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Dear Boris Johnson
It was encouraging to read your opinion piece in The Daily Telegraph of 21 August, attacking the poor service for customers at BAA’s Gatwick Airport.
In particular you rightly note the potential damage to Britain’s reputation on the world stage should the same poor standards still be in place by 2012, when many from abroad will be visiting for the Olympics. And that the problems appear to be more down to the attitudes of staff working for BAA’s chosen contractors – in this case Servisair – than any lack, or failing of facilities.
So, well done you. However, while you’re still in the mood for correcting bad customer attitudes that could reflect badly on all of us in 2012 you should take a look a bit closer to home for you, at Transport for London (TFL) of which you are the chairman.
Based on my own two experiences of being lied to, and lied about by London bus inspectors and London Underground supervising staff there is a pressing need to “raise the game” of TFL. Sadly the management of TFL seem to be in denial on this subject and unwilling to do anything constructive about changing things for the better, preferring to hide behind pathetic excuses. (See our website www.eou.org.uk and click on British Transport Puppets and Ken Livingstone Chiselling Little Crooks for the two sorry examples).
Please take this letter in the spirit in which it is meant. It would be most damaging if come 2012, it was a minority of rubbish staff at your Transport for London and their weak management there who let the side down. This aspect is well under your control and you have nearly four years to put it right.
Good luck
Yours sincerely
Peter Cottrell
Editor
International Event Organisers Update.
The Chinese government have been criticised for television fakery at this years Olympics.
Specifically the firework footprints that marched towards the Beijing stadium were digitally enhanced, thousands of “spectators” were bussed in to swell the numbers and the pretty little girl singing the Chinese anthem was miming it to the voice of another little girl who wasn’t deemed attractive enough to be the image they wanted to project.
Of course such TV deception has been around for years and not just in China. On the music front the biggest selling disco hit of 1989, Ride On Time by Italian band Black Box was actually sung by American soul singer Loleatta Holloway, (who was uncredited for her vocals) and mimed by a French model, a deception that came out when Holloway’s management instigated successful legal proceedings. And anyone who believes that the televised standing ovations taking place at political rallies are spontaneous probably believes in Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy, too.
More recently our own TV stations, including the BBC, have been fined for deliberately deceiving the public with rigged competitions and pre-recorded programmes presented as live. And our own government ministers are currently facing accusations that they used £2 million of our money to make propaganda masquerading as documentaries, to show its policies in a sympathetic light, a deception uncovered by The Sunday Telegraph.
It’s said that we shouldn’t believe all we read in our newspapers. And we shouldn’t believe everything we see on television, either, it seems.
Goods and services on offer at Stansted airport could soon be sold for 0 pence each, plus taxes and charges.
If the airport monopoly BAA is broken up as the Competition Commission has recommended one keen buyer for the Stansted operation is Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary whose firm is using it to operate 28 aircraft this winter.
BAA is currently taking legal action against Ryanair over its refusal to pay a 15% increase in “rapacious” landing charges.
Concern has been voiced in some quarters over the advisability of an airline owning an airport also used by other competing airlines. It might also be of note that O’Leary, – aka “O’Blarney” by some - has demonstrated that his talent for exploiting a captive market with rapacious prices is at least equal to BAA, as those who pay £1.50 for a tiny 150 ml can of fizzy pop can attest, this representing an uplift of more than a rapacious 600% over normal retail prices for canned pop and an even more rapacious 2000% over the promotional prices widely available.
There is also a growing awareness that “low cost” airlines, by the time their “taxes and charges” have been added to the low starting price, can be poor value. A recent piece in Conference and Incentive Travel magazine by Nigel Cooper of promotional firm Motivcom showed that a return flight to Majorca, inclusive the invidious and insulting extras was around £192 with Ryanair and Easyjet and £196 with BA, this last price including a “decent baggage allowance and a free drink”.
The Competition Commission has said that BAA should be made to sell three of its seven airports – Gatwick, Stansted and either Glasgow or Edinburgh – to improve standards in punctuality, cleanliness and luggage handling.
London is still one of the world’s most expensive cities in which to live and work, coming third in a ranking which has Moscow first and Tokyo second. (Daily Telegraph).
The table is compiled by Mercer, a global provider of investment services, which looks at the cost of such items as housing, food, fuel, clothing and transport. On this last item the surveyors found that the average cost of a single bus or tube ride in London was £3, double the cost in Paris and three times the cost in New York.
The cheapest of 143 cities at almost a third the price of Moscow is Asuncion in Paraguay. Paris is the 12th most expensive, New York the 22nd, Birmingham the 66th and Glasgow the 69th.
Those looking for substantial modern four-star standard conference facilities in the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will come across Reval Hotels.
