www.aceinternational.org EVENTFUL TIMES MARCH 2009 �

FROM THE CHAIRWell, the name of this publication says it all. A day doesn’t pass without new ideas being devised to live up to the challenges posed in the current economic climate. These truly are as

challenging as they are eventful times. Every day, while businesses across the

country, and throughout our membership, are taking steps to survive, hope is rather dampened by further gloomy news.

Training comes to mind at such times. Many people view training costs and time away from the workplace as steps to be deferred to another time which offers a better economic climate. But surely it is of utmost importance, in such eventful times, to realise every single asset of each member of staff to its full potential.

Training potentially brings a keener perception to all day-to-day activities and projects. It can refine a competitive edge in difficult times. Through membership of ACE, several training programmes are on offer and I do hope that this service will be of great benefit to you all. Now is the time to plan for the future.

In this, our second issue, I am very sad to report the death of Geoffrey Gray-Forton, the founder of ACE International, who will be missed by many. We pay tribute to Geoffrey and his career on page seven.Best wishesMichael SharpACE Chairman and Managing DirectorCentral Hall Westminster

EVENTFUL TIMES

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Positive PurposeDespite the slump in sterling and pessimistic predictions, the events industry reports a positive outlook

The headlines are all too familiar - sterling has hit rock bottom, high street names are going bust and banks are in big trouble. While the outlook is challenging, many businesses are keeping purposefully positive.

Jane French, director of The Right Address, organises motivational speakers, presenters and cabaret for the corporate market, including economists and specialists in sales and business.

“Thankfully we have a lot on the go. There is still an industry expectation to host a certain amount of events year in and year out,” says

www.aceinternational.org

French, who launched her company 20 years ago. “We provide speakers for a lot of awards ceremonies and this sector works well for us. Speakers are key to an event and some rely on the speaker to attract delegates.”

French says there are cutbacks and companies are tightening their belts by being selective.

“Last year clients were willing to spend £5,000 on a speaker but now they have a smaller budget. It’s just a case of tightening up. Events are happening and they can still be

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

MARCH 2009

2 MARCH 2009 EVENTFUL TIMES www.aceinternational.org www.aceinternational.org EVENTFUL TIMES MARCH 2009 �

REGIONAL FOCUS

�. Where is Shakespeare Country?Shakespeare Country lies in the West Midlands region, at the centre of England and the heart of the country. 2. What is Shakespeare Country?Shakespeare Country is the official destination marketing organisation for the South Warwickshire area with over 300 members including hotels, attractions, restaurants, conference venues and retail outlets. �. What does the Shakespeare Country Conference Bureau do? The Bureau offers a dedicated sales team armed with local knowledge and the contacts to help find a venue to suit all events. These services are completely free of charge. 4. Location, location, location…n London: Between 90 minutes to two hours’ drive from central London (100 miles) n Birmingham International Airport and NEC: 30-40 minutes drive (20 miles)n Direct train routes from London Marylebone to Warwick, Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avonn London Paddington to Moreton-in-the-Marsh and Evesham and London Euston to Birmingham International

Shakespeare’s birthplace

INDUSTRY NEWS

good, even on a smaller scale.”The trend is for making strategic

cuts. “Some companies are choosing to host the event in their own offices and that is not a problem,” says French. The slump in sterling is also being taken into account. “Larger corporations, with offices across Europe, may choose to host their event in London to get more value for money.”

One recent trend spotted by French is the popularity of futurist and economist speakers and motivational experts. “In these turbulent times companies are trying to keep morale up in the face of such media gloom. So much comes down to confidence.”

Janet Killilea, of JK Event Management, based in Cheshire, is looking ahead. “Like everyone, I have been waiting for the decline but there is still work out there,” she says. Killilea organises many events for the public sector, among others, from evening seminars for 30-40 people to three-day residential events for 1,500 delegates, and she says there are still “tenders coming left, right and centre”.

“I am keeping a positive outlook but a level head,” says Killilea. “A lot comes down to networking and word-of-mouth. I rarely advertise apart from through ACE.”

