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International Event Organisers Update (IEOU) is published monthly and is an information source circulated FREE to 12000 selected organisers and others interested in keeping abreast of development in the international event industry. It is edited to higher standards than the inadequate ones laid down by the self-regulatory Press Complaints Commission (PCC)
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Note: As a matter of policy International Event Organisers Update (IEOU) does not carry any 0870 telephone numbers in entries for the news or Announcements section of IEOU. This is because these numbers operate as covert premium rate lines – misleadingly called “national rate” by BT and others that sell them – and are charged at five or more times the current normal cost to dial a normal geographical UK number.
Readers are advised to visit www.saynoto0870.com for more information about this customer-unfriendly scam, and to ask all suppliers and potential suppliers to provide their normal, cheaper numbers.
Those looking to find an overseas destination suitable for a conference might want to know about the Business-Trip Index of 127 cities developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
This ranks cities by their suitability for business travel using criteria such as climate, crime rate, transport and recreational infrastructure, costs, distances from airport and availability of “good” (business class) hotel rooms.
Canadian cities fare well with Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto ranked respectively first, second and third. Australia also does well with Adelaide (4), Brisbane (Joint 6), Perth (8), Melbourne (9), and Sydney (12), all highly rated along with some USA destinations such as Honolulu (5), Cleveland (Joint 6), Pittsburg (11), Atlanta (13), Boston (15), and Minneapolis (16) included in the top 20.
The top European city is Vienna (14), followed by Copenhagen (Joint 17), Stockholm (Joint 17), and Zurich (Joint 17) and Geneva (20). London fares badly at number 72, close to Dubai, and is let down by its high cost of hotels, high crime and overloaded, unreliable transport infrastructure.
Lowest rated cities, mostly for dangers to travellers, include Bogota (119), Harare (121), Karachi (125), Lagos (126), and Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea (127).
See www.theworldin.com for full list and methodology.
The new Hauptbahnhof in Berlin is now Europe’s largest railway station after 11 years of building and is situated on a site where the Berlin wall once ran. The city fathers are hoping it will become a symbol of the new, unified Germany, one split apart more than 60 years ago by the actions of the Nazis.
Sadly, for some, no reference is being allowed to some of the millions of victims of the Nazis, and the railway company Reichsbahn (now today’s Deutsche Bahn) that made huge sums of money charging the doomed for their one way trip to the gas chambers, since such memories could spoil the PR message. Deutsche Bahn earlier this year, refused to allow its stations to be used for an exhibition about the 11,000 Jewish children sent to their deaths at camps such as Auschwitz with the help of the obliging and well rewarded railway company, by the Nazis. The exhibition includes photographs of the children for whom the last view of normality, before the filthy cattle trucks the railways supplied, and the death camps, would have been the railway stations they were ordered to report to for “re-settlement”.
The German transport ministry has said that Deutsche Bahn should review its position.
(Source: Daily Telegraph).
Animal rights protesters, many British and some almost naked, staged a protest against bullfighting in Pamplona, Spain, the site of the annual “running of the bulls” festival (Sanfermines) according to The Times.
Those seeking an adrenaline hit run in front of a stampede of bulls through the streets after which the animals are taken to the bullring to be tortured and killed for onlookers’ entertainment. During the protest one elderly woman watching from a balcony screamed “Degenerates”, presumably at the protesters for being so scantily clad.
Meanwhile the Daily Telegraph reports that the government of Catalonia, the autonomous region of north eastern Spain which includes Barcelona, is taking the civilised step of abolishing the cruelty by including bullfighting in animal cruelty legislation, from which it is currently exempt. According to members of the Catalan parliament the bullfights in Barcelona only attract “old men and curious tourists from the Costa Brava who leave horrified after they’ve seen a couple of bulls killed”
Bullfighting remains popular in other parts of Spain, especially in the capital Madrid. An organisation set up to protect and promote it, Defensa de la Fiesta claims that its banning is a loss that is “cultural and intellectual”.
Dubai is building the world’s largest airport, Dubai World Central Airport, with six runways and capacity for 120 million passengers, nearly double that of Heathrow currently. Its cargo capacity at 12 million tons will be nearly 10 times that of Heathrow.
Dubai World Central will also be the name of a new 750,000 population city built around the airport. It is all due for completion by the end of next year and located 25 miles (40 km) south of Dubai, at Jaebel Ali.
A special summer rate of 75 euros (Just over £50) per room is being offered to organisers at the Crowne Plaza Europe, Brussels from 21 July to 27 August.
The offer is subject to availability, includes a full American breakfast buffet for one or two persons and is offered to readers of internet business travel site BBT Online, who quote the name of the publication when booking.
Tel: +32(0)2 230 13 33
E-mail: resa@europahotelbrussels.com
Disneyland Paris has launched a range of new teambuilding activities aimed at the corporate market.
Activities can be combined to produce longer events. For the really big kids Disney have also launched a new interactive evenings entertainment where delegates “Save the Universe” by being catapulted into space to do intergalactic battle with the evil Emperor Zung assisted by Buzz Lightyears Laser Blast before returning triumphantly to earth for a space themed buffet. For groups of 100-1200, priced from 70 euros per person plus VAT.
