Well Placed Conference

Competition for business hotel bookings hots up!

2012-03-07T05:25:00.000-08:00

"The customer is always" right may be a cliché, but it has never been truer than it is now, especially when it comes to frequent travelers. Hotels in the world's business cities are so keen to attract the corporate pound, euro or dollar that they are prepared to do almost anything corporate globetrotters demand. And if that means items that were once seen as extras are now included in the room rate, that's what they will provide.

Meanwhile, in these economically difficult times, finance directors in companies large and small are checking executives' business accommodation expenses with unprecedented, even forensic, attention. In a climate where every bit of expenditure has to be justified, it is small wonder that business travelers don't want any unpleasant surprises when they are presented with the bill.

"Gone are the days when I would be happy to just pay the hotel bill without questioning the cost of phone calls, the breakfast, the mineral water, the odd beer from the mini bar and those other minor extras that ensured my stay was satisfactory," says Nigel Massey, managing director of a U.K.-based communications company.

"Today I want complete transparency when I book corporate hotel reservations. I want to be able to demonstrate to my financial director that what I spent has been worth it and that value was my overriding criterion in every hotel," he says.

"I expect my room rate to include things that were once charged, so hotels like the Hoxton in London and the Hotel du Vin chain have been inspirational in their forward thinking," he says. "At the Hoxton I am delighted that local phone calls (and they are few as I use a mobile) are free, that the morning breakfast left at my door is included, as [are]…my morning paper and Wi-Fi costs," he adds. "The days of creaming off huge extras for unwary business travelers are numbered."

Generally, it is the boutique-style, smaller hotels that score best, Mr. Massey says, though some of the bigger hotel chains are also doing well. "Groups such as Jumeira and Mandarin are cleverly and sensibly waking up to the fact that they need people like me. We have a choice and the determining factor from now is transparency, honesty and value."

The Jumeira, for example, provides large bottles of shampoo and other toiletries in the bathroom, rather than the tiny plastic sachets that most hotels opt for.

"They also say that the word 'no' is not now used with regard to guest services. I have tested them with some pretty demanding requests, such as wanting them to find me a courier service in the middle of the night and asking them to arrange for a shop to deliver some running shoes to replace the ones I had forgotten to pack, and it is true. They are also making Wi-Fi and mineral water free," Mr Massey says.

"I never forget the hotels that make 'gestures' however small. Free laundry of one shirt is a small gesture but leaves me with a warm and supportive feeling about the hotel which makes me vow to return."

But this inclusive approach doesn't go down well with everyone. Fund manager Richard Haylock, whose firm has offices in several European countries as well as throughout Asia, says "I don't really bother too much about whether everything is included in the room rate. In fact…I prefer having the option to choose which facilities and services I want and then pay for them."

Business travelers "always ask for itemized bills" rather than all-inclusive ones, says Debrah Dhugga, general manager at Dukes hotel in London. "We also offer complimentary Wi-Fi; however if we did not, I can imagine frequent travelers would demand it. I would," she says.

"What people really want is technology that's easy to use and the possibility of an early check-in," Ms Dhugga adds.

While there is little doubt the demand for smaller boutique-style hotels in city centers is increasing rapidly, the case for the chain hotels can also be powerful. Many business travelers enjoy staying in branded hotels not only because they know what to expect and are safe in the knowledge they can conduct their work efficiently and in comfort, they also appreciate the hotel chains' loyalty programs, probably the single biggest incentive for staying at a chain hotel.

"I tend to use the big business chain hotels, where there are no surprises, everything is familiar and you know exactly what you are going to get," says Mr. Haylock. "This is important when, as I often do, you wind up having to visit destinations slightly off the usual well-trodden routes."

Italy-based corporate lawyer Nicoletta Trapani, whose work takes her all over Europe and the Middle East, agrees. "I usually choose to stay in one of the big-name hotels when I'm away on business," she says. "I simply want to know that all the business facilities I need will be on hand and I need plenty of public areas in the hotel where I can meet clients."

