I’ve just returned from my summer holidays and spent a little of my break in Bordeaux (lucky me!). My first visit to the city was a great experience and with Bordeaux in the running to be European Capital of Culture 2013 , it’s easy to see why the destination stands such a great chance!

In recent years Bordeaux has undergone a vast facelift through the EU’s Urban Pilot Projects Through this the city’s quays are being entirely renovated, along with the city tramway, the conversion of the hangars, the cleaning of the facades, widespread monument lighting…and numerous other projects are taking place that all form part of the Project. This modernisation, alongside the vast history and culture of Bordeaux and it’s surrounding area, plus its excellent transport links all help to make it an fantastic option as a conference destination.

Bordeaux has a wide range of conference centres. The Bordeaux Convention Center is located ten minutes from the heart of Bordeaux, in a wooded setting on the banks of a 160 hectare lake, the Palais des Congrès de Bordeaux (Bordeaux Convention Center) is the venue for numerous congresses, symposiums, and business meetings. It has three auditoriums seating 195, 350 and 1300 people as well as a 3,000 sq. m. (32,300 sq feet) exhibition area and 10 committee rooms. This venue also houses a vast exhibition centre with the facilities and know-how to organise all types of events. It has 85,000 sq. m. (700,000 sq feet) of surface area in two buildings, as well as 150,000 sq. m. (1.615,000 sq feet) of outdoor exhibition space and conference rooms seating 50 to 10,000 people.

The Hotel Mercure Cite Mondiale Centre de Congres is in the center of Bordeaux, in the Chartrons district, the historic heart of the Bordeaux wine trade. It is set amidst one of the most beautiful ensembles of 18th century architecture in Europe. The hôtel Mercure Cité Mondiale Centre de Congrès is a multi-purpose facility that includes a convention center, an hotel, a prestige reception area and a terrace with a panoramic view. The Hotel Mercure Cité Mondiale Centre de Congrès is a great venue for congresses, exhibitions and gala events.

The Pin Galant is in Mérignac, near Bordeaux International Airport, in the heart of one of the most important concentrations of aerospace firms in Europe. The Pin Galant is the venue for congresses, conventions, and meetings of all sorts for groups of 20 to 1,380 people. The main auditorium can seat up to 1,380 while the 3 committee rooms can seat 40 people each.The Pavillon du Pin Galant is a modular space of 1,300 sq.m (140,000 sq.feet) for exhibitions, dinners and conventions

And of course Bordeaux has plenty to offer in terms of social programmes and team building. Delegates will certainly enjoy the experience of learning about Bordeaux wines in the region where they are produced. The world famous wine producing areas of Saint-Emillion , Pomerol, Médoc, Graves and Sauternes are all within easy reach of Bordeaux. And with some 10,000 chateaux ready to open their doors for a simple tour and tasting to a grand gala dinner there is an option for every conference budget!

So, if you are looking for a venue in Bordeaux (or anywhere else!) for an event, why not click here and let our specialist team of venue finders do all the hard work for you, and don’t forget - it’s a free service!

Cruising remains one of the fastest growing sectors of the Conference & Incentive market and is seen as the ultimate incentive as a reward or invitation to clients.
It is an ideal venue with so much value, flexibility and choice.
A cruise is a great way to bring colleagues closer together, while everyone can still have time to themselves.
Wake up each morning in a new destination – without the hassle!

Here are the reasons we think you should consider a cruise for your next meeting and incentive event.

Many ships can take as few as 16 guests right up to a full-ship charter. In general a full ship charter may be a more economical choice for groups between 400 – 2500.

Choose from a cruise only package or take advantage of an all inclusive deal.

Cruise only includes
Accommodation
All meals and entertainment on board
Use of public rooms and on board AV equipment for private meetings and functions
Government fees, taxes and current fuel supplements

A full package also includes
Scheduled return flights
Hotel accommodation pre- or post-cruise
All overseas transfers between airport, hotel, pier and ship

The economies are evident as many of the services that land venues charge extra for are complimentary aboard ships: meeting rooms, coffee breaks, meals, afternoon snacks, AV equipment, entertainment, theme parties, sporting events and many daytime activities, to name just a few.

There are numerous ways of personalising your event onboard a ship, here are a few ideas.

Private branded check-in and registration
Welcome message placed in each cabin from the Captain for embarkation
Personalised Daily Programme
Sailaway or Welcome Party – themed cocktail parties
Private meeting and cocktail party locations
Branded dinner menus and cocktail napkins
Ice carving of the company logo
Private shore excursions with branded coach signage
Group disembarkation
Corporate videos played over closed-circuit TV

One company that we have recently been lucky enough to work with was Norwegian Cruise Line and we had great fun trying out all the amenities onboard the beautiful Norwegian Gem, NCL’s newest cruise liner.

Click here for some wonderful pictures and further information of what’s onboard.

Why not book your next conference and event on a private charter cruise?

Other companies that offer great C&I packages are found at the following links.

Star Cruises

MSC Cruises

Carnival Cruise

The Angel Hotel is a charming old Coaching Inn built in the early 1500’s and sits proudly at the top of the town’s pedestrianised thoroughfare. The Inn has now traded for approximately 500 years.

This small hotel features a 55 seat Italian restaurant, two bars and 7 bedrooms plus parking. This hotel is truly the hub of the town, regularly visited by many locals along with travellers.

