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

Last week in Meetpie News a study by the World’s Leading Conference Organisers (WLCO) found that associations and non-profit organisations such as the charity sector are increasingly wanting more support from their PCOs and conference organisers. They want a conference organiser that can roll up its sleeves and get properly involved.

We love this – it’s how we like to work. We’re PCO for a large non-profit conference coming to Brighton September 2011 and it’s been exciting to be involved at some of the key decision making points and strategic meetings. As conference organisers it helps us to build a close working relationship with our client, but also gives them real confidence in terms of their event content and the support we can offer.

The development of our online registration and conference IT development services mean that we can create bespoke online registration and submissions sites which give associations and conference groups a vital event portal, not only for communicating efficiently with their existing members, but by helping to increase that membership and promoting the client.

Conferencing methods are really changing, and we’re working well to stay ahead of the game. Contact us to see how we can help with your conference or event? If you’re looking for a PCO that can add significantly to your conference or event, or assist with advice on improving ROI, we could be exactly what you’re looking for

Accommodation

Brighton and the South East area has an excellent range of hotels, including big names such as Hilton or Holiday Inn through to independent boutique venues and beautiful country house hotels. Excellent sea views are available and styles range from ultra modern to classical and traditional. We offer a free venue search service for all your events and can negotiate excellent rates on your behalf

Activities

From team building events to historical tours we have exciting choices for your event activities. The sea, beaches and breathtaking countryside offer fantastic opportunity during the summer months, and during the winter we have exciting indoor activities.

Gala dinners

Brighton and the nearby areas offer a breathtaking range of venues for gala dinners. Ranging from ancient castles to inflatable venues, there is an option for every group, whatever the sizes. Menus and entertainment are diverse and exciting, and themes and entertainment one of our specialities

Full itinerary

Acting as PCO for the destination, DMC Brighton is accustomed to all ground handling procedures, including inbound and return transportation, leisure itineraries, interpreters and specialist requirements for groups of every size

FAM trips

We arrange regular familiarisation trips to the city. If you would like to be included in our next fam trip to see the city and the area for yourself, please email us by return and we will extend you an invitation to our next trip!

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…

Some companies recruit individuals into conference departments especially to work on conferences whilst other blue chips might hold 1 – 5 conferences a year and cannot justify any permanent staff yet still require the skills and expertise of individuals like us to help them manage such events.

So how can we assist with the successful organisation of your next event?

Venue Selection – venue sourcing booking and liaison, reservations and management of delegate accommodation.

Programme Planning – to include any speaker selection and briefing

Administration – provision of an administrative secretariat, delegate registration, delegate logistics and travel arrangements

Event marketing – Design of promotional materials PR and media co-ordination.

AV requirements – we can offer advice and co-ordination on set design and all production related topics. Can also provide multilingual interpretation and translation services

Site Visits and Social programmes -  as a registered DMC (Destination Management Company) for many UK cities we can assist with both delegate and partner tours

Exhibition Organisation – to include both marketing and sales

Security – Health and safety, risk management, security and insurance issues

Finance – VAT issues, Preparing Budgets, managing events income and expenditure, exhibitions, satellite meetings and any income generated through sponsorship opportunities.

Contracts – preparation of contracts with venues and other suppliers.

Time Management – provision of timelines for such events.

So if you are the person responsible for pulling together the next International Congress, Annual Conference or Association Meeting then it might well be worth getting in touch, we can deal with all or parts of the points outlined above and really do know what we’re talking about! We are only a phone call away and more to the point we could save you a whole lot of time and money…

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.

You don’t need a huge budget to deliver your message, let us help you communicate in style. Go on, call us and make the most of our services – it needn’t cost you a penny!

FREE venue finding service

REDUCED Daily Delegate Rates

INNOVATIVE Solutions

NEW Ideas

CHEAP and Cheerful Ice Breakers

SLASHED Accommodation Rates

We’re amazed at the offers available to us at the moment and we’re keen to pass them on to you, as some of our venues are offering as much as a crazy delegate rates. Bedroom and meeting space upgrades are negotiable as are all event and conference booking rates – and we’ve become experts at seeking out the best deal.

