BSI Hive #2 May 2008 - The Tin

the
hive
Official magazine of the BSI group of companies Summer 2008
Event Horizon
Inside
News from across the
BSI group of companies
Event management case study
– ITM Conference 2008
Ultimate destinations
visits Brussels
Serviced offices v hotels

Serious
about
success
When you’re organising an event, be it
an informal meeting for six, or a one day
conference for 300 people, you can be sure
that Folio Hotels are as serious about its
success as you are.
Our equipment and facilities are top
notch and with extra touches such as
a tuck bowl of sweets, traditional local
refreshments served at breaks and
free internet access, we will ensure a
unique experience.
For more information
or reservations contact BSI
We offer 36 stunning venues and the
best of British service.
Bedford · Birmingham · Bournemouth
Bracknell/Crowthorne · Bristol
Cannock · Canterbury · Cheltenham
Chertsey · Darlington · Derby
Edinburgh · Exeter · Nr. Fort William
Harpenden · Harrogate · Horsham
Leicester · Maidenhead
Manchester · Newbury · Norwich
Oban · Richmond · Rugby
Sandbach · Southampton
Stratford-upon-Avon · Swindon
Teddington · Tewkesbury
Warwick · Windsor
The Simplicity of great Meetings

Welcome
Welcome to the second issue of
The Hive - the official magazine
of the BSI group of companies.
I’m delighted to be writing my first welcome message for the
magazine as Managing Director, since taking over from Charles
Cockell who assumes the role of Deputy Chairman. You can read
more about this in the ensuing pages.
As we approach the midway point in 2008, global markets are –
at best – fragile. So the role BSI is playing has never been more
important in managing customer spend in the accommodation
and meetings arena.
Although it seems as though corporate focus has been on reducing
cost and increasing value for most of the last 20 years, the drive
towards greater efficiencies of cost and logistics have never been
greater than they are now.
BSI’s business growth is testament to the pivotal, and highly specialist
role the group plays in the corporate and public sectors. Our unique
blend of expertise, experience and market-leading technology is
completely focused on reducing our clients’ costs, and this is
reflected in the new products and innovation coming out of BSI.
In the last two months we have launched ABODE – our specialist
apartment booking service – to meet the growing demand for
alternative types of accommodation. The second generation of our
supplier extranet has also been introduced, allowing hotels to reduce
their cost of distribution, and to pass these savings onto BSI
customers through reduced rates. In the meetings market, we’re
about to launch an online booking tool for meeting space.
Individually and collectively, these initiatives underpin our credentials
for driving industry change for the benefit of our customers.
Customers shape our business strategy and I welcome any
feedback on how we can enhance our service to you in the future.
CONTENTS
BSI News
02 News from across the
BSI group of companies
Industry Zone
04 News, views and
developments from the hotel
and meetings industry
Intelligence Zone
12 Results from the ITM
Corporate Hotel
Programmes survey
Client Zone
18 ITM Conference Dublin
Feature Zone
24 Implications of the Corporate
Manslaughter Act
28 Ultimate destinations -
Brussels
31 Serviced offices v hotels
Coffee Zone
34 Relax and take a break!
Twilight Zone
40 WiFi - according to
Bob Papworth
1
9
BSI news
Trevor Elswood
Managing Director
THE HIVE is published by the Travel Intelligence Network on behalf of the BSI group of companies
TIN, Argent House, 13 Argent Close, Egham, Surrey TW20 8XB
Publisher: Stuart Tandy standy@bsi.co.uk
Editor: Mark Harris mark.harris@the-tin.com
Contributors: Maggy Sainsbury maggy.sainsbury@the-tin.com
Bob Papworth Rmpapworth@aol.com
Ian Sclater iansclater@yahoo.co.uk
Design & Print: Creativo www.creativodesign.co.uk
Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, Travel Intelligence Network
and BSI cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions.
Inside
News from across the
BSI group of companies
Event management case study
– ITM Conference 2008
Ultimate destinations
visits Brussels
Serviced offices v hotels

2
the hive
BSI news
BSI - The Next Generation
Charles Cockell
Trevor Elswood
This second issue of The Hive kicks off
with news of changes in the senior
management team of the BSI group.
These mark a new leadership era for
Europe's leading specialist accommodation,
meetings and event management solutions
company.
At the end of April, Charles Cockell relinquished
the role of managing director – a position he
has fulfilled since 1995 – to become Deputy
Chairman. As a major shareholder - alongside
Chairman Simon Milsted - Charles Cockell
remains on the board working on strategic
matters and other special projects.
Succeeding him as managing director is Trevor
Elswood, previousy BSI’s Commercial Director.
Trevor Elswood joined BSI eight years ago and
became a main board member in 2005.
Commenting on his new role, Trevor Elswood
said “It is a great privilege to be following
Charles into the managing director’s position
of such a successful company. He has been the
driving force behind BSI’s major repositioning
and growth, making the business what it is
today. His continued influence and expertise
will be of immense value to the board.”
“I am excited by the opportunities that are laid
out before BSI” he continued. “The company
has the advantage of great platforms from
which we can continue to build on our position
as market leader, delivering an uncompromised
total accommodation and MICE management
solution to corporate and government markets.”
Explaining his decision to stand down after
13 years as Group MD, and 21 years with BSI,
Cockell said; “The last 13 years have been
memorable for me. To see BSI grow over the
years to where it is today has been an experience
I will never forget. The support that I have had
from the management and staff has helped me
enormously to achieve the goals that I set out
some 13 years ago.”
“The board’s decision to appoint Trevor as the
new Group Managing Director is in recognition
of his skills and vision which are acknowledged
throughout our industry. BSI therefore remains
in safe hands and I wish him every success.”
“As the most respected specialist in our sector,
BSI is best placed to represent clients through
the changing times ahead. Under Trevor’s
leadership I am confident that BSI will continue
to do the very best for our clients and achieve
even greater success in the future.”
Convergence white paper out now
Out now is the second in BSI’s new series
of white papers, sub-titled Industry Eye TM .
Following close on the heels of the first
Industry Eye TM on Traveller Safety & Security
(see The Hive #1), the subject of this latest BSI
publication is Convergence.
Convergence is a hot topic on the corporate
travel agenda right now, being the consolidation
of transient (i.e. overnight) accommodation and
meetings spend to realise greater economies
of scale.
It is estimated that around two thirds of UK
travel managers also have responsibility for their
organisations’ meetings and events spend.
And with around 60% of all meetings being held
in hotels, despite a reduction in the number of
corporate meetings and events being held by UK
companies, the opportunity to consolidate both
accommodation and meetings expenditure
streams is increasingly compelling for the
corporate buyer.
However although the trend towards
convergence is gathering momentum the pace
of adoption is slow. So why have so few
organisations who have embraced convergence
to date reaped the rewards?
Visit www.bsi.co.uk/resources to download
Industry Eye - Convergence
Summer 2008

BSI weaves
new web
3
BSI news
BSI has completely revamped all of the group’s
websites, bringing a more consistent design
and greatly expanded content.
Explains Sales & Marketing Development Manager Stuart
Tandy, “Some months ago, we embarked on a project to
deliver consistent branding across a multitude of publicfacing
(and internal) communication channels and media.
The first stage of the project was to ensure brand
consistency across proposals, presentations, letters, emails
and many other internal and external-facing documents.”
The second stage of the branding project has seen the
launch of a new suite of websites covering the various
BSI brands. Re-branded sites for BSI, IR and ICOR have
been developed as well as a brand new site for BSI’s
ABODE brand.
In a separate project, Olive360 o is also launching a
re-branded website, which will be available soon.
Clean, fresh and colourful
In addition, a group portal has also been created as the
umbrella for all the other brands within the BSI group of
companies. Tandy continued “I’m sure our clients will agree
that the new sites are very clean, fresh, and colourful and
will prove to be a valuable resource to developing new
business opportunities over the coming years.”
The banner at the top of each website (excluding
olive360.com) has interactive functionality to assist online
visitors navigate between each branded site. In addition,
the BSI Solutions functionality helps users find the service
or information they are looking for via a simple five question
template.
Please send any feedback
by email to standy@bsi.co.uk
Go to…
www.bsigrouplimited.com
www.bsi.co.uk
www.intres.co.uk
www.icor.biz
www.abodeglobal.com
www.olive360.com
The Brief: Meetings jargon buster
The Brief TM is a series of quick reference guides. Each edition provides
the essential knowledge on a key topic.
BSI’s Stuart Tandy elaborates. “Every industry has a language of its
own. For those on the inside, workplace jargon provides the comfort
of implied power over the less well informed. It keeps purchasers and
consumers at a distance. Some call it ‘blinding with science’; others
believe it is part of the mystique. The latest edition of The Brief TM
is a Meetings Jargon Buster. Intended as a companion piece to the
recently published Hotel Jargon Buster, both publications have been
compiled for those who might be new to business travel. We’ve tried
to make the list comprehensive without being baffling.
Download the Hotel and Meetings Jargon Busters at
www.bsi.co.uk/resources

4
the hive
industry zone
hotels
U N I T E D
K I N G D O M
offering a purpose-built, 37 room conference
centre and 106 bedrooms. Two miles from
Chester, Hoole Hall is also a manor house,
albeit dating from the 18th century, with four
junior suites and a presidential suite added to
62 executive and deluxe rooms. The Queens
Hotel in Portsmouth is a grand Edwardian
building set on Southsea's sea front and looking
out over the Solent, with 72 bedrooms and six
meeting rooms able to seat up to 150 delegates.
Merrion Hotel
The Apex Group has secured planning
permission for a £13 million hotel in former
council offices in Waterloo Place in Edinburgh.
The 150-bed development is expected to
open in time for this year's Festival Fringe.
Best Western Group has increased its
portfolio to 283 with the addition of Best
Western Mollington Banastre Hotel &
Spa in Chester. (4 star – 63 bedrooms - 7
meeting rooms for up to 250 delegates),
Best Western Merrion Hotel in Leeds (3 star
- 109 bedrooms 3 meeting rooms for up to 80
delegates) and Best Western Roker Hotel in
Sunderland (3 star – 43 bedrooms – 3 meeting
rooms for up to 350 delegates).
Independent consortia Classic British Hotels
has an additional three new properties in its
portfolio, bringing the total number of high-quality
3, 4 and 5 star properties represented to just
over 70. All three new members are steeped in
history. Weetwood Hall incorporates a 17th
century manor house set in nine acres of parkland
just four miles north of Leeds' city centre and
a similar distance from Leeds/Bradford airport,
The Franklin Hotel (Design Hotels) opened in
May in London's Knightsbridge. Four townhouses
have been converted to create an open,
airy property with 40 bedrooms including 12
suites. Facilities include two meeting rooms and
a new workout centre with the most recent
Technogym facilities as well as a spa. Guests
have exclusive access to The Franklin’s bar and
restaurant.
April saw the launch of the new look Hilton
Portsmouth. Over the last 12 months more
than £1.5 million has been invested, which has
seen the entire hotel and conference venue
refurbished. The hotel now has a new restaurant,
bar and lounge as well as 119 guestrooms with
plasma screen TVs. The existing meetings and
function suites have been restyled and are now
fully air-conditioned.
InterContinental Hotels Group has opened the
first two revamped Holiday Inns in the EMEA
region at Heathrow Airport and Farnborough.
In total 11 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express
hotels across Europe, the Middle East and
Africa, plus 19 in the US and six in Asia Pacific,
have been chosen to road-test the changes to
the brand. These include a new logo and signage,
which has a new typeface, more vibrant colours
and overall a more contemporary design.
Summer 2008