Companies are looking at all areas to identify any potential growth areas for business. David Scott is conference and events manager at Kensington Conference and Events Centre and

ACE websiteACE has a new website offering members even more marketing and communication tools. Eventful Times considers what makes a website work?ACE members may already be enjoying the organisation’s new website. The site has been updated and carefully constructed to offer ACE members an accessible and effective marketing and communication tool.

Stuart Forrester, managing director of The Forrester Corporation, a strategic marketing and communication company based in Huntingdon, is the brains behind the new site.

“At the core of the site is a new content management system and this is key,” says Stuart. “ACE and its members can add and update content and directory details as they need to. The system is intuitive and easy for people to pick up.”

There is a members’ directory, calendar and events diary and an e-commerce module which allows new members to join online and ACE to sell events and publications. Following registration, members have direct access to their directory entries and can interact fully with the site.

“News is central to the site and there are lots of opportunities for members’ news as well as what is happening in the industry and breaking stories. From a day-to-day editorial perspective, the site is constantly refreshed and current without requiring much maintenance,” says Stuart.

“A website has the ability to offer 24/7 publicity and communication. Given today’s economic climate,

EVENTFUL TIMES IS PUBLISHED BY

Publisher: Gordon Lyster. Editor: Lisa Millard. Deputy Editor: Alan Seeley. Production Manager: Phil Long.Business Development Manager: Rob McGowan.Contact Information: Phone +44 0207 �9� 9076Email: rob@eventsandpublishing.com Website: www.eventsandpublishing.com

Companies are trying to keep morale up in the face of such media gloom. So much comes down to confidence

Chelsea Old Town Hall in London. His organisation is different to many other companies working in this sector as the facilities are owned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and have historically been used mainly to serve the needs of the council and its associates. “First and foremost the venues have been available to internal clients including a range of government-related bodies, education and charitable institutions. My background is in the commercial sector and my appointment here is to grow the commercial side of the business and make the venues available for outside hire.”

“We have not had much interest from potential overseas clients but then we have not actively pursued them. When positioning ourselves as a commercial business, we will be looking to attract business from that market. While predictions show a continuation of the downturn in the economy for the next year, we will use this time to upgrade our facilities and restructure ourselves to be able to service the internal market while increasing availability for outside hire.

“I was working in the commercial sector in the early 1990s, during the last economic bloodbath, as a consultant offering services to the exhibition industry. When the upturn came it was very rapid and many organisations found themselves wrong footed. We want to make sure our organisation is ideally positioned when the upturn comes this time round.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE �

Shakespeare CountryWhat you need to know to be in-the-know

SHAKESPEARE COUNTRY FACTSn 82% of the UK’s business HQs are within 150 miles of Shakespeare Country n Over 2,300 overseas companies from 40 different countries have a business base in the region n Business tourism is worth £6.9bn per annum to the regional economy

n The NEC (30 minutes drive from Shakespeare Country) is the busiest convention and events business in the UKn Business meetings and events is the fastest growing sector of the tourism economy n In June 2009 the 100th World Rotary Club Convention will be hosted in the region

with an expected 25,000 delegates Information: To contact Shakespeare Country Conference Bureau call 0844 477 8�79 or visit www.shakespeare-country.co.uk/conferenceSource: www.shakespeare-country.co.uk

websites offer a continuous presence that becomes the back- bone of a communication strategy.”

Colin Pauley, Global Business Development Director at EventElephant, an expanding technology company offering an online self-service product designed to support a range of events, acknowledges the importance of an effective website for business: “Our website not only tells people what our product does but it also shows what sort of people we are. We see ourselves as very interactive and as having lots of touch points so, for us, video is a good way of doing that.

“There’s a generation of business people who have grown up with web technology. They do all of their prospecting and communication by email, the internet and websites. It’s increasingly the core method of interacting in business.”