"I think most hotel managers now realize that business travelers are on a tight budget and trim their rates accordingly," says Ms. Trapani. "Yes, I think it is nice when the occasional 'extra' is provided at no additional cost but for me the most important thing is that all the facilities I need, such as a good laundry service, hairdresser and efficient room service, are on hand".

Hoteliers say customized service is also important.

"I always expect a very high level of customer service," says Sir Rocco Forte, CEO and chairman of Rocco Forte Hotels, who travels at least once a week. "Everyone should feel important and be dealt with on a personalized basis.

"Service should meet the individual needs of a client like a bespoke tailor. I'm not a lover of huge hotels; I prefer hotels where you are recognized."

And for Reto Wittwer, chief executive of Geneva-based Kempinski hotels, the choice is clear. "Wherever I go, the location plays an important role, but what I treasure when traveling on business is efficiency and service," he says.

"I look for customized service and attentive staff. Everyone can build a four-star hotel, but the fifth star you only get through your staff and the level of service they are providing."

Access to a business center and all the high-tech gadgetry needed during a trip should be a given, travelers say, with Wi-Fi internet access as standard.

Orient Express Hotels , for example, the company best known for its luxury trains, is one of a number of hotel groups using a mixture of innovation and service to meet business travelers' needs. At one of its latest hotels, the Palacio Nazarenas in Cuzco, Peru, due to open in June, guests will find iPads in every room, loaded with insider city guides, handy tips, and daily newspapers in their own language.

Meanwhile, at the Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg the emphasis is on offering a comprehensive concierge service for business travelers, which could include finding hard-to-get tickets for the theatre or ballet for travellers keen to entertain local contacts.

But for Ms. Dugga of Dukes, it is "service, service, service and a cozy bed with fabulous pillows and a good shower," she looks for when travelling. "Sometimes it's the simple things that make the difference."

The free conference venue finder and corporate business travel service offered by Well Placed Conference encompasses all the above points to ensure we offer a personal servcie to our clients giving them exactly what they want from their corporate hotel reservations

Source: Wall Street Journal

Corporate Business Travel - What is important

2012-02-29T08:36:00.001-08:00

Corporate business travel is a huge revenue stream now for hotels worldwide with many chains and independents fiercely selling their product to this market.

Most hotels now have glossy brochures, fancy websites and even mobile websites these days but are they really promoting a product that the corporate business travel person actually requires.

For a business travel hotel to really specialise in looking after the corporate travel market then we feel they have to offer the things are really important to them. All too often though when Well Placed Conference look to book hotels for business travel for our clients, the hotels fall short on their offering!

Studies show so that the single most important thing that the corporate business traveller requires is

Complimentary In-Room Wireless Internet!

Now we understand that some hotel chains are locked into contracts and that some independents see it as a new revenue stream to replace the lost telephone sales but its the one thing we get asked for before we book a hotel. Hotels have to start offering this complimentary as standard if they are to remain competitive to the business travel market.

Other 'must haves' from the corporate market that Well Placed Conference ensure their clients get when making hotel reservations are:

Complimentary Breakfast
Promotions & discounts
24 hour business centre
24 hour fitness facilities
Good loyalty programmes

Well Placed Conference are specialists in corporate hotel reservations, business accommodation and business hotel bookings and we ensure you get exactly what you want for the right price.

At the very least you should get complimentary in-room WIFI these days, in my opinion.

International Conference Venues - Brussels

2012-02-22T03:59:00.001-08:00

At Well Placed Conference our aim is to inform and educate our clients about what is new and happening within the hotels and events industry. We are specialists when it comes to organising international conferences as we have the experience and contacts to ensure your overseas conferences are a complete success.

Brussels has always been a popular conference incentive destination and has many conference venues and conference hotels to offer the corporate client. Its not often a completely new concept appears on the scene in this city but one that we are very excited about is The Hotel Brussels.

The new bedroom concept at this hotel is exciting and innovative and we are sure the new meeting rooms will follow in the same vein.

Recently The HotelBrussels (former Hilton) unveiled the new room conceptas designed by Spanish architecture agency GCA. Theconcept epitomizes the ultimate hotel experience for the modern, cosmopolitantraveler.
The stylishelegant rooms with a new layout, give an exciting firstglimpse into the spectacular, full-scale renovation to come. The first 20 rooms will be ready by April of this year, a further 100 will follow bySeptember. The remaining 200 rooms and suites will be finished in phases withall 424 rooms ready for Spring 2013. The meeting roomson the 25th, 26th and 27th floors will be completed in September 2012.