5
The arrival experience is also a significant area
that the group has focused on, now ensuring
there are new landscaping features and
de-cluttered reception areas. Two key features
of the welcome experience will be the use of
signature scents and a music play list in the
reception areas. Refreshed guest rooms have
also been included in the makeover which will
include updated bedrooms with new bedding
and bathrooms with a new ‘shower experience’.
In addition, a new service culture to enhance
staff behaviour and skills has also been applied
in the re-launch.
The Heathrow and Farnborough openings will
be followed by hotels in Germany, Italy, France,
Dubai, China, Thailand and Australia, all of
which will be fully relaunched by July. Of the
19 hotels road-testing the revamped brand in
the US, 16 are already open, including in New
York, Washington and Los Angeles.
Novotel Edinburgh Park is a modern 4 star
hotel that opened in March on the Edinburgh
Park Business Park to the west of the city centre
close to Edinburgh airport. The hotel delivers
170 Novation bedrooms, designed for working
or relaxing. Environmental initiatives incorporated
into the design include an energy-saving heating
and cooling system. There is an Elements Bar
and Restaurant. Leisure facilities include a gym
and indoor swimming pool. Meeting space
includes 5 meeting rooms, the main space,
Hermiston 1+2+3 can seat 170 theatre style
when combined and when split into three
separate units a max of 50 each theatre style,
plus two other rooms seating 40 and 20
delegates theatre style. Security includes a
video camera at building entrance, 24 hour
security staff and smoke alarm in public areas.
industry zone
The full global rollout of the changes across all
4,000 Holiday Inn hotels operating, and in the
pipeline worldwide, is scheduled for completion
by the end of 2010. Together with IHG, owners
and franchisees will invest up to $1bn over a
three-year period to fund the brand relaunch.
Two new Holiday Inn properties are opening
shortly. The 94 bedroom Holiday Inn in
Kingston opens 18th August with a restaurant
and bar however there are no conference or
leisure facilities. The second, Holiday Inn
Kenilworth is currently undergoing refurbishment
of its 116 bedrooms, meeting rooms as well
as the restaurant and bar. When completed
the property will offer free high-speed internet
access throughout the hotel.
Macdonald Manchester Hotel, has launched
a dedicated floor of 47 bedrooms designed
specifically for lady travellers recognising the
growing number of lone female travellers.
Additional services include an on-request
concierge service to meet female guests at
Manchester Piccadilly station, just a short walk
from the hotel, 24-hour porterage and valet
parking to the Hotel’s car park.
Following a £15m investment the 138 room
Parc Hotel in Cardiff opened on May 6th as
Thistle Hotels’ regional flagship property. The
hotel is located close to the city centre and
10mins walk from Cardiff Central station.
For business travellers the hotel offers BT
Openzone Wireless Broadband throughout,
(BT Openzone vouchers can be purchased from
reception) and express check-out. Meetings and
event facilities comprise of 8 meeting rooms, all
with natural light and high ceilings - some are
air-conditioned. The largest of the rooms, the
Princes Suite and the Whitehall Suite can each
seat up to 300 delegates, and the Wedgewood
Suite can cater for up to 140 delegates. In
addition 5 smaller rooms have been specifically
designed for boardroom meetings, presentations,
private luncheons and dinners.
The Vincent Hotel in Southport is a boutique
hotel on six floors with 60 guest studios,
residences and a penthouse opening in June
2008. Function rooms on the first floor will cater
for up to 200+ for receptions, conferences and
functions. Smaller meetings for up to 14
delegates can be comfortably accommodated
in one of two distinctive Boardrooms.
Parc Hotel, Cardiff

sector when the Green Lakes Serviced
Apartments opened on May 1 in Dubai.
Green Lakes is Emirates’ second Dubai property,
following the opening of the Harbour Hotel &
Residence in November last year. Located in
the Jumeirah Lake Towers precinct, Green
Lakes has 283 apartments with one, two or
three bedrooms.
6 the
hive
hotels O V E R S E A S
Green Lakes Serviced Apartments - Dubai
Marriott have opened the first Courtyard hotel
in Hong Kong. The 245-room hotel is located
near the Macau Ferry Pier on a harbour-front
site on Hong Kong Island with easy access to
the financial district. All rooms have high speed
internet access.
22 new hotels will be opened in Doha over the
next four years, according to the Qatar Tourism
Authority (QTA). The Four Seasons, Hyatt,
Hilton, Inter-Continental and other multinational
hotel corporations are constructing new properties
in Doha to meet high demand. More than
$100bn in infrastructure and investment projects
will be completed by 2012.
In September the upscale, full service hotel
Doubletree by Hilton brand will debut in
Novosibirsk, Russia’s third largest and fastest
growing city, marking Hilton’s rapid expansion
into the country with three different hotel brands
launching this year. Located some 3,000 km
from the Russian capital, Novosibirsk is considered
to be an important business hub, and is known
as a major commercial and scientific centre with
a population of over one million inhabitants and
is served by Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport
(OVB) with regular flights to Europe, Asia and
other Russian cities. The newly-built Doubletree
by Hilton Novosibirsk will offer 188 guest-rooms,
more than 370sqm of flexible conference and
meeting facilities, a business centre, bar and
restaurant and a health club. The announcement
reflects the further expansion of the Hilton
Family of hotels across Russia. Hilton’s first
hotel in Russia is the 275-room Hilton Moscow
Leningradskaya, which is scheduled to open in
June 2008.
Emirates Hotels & Resorts, the hospitality
management division of Dubai-based Emirates
Airline, made its debut in the corporate housing
Recently opened, the Holiday Inn Express
Cape Town City Centre is the group’s first limited
service hotel in South Africa. Built at a cost of
US$16.24 million, the hotel is also the first of 25
properties IHG is developing across the country.
Located in St George’s Mall Street in the heart
of Cape Town’s Central Business District. The
property comprises 175 rooms which provide
guests with cable TV, a power shower, in-room
safe, coffee and tea facilities, plus complimentary
continental breakfast at the Great Room
restaurant. Guests can also make use of a
fully-equipped business centre with high speed
internet access.
Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) has opened
the 120-guest room Intercontinental Al
Khobar - its 20th property in Saudi Arabia.
Located close to the business and commercial
centre the hotel offers a Club Intercontinental
floor with Club lounge which is located at the top
of the hotel and has a private check-in facility.
Meetings options include five meeting rooms
with state-of-the-art AV plus a board-style
meeting room. Leisure facilities include a
temperature controlled roof-top swimming
pool, spa with sauna and steam rooms.
Accor has opened the 4 star Novotel on
Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Set in
the heart of the city the airport is just 30km
away, or a 30-minute trip using the Airport
Express. All 389 bedrooms have high-speed
internet, individually controlled air-conditioning
and an in-room safe. Guests can use one of
four iMacs at the hotel lobby’s “Web Corner on
a Mac” - a space that offers 24” screen Apple
iMacs with a simple, user-friendly interface. Users
have free access to the Internet in 20-minute
sessions. The hotel’s restaurant, The Square,
offers international and Asian-style cuisine with
interactive “live” cooking provided by chefs in
the open kitchen.
Sheraton Hotels & Resorts has launched a
comprehensive new design of its lobbies and
guests rooms. The multi-year project includes
$1.3 billion in renovations, $400 million in brand
initiatives and $2 billion in new hotels. Sheraton
will upgrade 100 hotels in the US, nearly half
its North American portfolio, renovate 50,000
guestrooms and redesign more than 100 lobbies.
Summer 2008

7
9
meetings
U N I T E D
K I N G D O M
industry zone
The Barcelo Hotel in Daventry can now cater
for up to 600 delegates after undergoing a
major £2million refurbishment. In addition to the
11 flexible meeting and event rooms there are
also 6 bedroom syndicates for up to 7 delegates
and an Executive Board Room for up to 8. The
changes at the 155 room hotel include the
addition of the new “Fuel” restaurant and bar -
the bar area has free WiFi and is ideal for casual
meetings.
ideal as meeting, seminar and training rooms in
an historic setting. Smaller boardrooms are
available for interviews or syndicate work. In
good weather the Cloister Gardens can be used
and marquees erected. A full on-site catering
service is available.
Opening in the summer on the University of
Manchester campus, is a new world-class
conference venue. Located 1 mile from the city
centre University Place will feature a 1,000 seat
semi-circular auditorium (divisible into two
theatres of 600 & 270), plus 24 seminar rooms
accommodating 20-120 delegates, 500 sq m
exhibition area and adjacent marquee space
and a 400 seat restaurant. WiFi is available in
the exhibition and restaurant areas.
Maple House, Etc Venues new training,
meeting and conference venue in Birmingham,
will open in June. After a major re-fit the
converted building will have 13 training and
meeting rooms, (the largest holding 150
delegates theatre style), plus 6 syndicate rooms,
various break-out areas, a restaurant with
seating for up to 200 diners, a café and an
executive private dining room. All meeting rooms
have plenty of natural daylight and all are
equipped with high spec AV technology including
plasma screens. The venue offers free high
speed WiFi access throughout.
QHotels has underlined its belief in the
Meetings Industry Association's (MIA)
"Accredited in Meetings" accreditation scheme
by announcing that all hotels in its portfolio have
achieved Entry Level status, underlining the
quality and consistency of the groups'
conference and meetings facilities. Among the
newly refurbished QHotels properties achieving
this status are Ashford International in Ashford,
Kent, Telford Golf and Country Club in
Shropshire, Crewe Hall in Cheshire and Forest
Pines in North LIncolnshire.
Ashford International
Recently opened after a £6million restoration
scheme The Monastery, situated to the south
east of Manchester city centre, was once an
endangered World Monuments site. After an
extensive £6million restoration the former
monastery retains the Pugin architectural
masterpiece and its cathedral-like proportions.
The venue has flexible space which accommodates
between 50 and 500 people. The main
body of the monastery seats up to 500 for a
dinner on round tables – with the Cloisters
alongside for a pre-dinner reception. The Private
Chapel offers space for up to 40 people - for
private dining or small business events. There
are ten Friary rooms, light and spacious and
Tylney Hall in Hampshire has teamed up with
the Blackbushe Aviation Flight Centre to offer
companies the ultimate ‘sky’s the limit’ package,
to ensure that the sky really is the limit for their
employees. As part of the package Tylney Hall
is offering delegates the opportunity to learn to
fly at the Blackbushe Aviation Centre, the
established Redair Flight Centre, which is only
a short drive from the hotel. The experience
includes a gentle introductory one hour flying
lesson in a 4 seater aircraft, with professional
and friendly staff on hand throughout, to ensure
an exciting and safe flying experience.
Send all news items and press releases
to Maggy Sainsbury at
maggy.sainsbury@the-tin.com