Tel: +33(0) 1 60 45 75 00 Fax: +33(0) 1 6045 7691
e-mail: dip.business@disney.com
Visit: www.drpbusiness.com
Interesting to read that chef Garry Hollihead is one of the partners in a new restaurant and nightclub in the self-styled “seven-star” Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi. (Caterer and Hotelkeeper).
The venture, which opened a few months ago, is the second business of Mayfair nightclub Embassy and it is thought that this top chef Hollihead is the same moronic yobbo Hollihead who was secretly filmed slapping an African kitchen porter for a TV documentary about violent chefs.
If so our Garry should go far in a culture where violence towards the weak is seen as a sign of strength and a fit subject for humour. We do wonder however if, one day, a large African gentleman will come to dine at Garry’s new venue ….
Magazines aimed at selling a country to UK event organisers tend to be a little, well, naff.
One not so naff, IEOU notes, is IT – Meetings and Incentives in Italy which last issue carried interesting and informative articles about the precious spice saffron and about all the various Italian liqueurs such as the Limoncello of the south (lemon), the Amaretto di Saronno of Lombardy (almond) and the Mirto of Sardinia (blueberry).
Such choice of subject correctly reflects the importance of cuisine in the perceived personality of countries, an aspect in which Italy is especially strong.
www.ediman.it
Those travellers who like a pint or three of draught beer to wash down lunch or dinner are warned that Paris must be one of the most expensive cities in Europe in which to indulge the habit.
On a recent trip there IEOU noted an average of £5 a half litre for draught Kronenburg in bars in Montmartre and £3.38 for the same quantity in student influenced St Germain.
A half litre is around 90% of a pint. On this basis even premium beer in rip-off London is not much more than half the price.
On the other hand those happy to drink the Paris tap-water can save a packet on their lunch and dinner prices.
By law restaurants cannot refuse to serve tap water to those eating a meal who request it, whatever a waiter on commission might say, and some of the better places keep carafes of water cold in the fridge for those in the know.
Save some money.
For over 300 years, the Royal Society has held some of the most important events in the scientific world. Based in Carlton House Terrace overlooking The Mall and St James’s Park, this Grade 1 listed building offers first class meeting and dining facilities. Whether a meeting for 10, a conference for 300 or a banquet for 160, we have the experience and the commitment to exceed your expectations.
With state of the art audio-visual equipment, including video conferencing and a high-tec digital filming service, we can also offer preferential accommodation rates with local Hotels. Full disabled access is also available.
Further details can be found at www.royalsoc.ac.uk or contact Nick Watts, Sales and Marketing Manager on 020 7451 2616 or email nick.watts@royalsoc.ac.uk
A new 12 day Diploma in Conference Organisation (DCO) qualification has been launched by the Society of Event Organisers (SEO) for 2007.
This comprises the four current days of the SEO Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) and eight additional and mainly practical days held as a summer school at a variety of London venues in August 2007. Delegates already holding the CCO qualification can just take the eight day summer session to sit for the DCO exam. The CCO is being held in Manchester on a residential and non-residential basis this August and in London (non-residential) starting September.
Fees for DCO run from £1,460 to £2,940 plus VAT.
Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430
e-mail: info@eou.org
Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
Porto Convention Bureau is a not-for-profit organisation specialising in promoting Porto and Northern Portugal as a destination for congresses, conferences, seminars, events and incentive travel.
The Porto Convention Bureau provides a wealth of information and advice, namely facilities, natural resources and professional partners.
We offer our services free of charge to any national and international organisers of meetings, conventions and incentives.
The Porto Convention Bureau gathers over 120 members such as hotels, congress and conference centres, DMC’s PCO’s transport companies and support services and plays a key role in giving an international reputation to Porto and Northern Portugal as a vintage destination.
Porto Convention & Visitors Bureau
Av. Inferior à Ponte D.Luis 1, 53-1° andar
4050-074 Porto – Portugal
ph: +351 223 326 751 – fx: +351 223 326 752
E-mail: rkoehler@portocvb.com – www.portocvb.com
The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) has launched a one-day in-house presentation, UNDERSTANDING EVENT ORGANISATION, aimed at giving venue sales, marketing and operations staff a full appreciation of the job their organiser clients do, to build rapport and improve working relationships.
Other training for venues offered by the SEO includes a public or in-house course on MARKETING YOUR VENUE FOR EVENTS.
Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430
A 100-word announcement costs from £95 in this section of International Event Organisers Update (IEOU) and reaches 12,000 organisers.
To download full details and a booking form visit www.eou.org.uk Alternatively call (44) 1767 316255 or fax to (44) 1767 316430.
For more information please contact the organisers directly. You are advised to check that events are appropriate to your needs and still running before finalising travel plans. IEOU only lists the main international exhibitions and events specific to the events market – there are however lots of smaller country-specific presentations and travel industry events that can deliver useful information to organisers.
28-30 BARCELONA EIBTM exhibition
www.eibtm.com
27-29 ABU DHABI GIBTM exhibition
www.reedtravelexhibitions.com
17-19 FRANKFURT IMEX exhibition
www.imex-frankfurt.com
Edited and distributed by:
Society of Event Organisers
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Tel: +44(0)1767 316255 Fax: +44(0)1767 316430
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