Tag Archives: Newsletter

Event Organisers Update October 2015 ISSUE 133

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LETHAL COOL A cocktail containing liquid nitrogen cost an 18 year-old her stomach in 2012, and the wine bar in Lancaster that served it a fine of £100,000 last week…

BAN FOR SCOTTISH CHAUFFEUR FIRM A director of Edinburgh chauffeur firm Chauffeurline(UK) Ltd has been banned from operating passenger vehicles or acting as …

FREE KNOWLEDGE A free business seminar and networking session for event organisers is offered by academic venue consortium Venuemasters…

MEET THE FOODIE Also in Birmingham for event organisers is the open day at venuebirmingham, held on Friday October 9 in the Great Hall at the University of …

BEACH PARTY A range of eleven Christmas Party nights in November and December have been announced by The Dalmeny Resort Hotel, situated overlooking a beach …

WAPPING VENUE Tobacco Dock, in Wapping has a total capacity for up to 10,000 standing, making it a suitable hire for large parties, and the party nights put on by the …

PEACE OF NORWICH The 900 year-old Cathedral in Norwich now offers two modern spaces for event organisers in peaceful surroundings…

PARTY IN THE PINK One interesting and unusual East-London venue just 100 yards from the 2012 Olympic Stadium, and with views over to it from a rooftop terrace, is …

AIRPORT STAY IN LISBON Those wanting an overnight stay very close to Lisbon Airport, or to hold an event there, can check out the impressive new Tryp Lisboa …

MORE IN SARASOTA A recent trip to Sarasota, Florida earlier this year turned up a number of impressive attractions for organisers seeking interesting non-residential …

THE BLUE ANGEL A film song entitled “From My Head to My Toes I’m All About Love” sung by a Maria Magdalena von Losch sitting on a barrel in a lowlife German nightclub …

Marketing Matters Sep/Oct 2015 ISSUE 46

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PRESENTING PR AS TRUTH ON TV An Ofcom investigation into “documentaries” broadcast by the BBC has found that nearly 200 of them were supplied at no cost, with …

CC OR BCC? Some marketeers are finding out the hard way the difference between a carbon copy (cc) and a blind carbon copy (bcc) when bulk emailing, and it’s a common …

SEX AND VIOLENCE LOSES SALES The old adage that “sex sells” has been questioned after a study at Ohio State University has shown that graphic sexual …

DUNCAN SMITH’S DEPARTMENT DECEIVES A misleading leaflet published by Iain Duncan Smith’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) used fake stories of benefit …

COSTA LOTTA MORE The payment of the national living wage of £7.20 an hour to all staff over 25 years old at the Whitbread-owned Costa coffee shops will mean price …

YOU COPY? The organising committee of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics have withdrawn their recently-designed logos, with considerable loss and embarrassment, after Belgian …

BENT REVIEWS Those still believing that review websites such as Tripadvisor offer only honest customer opinions of restaurants should know that such establishments are …

DOPEY The panto of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves has been re-named Snow White and her Seven Friends for its presentation at the De Montford Hall in Leicester…

Event Organisers Update September 2015 ISSUE 132

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HINDSIGHT The deaths of eleven members of the public at the Shoreham Air Show has finally persuaded our Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) that it is probably not a good idea to …

HOTEL NEWS

GOLF IN CASCAIS Organisers looking for a five-star golf venue in Portugal, perhaps away from the Algarve, will want to check out the Hotel Quinta da Marinha Resort. This …

ACTIVE IN BRUSSELS Organisers wanting to get their delegates doing something physical, or cerebral, for purposes of serious team-building or just serious fun have …

DITCH THE TIP? Claims that some restaurants and groups keep service charges that diners believe are shared among the waiting staff have sparked calls for changes in …

LONG LOOK AT LEEDS Event organisers are invited to join a complimentary three-day, two night familiarisation trip to Leeds, the Leeds Big Sleepover 2015. This takes place …

MEDIUM COOL Those interested in the broadcast media, whether to praise them for broadcasting without fear or favour or to condemn them for manufacturing news and …

Charity Matters Aug/Sep 2015 ISSUE 62

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SOME GOOD FROM SAD DEATH The suicide of poppy-seller Olive Cooke in Bristol in May this year has highlighted the aggressive fundraising tactics used by some charities…

SPITE NOT RIGHT The Court of Appeal has confirmed that a widow broke the law by leaving her entire £489,000 estate to animal welfare charities and nothing to her …