Smartphone carrying guests can use their device to unlock their room door as well as to check in and out!!

Source: www.thehotel-brussels.be

Death or Glory - The Hotel Show Round!

2012-02-03T04:10:00.000-08:00

All conference rooms should be well presented

The show round for a client is the one chance for a hotel to showcase products and services, so why does it fall short on so many occasions?

Well Placed Conference are an established conference venue finder and I personally have worked in many conference hotels over the years. We take clients to view hotels and conference venues for their potential events regularly and the feedback we often get is 'that could have been better'!

As a company we are always striving to improve standards within the hospitality industry to benefit our clients and would make the following suggestions to hotels & venues just to make their hotel show rounds more profitable.

First impressions count, try and be in reception to meet & greet on arrival
Make sure all departments know who is coming, especially reception in case you can't be there to greet
Make sure you know all the information about the event, use the arrival coffee time to explore the event further if necessary and the clients specific needs.
Make sure all the doors to conference rooms are unlocked that you will be showing. Nothing more embarrasing than leaving clients waiting whilst you hunt for keys.
Conference rooms being shown should have lights on and be set up, preferably in style that client has requested for their event. You know we are coming, so plan for it.
If showing bedrooms, make sure you have the keys in advance and know which way down the corridoors you are going.
Have a logical route planned for the show round so as not to walk past the same conference room 3 times!
Only show areas that the client has specified a need for, time is precious.
Know the benefits of your venues features and apply these to the clients specific needs as you are walking around.
Always offer a departing coffee or hospitality as the client may want to take some time to write notes whilst the venue and show round is fresh in their mind.

Of course there are many more elements to a complete show round but the above tips are basics in my opinion if conference hotels and venues are to be in with a chance of winning the business.

We are in a people & service business and its the little things that make the difference in my experience. A well structured and professional show round will make the difference between the client choosing you or the conference venues next door.

Let Well Placed Conference find the best venue for next event as we know who will look after you!

Does the layout of a conference room affect delegate participation?

2012-01-27T03:05:00.000-08:00

Well Placed Conference have learnt that the rulebook is being torn up for a study on whether the layout of the conference meeting rooms has an effect on delegate participation. Could this experiment affect a hotel with conference facilities and venues with conference meeting rooms, we would like to hear your comments.

A Newquay Hotels room layouts

Details of the experiment are from www.meetpie.com.

An experiment in meeting room layout will take place at the European Meetings and Events Conference (EMEC) in Budapest, Hungary next week.

Delegates at the event, organised by Meeting Professionals International (MPI), will be able to take part in the trial examining the impact of physical positions on groups of participants.

Working in small groups, the delegates will be asked to tear up the rule book and design what they think is the best possible format, lay-out and seating for a meeting. A role play actor will be the live guinea-pig for the formats designed by participants. Each design will receive feedback from the role play actor and from the session’s presenter, Mike van der Vijver of MindMeeting.

The room-layout session is one of a number of 'hands-on' experiences promised in the Meeting Design Area at the Novotel Budapest Congress from 29-31 January.

MPI president and CEO Bruce MacMillan, said: “We are committed to demonstrating innovation to attendees because the business challenges facing meeting professionals are unprecedented.”

Well Placed Conference are an experienced conference venue finder offering a free service. We eagerly await the results of this experiment as we always strive to offer our clients the best conference venues and maybe we can help to get the best particpation from their delegates by suggesting alternative room layouts!

Thoughts please...

Source: Meetpie.com

Manchester Conference Venues

2012-01-24T07:43:00.000-08:00

With over 250 outstanding conference venues in Manchester, including a world class convention centre complex, an award-winning airport serving 20 UK and more than 200 world-wide destinations, over 19,000 hotel bedrooms and 5,000 of these in the city centre, many with their own Manchester conference rooms. Manchester is one of the UK's leading conference destinations.

