Dutch International beach volleyball player is starting a four-year jail sentence for raping a 12 year old English girl. Steven Van de Velde, 19 at …

TRUST US? YOU MUST BE JOKING. As fines and scandals continue to hit the banking sector HSBC has warned that it will take “a generation” before the banks are trusted …

SLUR ON BUILDING TRADE Unfair, misleading and aggressive trading practices used to defraud pensioners are an “industry standard” for the building trade…

MORE INTERNET TRICKERY Fake five-star reviews for worthless products can be bought for as little as 85 pence each from a number of fake review companies …

UNLUCKY NUMBERS Management of the Wentworth golf club are handicapped by some marketing incompetence, it seems. Late last year Reignwood, the Surrey …

VOTE FOR ME A Labour MP has been fined £5,000 for sending out automatic telephone calls to Labour supporters urging recipients to back his campaign to become London …

NAFF OR WHAT? Marketeers we know have been receiving emails from a publisher of advertorials Mr Jack Clarke of Acquisition International as below…