8 the
hive
Darwin Convention Centre
meetings
O V E R S E A S
currently under construction at Doha’s Education
City is set to open in 2010. The Centre will
contain a 2,500-seat auditorium, 500 seat
theatre, 15 meeting rooms, a multi-purpose
hall for 4,000 plus an expansive exhibition
space.
Darwin Convention Centre, the centrepiece
of the Darwin Waterfront project opens in June.
The centre has flexible meetings space including
2 auditoriums, 4 meetings rooms, 3 waterfront
rooms and 4 halls catering for meetings and
events ranging from 30 delegates up to 4,200
delegates and 4,000 sq m of exhibition space.
The Plenary Hall has seating for 1,500 people
theatre-style, with the ability to divide into two
equal-sized spaces; the exhibition hall area has
capacity for up to 235 exhibition booths and the
ability to divide into four discreet spaces. There
are also flexible meeting rooms that can be
sub-divided. The Centre is equipped for interactive
multi-media technology, wireless internet and
networking.
Dubai has announced it will invest £1 billion
into developing two integrated commercial
developments – Dubai Exhibition City and
Dubai Trade Centre District, incorporating
business, event, trade and retail facilities.
The development, near the new Al Maktoum
International airport, will cover three million
square metres with 19 exhibition halls and
conference facilities, restaurants, offices and
apartments. An additional 80 hotels with over
400 meeting rooms will add up to 10,000
rooms across a full range of accommodation.
The first phase is due to open by 2010.
The Middle East’s newest convention centre,
Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC)
Leading 4 and 5 star hotel and conference
venue group Principal Hayley Group is to
open its first conference venue in Europe in
September. Located in Belle Eglise, just to the
north of Paris, Château Saint Just will have 30
meeting rooms (from 650 sq ft to 3,000sq ft –
max capacity 300), specially designed for seminars
and training sessions and equipped with the
latest conference technology. There will also
be 150 four-star guest rooms, all fitted with
state-of-the-art technology.
It has also announced it is continuing its expansion
into Europe with the opening of a new venue in
Barcelona. La Mola, situated on the edge of
the stunning St Llorenc de Munt national park
and next to the renowned Royal Golf Club,
designed by Greg Norman with 45 holes over
three courses, is only 25 minutes from the centre
of Barcelona. Designed specifically for the
conference, training and meetings market it
offers 26 meeting rooms, 186 four-star bedrooms
and a fully equipped spa, all designed to the
highest of specifications. The site is scheduled
to open for business to the conference market
in September.
March saw the opening of the Radisson SAS
Hotel in Bucharest. This 4 star hotel has 12
modern meeting rooms including a Ballroom
able to accommodate up to 500 guests and
which will split in two rooms. All rooms have
natural light and there is free high-speed and
wireless Internet access available throughout
the hotel.
The Regent Hotel in Bordeaux, a 150 room
5 star hotel opening in summer 2008 will offer
13 meeting rooms and a 270-sq m ballroom for
special events. Rooms range from 8 sq. m up
to the Margaux room of 270 sq. m. combined
the hotel offers a total of 700 sq. m of meeting
space. The various options provide facilities for
meetings for 6 people up to receptions for 260.
Summer 2008

green
issues
Hilton Hotels has revealed that it has delivered
energy savings of over 10% in 2007 across its
portfolio of more than 80 properties in Europe.
Water consumption also fell by 5%, the equivalent
to nearly 75 Olympic sized swimming pools or
a staggering 187 million litre water bottles.
Hilton has also managed to reduce its CO 2
emissions per guest night by nearly 11%
avoiding a total of 10,200 tonnes of CO 2 being
emitted by its hotels, equivalent to removing
2,200 cars off the road.
Hilton has succeeded in making these reductions
through the implementation of its Europe-wide
environmental sustainability initiative known as
we care! Launched across Europe & Africa in
January 2006, the programme was established
to encourage hotels and team members to
introduce initiatives and best practices
focussing on making genuine and measurable
reductions in energy consumption and CO 2
emissions, water consumption, waste
generation and chemical usage.
The Hotel Carbon Index Company has
launched an environmental benchmark that
it claims will become the industry standard
classification for carbon emissions. CarePar,
which stands for Carbon Emission Per Available
Room, will allow guests and travel organisers to
understand the emissions involved in their hotel
usage, as well as help hoteliers and venues
to ensure they achieve higher individual ratings
and demonstrate that they are reducing their
emissions.
Acting as the central conduit of information,
The Hotel Carbon Index Company will be
supplied information by hoteliers and venues,
such as room sizes, fuel bills and recycling
initiatives. The information will then be
downloaded onto a central database, managed
and overseen by The Carbon Consultancy, to
enable the CarePar to be produced.
Peter Ducker, founder of The Hotel Carbon
Index Company, said: ‘This is a first for the
lodging sector and one that has been
embraced wholeheartedly, from hoteliers and
buyers of accommodation to travellers alike.
‘Hoteliers and venues can also actively seek
to improve their CarePar on an ongoing basis.’
Relax in
the Parc
Welcome to the re-opened Parc Hotel
We’ve spent £15 million refurbishing our Cardiff hotel –
even restoring its original name. Although we’ve left the
Victorian splendour of the outside well alone, you’ll find that
now we’ve re-opened, The Parc Hotel has been transformed.
With its prime city-centre location, contemporary style and
comfort and superb facilities, this is the perfect place to stay
in a city that’s going places.
• 138 contemporary bedrooms including 12 suites and
junior suites
• Stylish HAMON’S restaurant and Champagne bar –
offering the largest choice of champagnes in the city
• Harlech Lounge – serving lite bites and drinks from
8.30am to 11pm every day
• BT Openzone wi-fi access throughout the hotel
For more information or reservations, contact BSI.
The way it should be

10 the
hive
EVENTS CALENDAR July - August 2008
JULY
2-3 RSVP 08 Sydney http://www.rsvpevent.com.au
13-15 SAACI - South Africa Association for the Conference Industry Eastern Cape http://www.saaci.co.za
27-30 Destination Marketing Assn International Annual Convention Las Vegas http://www.iacvb.org/page.asp?pid=33
27-30 2008 NBTA International Convention & Exposition -
National Business Travel Association Los Angeles http://www.nbtaconvention.org
AUG
9-12 MPI World Education Congress - Meeting Professionals
International Las Vegas http://www.mpiweb.org/cms/mpiweb/
wec2008/
19-21 MARKEX - Marketing, Promotions & Special Events Exhibition Capetown http://www.markex.co.za/
21-23 Asia-Pacific Education Conference Singapore http://www.acte.org/regions/asia/asia.php
21-23 ISES Eventworld 2008 - International Special Events Society St Petersburg,
Florida
http://isesew.vtcus.com/
26-28 EMEX - Exhibition for Marketing, Communication and Events Zurich http://www.suisse-emex.ch/emex/content/
schwerpunkte/index.html
Send all news items and press releases
to Maggy Sainsbury at
maggy.sainsbury@the-tin.com
Summer 2008

usiness, conferences, meetings & events
Audleys Wood Hotel Basingstoke, Hampshire
Hendon Hall Hotel Hendon, London
Three more fantastic
reasons to book a
conference or event...
Hand Picked Hotels are delighted to announce the
acquisition of three additional properties, giving us a
presence in London, Hampshire and Birmingham.
Conference package benefits include:
• Unlimited tea and coffee
• LCD projector and screen
• Free Wi-Fi
• Lunch
• Room hire for main suite
• Mineral water and sweets
• Stationary box
• Flipchart, pens and notepads
For further information contact the team at BSI
New Hall Hotel & Spa Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham
HOTELS
Executive de-stress
Classic British Hotels offers superior hotel accommodation, excellent conference and meeting facilities
and superb fine dining restaurants in around 65 UK destinations
There are more than 65 Classic British Hotels
spread right across the British Isles, so you
can be sure of professional service and a
good night’s sleep wherever business
takes you.
Classic British Hotels offer superior hotel
accommodation, excellent conference and
meeting facilities and superb fine dining
restaurants. Many also feature luxurious
health & leisure spas or challenging
golf courses.
Every Classic British Hotel has its own
individual character and style, and all are
backed by our recognised quality hallmark to
give you the assurance that the standards and
service will meet or exceed your expectations.
Longhirst Hall, nr Newcastle
Big Blue Hotel, Blackpool
Fairlawns Hotel & Spa, Walsall
Sketchley Grange Hotel, Leicester
• Ambleside • Birmingham Airport/NEC • Birmingham/Walsall • Blackpool • Bournemouth • Bristol • Bristol South
• Broadway • Buckingham • Burford • Cardigan • Cirencester • Chelmsford • Chester • Chipping Campden • Croydon
• Dartmouth • Durham • Enfield • Gretna Green • Inverness • Jersey, St. Helier • Lancaster • Leeds • Leicester/Hinckley
• Liverpool • Llandrindod Wells • Llandudno • Lochinver • London • Moreton-in-Marsh • Newbury • Newport/Usk
• Newcastle • Norwich • Oxford • Penrith • Portsmouth • Preston • Reading • Ross-on-Wye • Salisbury • Scarborough
• Shrewsbury • Skipton • Southampton • Snowdonia • Stow-on-the-Wold • Stroud • Swansea • Windermere • York
For more information or reservations, contact BSI

12
the hive
intelligence zone
Top 10 World Hotel Groups (Jan 2008)
Rank
2008
(2007)
1(1)
2(2)
3(3)
4(4)
5(5)
6(6)
7(7)
8(8)
9(9)
10 (10)
Group
IHG
Wyndham Worldwide
Marriott International
Hilton Hotels
Accor
Choice International
Best Western
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Carlson Hospitality
Global Hyatt
Totals
Rooms
2008
585,094
550,576
517,909
497,365
459,494
445,254
308,636
274,535
148,551
138,503
3,925,917
Rooms
2007
556,246
543,234
502,089
497,738
486,512
429,401
315,401
265,598
145,933
141,011
3,883,163
Change
Y-O-Y
5.2%
1.4%
3.2%
-0.1%
-5.6%
3.7%
-2.1%
3.4%
1.8%
-1.8%
1.1%
Hotels
2008
3,949
6,544
2,901
2,959
3,857
5,516
4,035
897
971
720
32,349
Rooms
2007
3,741
6,473
2,775
2,901
4,121
5,316
4,164
871
945
733
32,040
Change
Y-O-Y
208
71
126
58
-264
200
-129
26
26
-13
309
Source: MKG Hospitality
Top 20 Hotel Brands in the World (Jan 2008)
Rank
2008
(2007)
1(1)
2(2)
3(4)
4(3)
5(5)
6(7)
7(6)
8(8)
9(9)
10 (10)
11 (11)
12 (13)
13 (12)
14 (14)
15 (16)
16 (15)
17 (17)
18 (18)
19 (19)
20 (20)
Best Western
Holiday Inn
Comfort Inns & Comfort Suites
Marriott Hotels & Resorts
Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Express by Holiday Inn
Days Inn of America
Hampton Inn
Sheraton Hotels & Resorts
Super 8 Motels
Quality Inns & Hotels
Courtyard
Ramada Worldwide
Motel 6
Mercure
Hyatt Hotels
Radisson Hotels
Ibis
Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts
Novotel
Group
Best Western
IHG
Choice International
Marriott International
Hilton Hotels
IHG
Wyndham Hotel Group
Hilton Hotels
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Wyndham Hotel Group
Choice International
Marriott International
Wyndham Hotel Group
Accor
Accor
Global Hyatt
Carlson Hospitality/Rezidor
Accor
IHG
Accor
Rooms
2008
308,636
256,775
188,596
188,544
176,523
156,531
153,333
147,326
138,878
128,587
118,386
110,780
106,978
98,038
93,827
92,755
87,410
86,486
83,661
69,234
Rooms
2007
315,401
260,470
184,716
190,431
172,605
143,582
151,438
138,487
135,859
126,175
112,173
105,526
105,986
95,628
89,624
94,224
89,365
82,546
75,632
70,373
Change
Y-O-Y
2.1%
-1.4%
-2.1%
-1.0%
2.3%
9.0%
1.3%
6.4%
2.2%
1.9%
5.5%
5.0%
.0.9%
2.5%
4.7%
-1.6%
-2.2%
4.8%
10.6%
-1/6%
Hotels
2008
4,035
1,382
2,467
520
511
1,808
1,883
1,490
399
2,081
1,210
767
874
956
756
213
397
769
300
387
Rooms
2007
4,164
1,395
2,439
537
498
1,686
1,859
1,392
396
2,054
1,128
733
871
928
732
214
400
745
275
397
Change
Y-O-Y
-129
-13
28
-17
13
122
24
98
3
27
82
34
3
28
24
-1
-3
24
25
-10
Source: MKG Hospitality
Summer 2008

