HIC Talk

We recently featured in Conference News, discussing the issue of Towns and Cities.  Just in case you missed it we thought we would include some of the comment here.

When run professionally and creatively, conferences and events are an experience to be remembered for years to come.  Where brands are involved they are the live physical embodiment of everything the company means and wishes to express.  Consequently they are about far more than just a meeting room, conference hall or event space.

For most attendees and delegates an event begins when the invitation arrives on their desk and plans are set in motion – from this point onwards the organisers brand is under scrutiny and each element of the event will be reflected upon, critiqued and considered.  And perhaps more than anything else (even content in many cases) the location will impact their overall opinion of the event and be their longest lasting impression.  It should be made clear from the outset that we are not talking about venues here, we are talking about destination.

Why should destination be so important and what are the options we should consider above all others?  It comes down to human psychology and the fact that ultimately our negative opinions outweigh the positive.  Even at a family level, when asked how much we enjoyed our most recent week in the sun, we (particularly the British) respond with – “the delay at the airport was three hours”.

Amazing isn’t it – a week long holiday and we worry about an extra 1.7% in an airport.  Events are no different; the delegates will consider the whole experience, including travel plans, shopping, local people, atmosphere and occasionally even the content!

Cynics might suggest this is just guesswork, but research time and again proves the point – destination choice matters.  Take our own recent research as an example – of the clients interviewed destination was given an importance rating of 9.125 out of 10.  Destination types differ greatly in my opinion but it comes down to a distinct choice for me, country v urban – or as others would describe it – Towns v Cities.  We are not trying to be divisive or hold one above the other but it is vital to consider the gulf that lies between these two different worlds when deciding where to hold an event.

HIC welcome today’s announcement from East Coast that they will operate a new evening direct service between London Kings Cross and Harrogate daily. The service comes following a long campaign from Harrogate’s business community, including Harrogate International Centre. This new service will complement the current train schedule in place which has in excess of 100 trains to and from Kings Cross each day via Leeds or York. Alison Griffin of HIC comments: ‘We already have great transport links with the A1M on our doorstep and an International airport only 12 miles away. This addition will further bolster our train connectivity too, which is always good news for our visitors. Conferences & exhibitions at HIC attract in excess of 200,000 business visitors per annum and 78% of these visitors come from outside of the region.”

If you would like to find out more about getting to Harrogate please click here.

Alison Griffin, Head of Sales and Marketing at Harrogate International Centre recently wrote an article for Stand Out Magazine – extracts from which are detailed below…

Events move and there really is not much we can do about it… or can we?  Destinations and venues frequently face both the fear and excitement of an event move.  The fear comes from the fact that a “regular” is considering somewhere else, whilst the excitement revolves around the possibility of a new event.  The big questions of course are why the event is moving in the first place and what can be done to secure the business.

It is important to recognise the fact that different events move for different reasons. Regular (annual / biennial etc) conferences tend to be more flexible and often work on a rotational system, revisiting the same venue for several years or in a fixed pattern – sometimes because “it is the way they have always done it”, other times because of delegate locations or particular messages to be delivered at particular times.  Exhibitions on the other hand tend to stick to one location for longer periods of time and move for “a change” or because the organisers believe a different location will drive up visitor numbers.

However, don’t be fooled into believing that it is the organiser’s decision.  More often than not the need for a move comes from a far less controllable and harder to influence group – the audience and delegates.  If they are unhappy, they will make their problems known to the organisers and change starts to take place.  With this in mind, destinations and venues need to focus on several key areas to excite and engage the audience… More to follow!