Archive for February, 2008
Spread the Word
February 29th, 2008
We are trying to get the world to recognise that we are about to open the best conference centre in London. For the first time since we opened our first conference centre in 1985 we have hit the road. Up and down the country we are travelling visiting all who will have us boring no entrancing them with the full low down on our New Hallam Street Conference Centre. For us it’s thrown up a couple of key questions.
¼br /> What Bribe -           maybe bribe isn’t the right word inducement / sweetener might be better. Whatever you call it the dilemma is the same, do we take a little something to give the client or agent. We always do, I don’t know why, its one of those industry norms that we do because everyone else does. (put that way it sounds awful) We would look mean if we didn’t and so the whole trip would be counterproductive. Now we’ve got over that what to take. We have tried everything from advent calendars as large as a small child, to the ubiquitous magnum of champagne, our current favourite is a box set of Jo Malone Bath stuff. We thought that would wow the pants of them, it should do it costs a clean arm and leg, does it? Does it hell. So we’re back roughly to where we started tell us what would be the best the most memorable gift we could bring, ANY SUGGESTIONS will result in a visit and of course the thing itself (within reason)
¼br /> How to Get There -           I am writing this as I sit on the underground having just visited a top agent. Well to call it the underground is a misnomer it is the Metropolitan Line (that’s the purple one for the country life readers amongst us) but I am at least 45mins away from what I would call London somewhere near Watford. There is something about our company and car travel that just doesn’t seem to work. One of the first visits was made by my colleagues Gill and Rachel, by all accounts Gill developed a powerful allergic reaction to roundabouts, first she refused then violent sickness. Now its Dermot who has temporarily taken on the mantle of the Road Warrior. The problem, he will only travel by the train, huge logistical problems, and virtually impossible to see more than one person a day. At this rate to conquer the South East is going to take a lifetime. Maybe its because he has finally bought in to our industry leading Green Policy (se www.mayfaircavendish.com) I thought so but to speed things up we joined Zipcar.com the car club people. Both relatively green minded when compared to rail and in many cases more practical. Would he have would he hell? It looks like we are just going to have to grin and bear it, a bit like British Rail have to do with the painting of the Forth Bridge.
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The Lone Sales Man
February 29th, 2008
The lone sales man is renowned for running around trying to sell hoovers and the like but who ever heard of a travelling Conference Centre Sales man?? Well believe it or not they are a breed unto themselves however when it comes to the type of sales person at the Cavendish, Mayfair, ICO and Hallam Conference Centre’s then you are dealing with sheer class! These people know their stuff and my do they deliver too!!With 4 Central London Conference Centre’s they are without doubt the people with the class and style to deliver your every meeting, conference, AGM or seminar requirement! Go on bore yourself, give us a call and we will handle everything!!!
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The Long and Winding Road
February 28th, 2008
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“The long and winding road involved in securing business for any company is a hard and lonely path to runâ€! A famous quote from a very famous business man shows the dedication to keep every business persons company on the up! The Conference industry is not adverse to long and hard work to secure profitability and indeed to build a company is a mind blogging experience! To build a Conference business from scratch is also an achievement that needs mentioning! The Mayfair, Cavendish and ICO Conference Centre’s and soon to be Hallam Conference Centre, who will all be newly adapted under the “Capital City Venues†title are a company in their own right that needs mentioning!
I say this not only because of the way the business has grown but also because of the backing the company has had from its employees and clients alike! We are a people’s company providing Conference facilities in Central London to business people from all over the world! We deliver because we have the staff and the know how and when it is a meeting, seminar or whatever you want talk to us the professionals in the Centre of London with Conference Centre’s of excellence to prove it!
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If not a World Wide Wormery why not a London wide wormery
February 22nd, 2008
As I walked to the underground station from work last night I passed two small groups of men rummaging through the bin bags outside Eat the sandwich shop and the Langham Hotel. They were salvaging good food that an hour before we were all prepared to pay for, the bags were being broken food and packaging was seeping all over the payment, Portland Place to my mind one of the grandest streets in London was being turned into a tip. It’s a problem that we all know exists, have known for years.
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There is a simple solution. Within a 1 mile radius of us at the Cavendish Conference Centre there are over 100 venues offering conference facilities, there must be at least 1000 restaurants etc. Set up a nightly collection of organic (kitchen / food) waste and compost the stuff. Use that very compost to grow the stuff we eat.