13
8,500 hotel openings by the end of 2015
The top 20 hotel groups have announced the
opening of 8,500 hotels by the end of 2015. This
will provide 1.1 million new rooms representing a
20% increase of their current supply.
Projects include:
• N. America 1,000 hotels - 400,000 rooms
• Pacific Asia 1,100 hotels - 230,000 rooms
• Europe 1,000 hotels - 180,000 rooms
• South America 780 hotels - 80,000 rooms
• Africa/Middle East 250 hotels - 70,000 rooms
Marriott announces 80,000 rooms, Accor more
than 200,000 rooms by 2010, Hilton Hotels
forecasts 900 hotels and 120,000 rooms,
Choice International up to 78,000 rooms and
the Chinese group Jin Jiang has 22,000 new
rooms under way.
Source: MKG Hospitality
intelligence zone
Corporate Hotel Programmes
The Institute of Travel Management (ITM) has
recently undertaken research looking at the
world of corporate accommodation, meaning
hotels, budget hotels and serviced apartments
used for business purposes.
The market has become much more diversified
in recent years due to high demand and changing
customer needs.
But how do UK buyers of corporate accommodation
interact with suppliers of this inventory, utilise
alternative content or ensure that chosen partners
are used by their staff.
The responses make interesting reading if you are
a buyer looking to compare your own corporate
accommodation programme in this market.
Some of the key findings are shown in the
graphs below.
Reproduced by kind permission of ITM
How do you negotiate your preferred national or multinational hotel contracts
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
A. Directly with each hotel
B. Directly with hotel chains
C. Directly with hotel chains,
single hotels within a chain
and independent hotels
D. Indirectly through our TMC/HBA
E. Indirectly through another
out sourced supplier
F. We do not have
preferred hotels
0%
A B C D E F
Comment: Direct negotiation with chains and hotels is minimal
How do you manage your preferred national or multinational hotel agreement relationships?
Show how often you review their status through your chosen management model
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
Directly with each hotel
Directly with hotel chains only
Directly with hotel chains,
single hotels within a chain and
independent hotels
Indirectly through our TMC/HBA
Indirectly through another
outsourced supplier
We do not have preferred hotels
0%
Qtrly
Half Yearly
Yearly
2+ Years
Qtrly
Half Yearly
Yearly
2+ Years
Qtrly
Half Yearly
Yearly
2+ Years
Qtrly
Half Yearly
Yearly
2+ Years
Qtrly
Half Yearly
Yearly
2+ Years
Qtrly
Half Yearly
Yearly
2+ Years
Comment: The relationship, however, sits direct with hotels.
TMCs and HBAs play a role throughout.

14 the
hive
How do you ask travellers to make accommodation choices at the ‘looking stage’?
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Through limiting
the choice to
preferred suppliers
By designating
a star rating
By allocating a per
diem dependent
upon city/country
We allow free
choice
Other
Comment: Restrictive options drive compliance in over 60 cases
Has the use of any of the following accommodation options been increasing as part
of your accommodation management programme?
0%
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Traditional budget hotels
Recent budget developments
Investment hotels
Serviced apartments
Boutique hotels
Major hotel chain hotels
Independent hotels
Other
Comment: Budget hotels, serviced apartments and independent
properties are the chosen alternatives.
What elements, if any, have you tried to bring into negotiations to combat rising prices?
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
A B C D E F G
Comment: Buyers using multiple tools in procurement armoury
to keep costs low.
A. Meeting expenditure (small meeting room)
B. Hotel Ancillary Spend - such as meals, laundry,
internet costs etc.
C. Conference expenditure
D. Leveraging total spend across hotel group
E. Video conferencing
F. Audio conferencing
G. Reducing star rating of hotels in hotel
programme
Please send research and reports to
Maggy Sainsbury at
maggy.sainsbury@the-tin.com
Summer 2008

Brands vs budget hotel
sector
We’ve got your event
boxed off
A new report by TRI Hospitality Consulting and
BDRC predicts that hotel brand names will
increase their dominance too, as unbranded
room stock will decrease
It predicts the overall hotel sector will increase
by 1.1% a year to 2017, while budget hotels will
grow almost six times faster over the next
decade.
• The branded budget hotel sector is forecast
to grow to a total of 149,000 bedrooms by
2017, up by 60% over the next decade, and
will represent 19% of all UK hotel bedrooms.
• UK budget hotels currently account for
13.2% of the market, and by in March 2008
there were 1,264 hotels and 95,705
bedrooms in the branded UK budget sector.
• The first quarter of 2008 has seen strong
growth, total rooms revenue increased by
9.2% year-on-year, a faster rate of growth
than the 8.8% achieved during the full year
2007.
• A typical UK budget hotel now turns over
more than £1m in rooms revenue per year.
• Premier Inn and Travelodge dominate, taking
up 37% and 23% of total budget bedroom
share respectively.
• Premier Inn had a record year in 2007,
adding 3,400 bedrooms, while Travelodge
opened 23 hotels representing 2,500
bedrooms.
Jonathan Langston, managing director of TRI
Hospitality Consulting, said: ‘Our unique analysis
of the UK’s budget hotels reveals no signs of a
saturated market in spite of the rapid proliferation
of budget properties across the country’.
Operating over 165
hotels in 15 countries
across 3 continents
UK
Mix of 20 hotels in city, country and coastal locations
Over 220 flexible and adaptable
meetings rooms for up to 600 delegates
Over 18,500m 2 of meeting space
Day delegate and 24-hour packages
Rest of Europe
65 European hotels including 29 state-of-the-art
congress and convention centres
From Spain to Istanbul and Prague
Tailored packages available
Rest of World
9 convention centres across Latin America
and the USA
Tropical and exotic locations including Mexico,
Dominican Republic and Cuba
Latest in multimedia technology
For more information or reservations, contact BSI

16 the
hive
ask the expert
event
management
In Ask the Expert, we invite a leading industry figure to provide a step-by-step guide to an issue facing transient
accommodation, meeting or event buyers. In this issue, we focus on Event Management; our expert is
Paul Hussey, Managing Director of Olive 360 o , the specialist event management division of the BSI Group.
What is event management?
At its basic level it is the delivery
process of giving an audience a
live experience – whether to
entertain or educate. This can
encompass design, defining the
audience and engaging them,
producing the format, staging,
content – all within budget and
all measurable against objectives.
So you’re party planners then?
We certainly can be – one of our
biggest events was a beach party
for 3,000 people. However we
also handle conferences, road
shows, incentives, AGMs, seminars,
product launches, kick-offs and
team building events. Fun comes
into many events, but it’s really
about deciding what's fun for your
audience. In the corporate world,
whatever we deliver has to be
appropriate to your brand and
image.
But I book my venues through
BSI…
So do we! We have all of the BSI
systems in-house. All spend and
savings are tracked on management
reports so you retain control and
by working across the group
make the best of your spend.
What if my event is outside
the UK?
40% of our business is outside
of the UK. Several of our clients
are European divisions of global
organisations; others are looking
for a memorable and motivational
experience. We have a network of
local delivery experts to help with
transport, local staff, local audio
visual services and so on, which
we manage from the UK.
I suppose I wind up paying for
expensive gear you hire for
other people’s events?
We own equipment for 50-150
delegate events for which we
charge clients a rental fee.
Specialised equipment is more
cost effective for us to rent these
in ourselves and pass the costs
on to the client. We’re always
working with clients to purchase
more smartly.
How can I improve the impact
of my events?
Attend events as a delegate and
remind yourself what it’s like.
The key is to understand and
respect your audience. Set clear
objectives and don’t forget you
are dealing with people who will
want to be engaged. I’m a big fan
of external speakers who bring a
new viewpoint to your issues.
I’m an even bigger fan of short sessions and
audience interaction. If I’m being talked at by
one speaker for more than half an hour my
mind will be drifting. Give me diversity, tell me
what’s important, ask for my opinion and you’ll
have made an impact on me.
Times are hard though…
It’s all about Return On Investment (ROI).
Decide what the purpose of the event is,
how you are going to measure it – and follow
through. If you are out to impress, it’s better
to limit numbers or target your audience more
closely than reduce quality. Again it’s about
what is appropriate to your audience.
But I've got an in-house events team…
Most of Olive’s work is with clients’ in house
event teams. We supplement their resources
when they have a crowded schedule, assist
with some of the more laborious tasks or work
on the stage set and production. It has always
been our aim to satisfy clients who know how
to organise events but need help from an
agency without explaining to them how to
suck eggs.
There are lots of event management
companies out there. Why should I use
Olive 360 o ?
We’re the perfect combination of the care
and personal contact of a smaller agency
combined with the resources and security of
BSI – but more than that, events can be a
stressful business and our clients choose us
because we can relieve that stress and even
have some fun.
Summer 2008

AN IDEAL ENVIRONMENT...
...FOR SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS
Take your meetings to a new dimension at Novotel.
Our years of experience mean faultless organisation,
high-tech equipment and expert advice.
We’ll listen to your personal requirements and tailor all
facilities to ensure your meeting is a success.
The Meeting@Novotel seven-point promise guarantees:
• instant availability
• bespoke solutions
• dedicated support
• innovative break solutions
• connectivity
• flexible pricing
• and well-being
Experience it now at over 30 locations throughout the UK,
most AA 4 star rated, and over 400 worldwide.
For more information or reservations, contact BSI.

18 the
hive
client zone
Case Study: ITM Conference, Dublin, April 2008
shoot that
poison arrow
Masochism is an essential quality in any Event Manager. Why else would this
curious hybrid of troubleshooter, military planner and Butlins redcoat bother
getting out of bed in the morning to pander to the whims of 500 ‘children’
aged anywhere from 25 to 65?
By Paul Hussey
The raison d’etre of the event
manager is to bring the disparate
elements together seamlessly.
From staging & audio visual
elements, through speaker
programmes, social and networking
delivery to transportation and
assorted logistics; the event
manager has to keep all the
plates spinning.
It’s all-consuming and usually
stressful. So when the brief
involves 500 delegates, 60
speakers, 46 sponsors and
multi-media production, the
person entrusted with the event
could have been forgiven for
seeking refuge in the nearest
bottle of gin.
Talked-about event
As the UK business travel industry’s
largest conference (both in
delegate numbers and scale),
the annual Institute of Travel
Management conference is a
much talked-about event. It’s also
one of the hundreds of events a
year handled by Olive 360 o , the
event management division of
the BSI group of companies.
Olive 360 o won the contract to
stage the event in 2007 following
a competitive tender process.
However the ITM Conference is
not new to BSI, the mother
company having managed the
event for the three years prior
to the acquisition of Olive 360 o
in 2007.
The 2008 event took place over three days
in Dublin, centering on the Crowne Plaza
Northwood Hotel, the Mansion House in Dublin
City Centre and other venues across the city.
This was a sell-out event, helped by the fact
that buyers who are also ITM members attend
the conference free of charge, with all delegates
registering before the early-bird deadline
receiving free return travel too.
Hands-on approach
Emma Wilson heads the team at Olive 360 o
responsible for the ITM Conference. So what
made the ITM event different? “ITM takes a very
hands-on approach to the conference, so we
probably have more of a partnership in this case
rather than a traditional client/supplier
relationship in which we are simply left to get
on with delivery. ITM’s Head of Marketing Mark
Harris is responsible for the conference and
chairs the planning group which decides the
overall format and content of the event.”
“The planning for the event is also non-stop”
explains Emma. “Liverpool has already been
selected as the 2009 venue so we’re looking
at hotel availability and theming ideas whilst
putting the final touches to the preceding
year’s event.
For the event, Emma assembled a team of eight
to cover the core deliverables of telemarketing,
registration, transport, speaker & sponsor
liaison and production. Over 1,500 phone calls
and 10,000 e-mails were made or sent to ITM
members; monthly planning meetings were
complemented by dozens of conference calls
and many more internal meetings to ensure that
every aspect of the event was planned to the
last detail.
Summer 2008

