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PUBLISHERS ANNOUNCEMENT
The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) which publishes this newsletter has moved to individual free membership, which can be taken up by organisers, venues, suppliers and agencies in the event sector.
All will receive all the SEO’s free newsletters, which can be unsubscribed at any time, as well as a 20% reduction on all qualifications, tutorials and conferences presented by the SEO. Supplier members, venues and agencies receive a 20% reduction on advertising rates.
To sign up for free membership go to www.seoevent.co.uk
A journalistic investigation into cavalier spending at Leeds Metropolitan University, which runs degree courses for event organisers, was a runner up in the Paul Foot Awards for campaigning journalism, run by Private Eye magazine and the Guardian newspaper.
The investigation, by journalist Rob Waugh of the Yorkshire Post, uncovered a total of £35,608.29 spent on trips made by Patricia Lee, wife of the then vice chancellor Simon Lee. These included a trip Mrs Lee made to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia at a cost of £3,572, which included a business class flight for £1,613.40, and £1,671.02 for six nights accommodation and meals at the Addis Ababa Hilton International Hotel, a rate of £265 a night and considerably more than the £62 a night set out in the university's policies for overseas stays. Trips, without any supporting rationale, were also made by Mrs Lee to France and Bavaria.
Simon Lee left his £300,000 a year job at the university in August, after spending eight months on "gardening leave" Earlier this month the tuition fees for students were jacked up by more than 60% - from £2,000 to £3,312 a year - for the 2010-2011 year.
Central Hall, Westminster was recently hired by Chinese fraudsters to stage bogus "citizenship" ceremonies and issue fake British passports to fellow Chinese.
Xiang Li and his accomplices made £200,000 from the scam which used actors to play immigration officials, lawyers, security guards, audience members and used a Jacqui Smith look-alike to play the then Home Secretary. The scam came to light when one of the conned tried to use his fake passport.
Li, 29, from Stratford was jailed for four-and-a-half years.
The Isle of Man is to lose 24% of its income in 2011.
This is the result of the UK Treasury cutting £140 million off the estimated £230 million the island receives as a subsidy to enable it to function as a tax haven.
Organisers running events there have found it a charming and relaxing destination with an authentic Victorian feel, some excellent facilities, attractive scenery and beaches and very good seafood.
TripAdvisor and similar user-review websites now influence corporate decision-making on hotels to the tune of £500 million a year. (Caterer and Hotelkeeper)
A thousand business travellers were surveyed by research company BDRC which found that 28% actively sought out consumer reviews, 46% were influenced by them in their hotel selection and 41% changed their original hotel choice after reading them. And with 40% of respondents describing the recommendations as "very reliable" BDRC have claimed that they significantly outweigh the influence of star ratings offered by the AA and RAC.
One cynical view is that bad reviews are probably right, and that good reviews are probably written by the hotel's management.
Coffee shops, ever more popular even during the recession, are becoming the smart choice for short business meetings, it seems.
A report by the Local Data Company, published in the business section of the Daily Telegraph, notes: "the recession has seen an influx of newly-redundant businessmen with lap-tops and Blackberries making use of the cheap, connected space offered by the coffee shops".
However, a note of caution was recently sounded for the technophiles when it was shown how easily crooks could hack into computers being used in such public places.
Trafalgar Square has been voted the top attraction by overseas visitors to the UK. (Destination UK)
The poll, conducted by First Rate Exchange Services, questioned visitors from France, who were no doubt knocked out by Nelson's Column, Germany, Spain ,Ireland and the USA.
Trafalgar Square was followed, in descending order, by Tower Bridge, London Museums, Buckingham Palace, Oxford Street, London Eye, Windsor Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Stonehenge and London's Globe Theatre.
The 128-bedroom Village Hotel has opened in Solihull, near Birmingham.
This offers 18 meetings rooms for up to 360, a 20-metre swimming pool, a health and fitness club, a restaurant, bar and coffee shop and free WiFi.
www.village-hotels.co.uk/solihull
A new 254-bedroom hotel is to open in late 2011 at a cost of £100 million.
The Intercontinental London Westminster will be located near to New Scotland Yard.
Those looking for the more unusual venue choice for their events might want to know about the luxury beach hut resort being built at Whitley Bay, North Tyne.
Scheduled to be ready for Spring 2010 the 21 huts on the Dukes Walk Beach Hut Resort each hold 4-6 people with a separate bedroom, fully fitted kitchen, seating area and 24-hour concierge service, and the Whitley Bay development is planned to be the first of a number.
The new Palace Suite has opened at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington High Street, London.
With a floor area of 4,935 square feet (458 square metres) the suite has a capacity of up to 550 delegates.
Old Grit is delighted to hear that good sense, rather than mindless bureaucracy, has prevailed at the Selfridge Wonder Bar.
This features a card-operated wine dispenser which dispenses 52 different wines in measures down to 25ml. That is it did until two years ago when Government jobsworths closed it down because of a stupid and archaic law setting the minimum amount of wine that could be sold at 125ml.