From modern conference rooms to the elegant splendor of refurbished Victorian buildings, the many Manchester conference centers offer event planners a wide range of meeting room options. If you’re looking for conference venues in Manchester with history, Manchester conference venues with style or a party venue that’s off the wall, Manchester has a meeting room for you.

At Well Placed Conference we work with many diverse partners that offer the conference organiser a variety of options including sports stadiums, museums, hotels and attractions. Manchester as a conference destination has advantages over other major UK cities because of its transport links and also its prices! Whilst you can pay top dollar for the best hotels such as the Lowry, the Midland or the Radisson Edwardian you can also find some bargains at some good 4 star hotels.

An example of this is the latest offer from the Hallmark Manchester Hotel which is offering day delegate rates from £25.00 and 24 hour rates from £125.00 p/p inc vat. The hotel is out at the airport so not city centre but with facilities for up to 500 delegates its a very good option if you are on a budget.

We love working in the city as our clients enjoy the vibe and the quality of the conference venues manchester never fails to disappoint.

Algarve - Conference & Incentive Destination

2012-01-17T01:48:00.000-08:00

When the words 'Conference & Incentive Destination' are mentioned you may think of the white sands of the Seychelles or the Caribbean or perhaps Table Mountain and Cape Town. Of course they are fantastic places for conference & incentive travel groups but there are good options closer to home as well that won't stretch the budget as much.

The Algarve has an establised leisure destination repuation but it is also a great region for corporate incentives too. Easy, good value access to Faro airport, wide range of meeting rooms, quality hotels, great golf courses and fabulous weather make it a serious contender when considering your next incentive group travel trip.

Paul Welling, Director at Well Placed Conference says 'Its one of my favourite destinations and always well received by our clients as it ticks most boxes'. In fact if you compile a checklist of the essential elements that make up an ideal conference & incentive destination then the Algarve would seem to have it all:

short transfer times from airport ot hotels
more than 300 days of sun a year
quality accommodation for all budgets
top class conference venues & team building venues
trendy beach bars and ocean view restaurants
variety of incentive activity options, from golf to sailing and many more
a rich history and culture offering plenty for partner programmes
experienced business conference providers
value for money ensuiring the budgets stretch a long way without comprising on quality

So next time you are looking for a great conference & incentive destination why not look closer to home. Well Placed Conference have sample incentive travel programmes that they can send out to give you an idea of what is on offer. Well Placed Conference also offer a UK conference venue finder service free of charge.

Source: Meetings & Incentive Travel Magazine

Conference Venues in Birmingham

2012-01-12T06:10:00.000-08:00

Birmingham Conference Venues

As a conference and events centre, Birmingham is streets ahead of other cities. Sitting in the heart of an accessible transport network, the range of world-class conference venues in Birmingham and state-of-the-art conference rooms Birmingham is the best placed city for events and conferences of all sizes.

There’s a vast choice of Birmingham conference hotels with 27,000 bed spaces and the city centre is alive with possibilities from Michelin-starred dining, designer shopping and entertainment venues. Well Placed Conference can also make group or individual business accommodation bookings at all the Birmingham conference hotels at the lowest prices.

Well Placed Conference are constantly updating the database on the Birmingham conference venues and their facilities, rates, refurbishments and new openings so that we ensure we find the best meeting venue in Birmingham for you. A small selection of the types of venues with conference rooms in Birmingham are:

Aston Villa FC
NEC
Away2stay Floating Canal Hotel Boat
Birmingham City Council Banqueting
Birmingham Museum of Art
The Studio
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Black Country Living Museum, a unique meeting venue in Birmingham
Centennial Centre
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Heritage Motor Centre
Motorcycle Museum
Cadbury World
3, 4 & 5 star Birmingham conference hotels

Our free Birmingham conference venues search service offers inspirational and creative ideas, so next time you need to find conference rooms in Birmingham or Birmingham conference hotels then call us and see what we can find.

Birmingham is truly a great conference destination, we would love to hear of your experiences in holding an event in the city!

'The Healthy 5 A Day' - Day Delegate Rates

2012-01-11T03:13:00.000-08:00

As a committed marathon runner I am always taking the healthy option when it comes to nutrition and fuelling my body during the day.