19
client zone
Olive’s in house team was chosen by ITM to
handle production, and the team was also
tasked with managing two external teams in
SpotMe and ITMTV.
SpotMe is an interactive voting and networking
tool. Each delegate is photographed at registration
and their details loaded onto a personalised
handset together with their personal diary of
appointments and the conference programme.
Networking
As Mark Harris explains “The ITM Conference was
the first travel industry event to utilize SpotMe,
which originates from Switzerland. As well as
providing delegates with the means to submit
questions, participate in polls and to score each
session for content, delivery and relevance,
SpotMe allows users to send and receive
business cards. Not to mention the facility to
select a specific delegate, and when that person
comes within 6 feet, your SpotMe set discreetly
alerts you. It’s the ultimate networking tool,
we’ve used it for two years and our delegates
love it because it saves them a fortune in
business cards!”
ITMTV is the service which gives association
members security-protected access to footage
of every session in ITM’s educational programme,
including the conference on its website. For
Emma and the team, this meant coordinating
four film crews and integrating their requirements
into the layout of the conference rooms, lighting
and sight lines.
“Dealing with multiple suppliers and bringing
their respective efforts together into a single
cohesive delegate experience demanded a very
detailed technical script for all concerned, which
we wrote and managed” says Olive 360 o ’s Head
of Production Ben Akroyd. ”Eventualy, our on
site team comprised over 20 event management
and production personnel.”
The ITM Conference was the first
travel industry event to utilize SpotMe
The Olive 360 O team that managed the 2008 ITM conference
Fact file
• 5,819 telephone calls
• 3,122 e-mails
• 73 planning meetings held pre-event

20 the hive
“It’s the quality of implementation that dictates
whether the sponsorship works or not”
Attention to detail
As an industry showcase event, the ITM
Conference involves looking after those who
purchase business travel, meetings and events
for a living. Consequently the service levels and
attention to detail have to be of the highest
order. “It’s the ultimate peer pressure” says
Emma Wilson. “Interestingly, only 20% of
delegates chose to make their own travel or hotel
arrangements, although we received a lot of
calls and e-mails from delegates regarding their
itineraries. A detailed set of joining instructions
provided most with the information they needed.”
“This year we were very ambitious with the
programme, staging 16 seminars over 4
streams with different themes such as corporate
issues, meetings, procurement and the future,”
says Mark Harris. “This meant that the Olive 360 o
team had to coordinate the requirements of 60
speakers, including ensuring that their respective
presentations were consistent in look & feel,
and that they all registered in a timely manner.”
Without registrations, there’s no conference.
A key tool in this process is Olive’s Intelligent
Delegate Management system. IDM
automates the registration process, captures
accommodation and travel details and this
enabled each delegate to be sent a detailed
confirmation. This included seminars selected,
attendance at the black-tie gala dinner and the
chosen mode of transport to & from Dublin.
Like most not-for-profit associations, ITM relies
heavily on sponsorship to generate profit that is
then re-invested in new member benefits. The
networking opportunities provided by ITM’s
Dublin conference attracted 46 sponsoring
companies including Barclaycard Business,
Virgin Atlantic and Eurostar.
This generated a substantial sponsor management
requirement in which Olive 360 o and ITM
worked closely together. “Agreeing a sponsorship
deal is the easy bit” believes Mark. “It’s the
quality of implementation by sponsor and
conference organiser that dictates whether
the sponsorship works or not.”
Roberta Green handled sponsor liaison duties in
the Olive 360 o team for this event. “We held two
on-site sponsor briefings but still dealt with literally
dozens of queries from sponsors. These ranged
from what material they could put into a room
drop, to the number of 1-2-1 meetings with
buyer delegates to which they were entitled.”
Summer 2008

21
client zone
Buyer/sponsor 1-2-1’s have been a regular
feature of ITM conferences for many years,
with buyers’ free places dependent on attending
a fixed number of 15 minute meetings with
sponsors who have specifically requested to
meet with them. “We developed a meetings
diary function within IDM especially for this
event” explains Emma Wilson.
“This gave both buyers and sponsors separate
periods in which to request meetings from their
opposite numbers, which then allowed sponsors
who signed up after the 1-2-1’s diary went live
to request and make meetings too.” In all, over
1,228 1-2-1 meetings took place over a two
and a half hour period.
Linked to the free places for buyer delegates
was a free transport offer. Delegates had the
choice of traveling to Dublin by air or rail & ferry.
Juggling a limited number of flights & seats was
an unenviable task, whilst matching availability
with delegates’ airport and time preferences
was harder still. Around 80% of delegates took
advantage of the offer, with the association laying
on courtesy transport between Dublin Airport,
the venue and the five hotels on the official
accommodation programme.
Hotel Solutions
Emma Wilson: “As the ITM Conference has
grown, we’re no longer able to fit everyone into
one hotel. Our solution was to secure rates and
allocations at five different hotels, all of which
had to be managed to ensure that delegates
had no problems booking into and out of their
hotels. We also secured discounted rates at
each, and coordinated a daily shuttle bus service
to the main venue.”
In all, over 1,228 1-2-1
meetings took place over a
two and a half hour period
No conference is complete, however, without
a social programme to remember. The
ITM/Olive 360 o team came up with a day and
three nights of entertainment, each with a
distinct business purpose yet all designed to let
delegates have fun.
During the day before the conference started,
delegates were able to travel to Ireland early
to participate in a golf or gym, swim & spa day.
Those attending their first-ever Conference were
invited to a dedicated first timer reception at
Jameson’s’ Distillery. On the first night of the
conference, ITM staged the return of 90’s
daytime quiz ‘Going For Gold’; including original
host Henry Kelly, in which all 500 delegates
participated.

22 the hive
Top of the Pops
However the piece de resistance was saved
for the Gala Dinner, when 80’s legends ABC
(Poison Arrow, The Look of Love, When Smokey
Sings) were followed by Andrew Strong from
The Commitments and a band of top notch
soul musos.
Delegates arriving at the Mansion House
(next door to the Lord Mayor of Dublin’s
residence) for the evening were treated to the
sight of fire eaters, stilt-walkers, acrobats…and
gridlocked traffic in Dublin city centre.
The latter was also down to Olive 360 o , who
persuaded the Garda (Irish police) to close a
major road to allow ITM’s 500 delegates to
enter the Gala Dinner venue in safety. The
delegates certainly appreciated it – even if the
local cab drivers didn’t!
“This was, without doubt,
the best ITM Conference
for years, and Olive 360 O
played a major role in
making it happen”
But was it all worthwhile? Mark Harris: “This
was, without doubt, the best ITM Conference
for years, and Olive 360 0 played a major role in
making it happen. We measure success by
delegate and sponsor feedback, and by the
profit the event achieves. In every criteria, and
although you can always improve, we scored
very well.”
Next year the ITM Conference takes place in
the brand new ACC Liverpool Arena, overlooking
the River Mersey and adjacent to the Albert
Dock development.
ITM Conference Fact file
• 34th annual conference
• First sell out
• 87% of first time delegates will attend
So what lies in store for the estimated 600 –
700 business travel buyers, suppliers and
intermediaries likely to attend? “We’re not
saying” says Emma Wilson. “But you can
bet that it’s going to quite a spectacle. We’re
looking forward to it already.”
2009 conference
• 97% of returning delegates will attend
2009 conference
Summer 2008

ESCAPE THE CITY...
Chateau
Saint Just,
Paris
Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club, East Sussex
Opening 2008
Opening 2008
La Mola,
Barcelona
Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa, Bedfordshire
2 new openings
Principal hayley’s venture into europe begins:
paris and barcelona to open in september ‘08.
Tylney Hall, Hampshire
Bienvenido!
You will be sure of a
warm welcome at our
fantastic new spanish
venue, la mola.
Bienvenue!
Be one of the first
to experience our
new parisian venue,
chateau saint just.
The Grand Hotel, East Sussex
ENJOY SPACE TO BREATHE,
UNDER AN HOUR FROM LONDON
In their beautiful settings, Elite Hotels offer a sanctuary
away from the office in which to discuss, create, plan and
breathe… Find the ideal working environment for all your
business requirements from intimate meetings, large
conferences or team building experiences.
With four unique venues in the south of England, all less
than an hour from London, Elite Hotels provide luxurious
accommodation, wide open spaces and classic spa facilities.
Contact BSI for more information or to arrange
a show round at an Elite Hotel
Elite Hotels - Stress Free Events
ASHDOWN PARK: Nr East Grinstead, East Sussex
LUTON HOO: Luton, Bedfordshire
TYLNEY HALL: Nr Basingstoke, Hampshire
THE GRAND: Eastbourne, East Sussex
Principal Hayley’s first
Spanish venue, just
25 minutes from the
cosmopolitan vibrancy of
Barcelona, will open in 2008
as a fabulous hotel and
conference centre destined
to impress.
La Mola provides state-ofthe-art
meeting facilities and
extensive leisure facilities and
Mas Bonvilar, a 17th century
manor house surrounded
by spectacular gardens and
complete with large lounges
is the perfect location for your
special event.
Located just 30 minutes
from Barcelona
international airport and
45 minutes from Girona
airport, La Mola can truly
offer an environment that
will inspire your delegates
to achieve their full
potential.
Château Saint Just, set in 17
hectares of historic parkland
dotted with centuriesold
trees, located on the
outskirts of Paris, exquisitely
blends historic charm with
state-of-the-art facilities.
The highly innovative
design of the new complex
will be in harmony with
this outstanding setting
and in keeping with period
features. Everything at
the centre is designed
to provide visitors with a
quiet, tranquil and enjoyable
atmosphere in which to
work, rest and play.
Located just 45 km from
Paris and only 20 minutes
from Charles De Gaulle
international airport,
Château Saint Just can
offer an environment that
will maximise the impact
and success of your event.
For more information or reservations
contact: BSI

feature zone
24 the
hive
In April, BSI published a white paper on
mitigating the risk
Has the Corporate Manslaughter Act
made event insurance a must have?
By Paul Cook,
Managing Director – Clarity Event Insurance
traveller security which analysed the effect
of the Corporate Manslaughter Act on
accommodation and meeting buyers.
Here, Paul Cook – immediate past chairman
of the UK Chapter of Meetings
Professionals International - looks at the
implications of the new legislation for
event organisers.
Event Insurance has been around for a lot
longer than the new Corporate Manslaughter
(or, in Scotland the Corporate Homicide) Act.
However the act sets out a new offence for
convicting an organisation where a gross failure
in the way activities were managed or organised
results in a person’s death. And this is certainly
bringing the overall issue of insurance to the
forefront of people’s attention.
We know that event insurance can be confusing
to some organisers and is almost seen as an
optional extra for others. As the Act is still
relatively new a number of event organisers
are asking more about the implications and how
they can mitigate their position. As time rolls
on we anticipate more comment and debate.
However, at this stage the Act hasn’t increased
the demand for event insurance.
Interestingly, a number of enquiries have
been made of the adequacy of Directors’
and Officers’ Liability insurance. We know that
a result a number of insurers have recently
amended their policy wordings to reflect cover
to account for the Act.
Summer 2008

25
feature zone
The broker should be
responsible for ensuring that all
clients understand the conditions of their policies
How we work with clients and
intermediaries
So what should clients of BSI expect from their
event insurance brokers?
Any responsible provider should be focussed
on providing information to clients to make
educated and informed decisions.
We work by discussing on an individual basis
the issues involved and then make comments
and recommendations as appropriate.
We go through in detail each aspect of an
organiser’s activities and then advise on what is
available and what measures made need to be
put in place.
It may seem time consuming but in the long
run it provides a better service because clients
know at the outset what the issues are. A client
should also be advised that it is not a defence
to be unsure of the conditions or warranties of
their insurance contracts.
The broker should be responsible for ensuring
that all clients understand the conditions of their
policies, especially Liability insurance policies as
some may have warranties making the client
responsible for checking other parties/contractors
Public Liability cover.
If there is any doubt that the client has not
checked adequately the insurers could repudiate
a claim. We always recommend that our clients
can evidence their checking processes.
Prevention is all-important when mitigating
risk. So here are some tips for the best deal.
D is for Devote. Devote time in your board
meetings to continually review the effectiveness
of your Health and Safety policies against the
evolution of your activities. Brainstorm in your
meetings those key issues that are really relevant
in the way you run your business. You may need
to re-think some of your current practices.
E is for Example. Don’t hide. This legislation
is here to stay. It is not a fad. Reward staff and
directors for new ideas to minimise actions
being bought.
A is for Act. Invest your time and fully
understand the Act – reading up on this will be
worth the effort. There is lots of good information
freely available but we recommend the advice
from the Institute of Directors. Understand the
implications – damaging fines, time away from
the business at Court hearings, competitors
stealing your market share, loss of reputation,
are just a few issues to consider.
L is for Lead. Lead from the Top – board
members need to show leadership in the area
of Health and Safety which is integral to an
organisations’ success. Create a safe working
environment and check whether your existing
policies are up to date and robust enough.
If not just make the changes. Maybe now is a
good time to review what you have in place
already. Use it as an opportunity – develop your
own Health and Safety leadership style and
embed this in the culture of your organisation.

