Benchmark Blog

Conference Cloud

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The conference and event industry is moving at a fast pace and the only way to keep ahead is making sure we are up with the rest of the movers and shakers.

I spent a very informative two days at the ABPCO 25th Anniversary Conference held at the Barbican last month, addressing all sorts of topics and challenges our industry id facing.  Despite the financial downturn, the conference business is alive and bouncing with ideas.  The conference attracted leading Professional Conference Organisers, both from companies like us and in-house PCOs and key venues that we all work with throughout the UK.  By pooling our ideas we find we can offer a better service to all our clients.

Benchmark strongly support the Conference Cloud campaign on behalf of all our clients.  This ABPCO-initiated campaign is to get conference venues to sign up for free WiFi to conference delegates.  This is something that, as conference organisers, we consider an essential added value item for all our clients to enable them to keep in communication with their office whilst attending a conference.

Technology is one of the major drivers in how we produce conferences, and whilst face-to-face networking is by far the best, it is not always possible.  New technology allows us to introduce Hybrid Conferences, where delegates can register to attend digitally if they are not able to attend in person.  I assure you it is not the old style video conferencing, but a far more interactive technology.  If you think this may be an option for your next conference, contact us to discuss what is involved.

Sue Reay, Director, ABPCO full member

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A Celebration of Geordie Pride….

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I am a huge fan of Burns Night.  I have been very fortunate to have been invited to a number of Burns suppers over the years, and the pomp and ceremony is right up my street.  What I especially love is how Scots have embraced Burns Night as a celebration of being Scottish – it is their night, with unashamed pride!

Why England don’t celebrate a comparable national day is both perplexing and somewhat obvious.  Since the early 1980s, being proud to be English has been hijacked by the far right wing of politics, which over time has eroded celebrating ‘Englishness’ across the board.  Royal Weddings are rightly days for Britain, and football celebrations are tarnished with hooligan connotations and the fact England haven’t really looked like winning a tournament for a generation.

That said, celebrating Englishness does exist in this green and pleasant land.  A number of St George’s Day Societies celebrate on a grand scale, and even the great Billy Bragg (well, great in my opinion) has hosted events to promote pride in a National Day of Englishness.

I therefore feel in good company to be involved in St Geordie’s Day.  At its core, St Geordie’s Day is a simple idea – it is a day for National Pride with a Regional Focus.  In the first year, it will be a luncheon of unashamed pomp, circumstance and Geordie ceremony to celebrate England and North East England.  It will feature a fantastic regional menu of local produce (including our own St Geordie’s Day Ale from Wylam Brewery).  There will be a brass band, and we will almost certainly insist you sing along to Jerusalem, Land of Hope and Glory and the Blaydon Races (we won’t even tell you off if you stand on your chair for this).

Although absolutely a bit of fun, the serious side of St Geordie’s Day is that we hope to raise lots of money for some great local charity causes.  As a company, we’ve always tried to do our bit for charity, but St Geordie’s Day is a conscious effort to significantly step this up and put our skills and resources to maximum effect.  If the first year works, and the flag-waving celebration of Geordie Englishness captures the imagination of the region, who knows where this will lead.  It’s an event for the North East community to take wherever it sees.  If that leads to Sting singing the Blaydon Races whilst standing on a table, that would be ace; but even better still, success would be seeing everyone who attends celebrate with a sense of pride.

If you’re celebrating Burns Day, or more probably Night, have a great time.  If you’re not, you really should: there is something special about pomp, ceremony and pride.

With Pride

Sam

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Christmas Wrapping – Benchmark Style

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The season of good will is well and truly upon us and Santa’s Little Helpers (AKA Benchmarkers Amy, Jen & Cat) are doing their bit of spreading joy and happiness with a bit of Christmas wrapping (not MC Hammer style) in Eldon Square.  Shoppers can have their gifts beautifully wrapped in return for a donation to the Children’s Foundation http://www.thechildrensfoundation.co.uk/contact-us/.

Though the practice of gift giving has a long Christmas history, those gifts being presented in colourful paper and tied up in curls of ribbon is a relatively new practice.  While Christmas cards began to be sent in the mid-nineteenth century, it wasn’t until many years later that dressing up presents in finery caught on.

Whether stacked under the tree or presented to a friend, creatively wrapped presents set the tone for the festive season.  Here’s Benchmark’s tips for top Christmas wrapping…

• Use damask wallpaper as an alternative to wrapping paper, giving you gift a more luxurious feel
• Create bespoke wrapping paper using festive themed rubber stamps on plain coloured paper
• Cut up last year’s Christmas cards and get glittering for a retro style gift tag
• Wrap your gifts in fabric and ribbon for an eco-friendly wrapping style
• Mix and match crepe and tissue paper with colour coordinates and doily foil for the WOW factor

Remember, anything goes as long as it’s FABULOUS!

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for 2012

Festive Love

The Benchmarkers

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Christmas Party – Top Ten Tips

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It’s that time of year again … bells jingling, trees twinkling, cars freezing… and it’s nearly time for that all-important night out, The Work Christmas Party.

The Work Christmas Party (or WCP if you wish) can be fraught with danger.  So we thought we’d put together a few helpful hints and tips for a successful WCP where no one cries, gets fired or throws up in the recycling bin.

• Better start with the nitty gritty: BUDGET.  Set your costs early, and use all your contacts to get the best deal.  Don’t be afraid to negotiate.  As they say in these parts, shy bairns get nowt.
• LOCATION.  Venue is key.  If you’re a jeans and t-shirt company, don’t organise a seven course, champagne tasting, suited and booted event.  Look around the office.  What would your staff enjoy?  Which leads us nicely on to…
• Don’t organise the do YOU want.  It’s a great time of year for team bonding so make sure everyone can get involved.
• Don’t ask too much of people.  Christmas is a busy time of year and don’t forget this.  The less preparation required of staff, the better.
• It’s not just about DRINKS.  Yes, yes, food and drink is important, but it’s not the be-all and end-all.  Some people might (shock horror) not drink.  Organise activities that are drink-free: a quiz, picking music or a team activity, and you’re sure to get maximum staff enjoyment.
• Know your LIMITS.  Set ground rules out early.  If it’s one drink in the office, make sure this is adhered to.  No one wants to see your Finance Manager slumped in the corner at 16:30.
• RECYCLE.  You don’t need to spend a fortune on decorations.  Make biscuits for the tree and cut paper chains out of your old appraisals.
• DELEGATE.  Give people jobs to make sure everyone feels equal and valued.  Just don’t forget to check they’re on the case.  You can’t have a WCP without a venue…
• INVITES.  Points 1-8 are sorted?  Then you’re ready to send out your invites.  Keep it simple – time, date, location and importantly, dress-code.
• It’ll be all right on the night.  Remember it’s a WORK Christmas Party.  It’s probably not the best idea to insult the boss… a faux pas at the WCP could mean a LONG lie in on Monday.  Legally, you’re still on work hours and it might be prudent to remember this if your tongue tends to loosen after a couple of mince pies.

Get all of Benchmark’s ten WCP survival tips right, and you’re sure to have a stupendous bash.  It’s an important time of year to let your staff know that they are valued.  Money might be tight and business slow, but even a group trip to the local pub can cheer staff spirits.  Have fun!

With Christmas Love

The Benchmarkers

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