At hotels and venues though, historically they have not been quite as keen and favoured the 'all you can eat' lunch buffets and rich, saucy dinners! Lime Venue Portfolio are putting an end to that though with the introduction of the 5 A Day Healthy DDR which Well Placed Conference fully support.

Lime Venue Portfolio will maximise nutrient and energy levels in the conference rooms around the UK booked in 2012.

The ‘5-A-Day Healthy DDR’ has been created in partnership with innocent drinks in response to customer demand to see healthier options in the conference and meetings menus*.

A fruit basket, innocent smoothies and a balanced lunch will all feature in the new DDR from Lime Venue Portfolio, the UK’s biggest collection of unique, historic and sporting venues.

Innocent said: “We're delighted to be working with Lime Venue Portfolio on the launch of their ‘5-A-Day Healthy DDR’. This initiative is a great way to drive the 5-A-Day message to the meetings and conference market.”

Richard Kadri-Langford, head of marketing at Lime Venue Portfolio, said: “Aware of event organisers’ ongoing search to find the healthiest and best value for money options for their delegates we are enhancing our DDR offering to fit with both budgets and waist lines. We are very pleased to work hand in hand with innocent on this project as their product is highly regarded for its nutritional value.”

He continued, “Research shows that the food we eat has a big impact on our concentration levels. By working with innocent to create the ‘5-a-day’ DDR we hope to help event organisers deliver more successful events by giving delegates the natural energy boost they need.”

The ‘5-a-Day’ Healthy DDR’ is valid from January to March 2012 and is priced from £35 to £55 plus VAT depending on venue location. These great rates that are good for the pocket as well as the waistline can be booked through the conference venue finder service of Well Placed Conference

*Research carried out by Lime Venue Portfolio in November-December 2011. Target audience corporate event planners, sample 112.

Lime Venue Portfolio feature a number of conference venues London and conference venues Birmingham where you can get this healthy DDR and Well Placed Conference are happy to check availability for your next event

Top Tips for Booking Group Accommodation

2012-01-03T08:33:00.000-08:00

Making corporate hotel reservations for group travel, a conference or a special event takes a bit of know how if you are to get the best deals for your delegates or attendees.

At Well Placed Conference we have that specialist knowledge, the contacts and the experience to ensure your group accommodation needs are attended to successfully whatever your event. A great example of what we do for group accommodation bookings is for the Ricoh Womens British Open Golf Championship see the case study of what we do for corporate events management. We have been trusted to look after all the players accommodation for this prestigious tournament which involves handling group allocations and all administration of the bookings.

Our 3 top tips for booking group accommodation are:

1. Do Your Research - You must know all the hotels that are in the area around your event or conference and travelling times to and from the venue
2. Offer a Choice - Not only a choice of different price ranges but of styles of hotels as well. Each delegate will have different needs and budgets and therefore you have to offer the choice.
3. Get to Know the Hotel Contact - Build a relationship with them so that you can negotiate prices, T&C's and to generally make the booking process easier.

Of course there are many other things to consider when coordinating your group accommodation and we can take all this off your hands leaving you the time to dedicate to the actual event and the programme.

Well Placed Conference also offer a conference venue finder service if you need help in the initial stages and this is all free of charge.

50% off meeting rates at 4 star London Hotel

2011-12-23T04:32:00.000-08:00

At Well Placed Conference, our simple aim is to save you time and money.

We are constantly keeping up to date with all the special offers, new openings and refurbishments at conference venues around the world so that you don't have to.

We are a specialist conference venue finder and offer a free service to find conference venues in London as well as other parts of the UK. We always find the best value venues to meet your budgets

The Hotel Russell is one of the great London conference hotels, is 4 star and very centrally situated in the city. If you are looking for a London conference room early in the New Year then we would higly recommend this conference venue in London as they are offering the following great rates.

Day delegate rates from £49.00 inc vat p/p

24 hour residential delegate rates from £169.00 + vat p/p

These are excellent value for money for the quality of product and are applicable on all meetings and conferences booked and taken during January & February 2012. More information on this and other hotels can be found on the special offers page of our website.