FACTFILE

CREATING AN EFFECTIVE WEBSITEn Get the basics right and keep it simple n Consider your customers and what will benefit them n Lose any gimmicks n Design for the present and the future n Keeps cost down to allow further development such as site structure, design and professional copy-writing n Evaluate your site. Google

and other sites provide statistics packages that make understanding your visitors easySee the ACE website at www.aceinternational.org

Stuart Forrester can be contacted at www.theforrestercorporation.com and on 0845 2997484.Source: The Forrester Corporation

The new ACE website

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SET UP a great looking multi-page event website

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Wherever you are doing business, be it Shakespeare Country, Scotland or Spain, Eton Travel can help. Whatever you need, from a simple boardroom to client hospitality,

a staff incentive or a major global conference, Eton Travel has the knowledge, experience and contacts to deliver an outstanding event anywhere in the world.

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finding, group fares and ticketing, bespoke itineraries, event management and online delegate registration. Customers benefit from our superior buying power and access to the hottest and

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Visit www.etontravel.com or contact us on: 01753 740185 or events@eton-travel.co.uk

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4 MARCH 2009 EVENTFUL TIMES www.aceinternational.org www.aceinternational.org EVENTFUL TIMES MARCH 2009 �

ExplorE thE shops, bars, rEstaurants and thE arts of shakEspEarE Country

www.shakespeare-country.co.uk0870 160 7930

THE VENUE

Shakespeare Country VenuesSiân Thompson is Shakespeare Country conference sales executive. She tellsEventful Times why the area has so much to offer event organisers

Shakespeare Country is quite a well-kept secret from the business events sector and often over-shadowed by its larger neighbouring destinations. This is all set to change in 2009 as our organisation takes steps to make sure Shakespeare Country is put firmly on the map as a key events

April which will be the starting point for, we hope, a very successful future.

The Shakespeare Country Destination Showcase will be held on April 23 2009. As well as being St George’s Day, this date is especially significant to the area for being William Shakespeare’s birthday. The showcase will offer conference and event organisers the perfect opportunity to view the destination and experience how it could benefit their future events. Beginning with a networking exhibition at a local hotel, the day will include a celebratory birthday lunch at a breathtaking stately home followed by tours of the area and further venues in the afternoon. The day will conclude with a traditional afternoon tea and a garden party at our host hotel and lots of extra surprises! Shakespeare Country is rich in

heritage and culture and is perhaps best known for being the home of Britain’s greatest playwright, William Shakespeare. The area is home to charming market towns and some of England’s finest countryside. One of Shakespeare Country’s best kept secrets is the mix it offers to the event organiser. Where else can you hold a dinner in a Mediaeval Castle, take your delegates to a performance by the world-renowned Royal Shakespeare Company or host a candlelit drinks reception in the birthplace of William Shakespeare?

One of Shakespeare Country’s main strengths as a meeting and conference destination is the diversity of its hotels. Over the last few years Shakespeare Country has seen more than £30m invested in local hotels and almost all of this money has been spent

SHAKESPEARE COUNTRY VENUES INCLUDE

Warwick Castle, at the centre of the historic town of Warwick, is Britain’s greatest Mediaeval experience. The Coach House provides a rustic setting for conferences for up to 70 people theatre style and 80 for a banquet, while the Great Hall and State Dining Room are ideal for gala dinners and lavish receptions. The castle’s 60 acres are perfect for team building activities. Delegates can learn combat skills at Knight School or take part in a live falconry display.

destination. We will work even more closely with our members to promote this area and all it has to offer.

We started by re-launching a new visual identity as the Shakespeare Country Conference Bureau, concentrating on the key elements that make this area so successful – particularly the central location and quintessentially English surroundings. We have already launched a new-look website, which complements our award-winning consumer website, and a brand new conference and business guide will follow shortly.

The Shakespeare Country Conference Bureau will be welcoming some very exciting events to the area in 2009 and 2010 which will serve to show its versatility as a destination. One of our main focuses will be the Destination Showcase event in

The Heritage Motor Centre,just off junction 12 of the M40, offers an ultra-modern setting in 65 acres of grounds, encompassing a purpose-built conference centre with capacity for up to 600 delegates, plus a roof-top Kestrel suite for up to 280 delegates, a Land Rover 4x4 off-road experience, go kart track as well as the motor museum itself which houses some of Britain’s finest examples of motoring design and technology.

Information: For more information about the Shakespeare Country Destination Showcase, and to apply to attend the event, please email Siân Thompson at sian@shakespeare-country.co.uk or call 0844 477 8379.