TRUTH TO OUT? The National Association of People Abused in Childhood claim that they are in touch with more than 30 police officers who were ordered not to investigate …

NO MORE CRUELTY AT HALAL ABATTOIR Bowood Farms Ltd, which ran a halal abattoir in Thirsk, Yorkshire where sheep were cruelly treated for fun before being …

KIDS COMPANY FOLDS Children’s charity Kids Company ceased trading on Wednesday August 5 after 20 years, and funding by taxpayers money of £37 million …

GOVERNMENT OUT-FOXED A government plan to effectively bring back fox-hunting in England and Wales has been put on hold. This was an amendment to the Hunting Act …

MORE SICK PLEASURES Meanwhile other killers of animals for pleasure are facing widespread disgust, condemnation, censure and calls for their punishment after Walter …

CHARITABLE? A 75 year-old female volunteer has been sacked from the hospice shop where she worked free for 30 years, because she was uncomfortable about using …

CHEERS! The launch of a beer brand into pubs could generate £1.5 million for Prostate Cancer UK. The Two Fingers Brewing Company, which was set up two years ago …

Event Organisers Update August 2015 ISSUE 131

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MORE AIRPORT RIP-OFFS So now we know. All of us who have ever assumed that staff at shops in our airports asking to see and record details of our boarding cards …

FRAUD AT SMG EUROPE? Police have been investigating allegations of fraud since last October at venue operator SMG Europe. The company operates, from its head …

HOTEL NEWS  A new five-star 225-bedroom Central London hotel with meetings spaces, the Great Scotland Yard, is due to open in early 2017. Operated by Steigenberger Hotel …

CHEZ ROTHSCHILD Waddesdon Manor, the opulent French chateaux style Buckinghamshire home of the famous Rothschild banking and wine-producing family …

GRAND, PAMPERED AND COSY IN ESTORIL According to Conde Nast Traveller magazine “Finding Molton Brown in your hotel bathroom is the mark of a fine property …

MORE IN ESTORIL And close by the Hotel Palacio are two large non-residential venues we found in Estoril for events…

FRIENDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT Organisers of events in Brussels who are keen to support environmentally-friendly and sustainable venues will want to look at the Bel …

OPEN DAY AT THE BARBICAN An open day showcasing the event spaces for up to 2,000 at the Barbican, and the food of caterers Searcys, is being held at the venue on …

INTOLERANCE One landmark film for students of the silent film era, along with white supremacists or Nazis, was The Birth of a Nation. This was director D.W Griffith’s …

FELLINI:SATYRICON This is a science-fiction film that looks backward into the past, according to its director Federico Fellini, and it takes an outrageous and surreal look …

Marketing Matters Jul/Aug 2015 ISSUE 45

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GRAVY TRAIN COMING Those marketeers for multi-national companies whose products are deemed unsafe, unhealthy or over-priced can celebrate the result of …

SOUR NOTES The British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) along with the Musician’s Union and trade association UK Music 2009 Ltd have  …

DEATH OF A BRAND Food company Nestle in India has had to destroy £32 million of its Maggi instant noodles – the Indian answer to Pot Noodles – after the authorities there …

CATCH-UPPERS TO PAY? The BBC is anxious to extend its compulsory and legally-enforceable TV licence fee charge to those only viewing catch-up systems, such as…

LITTLE WAITROSE, BIG PRICES Wonder if the management of the “local” Little Waitrose stores, part of John Lewis, would ever guarantee to price match against …

HEALTHY OVERCHARGING Texas-based grocery store chain Whole Foods Market Inc., which has 413 stores in North America and nine in the UK has admitted …

SUPPORT NEEDY AIRPORTS Those wanting to help airports make even more money out of them can opt to buy their currency at airport kiosks just before they fly, rather …

SAUSAGES OR SUSHI? The three most popular British meals in Britain are, in descending order, fish and chips, a roast dinner with Yorkshire pudding and a fry-up …

SIR MARTIN PULLS IT RIGHT OFF Edifying to read that Sir Martin Sorrell of advertising firm WPP is trousering a pay package of £43 million, with the support of 80% of WPP …

LOST TRUST AT CEX Over the last few years we’ve added to our collection of DVD’s from trips to the entertainment exchange shops of CEX, and we’ve always been happy…

