Tag Archives: Newsletter

Event Organisers Update ISSUE 113 February 2014

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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 …

Marketing Matters Jan/Feb 2014 ISSUE 36

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LETHAL MARKETING
If you have bought any furniture in the last few years you might want to establish whether it is fire-safe or illegally lethal, because if it came from retailers SCS, Harveys, Argos, Tesco Direct, Homebase or Amazon it could be the latter. …

WERE THEY PUSHED?
Last year’s news that our government had dropped its 2012 plans to slap a minimum price on alcohol were welcomed by those who felt it was always going to be downright daft …

BBC KEEPS FAKING IT UP
The BBC, well-known for faking wildlife scenes in its documentaries with David Attenborough, and others, is to warn viewers that parts of Hidden Kingdoms, a new…

CENTREBUS DRIVERS DISAPPOINT
One bus company CEO who needs to be concerned about the negative image of his company some, though certainly not all, of his drivers are projecting is Peter Harvey …

SOME OLD AMERICAN ADVERTISING
Thanks to reader Steve Kingshott, now in Sarasota, for emailing us “You’ll never see these again”, a collection of ads from the USA that arguably haven’t aged well. Memorable was…

FCUKED?
Sad to note that top fashion and toiletries firm French Connection UK, which trades with a hilarious and sophisticated abbreviation of its name, seemed to have some marketing …

NICE ONES BARRY
It’s always good to report when a product lives up to its marketing, and for all those pickle fans out there we can report, after extensive and pleasurable testing that Barry Norman …

BACK-END STRATEGY
The positioning of talented singer Miley Cyrus as the latest musical sex object by her marketeers is seriously ill-advised. For those who have missed some of her…

Event Organisers Update ISSUE 112 January 2014

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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…

Charity Matters December 2013/January 2014 ISSUE 52

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THAT’S THE WAY TO DO IT A seven year old Somerset schoolgirl is setting adults the best possible example of true charity, by spending some of her time visiting lonely…

RAPE OF CHILDREN IN WARS Ahead of next year’s London summit on sexual violence in war zones Save the Children have revealed the uncomfortable truth that…

POWER GRAB Large multi-national corporations are hoping to be able to sue governments for passing consumer protection laws that reduces their profits…

LESSONS FOR THE HEADTEACHER The headteacher of the Welsh school who banned a pupil from normal lessons for having his head shaved to raise money for …

PROFITABLE SLAUGHTER The killing of elephants in Africa for their ivory tusks has significantly increased over the last five years, as the price of ivory has rocketed to…

JAIL FOR CHARITY FRAUDSTER A man who lied that he ran a charity to claim gift aid and cheat the taxpayer out of £885,000 has been jailed for four years. Mark Lewis, 40…

Event Organisers Update ISSUE 111 December 2013

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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…

Event Organisers Update ISSUE 110 November 2013

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COMMUTER RIP-OFFS CURBED? The Department of Transport has belatedly reduced the annual percentage increase that it allows train operating companies …

CRATE INNS? Could some shipping containers converted into self-catering accommodation units offer very cheap residential facilities for organisers in future?

GRANDSTAND VIEWS Located a mile to the south of the city the four-star Marriott York offers 151 bedrooms, including 16 Grandstand rooms and two Penthouse suites…

NEW CHALLENGE WANTED A sales and marketing professional with extensive experience in the London hospitality, MICE and Travel industry is seeking a new …

SPEAKING OF SPEAKERS Those hiring speakers for their events might be interested in some tips supplied by Mindy Gibbins-Klein, co-editor of a new book launched last …

Marketing Matters Nov/Dec 2013 ISSUE 35

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HACK ATTACK News that the low editorial standards of some sections of the press have now resulted in government regulation of the sector should surprise nor upset…

BASH THE BULLIES Those travellers who have suffered the bullying legal department of train company First Capital Connect, (FCC) a part of First Group, will be cheered to…

POLICING THE MEDIA? Meanwhile, given the reportedly cosy commercial relationship between some police officers and some chequebook journalists it was jolly interesting…

MORE O’BLARNEY Following his Ryanair airline being voted by Which? the worst of the 100 largest brands for customer service, and criticism from his own shareholders…

PAPER DRAGONS It is always perversely satisfying when marketing experts are proved wrong and the case of the top entrepreneurs on the BBC TV show Dragon’s …

Charity Matters October/November 2013 ISSUE 51

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WARNINGS HEEDED? Warnings earlier this year from the NSPCC about the dangers of children being targeted by paedophiles on social media websites have been …

MORE ABUSING UNDER COVER OF CHARITY British Airways are facing an enormously damaging lawsuit from victims of a BA pilot who used the cover of charity…

LIFE CHANGES Nearly half (47%) of couples having children now have them before getting married, according to Relate, compared with just 4% when the charity started …

UNCHARITABLE? Comments by Sir David Attenborough that sending food to famine-hit countries was “barmy” has angered charities that help the starving.

QUESTIONS OF TRUST An attractive offer made by the National Trust on the internet for its equally attractive Anglesea Abbey, Gardens and Lode Mill property in …

WAGES OF SPIN Some supporters of catholic charity Cafod are calling for the head of its 7-strong PR team, Damien McBride to be sacked…

NO SKINHEADS HERE, LOOK YOU A school in Wales that barred a pupil from normal lessons because he’d had his head shaved for a cancer charity has allowed him back…

Event Organisers Update ISSUE 109 October 2013

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WHAT’S IT WORTH? Organisers of large residential happenings have been given some valuable guidance as to what their event might be worth to the city that hosts it…

BIG NEW STUFF FOR LIVERPOOL The Arena and Conference Centre (ACC) in Liverpool is to grow in 2015 with the addition of the £40 million, three-hall Exhibition…

CONFEX CHANGES HANDS Event industry exhibition International Confex, 30 years old this year, was sold on September 20 by owners UBM to Mash Media, publishers…

NO JOKE Plans by Radisson Edwardian hotel group to demolish the old Hand and Racquet pub building in Leicester Square are being opposed by The Victorian Society…

NEW BOOKING POSSIBILITIES IN BIRMINGHAM The new Library of Birmingham offers a suite of four meetings rooms for 10-50, with its own staircase, lift, access to…

Marketing Matters Sep/Oct 2013 ISSUE 34

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HUGE FINE FOR TESCO STRAWBERRY SCAM In a landmark case Tesco have been fined £300,000, and ordered to pay costs of £65,000 after they were caught …

DERAILMENT FOR HIGH SPEED TRAINS PLAN? The all-party Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has published a withering report on the Government’s £50 billion …

NOMOPHOBIA RULES A study by web security company AppRiver has found that despite the amount of easily-exploited and confidential business and personal …

GET ‘EM ON Another blow to the rapidly dwindling circulations of “lad’s mags” has been delivered by the Co-op, which is proud of its ethical approach to business matters and…

BET ON HARRIET Plucky and deeply principled government campaigner Harriet Harman, who has tirelessly fought the “blight” of betting shops, courageously gave…

BETTER LATTE THAN NEVER Those wanting a long life could cut back on their consumption of coffee, a new lifestyle study of 43,727 Americans has warned…

NO MORE DUCKINGS IN LIVERPOOL? A fleet of “Duckmarine” amphibious vehicles used as city tour busses has been repossessed in Liverpool after two incidents…