This group operate three properties in Tallinn, Estonia totalling 756 bedrooms and more than 20 meetings rooms for up to 400 theatre style, and three properties in Riga, Latvia totalling 910 bedrooms and more than 30 meetings rooms for up to 1000. In addition is a 291 bedroom property in Vilnius, Lithuania with 17 meetings rooms for up to 600 and a new 208 bedroom property in Kaunas, Lithuanian’s second city, with eight meetings rooms for up to 450.
The three countries became part of the European Union and NATO in 2004 and are around 2 hours flying time from London and two hours ahead of GMT. On a recent press trip to the Reval properties in Latvia and Lithuania the author enjoyed just walking around the beautiful old centres of Vilnius, Kaunas and Riga. Also good was some high quality international style food, arguably a safer bet for most UK delegates than the Latvian or Lithuanian specialities which will attract the adventurous, the seriously carnivorous and the calorie and carbohydrate addicts. On the drink side Baltic beers are rightly legendary as many visiting stag and hen groups will confirm and a beer-tasting here could be as popular as whisky events in Scotland. (The author’s own favourite amongst the popular ones served were a sweet Utemos and a hoppy Kauno, both from Lithuania, but there are hundreds more worth trying so more research and reports welcomed.)
Those with a liking for slamming the harder stuff might want to try a Latvian speciality Riga Black Balsams, a dark and bitter-sweet concoction said to have restorative powers, no doubt due to its ABV of 45%. Also rather good, for schnapps lovers, is the Russian Platinum Standard vodka (40% ABV) served in a frosted glass straight from the freezer. And those liking very powerful cocktails could try mixing the two 50/50, and calling it a Defibrillator.
Reval Hotels are currently running a summer promotion on room rates from 48 euros a night in all their Baltic properties.
Tel: 0207 367 0922
Fax: 0207 407 3810
e-mal: beckysmith@hillsbalfoursynergy.com
Visit: www.revalhotels.com
Austria is to wind up its conference and incentive network in London, Paris and the USA. (Conference and Incentive Travel).
The Austrian National Tourist Office (ANTO) is dismantling its Austrian Business and Convention Network, cutting the dedicated events team from twelve to four.
Austria is still contriving to promote its tourism product to UK holiday makers and gave away 25,000 bottles of Tyrolean water to London commuters in July and August. (Sales Promotion).
Although Austria has run some well regarded workshops and dinners aimed at UK event organisers in the past, the last event, at London’s Café Royal was reportedly marred by poor administration with some invitees attending who had been accepted and issued with badges, being told to leave because they “were not on the list”.
Meanwhile Visit Britain is being restructured and will see a 40% reduction in staff numbers in London and 25% overseas. (Caterer and Hotelkeeper).
Impressive, it is to read that an Italian consumers association, Codacons has issued warnings to travellers about the scams against visitors operating in Italy.
According to the Daily Telegraph these include the charge of 130 euros made by 40 taxi drivers in Rome to drive passengers from the airport to the city centre, this against the official fixed charge of 40 euros or an uplift of 325% and an overcharge of £73.18 for the unsuspecting.
Fake car park attendants are as numerous here as in other places, one pair taking car driving tourists for £20/30 a time. And in Venice the crooks to watch for are the sellers of tickets for the popular water buses who take £25 for a 3 day ticket but only hand over a £12/24 hour ticket and pocket the difference. Conned visitors then subsequently have their tickets checked by inspectors – also in on the scam? – and are then fined if they are not valid when used.
The well established Italian tradition of charging visitors more than locals is, well, still well established with cafes and bars charging locals 80 cents for an expresso and visitors 1.20 euros and some restaurants such as those around San Marco in Venice charging “hundreds of pounds” for lobster dishes. By law all bars and restaurants must display their prices so the rule is to only order from a printed menu to avoid being royally ripped off.
International Event Organisers Update would like to thank Codacons for making this information available and wants to return the favour. Accordingly we are starting to compile a list of scams operating against visitors to the UK, to ensure that their visit is as enjoyable and trouble-free as possible. First on the list will be the “penalty fare” scam operated by our transportation companies whereby travellers without a ticket, for whatever reason, are told that they have broken the law (they haven’t, unless it has been done with intention to defraud) but can pay £20 against the threat of being taken to court. Most overseas visitors, and plenty of UK residents meekly pay up.
Obviously there are lots of others and IEOU would be grateful for other examples for publication, prior to the 2012 Olympics.
Buying the excellent Swiss Rail Pass recently we were struck by how much extra travellers pay for buying it at the Swiss Rail office in Covent Garden, London rather than at a Swiss airport on arrival.
This office seems to function as more of a commission agency since the first scam was that we were asked to pay a “booking fee” of £3.50, this being justified by the silly argument that “You pay a booking fee on theatre tickets so why not on rail tickets?”