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0844 477 8379www.shakespeare-country.co.uk/conference

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on delegate facilities and meeting-room provision. Despite being a heritage destination, facilities offer high-speed Wi-Fi internet access, state of the art presentation equipment and naturally lit conference rooms.

As well as its excellent

conference facilities, Shakespeare Country also offers many ideas to complement an event. Guided tours of the area with a Blue Badge Tourist Guide are a very popular choice. Delegates can also enjoy the buzz of Royal Leamington Spa which boasts

superb shopping and a variety of bars, restaurants and bistros. The Cotswolds, just south of Stratford-upon-Avon, with excellent links to the M5, provides the perfect destination for a team building event as the rural surroundings and lack of distractions give

delegates the chance to leave the office far behind and focus on the task at hand. The Cotswolds are home to some truly exclusive venues offering luxurious surroundings and fine dining ideal for corporate entertaining or executive board meetings.

6 MARCH 2009 EVENTFUL TIMES www.aceinternational.org www.aceinternational.org EVENTFUL TIMES MARCH 2009 7

ACE NEWSQ&A

SPOTLIGHT ON...

Q: What does your job involve?A:I am responsible for 19 staff and front-of-house including reception, hospitality, staff restaurant and meeting rooms. I work with the courses and conferences team to deliver a programme of events which create a commercial return for CIMA

Q: What is CIMA?A: CIMA is the most relevant international accountancy qualification for business. Chartered Management Accountants are financially qualified business leaders who create value by applying leading

Janice HowardHead of Department of the Chartered Institute of Management

Accountants (CIMA) Courses and Conferences based in central London.

several courses and one of our most popular courses offers financial awareness for PAs and adminstrators.

Q: What size are the events you organise and what venues do you use?A: Our events range from five to 200 and we use a wide range of venues throughout the UK and Europe. Some are large conference venues and others are training centres or hotels.

Q: How many events do you organise each year and for how many people?A: In total we organise 500 events for about 10,000 delegates. Some of these events are bite-size briefings, one-and-a-half-hour events which are proving very popular.

Q: What are the key components you look for when selecting a supplier, venue and activity?A: When selecting a supplier, a background check on their

liquidity is always important. We always look for best value and exceptional customer service.

Q: What are the core components of a successful event/seminar?The key components are:n Excellent organisation and preparationn Good support from all suppliersn Keen eye for detailn Positive and can-do attitude to challenges

Q: What are the benefits of being part of ACE?A: Being able to network with like-minded professionals and have the opportunity to visit new and interesting venues.

Janice Howard, Head of CIMA Courses and Conferences, 26 Chapter Street, London SW�P 4NP Direct T +44(0)20 8849 224� and janice.howard@cimaglobal.com. See www.cimaglobal.com

EVENTS DIARYACE AND VENTURA TRAINING

March �9:Risk Assessment in the Conference and Event IndustryVenue: Central London

March ��Time ManagementVenue: Central London

April �0Presentation Skills and Training ObjectivesVenue: Central LondonContact: J Thompson at the ACE office on: 01480 457594 or email ace@aceinternational.org for further details and pricing.

TRADE FAIRS

May ��The Academic Venue Show, Emirates Stadium, LondonRegister free at www.academicvenueshow.co.uk

May 26-28IMEX 09, Frankfurt Messe Hall, FrankfurtRegister at www.imex-frankfurt.com/register.php

If you would like to see your events, business news or views in Eventful Times, email the editorial team: rob@eventsandpublishing.com

To find out more about your membership organisation call John Thompson on: 0�480 4�7�9� or visit ace@aceinternational.org

The Royal National College for the Blind, College Road, Hereford HR� �EBContact: Catherine FletcherTelephone: 0�4�2 �76622E-mail: cathy.fletcher@rncb.ac.ukWebsite: http://www.rncb.ac.ukDescription: The UK’s leading college of education and training for people with sight loss. As part of a £21.5million campus redevelopment, the college now offers quality and adaptable meeting and conference facilities from small scale rooms to conference halls with break-out rooms in a beautiful rural setting.

