News this week

Delegate behaviour driving industry transformation

New findings suggest that changing delegate behaviours and technology are driving industry transformation with radical price incentives, deep personalisation and new business models set to shape the events landscape in 2010.

According to Fast Future Research’s online survey – Future Meetings Experience, conducted as part of phase one of the Convention 2020 study on the future of meetings, venues and destinations – current barriers to event effectiveness are seen to be the cost of attending, poor organisation and a lack of focus in the design whilst the quality of content, interaction, technology and networking are seen to be the main drivers of an effective and exciting event.

A total of 1125 respondents from 76 countries completed the global online survey, which ran from November 2009 to January 2010.

Looking to the future, 74 per cent felt their organisation would maintain their investment in live events in 2020, while 46 per cent felt time and cost pressure might deter organisations from sending delegates and 59 per cent felt their organisation would be investing far more in alternatives to live events.

Almost 50 per cent said there would be fewer but larger events, while 79 per cent expect a growth in smaller more specialised meetings – 48 per cent also thought there would be an explosion in the number of free or very low cost evening only meetings held in low cost venues.

More than three-quarters of respondents believe events will need to offer strong price based incentives to attract the desired delegates, 60 per cent expect to see a rise in pay as you go/pay per session type models and 70 per cent say ethical and environmental factors will continue to influence the decision to attend.

Icon has announced its acquisition of event production company, MEI.

Both companies have well established reputations in their respective fields – Icon in branding and signage and MEI in event production - and this new development will give clients access to some of the best creative and technological expertise available in these highly competitive markets.

Commenting on the acquisition, John Francis, managing director of Icon, said: “We are delighted to welcome the MEI team to Icon. There is an obvious synergy between our two businesses and there is no doubt that this new arrangement will bring real benefit to both existing and new customers in terms of the depth of experience and breadth of knowledge we are now able to offer.”

The acquisition comes exactly a year after Icon’s MBO and sees the company fulfilling its promise to look for new opportunities in products and services that will strengthen its offerings to both existing and prospective clients. MEI has already moved its operations and all staff to Icon’s headquarters in Sidcup, Kent, and work is already underway on the redevelopment of a building on this site. This will provide additional design and production facilities to complement those already utilised by Icon for the signage side of its business

Doctor Who tour targets under-served communities

BBC's Doctor Who is embarking on a nationwide tour to introduce the new Doctor Who to fans of the series.

Each location – Belfast, Sunderland, Inverness, Salford, Northampton – will host a regional premiere of episode one, which will see the 11th Doctor Matt Smith and his companion Karen Gillan meet fans.

A branded Doctor Who tour bus featuring the new TARDIS logo and imagery will travel the country. The tour is part of a BBC Outreach initiative to enable local children to get up close and personal to the Doctor.

BBC Outreach proactively takes the BBC into specific communities and sections of society, and has been integral in organising and supporting the tour. The focus of the tour is to reach relatively under-served communities by the BBC.

The Doctor's maiden voyage will commence on March 29 in Belfast, and then travel to Inverness for a screening on March 30. The bus will then move on to Sunderland that afternoon and Salford on March 31 before finishing later that day in Northampton.

Following the tour, from April 1-3, the BBC will also hold events for three days at selected BBC Big Screens across the UK giving Doctor Who fans in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Plymouth and Swansea the chance to interact directly with the show in their home towns.

The events will feature exclusive footage – including the chance to see the Doctor Who trailer in 3D – and giveaways, and fans can also get their photo taken tumbling through the giant vortex.

Alec McGivan, head of BBC Outreach, added: "Outreach is all about getting face to face with people so they can get involved and experience the BBC in a different and exciting way – we're delighted to be able to take one of the BBC's best loved brands out to its audience."

drpgroup has become the first communication and events agency in the world to achieve accredited certification against the combined ISO 14001 (International Standard in Environmental Management) and BS 8901 (the recently launched British Standard for a Sustainable Event Management System).

drpgroup worked closely with EcoEvents, which specialise in sustainable management solutions designed specifically for the events industry.

