Industry News, July 2010

The 2010 UK Events Market Trends Survey found that the market is worth about £18.8bn annually to the UK economy, including delegate and event organiser spending at venues and in the wider destination. It is the first time Eventia has estimated the overall value of the conference and business events market. Previously, it has given estimates of direct revenue to venues. The survey is based on data supplied by a representative sample of 403 UK venues, which is 11.5% of the destination’s 3,500 venues. The report also found that:

• There were an estimated 94m attendances at the 1.3m events that took place in 2009

• Each UK venue hosted an average of 379 events in 2009, compared to 391 in 2008

• Events are most commonly booked two to eight weeks in advance

• Clients are negotiating more on venue rates and shopping around for value for money

• Catering spend is reducing

Royal Bank of Scotland has sold the Cumberland Hotel in London’s Oxford Street. Starwood Capital and London & Regional Properties have bought the Cumberland Hotel for an estimated £215m. The 1,000 room hotel – which features a 350-person event space, as well as 18 event rooms and seven meeting rooms – is located in Oxford Street, close to Marble Arch and Hyde Park. The sale was completed after the hotel went on the market around 10 weeks ago. RBS sold the hotel through CBRE Hotels, and Guoman Hotels will continue to run the venue.

Folio Hotels, a UK based group of 8 hotels, has today announced that it has rebranded as Akkeron Hotels to coincide with the launch of the group’s new company website www.akkeronhotels.com. Akkeron Group, an investment business formed in 2008 by James Brent, previously Global Head of Real Estate & Lodging of Citi’s investment bank, acquired Folio Hotels in December 2009. The Akkeron Hotels brand, officially came into effect from 13th July 2010  and venues include: Makeney Hall in Belper, Derbyshire; The Yorkshire Hotel, Harrogate; The Caledonian Hotel in Oban; Cedars Health and Leisure Club, Richmond-upon-Thames; and the Harte & Garter Hotel & Spa in Windsor.

An online survey polling 1180 venues shows that 58.4% reported cancellations in public sector bookings during the past 2 weeks.

Wyboston Lakes has completed a five month programme of improvements, including £250,000 of investments in its leisure facilities focussing on the Waterfront Conference Centre and surrounding bars and restaurants, plus a new 120 space car park.

Manchester City Football Club has committed over £1.5m to overhaul conference facilities at the stadium. The investment will include an upgrade of all the executive boxes to platinum standard and refurbishment of the boardroom dining facility.

A new Aloft Hotel managed by Starwood will open at the end of 2011 in advance of the Olympics. The 252 bedroom hotel will open on the Excel site.

Eastbourne Pier has won a £250,000 development plan to create a conference and meeting venue for up to 250 people.

Church House in London has received the BDRC ‘Venue Verdict’ Gold Standard.

The Moller Centre in Cambridge has achieved a national accreditation from the Institute of IT Training. The Moller Centre exceeded expectations when poor weather in January meant delegates couldn’t make the meeting – rather than cancel the event the venue organised a live webinar with delegates logging in remotely.

Stoke Park Hotel, Spa and Country Club Resort has been awarded five AA stars for the hotel’s accommodation, menu, facilities and service.

Conference Centres in the UK have dropped their prices by an average of 3%, according to M&IT’s UK Convention Centre Price Comparison Survey.

Jersey has just gained 2 five star properties, one of which is The Grand in St Helier, which has recently secured the prestigious status thanks to a £15.2m refurbishment.

Oxford Spires Four Pillars Hotel is currently renovating Eastwyck Farmhouse, a Grade II listed former bursar home in the grounds, to include an additional 10 bedrooms. They are also renovating the hotels main function suite, bar and a further 34 bedrooms.

The Oxford Thames Four Pillars refurbishment includes The Little Barn for meetings and functions whilst the Riverside Restaurant will be completed by the end of summer.

The Swan Hotel and Spa in Newby Bridge (Lake District) has reopened after a £4m project to renovate the property after being devastated by the floods last year. The venue boasts 4 conference rooms, the largest of which will hold 100 theatre style.

MWB Meeting Venues Paddington has just opened in London, just a 5 minute walk from Heathrow Express platforms at Paddington. The venue offers 14 rooms with a total capacity of 200.

The Heart of England Conference and Events Centre in Warwickshire has created a 160 acre site including a sandy beach which can be hired for exclusive use.

 
The Cotswold Conference Centre has been given the go-ahead for a major two-year refurbishment programme. The £3.5m programme will see the creation of 36 new bedrooms – almost double the existing number – plus the refurbishment of current bedrooms in the venue’s Picton House and Dales Croft.

As part of its environmental policy, Lane End Conference Centre is now sourcing all its milk directly from a local family which has been farming in South Bucks with pedigree Guernsey cows for seven generations since the 1930’s. Guernsey milk is recognised for its additional health benefits with more Beta Carotene, Omega 3 and Beta Casein A2 than any other type of milk.

Imago has achieved the gold award in the ‘Access for All’ category in the national Enjoy England Awards for Excellence 2010. It has also recently clinched the top prize in the Sales and Marketing category at the Leicestershire Business Awards 2010.

Warwick Conferences is set to benefit from a multi–million pound rolling refurbishment programme, starting this September. It will bring updates to residential, communal and conference areas around the estate, and will be completed by March 2012.

The five star Hilton Cardiff is to undergo a £750,000 refurbishment programme to position the hotel as Cardiff’s premier meeting venue and attract new visitors to the city.  Currently in its 11th year of trading, the hotel’s investment will include a new lounge bar and lobby area with ground floor toilets and establish Hilton Cardiff as the place to meet at any time of day.

Hilton Worldwide announced the signing of an agreement with the Ability Group to open a new Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts Hotel in Grade I-listed Syon Park, West London. London Syon Park, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel is scheduled to open in November 2010, offering an exceptional blend of parkland tranquillity and easy access to the city centre.

Further significant enhancements to facilities at Wyboston Lakes have been completed. This means that in the first five months of the year, Wyboston Lakes – the UK’s largest privately owned single site training and conference venue – has completed a range of improvements involving an investment of £250,000.  The latest developments relate to the relaxation and leisure facilities on the venue’s 350 acre site between Cambridge and Bedford.

The Royal Horticultural Halls and Conference Centre (RHH) has recently undergone a major refurbishment of its original wooden parquet floors at the Lindley and Lawrence Halls. Both spaces are constantly in use for a wide variety of events including award ceremonies, banquets, fashion shows and product launches, all of which had taken their toll on the original pitch pine and teak floors.

Chesterfield’s £20 million Casa Hotel may not be officially opening its doors until later this year, but guests are now being offered an exclusive preview of the hotel’s show-bedroom. Visitors to the room will be the first to gain a glimpse at the luxury accommodation, state-of-the-art facilities and touch of Spanish flair that Chesterfield’s only 4 star hotel will provide for its guests.

International

Leonardo Hotels recently opened a new conference hotel in Berlin. The Leonardo Royal Hotel Berlin has 346 rooms and 10 meeting rooms plus a great Ballroom for up to 300 people classroom or 500 people theatre style. The hotel is right in the centre of Berlin near the famous Alexanderplatz.

Barcelona has overtaken Paris in the ICCA world rankings. Paris has dropped to third place behind Vienna. Paris is followed by Berlin, Singapore, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Lisbon and Beijing. London moved from 19th to 16th on the list.