26 the
hive
So what can go wrong?
Scenario
A 50 strong organisation is split into 5 teams
of 10, all involved in a regeneration project in the
UK. The basic idea is to cover graffiti walls with
an art mural. There is a time limit of one day to
complete the mural.
The organisation has been working with a
cultural change agency who have produced the
idea. The organisation has been involved in the
planning and preparation of the mural project
over a number of weeks.
Approved equipment, including safety equipment
and a thorough briefing is provided by the
agency. One team member climbs a ladder to
paint the highest edges of the mural. The person
falls backwards from the ladder and dies from
head injuries and a broken neck.
Our Thoughts
We know that the agency had spent some
weeks preparing and briefing with their client.
There are three parties here who could be to
blame. First, the individual for taking on a
hazardous task. Even with peer/employer
pressure there is the ability to say no. An individual
does have the right to decline the activity.
Secondly, the client (employees’ organisation)
could be at fault for knowingly putting their
employees at risk.
Thirdly, the agency for developing a set of tasks
that had a risk factor that was not adequately
addressed. If of course the agency explained all
the risks to their client and their client accepted
the risks then this would favour the agency.
Whether the agency or their client is found
guilty under the Act will be decided upon by
a jury if indeed there are grounds to confirm
that there was a gross breach of duty of care
to the deceased.
The agency event resulted in tragedy. Who is
liable will create some debate for some time to
come. It is also a question that will not be easily
decided under the Act.
What do we know? We know that a member
of the organisation was on a ladder trying to
paint some high edges and in doing this they
fell and died.
We are still in the very early days of the
implementation and interpretation of the Act
and it will be interesting to see how the cases
are dealt with. However, for the benefit of all
parties and our industry we should always be
acting with lots of common sense and not
waiting for a piece of legislation to help determine
our actions.
There is lots of good information freely
available but we recommend the advice
from the Institute of Directors
Summer 2008

All around the U.K.
1 Golf View Hotel
Nairn, Invernesshire
10 The George Hotel
Chollerford, Northumberland
19 Preston Swallow
Samlesbury, Preston
1
2
3
2 The Waterside Inn
Peterhead, Aberdeenshire
11 Imperial Swallow
Newcastle upon Tyne
20 Bower Hotel
Chadderton, Oldham
4
5
6
3 Thainstone House Hotel
Inverurie, Aberdeenshire
12 Gateshead Swallow
Gateshead, Tyne & Wear
21 Buckatree Hall Hotel
Ironbridge, Telford
8
7
9
13
10
11 12
14
4 Fishers Hotel
Pitlochry, Perth & Kinross
5 Dundee Swallow
Invergowrie, Dundee
13 Carlisle Hotel
Carlisle, Cumbria
14 Stockton Swallow
Stockton on Tees, Cleveland
22 Belstead Brook Hotel
Ipswich, Suffolk
23 Plough & Harrow Hotel
Birmingham
19
20
15
16
18
17
6 Old Manor Hotel
Lundin Links, Fife
7 Glasgow Swallow
Glasgow
15 Three Tuns Hotel
Durham City, Co Durham
16 Eden Arms Hotel
Rushyford, County Durham
24 Churchgate Hotel
Old Harlow, Essex
25 Chaucer Hotel
Canterbury, Kent
21
8 Station Hotel
Ayr, Ayrshire & Arran
17 The Hotel St Nicholas
Scarborough, North Yorkshire
23
24
22
9 Gretna Hall
Dumfriesshire
18 St George Hotel
Harrogate, North Yorkshire
25
For more information or reservations, contact BSI
£4million
400 Club bedrooms
8 well-equipped Conference and Events rooms.
372 Strand, London WC2R 0JJ
www.strandpalacehotel.co.uk
For bookings, please contact BSI
Where the City meets the West End

28 the
hive
Brussels
Ultimate Destination
by Ian Sclater
The 3rd Brussels Meetings Week was celebrated in March, when the city’s 2006 visitor
statistics (the most up to date) were announced.
Home to over 1,400 international associations, Brussels hosted 55,000 meetings in 2006
in venues up to 10,000 capacity. They accumulated almost 14 million delegate days.
Meetings is a ⇔4 billion business in Brussels responsible for over 22,000 jobs.
Among 13 awards handed out at Brussels Meetings Week to recognise talented innovation
in the city’s meetings and tourism industries were: Best Brussels Incentive to the incentive
house @dmire for their ‘Admire the Taste of Europe’ programme: Best Brussels B2B Event
to the event agency GUAVA for ‘Dynamic cities need women’, the international forum for
equality, organised for the Brussels Capital Region.
Connections
Brussels enjoys great accessibility by air, road
or rail. There are frequent daily flights from many
UK airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick,
Southampton, Birmingham, Bristol, East
Midlands, Manchester, Newcastle, Exeter,
Leeds and Edinburgh. Carriers include Brussels
Airlines, Flybe, bmi, VLM and BA. Further info:
www.brusselsairport.be
Brussels is less than two hours away from
central London by Eurostar at speeds of up to
186mph on the new High Speed 1 service
between St Pancras International and Brussels-
Midi. Eurostar reported a 21.3 per cent rise in
passengers to 2.17 million between January
and March 2008 compared with the same period
last year. Eurostar also achieved record punctuality
of 93.6 per cent (trains on time or within 15
minutes of schedule) compared with an average
of 68 per cent during 2007 - the latest available
data - for airlines competing on its routes.
Further info: www.eurostar.co.uk
Hotel & meetings news
Close to the terminal for both Eurostar and
Thalys, the Brussels-based European express
rail network, the Hotel Be Manos has been
transformed by a collection of European designers
from a 1920s building into an ultra-contemporary,
five-star ‘prêt à travailler’ hotel. (Slogan: ‘Be
together. Effectively.’)
The two meeting rooms are in elegant black
and white with Muurbloem chandeliers. Room
1: Boardroom (35 persons), School (35),
Theatre (50), U shape (29), Room 2: Boardroom
(12). Both have WiFi, TV LCD, flip-chart, white
screen, slide projector and beamers.
Brussels hosted 55,000 meetings
during 2006 in venues up to 10,000
capacity. They accumulated almost
14 million delegate days.
Summer 2008

29
feature zone
Appropriately close to the
Botanical Gardens, Hotel Bloom
is a self-decribed business hotel
which has blossomed out of the
former Royal Crown Hotel, the
classic brown, sombre interior
making way for a light, modern
installation. A nice touch: By the
end of the year, all 306 rooms will
have an individual fresco created
by young ‘artists in residence’
from 31 different countries chosen
by the European League of
Institutes of the Arts.
All 12 conference rooms, comprising
1,300 square metres over
two floors, have been refurbished,
creating luminous, modern, light-filled
spaces. Hotel Bloom gives its
meeting programmes names like
‘young’, ‘dynamic’ and ‘creative!’.
In between sessions you can take
a ‘boost break’ in the Meeting
Lounge, where thanks to a Wii
installation, you can recharge with
a game of tennis or bowling.
Vitamin-rich food and drinks
designed to keep delegates’ energy
levels up are called things like
SMART!, LIVE! and MORE!, and
they’re all served in the new
restaurant: OO! (where you can
‘meet to eat’).
Opened in November 2007, the sweeping
archways of The Dominican refer to the 15th
century abbey which once stood on the site.
Inside, the theme – by award-winning Dutch
design duo FG stijl – is modern medieval with a
touch of old European decadence. The original
façade of the building as it was when occupied
by the acclaimed French painter Jacques-Louis
David from 1816 to 1825 has been preserved
and integrated into the contemporary design.
The 150 individually designed rooms are situated
around a quiet inner courtyard in a cloister-like
setting.
There are three adjoining meeting salons, which
can be utilised separately or in combination to
accommodate conferences for up to 120
theatre-style, receptions for up to 300 people
and dinners for up to 120.
Hotel Bloom
Brussels is less
than two hours
away from central
London by
Eurostar.

30 the
hive
Sofitel, the luxury brand of Accor Hotels, opened the
Novotel is to build a 239-room hotel right next
to Brussels South Station. Principally aimed at
the business traveller, it will open in September
2009.
The Square Brussels Meeting Centre, will
open at precisely 20.09 on 20/09/2009.
Replacing the Palais des Congrès, which was
built for the 1958 World Expo, Square Brussels
Meeting Centre is the result of a two and a half
year renovation project on a grand scale.
five-star, 128-room Sofitel Luxembourg Le Grand Ducal
in Brussels in February. Enjoying an uninterrupted view
over the Old Town, the hotel includes the 75 square
metre Board Meeting Room, which is flooded with
natural light and fully equipped. It is connected to the
hotel’s two Prestige Suites for maximum meeting privacy.
Elsewhere in the city, the Sofitel Brussels Le Louise is
being completely renovated, while meeting facilities at
the Pullman Brussels Airport are also being refurbished.
Situated in the Mont des Arts cultural area, it
will be capable of handling anything from an
international conference, European summit or
product launch to an exhibition, fashion show
or gala dinner and is set to become one of
Europe’s pre-eminent meeting venues.
With a special focus on flexible, hi-tech equipment,
the complex has a 10,000 sqm ‘polyvalent’ surface
capable of producing different effects. The centre
comprises: three state of the art auditoria
seating 1,200, 500 and 300; a modular, 4,000
sqm exhibition hall; two conference rooms
seating up to 150; and 20 meeting rooms
accommodating 10 to 100. An exclusive top
floor event room will have panoramic views of
Brussels. The building contains authentic ‘60s
wall paintings by famous Belgian artists such
as Magritte, Delvaux and Van Lint.
One of the most ambitious projects in the city
is the transformation of the former Marivaux
cinema into a congress and seminar centre.
The Marivaux Hotel Congress & Seminar
Centre has already completed the first step of
the conversion and currently offers 10 meetings
rooms and 65 newly built rooms. The final project,
due for completion in 2009, will comprise 18
meeting rooms, including an auditorium for 550
people and a theatre for 1,150. Arrayed around
them will be several smaller meeting rooms and
a luxury hotel. Technology will be state of the
art. The Marivaux has been designed by
Portuguese-Belgian Antoine Pinto and is strongly
influenced by the cinema.
Brussels Special Venues is an association which
groups together a collection of 18 unique meeting
spaces holding from 200 to 4,500. Venues
range from the magnificent Bibliothèque Solvay
or the Mini-Europe miniature park to Belgium’s
national opera house, La Monnaie and
Autoworld Brussels, one of Europe’s most
complete car exhibitions.
Venues range from
the magnificent
Bibliothèque Solvay
or the Mini-Europe
miniature park
Summer 2008