Just 8 miles away is the beautiful seaside town of Southwold which is about a 15 minute drive. Southwold also offers some interesting hotels. The Swan is a 42 bedroomed hotel specialising in fine dining using local produce and boasts two AA rosettes. Meeting and private function space is also available

The Crown has an intimate combination of small hotel, wine bar, pub and restaurant which was buzzing with atmosphere when I visited. The Crown was named ‘Wine Pub of the Year’ by the Morning Advertiser and ‘Central & East Anglia’s Best Hotel of the Year’ by Les Routiers. The hotel has 14 rooms.

If you are looking for a venue in the East Anglia area (or anywhere else!) for a conference, meeting or training event, why not click here and let our specialist team of venue finders do all the hard work for you – it’s a free service!

Saturday 19 July saw Infertility Network UK return to the New Connaught Rooms in London for National Infertility Day 2008. This event was certainly different to the traditional conferences that The Conference People are used to managing. The event was aimed at the general public who are going through the terrible ordeal of infertility so along with the usual event logistics there were some sensitive issues to be addressed. The event management team worked hard to bring together speakers, workshop presenters, exhibitors, patients and industry professionals alike.

The Conference People have booked the New Connaught Rooms for many clients through their free Venue Finding service and it was the perfect venue for the 600 attendees and numerous workshops, if a little confusing!

It was a pleasure to be involved in such a worthwhile event and The Conference People very much hope that it is the beginning of a long relationship with Infertility Network UK , ACeBabes and More to Life.

Samantha Cresswell has joined venue-finding and event support agency The Conference People as Business Development Manager.

Sam has extensive experience in the Events Industry and has previously worked at First Network, presentation and audio visual, and Ian Allan Event Management where, as Events Executive, she managed events for blue chips across all business sectors.

The Conference People offer a free Global Venue Finding Service as well as comprehensive Event Management. MD, Robert Enefer, says; “Sam’s appointment is a really exciting development for us and with her skills and experience we will continue to progress our client offering. Business is challenging but since forming the company in 1986 we have a strong reputation for delivering the highest service and ethical standards.”

Samantha says “It’s great to have this opportunity to further my career in the sales field after five years of operational experience. The Conference People offer really special People based services to the Conference and Events business and it’s an exciting time for our industry”

Once again cricket fans will be on the edge of their seats come Summer 2009 with the Ashes test hitting our shores. Lets hope it will be as exciting as it was in 2005. I will never forget my three days at Trent Bridge that summer, largely due to the fact that the Aussie team were actually staying in the same hotel as me. Standing next to Shane Warne at breakfast waiting for the baked beans is not an every day occurrence!

8th July - 12 July : Cardiff
16th July - 20th July : Lords
30th July - 3rd August : Edgbaston
7th August - 11th August : Headingley
20th August - 24th August : The Oval

The Brit Oval will of course be one of the venues hosting the Ashes.

If you would like a better chance of obtaining Ashes tickets for the Oval, why not become a county member – the cost is £150. Join before the end of August 2008 and this will enable you to priority ticket purchase before they go on sale to the general public.

Personally I’m really disappointed that Trent Bridge will not be hosting the Ashes as I consider it to be the next best ground after Lords. The decision to use Sophia Gardens Cardiff is however reliant on an ambitious development of the site which must pass local council planning. The Rose Bowl, Hants will host a one-day international.

All of these great cricket venues have extensive conference and banqueting facilities. Our venue finding team here at The Conference People know these venues really well and therefore can negotiate great rates on your behalf.

Very exciting news from The Conference People . We are delighted to announce that following on from our 4 years of succesful eBay University events, we have created our own event that can be considered the big brother of eBay University , called Small Business 2.0 , on Saturday 11th October 2008.

Here’s what its all about:

Whether you’re a sophisticated net user or a complete novice Small Business 2.0 can help you make a net gain from search engine optimisation, internet marketing, ecommerce and online payments.

Invest just one day and learn how you can unleash the power of the web.

Promote your business cost effectively using search engines, banner advertising and affiliate programmes.
Get tips and advice from expert professionals about improving your website and giving it that critical edge in the world wide web.
Understand and profit from Google, eBay and Amazon.
Employ the power of blogs in communicating your marketing message.
Learn about social networks and what these communities can do for you.
Streamline your eBay operations.
Expand into other marketplaces and even find out how you can set up your own webstore.
Small Business 2.0 is THE event for every small business that knows the future is now. Join industry experts, service providers, inspiring speakers, a whole host of exhibitors and get to grips with what the web can do for your business.

We already have some wonderful speakers and exhibitors lined up including Channel Advisor, Frooition and Tradebox .

We’re also announcing some exciting speakers in the next few days from eBay, PayPal, Google, Channel Advisor, BT Tradespace, Frooition and our Title Sponsors who we will be making public very shortly.

In addition, we are working with our old friend, doyen of eBay and online community specialist Dan Wilson. Dan is currently putting the final touches on the programme and attracting some great speakers. If you dont know him, Dan is the former Community Manager at eBay UK, he’s also the author of the best selling guide to eBay Make Money on eBay UK and jolly good conference speaker to boot, so well worth coming along to see and hear Dan.

Our Venue Finding team have found us the ideal venue for this inaugural event, the New Connaught Rooms which has been recently renovated and is looking fantastic. the New Connaught Rooms is located in between Covent Garden and Holborn in Central London, so a great venue and location. Thank you Venue Finding team!

Well worth visiting the site if you are a small business, eBay enthusiast or eBay wannabe. www.smallbusiness20.co.uk . Hope to see you at the event.