10/2018

Leaders, the premium global conference and publishing organisation in sport, has today announced it will move its flagship Summit for 2019 to Twickenham Stadium, London, Home of England Rugby.

The annual Leaders Sport Business Summit, which has been held at Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge since 2007, is relocating to accommodate the growth in numbers of attendees and partners.

The announcement was made as the 2018 Leaders’ Sports Business summit draws to a close. This year’s event saw over 100 speakers take to the stage, including Claire Cronin, Chief Marketing Officer of Virgin Atlantic, Alex Green, Amazon Prime Video’s European Managing Director, Sports and Channels, and Peter Hutton, Director, Global Live Sports of Partnerships and Programming at Facebook.

Now the focal point of Leaders Week, the Business Summit has become the industry’s must attend event, bringing together the biggest international speakers and content in sports today. The summit now attracts over 2000 sport business executives from over 50 countries around the world and the change of venue to Twickenham is needed as the event continues to grow.

“Over the last 11 years and we’ve seen the Leaders Business Summit grow from 600 attendees to now over 2000.” Said Leaders Founder and CEO, James Worrall. “The move to Twickenham is a must as we look to expand our footprint further and keep up with demand. The relocation will give us the opportunity to take the Summit to the next level and allow us to continue to attract the biggest and best names in the sport’s business, providing the essential platform to inform, inspire and bring together the wider industry.” 

“This is an outstanding event which brings together some of the biggest personalities and brands in global sport, and we’re delighted to have them here at Twickenham Stadium,” commented Nils Braude, Catering and Conference & Events Director, Twickenham Stadium. “When the event arrives, we will have launched our new East Stand facility, which will already be changing the face of sports hospitality, Leaders will be a great event to showcase a new look to the staudium.”

The team at DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Westerwood Spa & Golf Resort has celebrated joining one of Hilton’s 14 market-leading brands.

Tom Castles, North Lanarkshire’s Depute Provost, cut the ribbon to declare the hotel – formerly The Westerwood Hotel & Golf Resort – officially open under its new name.

Councillor Castles joined the hotel’s General Manager, Bill Burnett, for a tour of the hotel which has benefitted from a £1.3m refurbishment as part of its rebrand.

This included a wing of bedrooms being completely redeveloped and the creation of four new luxury suites within the hotel. In addition to this, every bedroom received a brand new luxury Hilton bed with brand new bedding and pillows. TV’s are now the latest 50’’ model from LG, and the inclusion of mini safes and refrigerators completed each bedroom. Coming shortly, Hilton’s new digital lock technology will allow guests the option of checking in and issuing their own room key via their mobile phone.

The property, which is managed by the UK’s leading hotel management company, RBH, joins 47 other hotels within the DoubleTree by Hilton portfolio in the UK.

The four-star hotel overlooking the Campsie hills is home to a stunning 18-hole golf course part-designed by the legendary Seve Ballesteros. Ideally located in rural Glasgow, the hotel is the perfect base to explore Central Scotland and a number of local attractions, including The Kelpies and The Falkirk Wheel.

The 148-guest room resort offers 10 treatment rooms in the area’s largest award-winning Spa, including superior leisure and fitness facilities. Guests also have the choice of two restaurants and bars – Flemings Restaurant & Bar, which offers a hearty breakfast and modern European cuisine for dinner, and The Grill Restaurant, which offers relaxed European cuisine for lunch and dinner.

For meetings and events, the hotel offers space for up to 400 delegates – perfect for any conference, team building weekend or special occasion.

Bill Burnett, General Manager of DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Westerwood Spa & Golf Resort, said:

We’re pleased to officially call the hotel part of the DoubleTree by Hilton family. The brand is globally-recognised, and reiterates to guests the exceptional standards of service they should expect when they visit us.

It was wonderful to welcome Councillor Castles here to officially open the hotel under its new name, and to have the opportunity to show him around the hotel and introduce the team. We look forward to welcoming guests, and offering them best possible experience.”

Councillor Tom Castles, Depute Provost at North Lanarkshire Council, said: “I’m honoured to have been invited to officially mark the unveiling of the newly-named DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Westerwood Spa & Golf Resort, and to have the chance to see the investment that has already gone into the property as a result of the rebrand.

This hotel has been part of the area for a number of years and, now that it is part of the globally-recognised Hilton brand, I am confident it will continue to attract visitors from near and far.”

DoubleTree by Hilton is part of Hilton Honors, the award-winning guest-loyalty program for Hilton's 14 distinct hotel brands. Members who book directly have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose nearly any combination of Points and money to book a stay, an exclusive member discount, free standard Wi-Fi and access to the Hilton Honors mobile app.