Then we were told that if we wanted to pay by credit card there was a 2% charge “because that’s what the card companies charge us”.
Finally the charge of 212 Swiss francs was converted into sterling at a rate of under 1.90 instead of the 2.00 + available all over London at Bureaux de Change at the time, this being covered by the explanation that “we don’t intend to lose money on the exchange”. Indeed not. Deciding that the London office didn’t deserve our patronage we flew to Zurich and purchased our 3 day pass from Swiss Rail ticket office at the airport for 212 Swiss Francs cash, or £106. The helpful lady there told us that no they didn’t charge any “booking fee” nor did they charge 2% extra for credit card payments.
On this showing we could have paid an extra £11.81 by buying in London being an extra £3.50 booking fee, £6 for the miserly exchange rate and £2.31 for a credit card payment, more than 11% extra.
Meanwhile those purchasing a Swiss Rail Pass should also be aware of a couple of bits of small print that take away some of the value. On the days, chosen by the bearer, when the pass isn’t being used for free travel it can be used for half price travel but this is only after the first free travel day has been used and before the last free travel day has been used. So travellers should try to make sure that their longer journeys are done on the day of arrival and the day of departure, to get the best value.
Missing a flight is the tenth most stressful life event, according to research carried out by travel company Holiday Extras, not to mention inconvenience and expense.
A new website claims to offer help to travellers in this situation by putting them in touch with a specialist travel consultant who can prepare a list of available alternatives and reorganise travel plans.
www.missedaflight.com
Most edifying it is, to read that the world’s only living English matador is back killing bulls in Spain at the age of 65, having just had a quadruple heart by-pass operation and knee replacement surgery.
Baffling though is the comment of the Daily Telegraph that Frank Evans from Manchester is an “anomaly” on the grounds that many English people find bullfighting, where the bulls are first tortured and weakened by maiming, an “inexcusable cruelty”.
How is it different to fox and deer hunting and dog fighting, all supported by lots of English people, where the objective – cruelty for entertainment and perhaps a sexual frisson – is exactly the same?
A small chewable mint sweet can ward off travellers diarrhoea, it is claimed.
Actimint contains the “good” probiotics, the bacteria which fight the “bad” ones that cause “Delhi-belly” or the “Bombay trots”, upsets said to be 50% likely when travelling to Latin America, Asia, the Middle East or Africa.
A dose of Actimint is two to three tablets chewed after each meal, which also, according to the promoters freshens the breath and helps stop tooth decay. A pocket sized packet of 60, or 7-10 days supply costs £2.99.
www.actimint.com
VANCOUVER/CANADA – Where East meets West
An exciting destination, a clean city, operating with fabulous efficiency in spectacular surroundings.
9 HOURS FLYING TIME FROM LONDON – 15 HOURS FLYING TIME FROM SYDNEY
Interested in meeting in Vancouver? – If you require a venue for 50 or 1000 delegates we can help. Free information is available to qualifying organizers from Corporations, Association and Institutions, and a trip is planned for later in the year.
Contact:-
Greens Service Company
Established 1988
IATA/TIDS NO: 96046952
Enquiries to:-
TEL: 01934 612277
Or email: tim@gsc-events.com
www.EventPlannerSpain.com is the first Andalusian portal for event and meeting service providers, with all you need for organising your corporate and private events in Andalusia. Browse a wide range of quality meeting and event-related resources and contact directly the suppliers of your choice. Alternatively, use our inquiry service and let us help you find what you are looking for. Special offers, practical information, segmented news and our monthly newsletter for those of you wanting to be kept informed, complete our service package, all totally free of charge.
Tel: +34 952 294 327
info@eventplannerspain.com
www.eventplannerspain.com
o CERTIFICATE IN CONFERENCE ORGANISATION (CCO)
This is a four day course with a 1½ hour, 150 question examination. Non-residential London course dates are hosted at 16 Park Crescent, London W1. Fee is £980 + VAT or £880 plus VAT if two or more delegates attend from the same organisation. (£740 + VAT for SEO members).
Putting together a conference programme covering objectives, delegate needs, layouts, food and beverage, speakers and audio-visual. Friday 20 June 2008 (London), Tuesday 5 August 2008 (London), Friday 10 October 2008 (London), Friday 6 March 2009 (London), Monday 24 August 2009 (London), Friday 20 November 2009 (London).
Sourcing, evaluating and negotiating with venues covering where to find the best venues, inspecting them and getting the best packages Friday 27 June 2008 (London), Wednesday 6 August 2008 (London), Friday 17 October 2008 (London), Friday 13 March 2009 (London), Tuesday 25 August 2009 (London), Friday 27 November 2009 (London).
