Dial Events

What’s new in meetings?

Bored of biscuits, beige and business paradigms in your meeting? Well, DialExpotel can’t help with the corporate jargon, but it can tell you about the exciting meeting trends for 2010!

Bend me, shape me

Flexibility is truly the watchword for meetings in 2010. “From being able to adapt the size and shape of the room, like you will in the landmark Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel – which will offer a whopping 35 fully-flexible meeting rooms when it opens in February – to having an almost limitless choice of meeting room style, as you do at Principal Hayley’s dedicated meeting venue, the 30-room Grand Connaught Rooms, it’s all about giving bookers the flexibility they need,”

“From being able to adapt the size and shape of the room to having an almost limitless choice of meeting room style, it’s all about giving bookers the flexibility they need in 2010."

Small change

In 2010 meetings are set to be shorter, smaller and more intense, as procurement managers keep eagle eye firmly on costs. “We have seen an increase in bookings for smaller meeting and training rooms,” explains Michelle Wells, GM of London’s Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes. “Often clients are requesting space in our executive lounge, rather than booking a private meeting room.”

Going public

Following on from a trend identified by IHG for pop-up hotels at the likes of festivals, big sport matches and outdoor events, the group also predicts ad-hoc meeting spaces appearing wherever there is a demand.

“There is an opportunity for hotels to open up their public spaces to be used as community meeting pints,” says Nick Rich, InterContinental Hotel Group’s director of consumer insights for EMEA. “In the 18th century, inns were the heart of the local community, a place where people could meet, share news and do business. Today’s hotels could do well to offer their space for this type of use. It enabling brands to take the hotel to the guest.”

Useful unique

Best Western says that faceless meeting rooms and bland conference facilities will become a thing of the past in 2010 – and it should know, representing 280 privately owned hotels in the UK, it is the largest independent hotel group in the country. The focus is now on venues that offer something different to bookers.

Expotel’s new iniative – The Expotel Collection launched in time for 2010 – backs up this trend. The collection, made up of a selection of handpicked independent hotels and venues, give those booking through Expotel even more choice if they’re looking for a venue that’s independent or unique.

Are you getting fresh?

Out with the stodge and in with something light and freshly prepared is another key meeting trend, according to Macdonald Hotels and Resorts, which will be refreshing its Meeting@ menu this year. Crowne Plaza is getting in on the act too, introducing a low-glycaemic-index menu for meetings to avoid that mid-afternoon slump.

Rest assured, though,it’s not all healthy eating – on a par with luxury snacking (literally) – hotel groups still know the value of a treat. In Principal Hayley’s delegate package you can choose to include bacon rolls on arrival or hot chocolate with marshmallows during breaks – a perfect pick-me-up.

But, for something stronger, it’s worth picking a package that provides a one-hour complimentary bar at the end of the day, recommends Red Carnation Hotels’ MD Jonathan Raggett. It functions either as a well-earned reward for delegates or a good way to secure that new business – sounds like a successful meeting to us!

This feature was written by DialExpotel for Expotel, the UK’s leading hotel, travel and venue booking agency. To find out more about Expotel or any of the hotel groups mentioned, call 0844 793 7300.

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