Brighton is a very popular destination for both leisure and business tourism, but one of the issues facing the city has always been where to park coaches for incoming groups. There is existing parking for around 40 coaches on Madeira Drive already but the city council has just approved parking for 30 additional coaches at Black Rock on the seafront. The existing pick up and drop off points are shown in this image – the further spaces will be added along Madeira Drive, to the right

Martin Randall, head of planning and public protection at Brighton & Hove City Council, said: “This is good news for coach drivers as it will provide them with a much more convenient area to park and alleviate coach parking problems in other parts of the city.

“The planning permission is temporary for two years as in the long term, the site is earmarked for the indoor arena and ice rink.”

As a DMC for the area organising inbound events, groups and conferences, this offers welcome news for us. For further information on booking events in Brighton please contact us

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When arranging events overseas, it’s vital to have a ground operator in the target destination to ensure you get the best for your event. A good DMC should have excellent relationships with venues and suppliers alike in their area, and be able to negotiate good rates on your behalf. Whilst the client or their tour operator may have experience of handling events, nothing beats local knowledge. The DMC should also be able to arrange exciting and unusual activities

Here at DMC Brighton we’ve been working on this, negotiating good rates and building good relationships for our clients. We strive to understand differing cultures and their needs in the UK, and can offer good local support from the South East coast line up to London, taking in Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Kent on the way. We know all the transportation options, the best hotels for each group, some really exciting activities and all the things to avoid!

Working with a DMC can often ring alarm bells – what if it costs more to use an agency? What if the DMC charges high fees? We can understand that concern – after all, an overseas event is expensive enough! But our solid relationships with those we work with ensure that any costs are kept to a minimum.

From simple venue search to full itineraries, you’re better off asking the local experts…

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WHY BRIGHTON?

People often ask us why we recommend Brighton as a destination. What makes it so different from all the other cities in the UK? What is so ‘great’ about our seaside town? On a personal level I love the place, I think it has got just about everything you’d wish for in a UK location (all be it a little bit sun deprived at times, but hey, we can’t have it all all of the time!)

So, I thought I’d share with you our reasons for ranking Brighton right on up there at the top. It’s one of the most colourful vibrant cosmopolitan cities in Europe, certainly in England. Full of atmosphere and oozing energy. Unique, electric, fun and packed full of history. Then there’s the culture, celebrated night life, the fabulous abundance of festivals, unique hotels of all descriptions, marvellous shopping areas to mooch around and not forgetting the award winning restaurants peppering the area – packed with style this city really is like no other. Not to mention its accessibility from across the world. Well, as long as there isn’t a volcano, that is

I’ve previously read an article stating the Government currently ranks Brighton & Hove as the UK’s most cultured city outside London which comes as no surprise to those of us that live here. But why not judge for yourself? Get yourself a fantastic venue in Brighton for your next event!

TOP 10 TIPS TO CHOOSING A VENUE

The right venue is crucial to the success of any event and what’s more without a venue you have no event. So we’ve put our thinking caps on and come up with our Top 10 Tips to choosing the right venue.

1. Firstly – use a venue finding service or better still call us! We’ll listen to your requirements and promise to find you some venue options that meet your brief and better still it won’t cost you a penny. Why spend time trawling the web when we have a dedicated team constantly researching the best deals for you.
2. Think about the size of your event and don’t leave it too late. To get the venue you want you will need to plan early as some of the leading venues are often booked well in advance.
3. Duration of the event – How long do you actually need to achieve your business? Can you cover it in a breakfast, lunch or evening seminar? Or maybe you have speakers and delegates that need overnight accommodation in which case it’s best to choose a venue with accommodation?
4. Types of event – Conference, Team building, Themed Event or Wedding. What ambience are you trying to achieve? What do you want to use the venue for?  There are all sorts of different venues on the circuit now. You might want something a bit special or oozing elegance so a boutique hotel might fit the bill nicely. Some of you out there are a bit more traditional so a long-established hotel would be more appropriate and others are simply looking for the convenience of daytime conference space or a venue within easy access.
5. Location Location Location! Any venue you chose should be in easy reach of public transport links (particularly train or tube links) or motorway. In short you don’t want your delegates to have to trek halfway to Timbuktu, the harder it is for your delegates to travel to a location the less likely they will bother to come, sad but true. If people might be travelling buy car is there a car park near by?
6. Format – have you thought about the layout of the room? Do you prefer people to be seated in rows (theatre style) or do you want people seated around tables (cabaret style) which will almost certainly halve the number of guests you can accommodate? Do you need any break out rooms? Do you require and staging and production (this can massively effect the size of room you require), do you need any catering and where might this take place (if it is in the same room you will need to factor this into your itinerary, equally should you be using a separate area for this then you may well be charged an additional fee.
7. Ease of Access – We suggest that any venue you choose should be fully accessible to people with disabilities or at the very least thought about. Does the venue offer lifts and ramps for wheelchair users?
8. Facilities – Depending on what type of event you are looking will determine what facilities your guests might need. Almost certainly these days’ people need wi-fi/interntet access and other business services.  You might be doing a team building event or family fun day that requires outdoor space or you could be using your venue for an incentive reward trip in which case spa and health facilities are always a bonus.
9. Catering – All venues work differently. Some have onsite caterers; others don’t which would mean you would need to look for an outside caterer that can fulfil your needs. We can help with that we have awesome food – check it out!
10. Post Event – we think it’s crucial to get feedback from all our post event likewise you might wish to do the same with your delegates. If something works well for you then we’ll happily fly the flag again. If a venue hasn’t worked for you then we think it’s important to understand why and cross it off your list for next time.

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Well, we’ve been feeling it for a few months now in the office here but it’s good to have it borne out by real research. The UK meetings and events industry is showing healthy signs of improvement, with bookings up, budgets up and confidence increasing overall, according to an online survey conducted by event industry publication M&IT Magazine.

We’ve noticed a general improvement in the market, with a more confident attitude to booking with longer lead times, and a return to better budgets. Inbound MICE business has seen an improvement too, with groups from France and the Netherlands finding their way into Brighton, London and the South East. Overall, the meeting and events industry in the UK seems to be showing a cautious, but definitive improvement all round

‘Phew!’ is all I can say! It’s been a difficult 12 months or so, and whilst we can’t expect a fast rise in the economy, seeing some light at the end of the tunnel is great for those in our industry, where corporate events and the meetings industry has definitely taken a knock. And the sun’s shining. Not a bad start to the day

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