Louisa Daley talks to a selection of venues at CN Just Meet Live to find out about their bookings and trends.
With in-person events slowly, but surely, returning, Conference News spoke to Central Hall Westminster, Farnborough International, Hilton DoubleTree, Hand Picked Hotels, Carden Park, Mercedes Benz World, ExCeL London, ICC Wales and 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, to understand how venues are faring and exactly what their clients are asking for.
Looking ahead
Generally, all venues are set for a busy year ahead and are showing signs of recovery.
Having opened just before the pandemic, and then ceasing operations, ICC Wales are now seeing a positive shift. “We are really fortunate that 80% of our business has been moved rather than lost and we have had the extra bookings that have come in,” reveals Gemma Savage, association sales manager at ICC Wales. “2022 is looking like a bumper year for us,” she adds.
Although Farnborough International was “off to a bit of a slow start” this year, from February onwards, its calendar is shaping up nicely. “The Air Show is this year, and build has already started. Because of our size, we have big bookings,” says Alison Jenkins, venue account manager at Farnborough International.
“One came in today (23 April) for 3,000 people and we have a booking next week for 1,000 people and another one for the autumn of 4,500,” she reveals.
Trends and client requests
However, busy calendars also come hand in hand with short lead times, which all venues are experiencing. “A lot of people are only booking for May and June at the moment. Event organisers are guessing a lot more about the uptake regarding who’s attending the live events. Before the pandemic, they had so much data and a lot more certainty,” says Rhiannon Thomas, head of sales at CHW and CH Venues.
Stephanie Drinkwater, regional account manager and Katie Stevens, director of London sales, from Hand Picked Hotels agree with Thomas. “March saw a really positive turn in enquiry levels. We have experienced shorter leads than normal, with the majority being for the next three to four out,” they add.
So, when clients are booking, what are they asking for?
According to Carden Park and Mercedes Benz World, clients want events to be even bigger and better. “Customers are not wanting a typical nine to five, three-day conference. They are coming to us and wanting to create a bespoke event, something different to engage their delegates and staff,” says Dan Gibson, director of sales at Carden Park Hotel.
Sonia Bagga, marketing and events manager at Mercedes Benz World seconds this. “Clients want out of the box events. Our USP is driving, but they don’t want to stop there. They want the dinner and dance, cocktails, and canapes. They are ready to venture out, which is challenging but a nice challenge,” she comments.
Clients are also conscientious of service and the bigger picture. Katia Vasilieva, cluster director of sales at DoubleTree by Hilton; Lincoln and Hull, says: “Our clients have high expectations for food and beverage, and they also want a venue to be sustainably driven with a focus on wellness.”
They are also wanting to return to in-person events, according to ExCeL London. “Most of our associations and corporate clients want to come back face to face. We have also seen, that instead of being just a hybrid event, clients want an in-person event with a streaming option,” reveals Sindri Hjartarson, account manager at ExCeL London.
Meaningful change
Finally, I asked the venues what their main passions are, what industry topics and causes do they support? The key things that emerged were diversity, mental health and wellbeing, security and sustainability.
For 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, it’s DEI and mental health. “We are working with Diversity Ally for diversity and inclusion. We have recently done a big accessibility audit with Enhance the UK as well. Our team have also won an award for mental health support in the workplace,” beams Amie Murphy, venue business development and marketing manager at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace.
At ICC Wales, it’s wellbeing and security. “One of the reasons why we love our venue so much is for its location. As it’s in the woodlands, it’s great for wellbeing, mental health and mindfulness, which we really care about. We have also just launched a Protect Duty Report, so we are really passionate about security in events too,” says Savage.
The most common topic, though, was sustainability. “The core business is part of a Methodist Church, so we want to represent sustainability, mental health and diversity. We have a strong sustainability policy. We haven’t had a diversity policy, it’s only just been written up which is good progress,” adds Thomas.
“At Farnborough International, we have our own sustainability polices and our caterers have their own. They only use a 60-mile radius to bring in food to the venue,” adds Jenkins.
It’s clear that the venues are getting back to business, and with new expectations, they are sure to produce unique and memorable events, as well as environmentally and socially conscious ones.
