Top 5 things to take note of right now

Don’t have time to keep up with what’s happening in the MICE world? Don’t fear, The Meetings Show has you covered. Here’s the top news from some of our exhibitors this month…

 

Center Parcs announces plans to transform Sherwood Forest venue

Center Parcs will be sharing news of a major extension to its meeting and event facilities at the Sherwood Forest site at The Meetings Show (stand B65).

The extension will also include a dramatic transformation of the interior layout, and several AV and lighting upgrades, all designed to offer a bespoke and personalised experience for each event. The additional area will include a new Chestnut Suite overlooking the lake, a new welcome and reception area, and a business centre which can be used as a base for event organisers.

The new design concept uses décor and furnishings inspired by the beautiful forest beyond the windows, making use of natural materials, textures, shapes and colours for a luxurious feel. The transformation also includes the addition of two new outdoor terraces, one overlooking the lake and one overlooking the forest, providing additional spaces for delegates to relax, network and simply enjoy the great outdoors together.

 

Bella Center Copenhagen invests in renewable energy

Bella Center Copenhagen is creating an impressive solar panel park on its roof – the size of two football fields – which will provide one third of the congress center’s annual electricity consumption by the end of 2023. The solar park will be the largest of its kind on the island of Zealand. Solar power is a renewable energy source, which captures the energy from the sun and converts it to electricity with no subsequent CO2e emissions.

The large solar panel park is part of Bellagroup’s sustainability strategy on the pathway towards becoming net zero by 2050, and in early May of 2023 the solar park project was named of Denmark’s 50 most inspiring green business initiatives by renowned industry newspaper, Børsen. Find out more at stand B40.

 

Stadium Experience welcomes eight new venues

Stadium Experience (D81) has welcomed eight new stadium venues so far in 2023.  The not-for-profit association has welcomed Bristol Rovers Football Club, Coventry City Football Club, Lancashire Cricket Club, Leicester City Football Club, Millwall Football Club, MK Dons Football Club, Stockport County Football Club and Warwickshire County Cricket Club. 

Other recent new members to join Stadium Experience have included Hampshire Cricket, Ipswich Town FC, Principality Stadium in Cardiff and Yorkshire County Cricket Club.  The latest new additions take the total Stadium Experience venues to well over 40 different clubs across the UK.

Stadium Experience is a not-for-profit marketing consortium, shares best practice and promotes stadia as unique and prestigious venues for meetings, conferences and events. 

 

Glasgow gears up for another bumper year

Following hot on the heels of Glasgow’s best year ever for hosting international conferences, 2023 promises to be just as successful, as the city prepares to welcome back almost 13,000 delegates as part of a series of conferences that are returning.

Glasgow’s conference market has bounced back, with the recently announced ICCA Statistics positioning Glasgow number one in Scotland for the number of international meetings in 2022, second in the UK after London, and 22nd in Europe, above major cities such as Geneva, Munich, Hamburg and Manchester.  

A busy period from June to October sees the city welcome back four flagship European conferences, all of whom previously held their meetings in Glasgow. These include

the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG), the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE), the SPIE Europe Space, Satellite and Sustainability Conference and the European Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC). Between them these prestigious European meetings will deliver over £23m in economic benefit to the city, demonstrating Glasgow’s position as one of the leading conference destinations in Europe.

Glasgow Convention Bureau and its partners are exhibiting on stand C61.

 

Agiito adopts sustainable event standard

As part of its ongoing commitment to making travel, meetings and events more sustainable, Agiito has adopted the ISO 2012-01 accreditation for sustainable meetings and events.

The agency has incorporated ISO 20121 into its existing Integrated Management System for 9001, 14001, 27001 and 22301. All team members are completing ‘Sustainable Events’ training, increased regulatory compliance and better risk management.

The company has also updated its marketing material to include green symbols and compliance logos recognised by customers. More importantly, it has established a culture in events by “reducing, re-using and recycling” so all event managers mitigate, ameliorate and eliminate any negative impacts from events on the environment

Visit Agiito’s Sustainability Surgeries on stand J40 at The Business Travel Show.