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I cannot understand how everyone from venues to governments can triumph grandiose and often dubious carbon offsetting schemes involving planting trees in far off places when there are really simple things we can all do right here. Things which not only help promote sustainability but also keep the place looking decent, provide jobs etc etc.
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We are opening a new conference centre in Hallam Street London W1 where we are trying to promote as many of these small things as possible. Carpets made from recycled materials, energy recovery heating systems, minimal use of oil based paints etc. This is an evolution from policies long put in place at our Mayfair Cavendish & ICO Centres i.e. the strict measurement and reduction in waste streams; we aim to be landfill neutral by end 2008. A longstanding and enforceable community policy and on it goes.
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We would to partner anyone someone anyone seting up such a scheme even if it means paying a little more to get rid of the stuff.
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A recent article about ourselves, show of!
February 4th, 2008
Saving the Planet through Conference organisation
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If you have been working in the commercial field for at least the last ten years, an invitation to rewind the memory over that time would expose a snapshot of business practice in many ways unimaginable to-day.
The impact of environmental priorities on the commercial scene is just one example.
Until the ‘90s ‘green’ issues were the preserve of activists in the pressure groups led by Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, and prophets in the wilderness Jonathan Porritt, David Bellamy and others; to-day the same issues are headlines in both national and trade Press and media.
Can the world of conference venues, facilities and organisation play its part in saving the Planet? Given a practical and step-by-step approach to addressing environmental issues, the answer is ‘yes’.
Faced with the enormity of the prospect of global warming, including the disappearance of whole islands beneath rising sea levels, we may be forgiven for thinking that there’s not much we can do, either at home or at work, to make a major difference.
Fast-forward another ten years however, and a world in which individual trees in the rain-forest can be
monitored on-line to maintain the livelihood of indigenous tribes, rather than falling to illegal logging, will
also see greater transparency in the way companies conduct their business.
Efficiency in environmental best practice relates to efficiency in other aspects of above and below the line
operations, whether internally in R&D, sales and marketing, administration and staff relations, or externally
in linking with those who matter, and who recognise quality – clients, shareholders and the media.
Those conference venues where environmental best practice is taken as read will increasingly have an
advantage over competitors who haven’t made the effort. Although the most rigorous standard to attain,
such as the international IS0 14001 (British Standard Institute -Â www.bsi-global.com) is tailored for larger
companies, there are other local organisations offering guidance and consultancy to the smaller group or individual venue. Business Link or the Chamber of Commerce can be the first introduction to effective action.
Our own experience as an environmental consultancy advising companies on the route to ‘greening’ their
operation is an example of the step-by-step approach. Through an introduction by a mutual contact we
met the Mayfair Conference Group, with four central London venues, about eight years ago. The first purchasing change was to recycled paper pads, with pencils for delegates made from recycled vending cups , and brochures from an environmentally-friendly printer, followed by other measures to ‘green’ the supply chain, in cleaning and other materials. Recycling of all materials including conference literature and kitchen waste is now routine. The buffet lunch at a recent event, organic and locally-grown, was much appreciated by delegates, not least le vin biologique.
A free survey by Envirowise highlighted savings in energy and materials, and led to a fuller environmental
impact assessment by the London Environment Centre, and to the award of their Green Mark standard.
Offering carbon offsetting to clients for their events at each of the Mayfair Conference Group venues is a further progression along the route of caring for the environment and for looking for new business at the same time.
Saving the Planet? Only a few steps, but they’re steps in the right direction, with some new and appreciative
clients as an added bonus.
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WE FINALLY GOT IT
February 4th, 2008
We can proudly annouce that we are the only group of venues in London to be Green Mark accredited. The file is buldging with of course recycled paper, the assessor is happy, the project is complete. But of course we are not happy to leave it there, we are going to build on this success. We aim to be the only WASTE NEUTRAL group of conference centres in London by the end of 2008. Â By which we mean we will landfill less than 2% of all the waste we generate. To achieve this we are going to:
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- Contine our commitment to a quantied month by month reduction in all our major waste streams,
- Trial a scheme whereby we offer custumers a £2.00 reduction per delegate if they take all their waste away with them, similarly we will levy a £2.00 surcharge if any waste is left for us to dispose of.
- We aim to find away to compost and so recycle all our food waste by the year end. If we achive this we will be the only london venue to achive this.
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