Archive for May, 2010
10 Ways to run a better conference
May 27th, 2010
- Stay calm. In the chaotic world of this events organiser it is in the roaring furnace of disaster that the greatest events are forged. We have only ever had one double booking, but that one event is etched forever on my mind. The battlefield, one room, two events one event titled ‘successfull complaint handling’ the second a road show for an international computer games company. The winner Cavendish Conference Venues, both clients rebooked for the following year.
- Plan down to the last detail. As in life if things start of well they nearly always finnish well. Starting an event without panic should see you through to the end.
- Dont be afraid to shout. This industry is massively underpaid, unrecognised and undervalued. If there is something you really want there are very few motivated people who are going to stand in your way. Think George Bush if you want something smirk and take it.
- Be just a little intelligent. How many events have we seen that are a virtual carbon copy of the last, bit like a Status Quo concert. Break the mould do a cancan, do something.
- If you cant do something different do something better. Make the word a better place, follow the greenish (sounds like slime or mould) path to a better place, see the award winning Cavendish Conference Venues website for some thoughts on this.
- Work hard, running a conference is really hard work, you have to listen to people, occasionally you have to act on what they say. You have to understand that for most clients they are being forced to walk a tightrope between scary bosses and unruly underlings, if the event goes well they will get no praise if badly their neck is well and truly on the line.
- Get up early, the early bird gets the worm, or at least the reheated croissant. There is nothing but nothing worse than arriving after you attendees.
- Bring a good book. While you beloved delegates may find the subject matter reverting there is nothing to say you have to. Maybe choose a venue like Cavendish Conference Venues who offer all organisers a free laptop and internet access (soon to be a free ipad) it helps pass the time.
- Butter up the venue. They really the difference between the day being a joy or a misery. A glass of wine with you lunch, of course anything you want so and so on. As my .. says it’s the small things that count.
- Use a decent venue; you guessed it Cavendish Conference Venues are the ones
Cavendish Conference Centre, Mayfair Conference Centre, Hallam Conference Centre, ICO Conference Centre, Americas Square Conference Centre
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10 Ways to run a Greener Conference
May 26th, 2010
Book a venue as near to your attendees as possible. In practical terms distance outweighs all other factors.
- Use technology, encourage people to slouch at their desks rather than attend your event. Use webcasting etc. Combine with an absolute minimisation of all paper, i.e. delegate packs, signage etc.
- Endeavour to know what your impact is, survey your delegates, how did they get to the event, where did they come from. Don’t forget 1984 is long past; this is the age of the virtual big brother.
- Bully your suppliers ensure they follow your green and pleasant way, if not the chop.
- Think creative, axe the rubber chicken. Get your venue to show on the venue detailed source notes for all all ingredients, challenge them to source all nationally. Go in it’s a World Cup year they can do it.
- Think waste, all waste. Well maybe a drop toilet is a step! Too far, but what is wrong with quantifing all waste streams, ensuring all is recycled, zero to landfill.
- Educate, what’s the point of doing something if you can’t show off about it. Let you delegates know what you are doing, educate the customer bully the supplier.
- Learn, lots and lots of people only go so far then they give up. This applies to all walks of life, not just the green path. Ask all around you, to paraphrase our greet leader Mr. Cameron, it’s not what society can do for you, it’s what you can do for society. So speaks an old etonian. (or as my spell-check puts it Estonian)
- Try; if you don’t start you won’t get any greener.
- Look at the Cavendish Conference Venues website www.cavendishconferencevenues.com for a smorgersboard of further green insights.
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Cavendish Conference Venues a story of PIGS
May 25th, 2010
A new meaning for an old world enters the lexicon, PIGS follows hard on the heels of BRICS etc. While we often feel as unloved by our great leaders as a sinking Maldivian Athol, we cannot honestly claim to be a nation in our own right. What we can claim and are proud of is that within the nation of the Cavendish we have representatives of all the nations so unfairly labelled a PIG, Portuguese, lots of Irish and a dash of Greek. So if you want to experience the very best conference centres London can offer, combining the flair of the PIGS, the cool calmness of an award winning conference team (Visit London business and sustainable venue of the year 2009 /10) and the reassurance of a group of central London venues where 93% of their clients on 2008 also booked in 2009 then come and use our venues.
Mayfair Conference Centre, Cavendish Conference Centre, America Square Conference Centre, Hallam Conference Centre, ICO Conference Centre
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Are all conferences the same ?
May 20th, 2010
Sometimes in this business you get the feeling that all conferences are basically the same, incomprehensible titles, men in suits etc. NOT HERE NOT RECENTLY. In the last month we have had anarchistic demonstrators, geriatric flashers and now dignity in death. Contestants on have I got news for you might be able to see a connection here, I can’t. I guess it doesn’t really matter the message is clear we at Cavendish Conference Venues (Mayfair Conference Centre, Cavendish Conference Centre, America Square Conference Centre, Hallam Conference Centre) have a venue for everyone, I am tempted to say alive or dead though that might be in bad taste.
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The Impossible Dilemma Profit or Virtue
May 17th, 2010
The doom email arrived this morning ‘As a result of the election and hung parliament ….. will need to cut costs’
What do you do ? With the grisly spectacle of Gorgeous George Osborne and his deathly side kick Mr Cable wielding the death axe of cuts we certainly cannot afford to loose any clients. The gander has no fat, there is no margin we can eat into. As night follows day if we are to cut our costs we have to make savings somewhere, but where?
One of the lowest hanging fruit in our Garden of Eden is entitled Green Strategy. Going Green is expensive, to give an example, composting our food waste is 36% more expensive then sending it to landfill. Like rabbits in the headlights we don’t know what to do, for now the strategy for on high is fudge. A classic recipe involving beating up our suppliers and scrimping on the margins, (no more chocolate biscuits etc)
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Things are looking up?
May 10th, 2010
Looking through our forward diaries there seems to be no doubt that right at the moment things are getting better. Despite adding 50% more capacity in the last year to 18 months are forward diaries are now fuller than they have been for a very long time. The scary thought is that maybe this is a blip maybe we will be swept back into the hellish place we have only just emerged from by the mighty cuts in public spending all the world is talking about. Then again are we being sold a pup a little more scare mongering by the self interested, who knows? All we can do is crack on and keep on delivering fantastic conferences in our superb venues. That’s our bottom line.
Cavendish Conference Centre, Mayfair Conference Centre, America Square Conference Centre, ICO Conference Centre, hallam Conference Centre, Cavendish Venues, Cavendish Conference Venues.
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