Now, after lobbying by Selfridges, the law has been changed from April 2010 to allow smaller measures to be sold, so organisers can resume taking their clients there for affordable wine tastings.
News that a university pub crawl promoter, Carnage UK, has been banned by the National Union of Students reminds Old Grit, guiltily, of the only pub crawl he's ever been on, which he helped organise a few years back.
This was the well-known London Circle Line crawl where, armed with a trusty Travelcard the idea is to visit every station on the Circle Line and have a drink in the nearest pub. Problem is, even if only a half pint of weak lager is downed at each stop the 27 stations represent 13.5 pints so one has to be sensible, spread it over as long a time span as possible and take sandwiches to eat every three or four stops. One lady on the event, Old Grit recalls, decided to down single rum and cokes and disappeared after nine stops, somewhere around South Kensington.
Sadly for Carnage one of their 19 year-old participants was a complete banker from Sheffield Hallam University who urinated on a city centre war memorial, ended up in court pleading guilty to outraging public decency and may yet face jail, all of which has served to give the responsible pub-crawlers a bad name
Spare a sympathetic thought for our colleagues in Thailand, where the abbreviations for some of their organisations sparks much unseemly mirth.
Following giggles at the Tourism Association of Thailand (TAT) the wits are gleefully pointing to the sponsorship, by gourmet emporium chain McDonalds, of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT).
Where will it all end?
o The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) now has 400 members, comprising organisers for corporations, associations, charities, as well as representatives of venues, destinations and other event industry suppliers. Free sign up at www.seoevent.co.uk
o Training dates for SEO event qualification courses have now been set for 2010, all hosted at 16 Park Crescent, London..
The Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) is running on April 6/7/8/9, August 24/25/26/27 and November 10/26 December 3/10
The Diploma in Conference Organisation (DCO), for delegates who hold the CCO, is running on August 3/4/5/6/10/11/12/13
The Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) is running August 17/18/19/20
All courses subject to a 20% discount for SEO members and all can be run in-house for two or more. See www.seoevent.co.uk for full details.
Dear Sirs,
Thank you for another entertaining and informative newsletter.
I am particularly amused at the idea of train journey times between Manchester and London of 82 minutes, as the current 128 minute service frequently suffers delays due to slow trains using the same lines, signal problems, etc. Unless there is a plan for dedicated lines, this will be yet another scheme where the reality falls short of the initial promise.
Yours faithfully,
Justin Bentley
Dear Mr. Cotterell
Thank you for your letter dated 19th September. I am sorry you feel that integrity is lacking in the operation of the penalty fare scheme and am glad for this opportunity to clarify our processes.
The rail industry as a whole loses in excess of £400 million in revenue annually because of ticket-less travel. This includes customers travelling without a ticket or without a ticket valid for their entire journey. If a member of staff discovers a customer travelling without a valid ticket this is a typical situation where a penalty fare may be issued. There are clear guidelines for all staff to follow in the application of this process, which are part of a robust revenue protection policy agreed with the Department for Transport (DFT). Similarly there are clear guidelines in place to allow customers to make a formal appeal.
The Independent Penalty Fares Appeals Service (IPFAS) is direct by DfT guidelines to ensure it Maintains impartiality at all times. You are correct when you state that IPFAS is part of Southeastern Trains, however the penalty fares handing department remains distinct and separate from the Train operation and there are strict protocols in place to ensure that objectivity is maintained. Your assertion that there’s an element of ‘deliberate deception’ in this process is unfounded.
I’m sorry that you are unhappy with the overall penalty fares scheme but we have to be fair and consistent in dealing with cases like this. The rules may seem tough but they will not be changing and we will continue to make sure that all customers travelling with First Capital Connect have a valid ticket. As such I will not be agreeing to a refund on this occasion.
Once again, thank you for contacting me personally. I hope this information has helped to clarify the position.
Yours sincerely
Moir
To Sir Moir Lockhead OBE
Dear Sir Moir
Thank you for your letter.
You lie to your customers when you claim that IPFAS is "independent of the train operating companies" because it clearly is not.
If your employees experience a similarly low level of integrity then the current staff problems destriying your service and reputation are no surprise.
Yours sincerely
Peter Cotterell
Management at Leeds Met claim "We lead our students by example here" ------------------ Low prices designed to generate much-needed income cause a flurry of bookings for the Isle of Man ----------------- Hoteliers deny writing their own positive reviews ---------------- The Travel Institute of Thailand changes its name -------------------Sir Moir Lockhead OBE of FirstGroup orders a long-overdue integrity makeover ----------- and much,much more ---------------
Chateau des Vigiers is located near Bergerac in the Dordogne area of South West France and only 1 hour from Bordeaux. The Chateau is quite unique with wonderful architecture, a fabulous setting amongst 450 acres of gardens, vineyards and a spectacular 27 hole golf course. Our warm welcome, the luxurious comfort of our rooms, and the consistent high quality of our cuisine, make this the perfect environment for your Incentive trip. We have a total of 87 bedrooms and 7 meeting rooms. "The Relais", situated 200 metres from the Chateau, offers 40 bedrooms with its own Conference facilities, swimming pool, gymnasium, breakfast room and bar. This can be privatised for your exclusive use.