Couple with the fact that this is still a great time to come to the UK from overseas for events. We recommend you take advantage of the exchange rate whilst you can…

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

So, despite the recession we are thrilled to see that there are a number of companies out there that still understand the importance of developing their staff and keeping the morale up. Conference bookings and events generally are up, and that can only be a good thing.
We see the events industry as a kind of economic barometer – let’s face it, when things are bad, the first budget to be slashed is the ‘fun’ coffers. And we lost a number of events last year, often not even because clients couldn’t afford the event, but because they couldn’t be seen to be spending the money. Not when redundancies are rife and morale low. But the upturn in our sector can only be a positive thing, and we’re feeling definitely much more optimistic. Helps that the sun’s been shining too!

As with every new year start there is always an element of nail biting and pockets of people hooking up to give their ‘humble’ opinion on what the year ahead will bring – or not (and this year has to be the worst for a long time!). So you can imagine our glee when we received a conference update that read that Brighton has already secured 20 major conferences for 2010. From the British Orthodontic Society (1500 delegates) to the New frontiers (2000 delegates), The Association of Librarians to The Chartered Institute of Public Relations – it’s all going on down here. Fantastic work Brighton!

Whilst it is of course without hesitation that we recommend our destination and all there is on offer for conferences, particularly associations, we put our money where our mouth is last month and exhibited at CONFEX 2010 this year with VisitBrighton and a number of our venue partners, showcasing our creative team building options, conference itinerary service, meeting planning opportunity and entertainment solutions. Pleased to report that the show was well attended, particularly on Day 2, again indicating a rise in confidence that certainly brings a smile of relief to the faces in our office.

Anyone interested in keeping up with DMC Brighton and Pretty Clever Events can become our ‘fan’ on facebook – click here. It’s a good way to catch pictures of our events (including the stand at CONFEX) and day to day news in the office. We’re a fascinating and hardworking lot, you’d be amazed what we get up to! ]]> http://www.dmcbrighton.co.uk/blog/2010/03/conference-news/feed/ 0 http://www.dmcbrighton.co.uk/blog/2010/02/new-year-new-you/ http://www.dmcbrighton.co.uk/blog/2010/02/new-year-new-you/#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:19:24 +0000 Sam Harrington-Lowe http://www.dmcbrighton.co.uk/blog/2010/02/new-year-new-you/ Now we’re one week into January and, I’m assuming, most of us are back at work now, I was wondering how you are all getting on with your New Year resolutions. Did you even make any and if you did have you managed to stick to them or have you already failed dismally?

I aim to start as I mean to go on and thought I would share a couple of our resolutions with you as they tie in very neatly with some great events we have developed ready for 2010.

· Think about the environment – we think the way forward is all about cutting carbon emissions, reducing the amount of miles travelled for delegates, recycling points and recycled products. Every little helps!

· Give a little back – We are really excited with the new CSR events that we have been developing. There are so many communities out there that need our help and here at Pretty Clever we have the ability to make it all happen. It really is a fabulous opportunity to team build, can be creative and is a fun day out of the office, it doesn’t break the bank AND gives something back to the community.

· Make more time – by investing in others you will raise morale and boost productivity. The same goes for building real relationships and rekindling those that have been in the background. It’s all about the people.

· Don’t spend unnecessarily – but what about the January sales?!!! Lets keep it real, I mean there can’t be that many people out there that hate shopping…can there?! (my business partner assures me there is). Me, I just love the sales and I love a bargain so with that in mind I’ve been working out ways of how we can extend this to our clients. We’ve got some great sales of our own going on, reductions on team building events, FREE venue finding and if that’s not enough what about our Open House Dining = little money, lovely locations and lots of fun. What’s more it will guarantee you a slap up dinner at a fraction of the cost AND you get to make new friends.

And you say you never find anything good in the sales…c all us and grab yourself a bargain!