Conference Administration covering contracts, organisation, delegate and speaker care, trouble-shooting and evaluation. Friday 4 July 2008 (London), Thursday 7 August 2008 (London), Friday 24 October 2008 (London), Friday 20 March 2009 (London), Wednesday 26 August 2009 (London), Friday 4 December 2009 (London).
Staging a conference for profit covering conception, budgeting, pricing, getting sponsorship and marketing. Examination. Friday 11 July 2008 (London), Friday 8 August 2008 (London), Friday 31 October 2008 (London), Friday 27 March 2009 (London), Thursday 27 August 2009 (London), Friday 11 December 2009 (London).
o The CCO can also be delivered as an in-house presentation anywhere. Call 01767 316255 for more information.
o DIPLOMA IN CONFERENCE ORGANISATION (DCO)
Following on from the CCO (above) this is an eight day London-based, non-residential course for those who hold the CCO qualification. The full programme is as follows.
Day One. PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Pre-event and at-event considerations. Avoiding high stress levels in event delivery, anticipating problems, having a contingency plan, setting deadlines, working with and briefing all groups.EVENT INSURANCE
What you can and can’t insure for, what you really must insure against, what you probably should, what you could and what it costs.Day Two: FOOD AND BEVERAGE
Designing a memorable menu, price implications and catering to a budget, eating trends, special diets, health and safety issues and legalities, food poisoning and allergies, choosing wine with food. Day includes a menu exercise and a wine with food tasting. (Delegates should not drive).Day Three: VENUE SELECTION/EVALUATION EXERCISE
A one day activity in teams requiring a choice of venues from criteria set as well as visits for evaluation and a presentation of findings.Day Four: AUDIO VISUAL CONSIDERATIONS AND SPEAKERS
This session takes a look at all the technology available for presentations, the selection of the right types for the audience and a practical look at the problems of speakers.DISABILITY – THE PRACTICALITIES
A practical look at all aspects of disability as it affects event organisers. How to ensure all your events don’t just comply with the law but are positively disability-friendly.Day Six: MEDICAL EMERGENCIES
A practical look at how to cope with some of those nightmare scenarios from choking through injury and dealing with shock to serious coronary problems and how to do Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).FIRE EMERGENCY
How it happens. What to do to minimise risks, what to do if it happens, what to use and what definitely not to do.Day Seven: PUBLICISING A CONFERENCE
A practical day which looks in depth at writing persuasive publicity material, using PR techniques to publicise and writing effective press releases to maximise free publicity.Day Eight: ORGANISING CONFERENCES OVERSEAS
A half day session on running conferences outside the UK covering cost comparisons, travel, customs and excise, currency and cultural considerations.EXAMINATION
An invigilated 1½ hour examination. Delegates need 70% right answers to pass. Results sent within four weeks.Dates for 2008 are August 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, all hosted at 16 Park Crescent, London W1.
Fees for the DCO are £1,960 plus VAT per delegate or £1,660 plus VAT per delegate if two or more delegates from the same organisation attend. Delegates from SEO member companies can attend for £1,460 plus VAT
o CERTIFICATE IN CONFERENCE VENUE MARKETING (CCVM)
This is a new four day non-residential course for marketing and sales staff working in conference venues, and those promoting conference venues. There is a 1½ hour written examination. The CCVM is being hosted at 16 Park Crescent, London W1 and fees are £1,200 plus VAT per delegate with a reduction to £950 plus VAT per delegate if two or more delegates attend from the same organisation. The outline programme (full programme on request) is:-
Day One: Nature of the markets, branding, pricing, zero-cost marketing, advertising.
Day Two: Press relations, writing impressive press releases, finding the best stories, handling bad press,.
Day Three: Direct marketing, e-mail marketing, effective direct mailings, copywriting, telemarketing.
Day Four: Exhibitions, maximising the leads, special; events, show-rounds. Examination.
The CCVM takes place August 26-29 in 2008 and August 24-27 in 2009.
o MAY WE COME TO YOU?
In addition to the above the SEO presents in-house workshops on such subjects as exhibiting successfully, manning an exhibition stand, running a small exhibition, negotiating with suppliers, conference catering, legal aspects of running events, presenting persuasively and many more. Call 01767 316255 for more information.
o Event Organisers Update (EOU) for those running UK based conferences and seminars. www.eou.org.uk
o Corporate Hospitality and Party Update (CHPU) for those organising client hospitality and parties. www.eou.org.uk
o Association Update (AU) for association organisers. www.eou.org.uk
o Exhibition Update (EU) for organisations that exhibit themselves. www.eou.org.uko Association News (AN) for those who associate. www.associationnews.org.uk
o Charity Matters. www.ezinematters.com
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
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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