The area is perfect for sampling wonderful wines (not to mention our own wine estate) and tours and tastings can be organised. For something really different we can go hunting for truffles in the local truffle farms! With everything from rowing on the Dordogne River to private dinners at a traditional farmhouse, the area offers something very different and memorable.
CHATEAU DES VIGIERS
F-24240 MONESTIER
DORDOGNE
SOUTH WEST FRANCE
RESERVATIONS : +33 (0) 553 61 5000
Email us at bienvenue@vigiers.com
Visit our website at www.vigiers.com
Delegate Select provides versatile EVENT REGISTRATION, DELEGATE NETWORKING, DAY PLANNING and COMMUNITY software as an affordable, fully-hosted, web-based service to organisers of conferences, exhibitions and networking events.
If you have not visited our website recently, please take a moment to do so. The services we can offer have expanded significantly. Take a look at the “Client Services” page, www.delegateselect.com/clientprojects.html to see the many different ways in which clients are using our software.
Contact Graham Simon if you would like to arrange a demo.
Tel: 020 8429 7340
Email: eou@delegateselect.com
Visit: www.delegateselect.com
New for the 2010 holiday season is our one bedroom apartment in a quiet residential area of Kato Paphos in Cyprus, approximately 15-20 minutes walk to the harbour and main bar and restaurant area.
The sandy beach of Coral Bay is a mere bus journey or drive away from the beautiful bustling and newly enhanced harbour. However, 5 minutes walk from the apartment is a small shop and very reasonably priced restaurant.
The apartment is on a small complex with its own swimming pool; our apartment’s veranda overlooks the pool. Also available is a private roof terrace which is accessible from the veranda by a spiral staircase, for sunbathing, reading a book or just relaxing.
The apartment is approx 15 minutes drive from the Paphos Airport and approx 1 hour from Larnaca Airport. This is a great base to hire a car and tour the wonderful countryside of Cyprus.
Prices start from: £200.00 per week depending on the time of year. For more details visit: www.apartment-paphos.com or email enquiries@apartment-cyprus.com
The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) has moved to individual free membership, which can now be taken up by organisers, suppliers and agencies in the events sector.
Members will receive all the SEO’s free newsletters, which can be unsubscribed at any time, as well as a 20% reduction on all qualifications, tutorials and conferences presented by the SEO.
To sign up for free membership simply go to www.seoevent.co.uk
The Enterprise Hotel is an excellent 3 Star hotel in the heart of Kensington, close to Earls Court tube station, with 100 well appointed rooms.
The Earls Suite can accommodate 100 people or can be split, for smaller functions.
The Function Rooms offer a bright contemporary space ideal for any type of event, from conferences to parties with,
Natural Light
Street Access
Climate Control
Convenient Transport Links
Licensed for Civil Weddings
Choice of Asian and European Menus.
Visit us, and experience out great hospitality for yourself. Please call us to organise a tour with lunch and take in the ambience of our great hotel.
KRIPEN DHRONA/CHRISTOPHER DE SARAM
THE ENTERPRISE HOTEL
15-25 Hogarth Road
London
SW5 0QJ
Tel: 020 7373 4502
Tel Int: +44 20 7373 4502
Fax: 020 7373 5115 or 020 7373 2578
Fax Int: +44 20 7373 5115 or +44 20 7373 2578
Email: info@enterprisehotel.co.uk
Web: enterprisehotel.co.uk
Mocha is an award-winning creative team working with clients in the corporate, association, charity and government sectors. We use film, video, dvd and cd-Rom to create cost-effective solutions for internal and external communications, marketing, sales, public relations, promotions, tenders and bids, and from conception through filming, editing and production.
Recent projects have included filming large conferences and events, promotion of venues, video installations and corporate documentaries and films.
Contact us for an initial no obligation discussion.
Tel: 0151 706 0761 Fax: 0151 706 0762
e-mail: info@mocha.tv
Visit: www.mocha.tv
o International Event Organisers Update (IEOU) for those running events overseas. www.seoevent.co.uk
o Incentive Travel Update (ITU) for users of motivational travel. www.seoevent.co.uk
o Association News (AN) for all those who associate. www.associationnews.org.uk
o Charity Matters (CM) for those working in charities. www.ezinematters.com
o Marketing Matters (MM) for those working in marketing. www.ezinematters.com
A 150-word announcement costs from £72 in this section of Event Organisers Update (EOU) and reaches 30,000 organisers.
To download full details and a booking form visit www.seoevent.co.uk
Alternatively telephone 01767 316255 or fax 01767 316430.
Edited and distributed by:
Society of Event Organisers
29a Market Square, Biggleswade, Beds. SG18 8AQ
Tel: +44(0)1767 316255 Fax: +44(0)1767 316430
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