Dale Parmenter, drpgroup managing directort: “Without a doubt, sustainability is one of the most important challenges our industry faces.

"As the recession comes to an end and businesses begin to focus on the bigger picture again, sustainability will not only start to become as important as health and safety is, but it will get to the stage where businesses will need to account for their environmental impacts in much the same way as they are required to meet their fiscal responsibilities. Above all, we as an industry have a moral obligation to reduce any damaging effects to the environment our operations may cause."

Associations want to be beside the sea

VisitBrighton’s concerted effort to engage the association market has been rewarded with the confirmation of four major conference wins.

The British Accounting Association (BAA), British Society for Rheumatology, British Association of Supported Employment and Royal College of Psychiatrists events have all been secured.

The conferences will bring in a combined economic benefit of over £4.6 million to the city with the arrival of just under 3,000 delegates. Hosting the conferences will be the Holiday Inn Brighton Seafront (British Association of Supported Employment, September 2010), De Vere Grand (British Society of Rheumatology, April 2011) and Hilton Brighton Metropole (BAA, April 2011; Royal College of Physicians, July 2011; British Society of Rheumatology, April 2011).

RPM is set to launch a specialist corporate division, led by Ian Irving as director of corporate. The new division will be dedicated to providing a bespoke service for internal and B2B engagement briefs.

The launch follows an internal revamp of the agency that saw the creation of a new layer of management, the launch of two new teams and the appointment of Gyro founder Gary Brine to the board as non-executive director.

Speaking of the launch, Ian Irving, director of corporate said: “I will be building a team from the best in class in the corporate communications sector. This team will work within the RPM brand and will be integrated with the various elements of the broader experiential agency as appropriate in order to deliver the most comprehensive and effective service.”

Previously commercial director at Sledge for 11 years, where he was involved in the creation and delivery of some ground breaking experiential work, Irving brings with him a wealth of experience and will work within the existing RPM leadership team.

Hugh Robertson, chairman and founding partner of RPM added: “We view experiential as a way of thinking, and the launch of this new division is the result of seeing a gap in the market where we can continue to provide powerful experiences, regardless of the channel or industry sector. Ian is an industry heavyweight and will bring a fresh approach to the corporate and internal communications market that will be of great benefit to prospects and existing clients alike.”

The new division will also be developing a number of IP rights owned solutions such as corporate and business training as well as a number of unique technical applications

Irving concluded: “I have every belief that this Corporate Division will fit perfectly into the existing powerful RPM proposition. From my past experience I know that there is a huge market for us to tap into; the time is right for taking staff and B2B engagement to the next level.”

This announcement follows an extremely successful year that has seen RPM extend its work for Cadbury, Sky and Diageo and pick up a new brief from Hasbro.

iD puts breakfast on the menu

iD Experiential and Alpro soya have teamed up to create the Alpro soya Breakfast Roadshow.

The campaign, comprising a breakfast bar, allows consumer to sample a variety of products from the Alpro soya breakfast menu. Later in the day, the bar transforms into a "Little treat bar", allowing consumers to try an Alpro soya dessert.

Consumers are also being invited to join the Alpro soya album on Facebook by having their photo taken on the stand. They are given a unique code which drives them online to download their picture and share with family and friends.

The roadshow is set to visit the National Boat & Caravan show and train stations up and down the country.

Planning permission granted to 2012 temporary venues

Planning permission has been granted for London 2012’s plans to use the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich and North Greenwich Arena during the London 2012 Games.

The Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich will host the Olympic shooting events and shooting and archery events during the Paralympic Games. North Greenwich Arena will host artistic gymnastics, trampoline gymnastics and the basketball finals during the Olympic Games, followed by wheelchair basketball during the Paralympic Games.

The plans include temporary shooting ranges and seating stands at the Royal Artillery Barracks and the northern part of Woolwich Common. There will be four temporary indoor ranges and three temporary open air ranges for the qualifying rounds and finals of Olympic events.