NEW MEMBERSFeel Good EventsSuite 6��, State House, �76 Station Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA� 4TEContact: Mala SeecoomarTelephone: 079�9 4�8840E-mail: mala@feelgoodevents.comWeb Page: www.feelgoodevents.comDescription: Bringing people together is an art, as well as a science, so we sprinkle on something special - the Feel Good factor, those bits that create the kind of buzz that people remember.

edge techniques with a commercial focus.

Q: What range of events do you organise for CIMA and what does this involve?A: We organise a range of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses for our qualified members and other accountants and courses for non-accountants to become more financially aware. Our main product is CIMA Mastercourses which offers one, two and three days, face-to-face training on topics including lean finance and decision-based reporting. For non-financial customers we have

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EventElephant An event organiser’s best friendACE member, EventElephant is a rapidly expanding technology company with a global customer base. Established in 2008, with offices in London and Dublin, EventElephant is a self-service online product that makes it simple to organise any type of event online, featuring a complete step-by-step, set-up-to-sign-up attendee management system.

CEO Eamon O’Brien said: “Organisers who use EventElephant’s features are in total control of setting up their own professional event websites, sending out email invitations and signing up online registrations and payments. The system is easy to access and simple to use.”

The beauty of EventElephant’s product is that it was designed with the organiser in mind. “As an event organiser myself, we

developed this system to cut out the time and expense associated with deploying event websites,” says O’Brien.

The system will serve the business events and conferencing market well, offering organisers the opportunity to make huge savings on costs and time as well as increasing attendee numbers.

EventElephant is accessed online with ready to use features, including self-service registration websites, allowing clients to customise their own event website, upload logos, photos or videos and add details such as speaker biographies or directions to venues.

Global Business Development Director, Colin Pauley, said: “By registering for a free login at www.eventelephant.com organisers instantly gain the ability to set up a great looking single or multi-page

event website to send out email invitations, sign up online registrations and take payments online. The only cost for the system is a 4.75% fee for handling online ticket payments as they are processed. There are no set up costs and, if an organiser’s event is free to attend, then EventElephant is completely free to use.”

Left to right: Eamon O’Brien, joint CEO, Ron Downey, joint CEO, David Welsh, Marketing Manager, Colin Pauley, Business Development Director, Spencer Cohen, Sales Director, Oliver Ward, Account Executive

For further information contact: EventElephant on: 0208 ��4 8068 andemail: info@eventelephant.comEventElephant is at ��-�2 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2 Ireland and Parkshot House, � Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 2PR.

Eventful Times pays tribute to Geoffrey Gray-Forton, �9�0-2008Joy Montmorency, former Executive Chairman of ACE, remembers Geoffrey Gray-Forton

ACE REMEMBERS

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Geoffrey Gray-Forton (GGF) on December 29 2008. He had been ill for some years and died peacefully at home.

Geoffrey was the founder of ACE and Chairman of Meetings World (1969) Associates. As the founder of The Association of Conference Executives in 1971, later to become the Association

for Conferences and Events, he was instrumental in bringing together those who worked in the conference industry, encouraging members in their various fields to adhere to a code of practice and high professional standards.

Geoffrey was much in demand throughout the world. He has been the recipient of many awards from various countries for his services. His various afflictions did not stop him from writing and his books, available in digital form, are a great source of information.

Almost the last thing he did was to write an article for the first issue of this ACE newsletter, Eventful Times. Geoffrey was a ceaseless worker, always willing to give advice and to listen and help ACE members and others.

On behalf of all the members of the Association, we send deepest condolences to Geoffrey’s widow, Barbara (nee Cox) who was a member of ACE since early days, worked with Geoffrey, and is Managing Director and Company Secretary of Meetings World. Barbara has been an unceasing tower of strength to Geoffrey over these last few years.

The funeral was held on Tuesday January 13 at Bournemouth Crematorium and attended by family, friends and colleagues. I attended, representing ACE and having known Geoffrey for 30 years, to pay tribute to Geoffrey on behalf of ACE.

8 MARCH 2009 EVENTFUL TIMES www.aceinternational.org

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