Event Organisers Update July 2015 ISSUE 130

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MAGIC WEARS OFF FOR MERLIN A boycott of Merlin Entertainment brands has been called for by the Captive Animals Protection Society (CAPS) over Merlin’s running of …

NIGHT TUBE SERVICE LAUNCHED Transport For London (TFL) are launching a night tube service for Friday and Saturday nights. Commencing in the wee hours of Saturday …

HOTEL NEWS o The Radisson Blu hotel in Leeds is spending £3.5 million on a revamp, due to be completed in 2016. Half of the hotel’s 147 bedrooms have been refurbished…

GRAND IN LISBON One of the best-placed five-star hotels in Lisbon is the Altis Grand, a business and conference property located between two Metro stations just off the North …

SAME OLD SAME OLD COMFORT IN BRUSSELS Fans of Hilton hotels looking for the group’s high levels of comfort in Brussels won’t be disappointed with the Hilton Brussels …

CLICK IN CAMBRIDGE The free one-day conference for event organisers, clic+ 2015, is taking place at Robinson College, Cambridge, on Thursday October 1st. …

MEMPHIS Those who enjoy whoopingly feel-good musicals with exuberant vocal gymnastics and great dancing will be truly sorry if they don’t catch MEMPHIS, the story …

LIFE OF RILEY Those who enjoy Mike Leigh’s intelligent and bitter-sweet dissections of humanity will enjoy Life of Riley, the last film made by the famed French “New Wave” …

Charity Matters Jun/Jul 2015 ISSUE 61

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CHARITIES IN THE DOCK Cases of aggressive and illegal marketing by charities have dominated recent news media, including the pages of specialist marketing magazine …

CHARITY DONATION “ABHORRENT” A donation of £3 million of her £10 million bonus to charity by Harriet Green, former CEO of Thomas Cook, has been described as an …

SOME POLITICIANS IMPRESS Meanwhile some MP’s are donating to charity pay rises that they don’t believe they are entitled to take. Faced with having to accept the 10% …

CHARITY KICKED OUT FOR “SPYING” Seventeen aid workers for charity International Rescue Committee (IRC) have been expelled by separatists from the Ukranian city of …

SENDING MONEY ABROAD? Tightening up on money laundering has caused some banks to pull out of emerging markets, this then making it difficult for charities to send …

NO SACRIFICE? Singer Sir Elton John has topped a list of those giving up a generous proportion of their wealth for charitable causes, having donated £24.1 million, equating …

SO WHERE ARE BODIES BURIED, JACK? One of a number of allegations made against members and past members of the Fiddles in Football Association (Fifa) is…

Event Organisers Update June 2015 ISSUE 129

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WOW Alongside the news that a serious malfunction and crash on the extreme Smiler roller-coaster at Alton Towers theme park on Tuesday June 2 has left four young …

THOMAS COOK PROBE Travel firm Thomas Cook faces a new investigation by the Crown Prosecution Service into the deaths of two children during a £2,000 holiday …

DON’T DIE OF A DVT Those who smoke, women who are pregnant or taking the contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy (HRT), those who have recently …

LISTEN UP PHILIP For an amusingly acerbic look at the dark side of the artistic mentality LISTEN UP PHILIP, a stiletto-sharp study of self-absorbed and misanthropic New …

Marketing Matters May/Jun 2015 ISSUE 44

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SHORTEN YOUR LIFE. HAVE AN AFFAIR Canadian adultery website Ashley Madison, credited with helping to break up thousands of marriages, is having problems with its …

MORE ADVANCE FEE FRAUD An elderly widow spent her life savings and a trust fund of £100,000 sending increasing amounts of “administration fees” to fraudsters who told …

HOW YOU SHOULD LIVE, FROM D&G Clothing brand Dolce and Gabbana are facing calls for Macy’s and Debenhams to stop stocking their products. (Ethical Consumer) …

SERIOUSLY? Clothes for overweight and underweight people should be banned from most stores, to make people feel uncomfortable about their size when they can’t find …

NOT COOL TO EAT IT The marketing manager of the Royal China restaurant group has been pilloried in the press for illegally importing shark’s fin to make soup, not on the …

CLIPPED AT ASDA A recent trip to our local ASDA found their bar-coding and till-reading working in their favour. Expensive convenience packs of washed and bagged salad …

DOCTORS – WHAT DO THEY KNOW? Interesting to read in Association News that the British Medical Journal (BMJ) the official organ of the British Medical Association …