STUNNING new conference and events space has been unveiled at Manchester’s newest hotel, the Crowne Plaza – Oxford Road.

The seven state-of-the art meetings rooms are bathed in natural daylight, thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows and come equipped with the very latest in conference technology and high-speed Wi-Fi.

Between them they offer Manchester’s businesses 4,744 sq. ft. of floor space which can cater for more than 200 conference delegates at any one time.

And in a nod to its special location within the university district on Oxford Road, the hotel team have paid tribute to Manchester University’s most famous alumni - by naming their meeting rooms in their honour.

Those who have been name-checked include computing expert Alan Turing, Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington, the famous British astronomer, Nobel prize-winning architect Norman Foster, chemist Sir Robert Robinson and former Chief Executive of Manchester City Council Sir Howard Bernstein.

General Manager of Manchester’s only dual-branded hotel said the benefits of holding meetings and conferences at the Crowne Plaza Manchester – Oxford Road, were bolstered, not only by the Oxford Road Corridor location, but by the fact the 19-storey hotel boasts both a Crowne Plaza and Staybridge Suites hotel.

The development, known as “The Lume” is Manchester’s first ever dual-branded hotel. Andrew Fletcher explained that the Crowne Plaza boasts 212 guest rooms across the lower 12 storeys, while the extended-stay brand Staybridge Suites, offers 116 guest rooms, all with exceptional views of the city.

He said: “We are so proud of the conference and meetings space we have created and believe we have a truly unique offering for anyone holding a meeting or event in Manchester.

“With a brand-new dedicated conference floor and flexible meeting space, we’re confident our hotel will give any organisation the options they need to do business, whether they’re organising an intimate board meeting or a large-scale conference.

“With an abundance of natural daylight, the most stylish interior design and exceptional catering from The Laureate restaurant chefs we believe we have created the perfect blend to give delegates the best experience possible.

“And with two very different accommodation offerings to choose from within the one site, we know we have something very special that can cater for anyone looking for meeting or events space within Manchester.”

Keeping true to the brand’s commitment to “making every meeting matter”, everyone who books meeting space will have the on-site Crowne Plaza Meetings Director as a dedicated point of contact to oversee all their specific requirements. The hotel’s meetings team also guarantee they’ll respond to space, rate and date requests within two hours.

The two biggest event rooms – The Rothwell Suite (20m x 10m) and The Bernstein Suite (21m x 7m) – each comprise of smaller meeting spaces that can be used independently or in an enlarged format. The Rothwell Suite can cater for 230 people in a reception format or 210 theatre-style.

Guests and visitors can also take advantage of the hotel’s Business Centre, which is situated in the hotel’s conference and events lobby, and complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi.

Several local businesses and high-profile organisations have already enjoyed the space, hosting events right through from team catch-ups to full-scale conferences and award ceremonies, since the hotel opened last month.

The Greater Manchester Tourism Conference was held at Crowne Plaza Manchester - Oxford Road last week and featured speakers including Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and the CEO of Visit Britain, Sally Balcombe.

Bookings can be made directly via the hotel website: www.cpmanchesteroxfordroad.com

The Grass Roots Meetings Industry Report was judged best meetings and events supplement at the 15^th Business Travel Journalism Awards on Thursday 4^th October.

The report was produced and edited by Tom Lambregts, Marketing Manager at Grass Roots Meetings & Events; Mark Harris of the Travel Intelligence Network, and Des McLaughlin at Mac-D Consulting.

The awards are judged by a panel of industry leaders including corporate buyers, associations and venues. Announcing the win, the judges said of the Meetings Industry Report that “this is a reference tome I just keep going back to” and “a university course in meetings and events.”

Travel Intelligence Network director Mark Harris, who led the editorial team, collected the award. “I am delighted that the MIR should be recognised in this way” he said. “It was a real team effort and I would like to thank Grass Roots for recognising the value of thought leadership in this sector.”

Originally published in 2007 the Grass Roots Meetings Industry Report is a compendium of industry trends, data and venue information. The 2018 edition is the sixth.

Des Mclaughlin, the former Managing Director of Grass Roots Meetings & Events and the instigator of the first report, commented “It’s very pleasing that the report continues to be so well received and that it has been recognised by the British Travel Journalists Awards. It’s no small task bringing all the data together, but I believe it makes for some very interesting reading for those in the industry".

Tom Lambregts, Marketing Manager at Grass Roots Meetings and Events, added: “Contributors include some of the leading figures in the corporate meetings and events industry, and I would like to thank them for their valuable time and insight. To have the report acknowledged alongside such great journalists and publications makes me extremely proud. We look forward to creating more great content as part of BCD Meetings & Events.”

Copies of Grass Roots Meetings Industry Report can be ordered or downloaded at http://meetingsindustry.report.