Let us know if you have a favourite conference venue in London that you want us to get a great rate at!

Duck Herding, Chocolate Making or The Krypton Factor?

2011-12-20T07:16:00.000-08:00

In these difficult economic times its increasingly important to invest in your people to maintain your business' success. With a motivated, engaged and well informed team you stand a better chance of overcoming the challenges that lie ahead in 2012.

At Well Placed Conference we want to do our bit to help develop that team spirit and energy. We know the benefits of a team building conference and we know the right corporate team building venue to suit your needs. All we need to know from you is what style of event, location of the country and the dates you require and we will do the rest!

In case you are in need of some inspiration we have created a mini website for you to browse and get to know exactly what we can offer. Please visit our team building venues website, choose your activity and email us the details and we will quote you a very good price. Its as simpe as that.

Its not just team building ideas on the website but also theming ideas for a gala dinner, bands, artistes and entertainment ideas as well as company fun day ideas. We look forward to helping your business achieve its goals in 2012 through the development of your people.

If you don't want to go for the full on team building idea then we also offer the simple conference venue finder option also where we find a great venue at a great price for you.

PS
The chocolate making gets very messy!

Well Placed Conference wins large Accommodation contract

2011-12-19T14:02:00.000-08:00

Well Placed Conference are one of the UK's leading conference venue finder and hotel booking agents specialising in conference venues in London and business hotel bookings.
Well Placed Conference (WPC) are delighted to announce that Oxfordshire Bioscience Network (OBN) have appointed WPC as the official hotel accommodation agent for BioTrinity 2012 which is Europes premier Biopartnering Investment conference.

850 delegates are expected to attend this event at Newbury racecourse and Well Placed Conference have been tasked in handling all the accommadation requirements and ensuring all delegates turn up at the conference well rested.

The team at WPC have taken out group allocation of bedrooms at all the hotels in the area and across all categories and styles so giving delegates the choice of where they want to stay. This is just part of the service offered by Well Placed Conference and they are already working on venue suggestions for 2013 event as BioTrinity outgrows Newbury.

Paul Welling, Director of Well Placed Conference states 'This contract win demonstrates how WPC continue to offer a personal service on a large scale and that our extensive venue knowledge and buying power means we offer real value to our clients',

Hampshire Stand at Newbury Racecourse

The conference venue finder service from Well Placed Conference is completely free of charge so email sales@wellplacedconference.co.uk with your next event and see how we can help

2011-12-14T00:02:00.000-08:00

EasyJet has released its first smartphone application with booking capability.

The budget carrier claims the app for iPhones and Android devices enables passengers to book a flight on more than 580 routes in less than 30 seconds, making it the fastest available from any airline.

“Tested against other airline apps it is the fastest, taking the least number of clicks to make a booking,” the carrier said.

“Logged-in customers select their destination and dates of travel and then are only required to enter their security number in order to confirm and process the booking.”

The airline’s marketing director Peter Duffy said: “EasyJet has a long history of using technology to help our passengers and this app is no exception. Not only is it completely free, it also offers our customers the speediest and simplest way to book.

“We are sure the app will be a big hit with our passengers when they want to book flights, but we know it will also be invaluable in times of disruption – like the snow of last winter – because passengers will have access to all the information they need as well as having the ability to change their flights in seconds.

“The app is another way we are making travel easier for our passengers and we plan to continue to add features to the app based on customer feedback.”

The app was developed in partnership with Mobile Travel Technologies.

Business travellers flying into Europe may find this app useful whilst on the move. Combine booking your flights with the business hotel bookings service offered by Well Placed Conference and all your corporate business travel needs are taken of.

Launching Well Placed Conference

2011-11-30T02:42:00.001-08:00

Well Placed Events has now changed it's name to Well Placed Conference!

We have launched a brand new website - www.wellplacedconference.co.uk helping you save time and money with our free, worldwide conference venue finding service. Our easy-to-navigate website introduces you to our specialised free service, showcases our spectacular worldwide venues, and inspires confidence with our corporate case studies.

We look forward to speaking to you to arrange a Well Placed Conference for you!