During the Paralympic Games the outdoor ranges will be removed and replaced with temporary archery ranges. Work to install the temporary facilities will begin early next year.

Icon has announced its acquisition of event production company, MEI.

Both companies have well established reputations in their respective fields – Icon in branding and signage and MEI in event production - and this new development will give clients access to some of the best creative and technological expertise available in these highly competitive markets.

Commenting on the acquisition, John Francis, managing director of Icon, said: “We are delighted to welcome the MEI team to Icon. There is an obvious synergy between our two businesses and there is no doubt that this new arrangement will bring real benefit to both existing and new customers in terms of the depth of experience and breadth of knowledge we are now able to offer.”

The acquisition comes exactly a year after Icon’s MBO and sees the company fulfilling its promise to look for new opportunities in products and services that will strengthen its offerings to both existing and prospective clients. MEI has already moved its operations and all staff to Icon’s headquarters in Sidcup, Kent, and work is already underway on the redevelopment of a building on this site. This will provide additional design and production facilities to complement those already utilised by Icon for the signage side of its business

Reed post unfavourable results

Visit London has dismissed a report by The European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) claiming that the city may not see tourism benefits from staging the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012.

Visit London denied the report’s claims that if London followed the same pattern as Beijing, and other recent host cities of the Olympic Games, tourism numbers were likely to fall significantly. It said:

•Visit London’s own research puts the estimated additional tourism revenues from the London 2012 Olympic Games at £1.5bn over 10 years.

•Comparisons between Beijing and London are not relevant as they are completely different cities.

•Visitors will experience value for money when visiting the capital. London’s tourism industry is the first to introduce a Fair Pricing and Practice Charter to stop people feeling "ripped off" during the Olympic Games.

Visit London’s chief executive, Sally Chatterjee, said: “It’s impossible to compare Olympic cities directly. London is the world’s most visited destination by foreign travellers and one of the most accessible cities in the world. We believe the London 2012 Olympic Games will bring an influx of new visitors to London. Olympic year will be one of the most exciting times in our history and no-one will want to miss out. We’re expecting the London 2012 Olympic Games to deliver nearly £1.5 billion in economic benefit to the city from increased tourism revenues over ten years.”

Reed Exhibitions has recorded a decrease in revenues – £638 million in 2009 compared to £707 million in 2008.

The figures, posted in Reed Elsevier's 2009 results, also show adjusted operating profits of -28 per cent.

According to the company's statement, Reed Exhibitions had a difficult year with customers cutting back on promotional expenditure and the net cycling out of biennial exhibitions. The revenue decline, mitigated in part by substantial cost savings, has reduced adjusted operating margins.

"Significant cost savings were made through management streamlining, operational efficiencies and headcount reductions across the business," says the report. "Sales of exhibition space and ancillary services were lower across all major geographies. There was also a decline in paying delegates at the small number of shows which charge significant fees for participation."

Across the regions, annual show revenues were 14 per cent lower in the US, 13 per cent in Japan, and 17 per cent in Europe.

Whilst 2010 will see the benefit of the net cycling in of biennial shows, bookings going into the year remain cautious with exhibitors committing later than usual and revenues from annual shows are expected to be lower, explains Reed.

Glastonbury to invest in solar energy

Glastonbury recently confirmed that Mendip District Council has granted the festival a new licence until 2016.

Now, its organiser, Michael Eavis, has announced plans to power the event with a private solar panel system. Eavis is set to invest in 1,500 square metres of solar panels.

Over 1,000 panels will sit on top of the barns that are home to the Worthy Farm herd while the festival is on. On a clear, sunny day, the panels are expected to generate some 200kW of power; any power which isn't used on the farm will be exported to the National Grid.

Said Eavis: "It's a very exciting project for us. We first had renewable energy at the Festival in 1979 and we've been trying to increase it ever since. We want the Festival, and the farm, to be as green as they can be. The solar panels will make a huge contribution towards that."

If planning permission is granted, work will begin to install the panels on August 1.