31
Meetings
feature zone
by Ian Sclater
Serviced offices v. hotels
Hotels have traditionally benefited from the ‘meet eat sleep’ convenience which they alone
can offer meeting planners. However, the relentless drive to squeeze budgets and still eke
out maximum value for money has led to meetings becoming shorter and more focused
as well as starting to be moved from residential to non-residential venues and from country
to city. When there is no requirement for overnight stays, the competition for meetings
business between hotels and serviced offices is getting keener.
Once the no frills airline equivalent of venues,
serviced offices, some with an increasingly
sophisticated offerings in terms of environment,
service and flexibility, are now a serious option
for meetings - in many cases, the first choice.
Says Matt Costin of the research agency
BDRC: “Although we do not measure the
market penetration of serviced offices as distinct
from specialist conference venues per se, when
it comes to analysing the performance of
individual brands, it is clear that the likes of
(serviced office providers) Regus and MWBEX
tend to perform particularly strongly when
there is a downturn.”
“This year we expect the performance of these
brands to be boosted by a more price-sensitive
market and a growing preference for shorter,
non-residential events in city centre locations.”
At Regus, meetings business has been growing
by 20 to 25 per cent each year, according to
director of sales and marketing Kurt Moncz.
Pointing to substantial contracts with financial
institutions, pharmaceutical companies and the
like, Moncz says: “Meeting room planners are
very switched on to serviced offices.”
Moncz estimates that serviced offices of
comparable quality to Regus (which rates itself
at four-star hotel level) are on average 10-15
per cent more cost-effective than hotels. Regus
has 118 UK locations, including 30 in London –
all within five minutes of a tube station. Says
Kurt Moncz: “It’s about being close to where
your business users are.”
Meetings becoming shorter
For training courses in particular, cost concerns
linked with growing use of internet-based learning
tools are changing how many meetings are
structured. Citing a PWC report concluding that
the duration of meetings and events is becoming
progressively shorter, Alistair Stewart, MD of
serviced office provider etc.venues explains:
“The way organisations are training and
developing people has changed, and that has
led to quite a drop in the duration of courses.”
“Five years ago there were a lot of five-day
courses, three years ago they were down to
three days. Now, a lot of them are being run on
a one-day basis supplemented by e-learning.”
With locations holding up to 300, etc.venues
is renowned for the ‘green’ strategy pursued in
all its locations, which feature an abundance of
natural light, high ceilings to create a sense of
airiness, high levels of fresh air, ergonomic furniture
and individually air-conditioned rooms.
More business-focused environment
Serviced offices are also benefiting from planners
seeking a more business-focused environment
more likely to support a creative, productive
meeting. Says Chris Taylor, marketing director
with the Avanta serviced office centres: “What’s
important is not so much the space - the four
walls, the leather chairs. It’s what they take out
of what happens in those four walls. What is the
experience of going to a meeting in a serviced
office versus a hotel?”

32 the
hive
“More and more companies are discovering that
serviced offices are as convenient, provide all
the same equipment - and are cheaper. They
don’t have to add on costs for their delegates,
which makes them more attractive.” Taylor estimates
that serviced offices are typically around half the
cost of a hotel of equivalent standard.
Meeting planners are also re-evaluating the
suitability of hotel facilities, which can vary
enormously. Says Alistair Stewart of etc.venues:
“A lot of rooms being used for meetings are
really function rooms, and the furniture was
designed to have lunch in. You’re wriggling after
40 minutes. A lot of other things could be
happening in hotels, from weddings to coach
parties to people having romantic lunches.
People like the fit for purpose environment
that specialist serviced office centres provide.”
Serviced locations can also be
more flexible than hotels in
accommodating different seating
configurations
Serviced locations can also be more flexible
than hotels in accommodating different seating
configurations, including theatre style, breakout
rooms, boardrooms and u-shaped training
rooms. Say Kurt Moncz of Regus: “If you need
more space, business centres can convert more
office space, and you’re still in a business environment.
Hotels put you in converted bedrooms!”
“It’s about being an expert in providing meetings.
Hotels are clearly in business to sell bedrooms.
Providing business space is a core business for
Regus.”
‘Hotels do the big stuff’
There is no denying the cachet of a well known
hotel when it is part of a marketing strategy to
attract people to a conference. They also entirely
appropriate and sensible for larger scale events.
Says Paul Downing, Marriott’s Regional VP of
Operations for the UK, Ireland, Middle East and
Africa: “A large hotel can call on several specialist
on-site teams, such as IT, engineering if there is
a requirement to build props and catering.”
Downing also points out that hotels can offer
other areas which can be utilised for smaller
breakout meetings, such as a bar area or terrace.
Marriott is currently piloting a virtual meeting
concept called The Halo, which has been jointly
developed by Hewlett-Packard and Dreamworks.
In several properties around the world, including
in Hong Kong, London and New York, Marriott
is building a series of ‘studios’, with each room
fitted out and decorated exactly the same.
When a meeting goes live involving participants
in several locations, it will feel like everyone is
sitting in the same room.
Summer 2008

33
Avanta’s marketing director Chris Taylor agrees
that serviced offices are limited in the scale of
meetings they can handle: “The main distinction
is that hotels do the big stuff. If you’ve got a big
conference, go to a hotel. What serviced offices
call meeting and conference rooms are really
meeting and training rooms. The larger serviced
facility you’ll find is typically about triple boardroom
size – 120 to 150 max. Most business centres
will at best have a double boardroom. So the
product is different.”
Catering
As with their superior ability to handle large
scale meetings, hotels also score big with their
in-house catering facilities. Says Marriott’s Paul
Downing: “Hotels can do anything from a creative
coffee break designed to bring a little freshness
back into a meeting to a large dinner reception
which is not locked into a standard menu.”
Most serviced offices, on the other hand, outsource
their catering, which in the main is cold
and served buffet-style. Hot food does not tend
to be in demand for cost reasons. Being simpler,
catering in serviced centres is also less of a
distraction, with shorter breaks allowing everyone
to quickly get back to work.
Service
While any decent hotel will have a full-time,
dedicated conference staff, most serviced offices
have customer service staff who as a function
of their job spec look after clients who happen to
use meeting rooms. From the client’s perspective,
however, whether staff is dedicated or non-dedicated,
they will get the service they require.
Increasingly, though, serviced offices are
promoting specialist meetings staff. Alistair
Stewart of etc.venues says: “We have onsite
staff who are properly trained and who understand
the complexities of audio-visual or that a degree
or two can make a huge difference to a training
course being effective after lunch. It’s that level
of detail that we’re getting into.”
“All the staff are orientated around looking after
one group of customers who are there for business
purposes, rather than handling half a dozen
different customer groups at the same time,
all with different needs.” Kurt Moncz of Regus
agrees: “We have a dedicated team for meeting
rooms. The service team in a serviced office
has one aim: to deliver service to the business
owner. They are not diverted by other issues,
like rooms or dinners.”
feature zone

40 the
hive
coffee zone
Quiz / Lateral Thinking / Spotlight Puzzle / Sudoku
time for a
break ?
Hard Rock Cafe in Dubai runs dry.
Dubai's Hard Rock Cafe has run out of beer, and cannot buy
any more. The popular haunt is getting by selling cocktails
(many of which are non-alcoholic), spirits, and soft drinks.
The beer taps are now permanently shut off, and the last of
the wine has been sold. The Hard Rock Cafe, a landmark in
Dubai since it was completed in December 1997, has fallen
victim to the country's liquor laws, and a classic real estate
squeeze. Despite a lease until 2010, the Hard Rock Cafe
trades off the liquor license of the adjacent Palm Hotel.
The only establishments in the UAE authorised to serve
alcoholic drinks are the accommodation hotels. The Hard
Rock is unique in that it is not a hotel, but because it has
been owned by the same owner as the Palm Hotel, it has
had access to the Palm license. Source: Malaysia Sun
Fishing Puzzle
A man took the bus every weekend to go fishing either to the lake or the river. Initially
he tried to guess which would offer the best conditions, but frequently guessed wrong.
So he decided that as the buses to each place ran every ten minutes, and from the same
bus-stop, he'd simply leave it to fate, & jump on the first bus that came along. After several
weeks he was puzzled that he hardly ever got to go to the lake - in fact it was only about
one week in ten - despite the fact that he got to the bus-stop at all different times, & that
all the buses to both places ran on time (this is only a story...) So why was this?
Lateral thinking
A man is sitting in bed. He makes a phone call, says nothing, then goes to sleep?
Did you know?
• Australia is the only continent
that does not have an active
volcano.
• Each year, North America and
Europe move 4 cm away from
each other due to the movement
of continent bearing plates in
the Atlantic.
• From 1939 to 1942, there was
a undersea post office in the
Bahamas.
• The state of Florida is bigger
than England!
• There is a city called Rome
on every continent.
Trivia Quiz
1. Which is the only planet that
rotates clockwise?
2. What animals was Walt Disney
afraid of?
3. Butterflies taste with which
part of their body?
a) antennae
b) feet
c) wings
ANSWERS
TRIVIA QUIZ 1. Venus 2. Mice 3. Their feet 4. 7 times 5. Eye
LATERAL THINKING He is in a hotel, & is unable to sleep because the man in the adjacent room is snoring. He calls the room next door
(from his own number he can easily figure out his neighbour's, from the room number & the telephone number). The snorer wakes up,
answers the phone. The first man hangs up without saying anything and goes to sleep before the snorer gets back to sleep and starts
snoring again.
FISHING PUZZLE Both bus services did indeed run every ten minutes, but the buses to the lake ran on the hour, then ten past, twenty
past etc., whereas the buses to the river ran at one minute to the hour, then nine past the hour, then twenty-nine past, etc., so the chances
of the man arriving at the bus stop in the one minute gap after the river bus and before the lake bus were pretty small - one in ten to be exact.
4. How many times can you fold
a piece of paper in half ?
5. Which is bigger - an ostrich's
eye or it’s brain?
Spring 2008

Venues with great
connections...
WiFi connectivity keeps you in touch, whether at
a conference or a small meeting. And with over
40 locations across the UK you are never far
away from a Macdonald Hotel.
Your full service solution
Events and Business Travel
By
A collection of superior hotels with four star service, accommodation, spa and golf facilities. A Total
Meetings Package that offers complete flexibility and choice with no hidden extras. Fantastic event
rooms and brilliant teams supported by experts in AV and teambuilding. All at a very competitive price.
Chesford Grange, Warwickshire
Forest Pines, North Lincolnshire
Norton Park, near Winchester
The Midland, Manchester
The Park Royal, Warrington
The Queens, Leeds
The Cheltenham Chase, Gloucestershire
The Westerwood, near Glasgow
Ashford International, Kent
Bridgewood Manor, Chatham, Kent
Newly Completed Refurbishment
The Oxford Belfry, Thame, Oxford
Hellidon Lakes, Northamptonshire
Stratford Manor, Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford Victoria, Stratford-upon-Avon
The Hampshire Court Hotel, Basingstoke
Tankersley Manor, near Sheffield
Aldwark Manor, York
Crewe Hall, Cheshire
The Cambridge Belfry, Cambourne, Cambridge
The Nottingham Belfry, Nottingham
Telford Golf & Spa Hotel, Shropshire
2 FREE HOURS WIFI ACCESS FOR OVERNIGHT GUESTS
For more information or reservations, contact BSI.

42 the
hive
1 2
crossword
3 4 5
6
7
8
9
10 11 12
13 14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
QUESTIONS
ACROSS
1 Found in Venezuela, it’s the highest waterfall in the world.
3 Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. Named for its extensive use
of blue Iznik tiles.
6 Crosses over the Golden Gate Strait.
7 Gigantic waterfalls on the Canadian-American border.
8 Huge standing, solitary stones located in the Salisbury
Plain, England.
10 The world's tallest completed freestanding structure on land.
15 An ancient abandoned Inca city that can be found in
Peru’s mountains.
19 Tells the time in London, England.
20 “The Space Cage” was the original name of this tower
in Seattle, USA.
21 The Colorado River carved out this enormous canyon.
22 King Kong climbed this building in New York, USA.
23 The world's largest palace complex located in Beijing.
24 Iconic structure in Paris - the tallest building in the city.
25 The _____ ____ winds up and down across deserts,
grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching
approximately 6,700km (4,163 miles ) from east to west
of China.
DOWN
2 The roof of this building on Chicago, USA, rises up a
quarter of a mile.
4 Located in Sydney, Australia, it looks like a ship with a
full set of sails.
5 The tallest and the most sacred mountain in Honshu,
Japan.
9 In Egypt, the only remaining structure of the 7 wonders
of the ancient world.
11 Giant cathedral in Paris, France. Home of the Hunchback.
12 Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt are carved
out of this mountain.
13 In ancient Rome, it hosted races and gladiator events.
14 Is a tomb in India built by Emperor Shah Jehan in memory
of his wife.
16 Galileo dropped objects off here for his experiments.
17 Spectacular New Year’s celebrations in New York City.
18 Historic fortified complex including four palaces & four
cathedrals next to Red Square.
Down: 2 Sears Tower, 4 Opera House, 5 Mount Fuji, 9 Great Pyramid, 11 Notre Dame, 12
Mount Rushmore, 13 Colosseum, 14 Taj Mahal, 16 Leaning Tower, 17 Times Square, 18 Kremlin
ANSWERS
Across: 1 Angel Falls, 3 Blue Mosque, 6 Golden Gate Bridge, 7 Niagara Falls, 8 Stonehenge,
10 CN Tower, 15 Machu Picchu, 19 Big Ben, 20 Space Needle, 21 Grand Canyon, 22 Empire
State Building, 23 Forbidden City, 24 Eiffel Tower, 25 Great Wall
Spring 2008

The Legacy
Falcon Hotel
in the heart of Stratford upon Avon
Conferences, Banqueting & Events
a dedicated conference and events support team
offering a unique high-class and bespoke service
FULL HOTEL REFURBISHMENT NOW COMPLETED
83 refurbished guest bedrooms and public areas
FREE internet access throughout the hotel
Seven air-conditioned conference suites
Conference accommodation for 2 - 240 delegates
24-hour Lounge & Room Service available
Full online presentation facilities
To book The Legacy Falcon Hotel for your Accommodation and Meetings & Events
requirements in The Midlands - just call BSI TODAY
This is Scottish luxury reborn.
Business the way you like it,
With pleasure always
at the top of the agenda.
This is the life.
This is the life. Nine holes of awe-inspiring twilight golf.
A blissful dip in the infinity pool at the Carrick beneath a
similarly infinite highland sky. A well-deserved Macallan from
the Great Scots Bar. This is the way business should be done.
Picture exquisite meeting rooms and suites with loch side views
(you’d better leave a seat for Ben Lomond at the board table
and some space for a sizzling steak in the Cameron Grill).
This is your business at Cameron House on Loch Lomond.
Cameron House, Dunbartonshire, G83 8QZ

44 the
hive
competitions
Please refer to the BSI web site for terms &
conditions and to enter any of these competitions,
go to www.bsi.co.uk/competitions
Take this chance to win a luxurious stay at the Menzies Stourport Manor. We are offering
a one night stay with bed and breakfast for two people, with dinner in our superb Brasserie
restaurant and use of the Health & Leisure club facilities.
Menzies Stourport Manor Conveniently located near Kidderminster, just 12 miles
from junction 3 of the M5, the four-star Menzies Stourport Manor is a contemporary
country house hotel.
logo
Following a recent £1 million refurbishment, the hotel offers 68 en-suite bedrooms
including suites, each one designed and equipped with the business traveller in mind.
The spacious lounge and bar and the superb Brasserie style restaurant offer a stylish
and informal environment in which to dine or relax.
With six function suites ranging from executive style boardrooms to a suite seating
up to 350 delegates the Menzies Stourport Manor can accommodate a wide range
of meetings. In addition there is a self-contained training centre with seating for up
to 30 delegates with three adjoining syndicate rooms.
Question:
How many bedrooms
does the Menzies
Stourport Manor have?
The hotels’ extensive grounds are ideal for outdoor pursuits and team building events
and the Waves Health & Leisure Club is superb for winding down after a long day.
Win a luxury city break with Apex Hotels
Apex Hotels, a collection of 4 star contemporary city centre hotels are offering
‘Hive’ readers the chance to win a luxury UK city break for two people. Choose
to take your prize at the Apex City of London Hotel located moments from Tower
Bridge and the Tower of London or one of the group’s Edinburgh hotels set in
the shadows of Edinburgh Castle on the historic Grassmarket. If you’re looking to
get away from it all, you may prefer a relaxing spa break at the Apex City Quay
Hotel & Spa in Dundee.
Question:
In which 3 UK cities will
you find Apex Hotels?
At Apex, our warm welcome goes hand in hand with the cool, stylish interiors.
Large comfortable beds with allergy free down duvets, a choice of pillows, large
widescreen TV's, DVD/CD players, luxury toiletries, power showers, free wi-fi and
local calls along with 24 hour room service mean you may never want to leave
your room!
WIN a two-night break with Barceló Hotels & Resorts
Barceló Hotels in the UK (formerly Paramount Group of Hotels) is giving you the
opportunity to win a fabulous two-night break and experience the new Barceló
flavour in the UK.
Barceló Hotels & Resorts manages over 165 hotels across the world, in 15 countries
across three continents. Their entry in the UK was celebrated last September with
the acquisition of a 45-year lease to manage the 20 Paramount Hotels in the UK.
From the edge of the Scottish Highlands to tip of the English Riviera, Barceló Hotels
have hotels in spectacular coastal resorts, in vibrant town and city centres and in
idyllic countryside retreats. Each Barceló UK hotel is unique and reflects the
characteristics of the location. Whether it’s through the local cuisine or range of
facilities, every hotel retains and excels four-star quality and service standards.
Question:
Barceló Hotels & Resorts
manages hotels across how
many continents?
Spring 2008

Overnight accommodation at the Charlecote Pheasant Hotel, near Stratford upon Avon,
in a stunning new farmhouse bedroom, Three course Dinner in the Restaurant and
Full English Breakfast for two guests. To be taken by 30th December 2008.
Folio Hotels are a great place to eat, meet and relax. Reaching the completion
of a £2.5 million refurbishment the Charlecote Pheasant Hotel can be found in the
tranquil village of Charlecote only minutes from Stratford upon Avon. The refurbishment
has already seen the completion of 55 individually decorated stunning bedrooms,
all 9 meeting and banqueting rooms, Bar, Lounge, Restaurant and Reception
Question:
What is the value of the
recent refurbishment at the
Charlecote Pheasant Hotel?
This traditional country house hotel is the perfect setting whatever the occasion,
whether it is a conference, teambuilding event, banquet or overnight stay.
Complimentary WiFi throughout the hotel and state of the art equipment makes
us a great meeting place for business clients.
The bar and restaurant has been carefully refurbished in keeping with the charm and
character of the Warwickshire country house offering a comfortable relaxing environment.
Our award winning head chef and his team are sure to delight you with their fresh
and innovative new menus.
Question:
How many rooms does
Radisson SAS Hotel
Durham have?
Win a weekend for two including 2 nights Bed & Breakfast and
1 evening meal at the soon to open Radisson SAS Hotel, Durham.
Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts, part of the Rezidor Hotel Group, currently
operates 158 hotels in Europe. Radisson SAS Hotel, Durham is located on the banks
of the River Wear, close to cultural attractions, shops, the university and Durham
railway station. The hotel will cater for the booming business market as well as
leisure travelers. The hotel offers 207 contemporary rooms including Standard,
Business and suites. Many boast views of the historic city and catherdral. The leisure
club will have an indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, sauna, Jacuzzi, steam room
and treatment rooms.
With 1,100 square metres of meeting and event space, the hotel promises to be
one of the most popular conference venues in the region offering 11 flexible meeting
rooms with a maximum capacity for 600 theatre style and 400 banquet style.
50 countries. 10 Brands.
One solution for every traveller.
With the Wyndham Hotel Group on your side, you
have the travel solutions your clients need. We offer
a network of global brands that spans 50 countries
across 6 continents, featuring 10 brands from
economy to upscale. Plus with WyndhamRewards®,
the largest loyalty programme in the industry, every
stay can be even more rewarding.
Contact BSI for more information or reservations.

40
the hive
twilight zone
by Bob Papworth
Is there anybody there?
In Japan in 717AD, the great Buddhist teacher Taicho Daishi, guided by the guardian deity
of the sacred Mount Hakusan, discovered an underground spring of hot water bestowed
with wondrous curative powers.
Recognising that word of the healing waters
would spread PDQ, and that hordes of pilgrims
would inundate the nearby village of Awazu,
Taicho ordered his disciple, Garyo Hoshi, to
build an inn, or ryokan, to accommodate the
anticipated influx.
At 1,291 years old, the Hoshi Ryokan at Awazu,
just outside Komatsu, to the west of Tokyo on
the northwest coast of Honshu, is today the
world’s oldest continuously-operating hotel.
So when the question crops up at your next
pub quiz, you’ll be able to render your
team-mates speechless with awe and wonder
at your grasp early Japanese hospitality industry
practices.
That, however, is not the point.
Grateful though one is for the opportunity to
bolster your frankly-questionable intellectual
reputation among the denizens of your local
hostelry, the point is that Taicho Daishi
recognised a clearly defined market – physicallydisadvantaged
Buddhists with problems
unresolved by 8th Century quackery – and set
about meeting their accommodation needs.
to meet the requirements of an ever more
closely-defined client base (albeit that
paraplegic pilgrims are no longer a prime focus).
And then they go and screw it all up by
charging extra for doing so.
Business travellers need to conduct business
while travelling. That involves them having WiFi
access to the internet. Having aimed their
business brand of business hotels at business
travellers, business hoteliers should be offering
WiFi as part of the business package, not as
some sort of optional extra.
Take this iniquitous trend to its logical extreme,
and there will soon be coin-operated water
meters in every hotel bathroom, bedlinen will be
available for hire by the hour, and there will be
an admission charge to use the lifts.
Such unconscionable avarice will undoubtedly
lead to an increase in “room rage” assaults on
hotel staff who, inadequately tended by a
crumbling NHS, will be forced to seek
restorative treatment elsewhere.
Awazu’s healing waters spring to mind…
Fast-forward to 2008, and you can hardly move
for hospitality behemoths spawning “brands” all
over the shop. Like nightmarishly-vast amoeba,
hotel groups divide and divide again into a
multiplicity of sub-sets, each specifically tailored
Summer 2008

Meetings
for
designed
success
with Free high speed Internet access
Belfast, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow,
Jersey, Leeds, Limavady, Liverpool, London,
Manchester Airport, Stansted Airport
Contemporary design, high speed internet access
and 100% satisfaction guaranteed – all you need for a successful meeting.
Over 120 meeting rooms throughout the UK and in over 130 destinations
in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
For more information or reservations,
contact BSI.

It’s Best when…
...your business can
be catered for
Per Soderberg’s training at a Michelin star restaurant shows. As Head Chef
at Best Western Ox Pasture Hotel in Scarborough he sources the freshest local
ingredients to prepare mouth-watering dishes our guests find irresistible.
Just one of the many individuals whose dedication sets us apart.
Individuality
at the heart of every
Best Western Hotel
With Best Western you have a fantastic choice of over 280 hotels located in all
of the major cities and business centres across Great Britain, plus a superb
selection of rural retreats that are prefect for more relaxing business ventures.
Every hotel has its own charm and character, offering the same high standards
of service and excellent facilities you expect.
For more information or
reservations contact BSI
Best Western Derwent Manor Hotel, Consett, Durham
Best Western Studley Castle, Warwickshire
Celebrating 30 Years of Excellence
Best Western Wrightington Hotel and Country Club,
Wigan
Best Western Lodge Hotel, London