Velvet Software

International Confex 2009

Award winning clients were order of the day at Confex 2009! Destination users of Velvet's Chaser BUREAU and ConferenceBOOKINGS systems were amongst those leading the judges' final choices for their exhibition presence at the show and their service offering throughout the year.

Our congratulations go to Sarah Bird and her team of Telford and Shropshire Conferences for "Best Stand" at this year's exhibition, and to Yorkshire South's impressive purpose-built display. In particular, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau's Scott Taylor and Molly Doheny were awarded best UK convention bureau for a second year running. Glasgow use Velvet's on-line accommodation booking system ConferenceBookings.co.uk to manage allocations for well over £1M of bookings each year.

Velvet Software's Chris Gibbs, Simon Hawkins and Tim Clark were all present at the exhibition and were kept busy throughout the duration. "It's my third Confex now", said Chris, "it's great now that I know all of the clients having worked with them remotely and a few on-site also!". Pictured on the Nottingham Convention Bureau stand, Tim said, "It's only an hour from our offices to Earls Court, so it's the ideal meeting point for us to catch up with clients, udpate them on our development work and obtain valuable feedback on the current systems and services we offer in addition to discussing new opportunities with them".

This year's exhibition felt busier than last, "I was surprised - and pleased - at the volume of visitors and, speaking with destinations, the volume of quality leads they all reported", said Velvet's Simon Hawkins. "Many of the stands were really innovative whilst offering an open forum to speak with visitors and promote destinations", Simon added.

Some destinations who hadn't been to Confex for a couple of years decided to exhibit, alongside the "regulars" many of whom use the event as their main marketing push for the year.

Not content with representation from the Conference desk, Chester grabbed visitors' attention with a couple of their stand sharing partners!

Kent Conference Bureau's Dawn Bowen was proud of her new marketing, brochure and web site, implemented to match new design them using Velvet's Chaser WEB module. Once back in the office, leads taken from the exhibition or via the Chaser WEB module are automatically de-duplicated and imported into the enquiry-handling CRM system Chaser BUREAU for processing.

We hope that all of the desintations present convert the excellent leads that they obtained and that levels of business are maintained throughout the forthcoming year.

National Conference Statistics 2008 published to UK Destiantions

Velvet Software published it's 2008 annual National Conference Statistics report to UK Conference Destinations today.

Rather than relying on sample surveys, as is the case with many quoted industry statistics, the report compiled by Velvet Software is based on actual enquiry data that is submitted by destinations via Velvet's Chaser BUREAU enquiry handling system. Data is submitted anonymously (no client or specific event details are collected) however enquiry values, lead times, sector and business type are collated and the figures aggregated by region.

The report is based on data submitted at the end of 2008 and details enquiries up to the end of October 2008. Interestingly, to the end of October 2008 there appears to be no let up in enquiry volume or conversion rates. Feedback from destinations at the start of 2009 reported no immediate let up in enquiry levels. Velvet will compile an updated report detailing figures to the end of 2008 following submission of updated data from destinations in Q1 2009.

The report is supplied free of charge to all destinations who submit their data. Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of the report should contact Velvet directly by clicking here

Llandudno Conference Solutions team use ConferenceBOOKINGS.co.uk

Following a meeting with Velvet's Tim Clark at the Event UK show in September 2008, Adrian La Trobe evaluated ConferenceBookings.co.uk with his members and was delighted to confirm, just before Christmas that they wanted to proceed.

Adrian is the Conference & Events manager at Llandudno's Venue Cymru - an impressive theatre, conference centre and arena. In addition to his role at Venue Cymru, Adrian is also Partnership Manager at Llandudno Conference Solutions (LCS).

On 6th January, Chris Gibbs left the snow covered fields of the South Cotswolds behind her and headed for the breath taking views a cross the crescent promenade of Llandudno to train the team at LCS.

Based at Venue Cymru, the destination's main conference venue, LCS is a partnership organisation consisting of Venue Cymru, Conwy County Borough Council and a selection of hotels and guest houses, in Llandudno and the surrounding area.

Chris trained 5 members of the team over two days on all aspects of the ConferenceBookings system, leaving them at the end of the second day with 9 events loaded into the system. “Chris made taking it all in so easy and enjoyable” commented Adrian. “Talking with the team after the training everyone seemed fired up to carry on and get our events live.”

LCS will be inviting their accommodation providers into Venue Cymru at the end of January to train them on how to use the provider login to the system to add, modify and manage their allocations and bookings.

 “I really enjoyed training the LCS team, they were very welcoming and friendly,” Chris said on returning to the office. “Using the Business Centre at Venue Cymru for the training was a huge benefit. Having the use of four computers ensured everyone had time to practice, as well as loading their hotels and events”.

Chris is looking forward to catching up with Adrian at the MIA Conference in London at the end of this month to find out how they are getting on.

ChUG 2008 - The Best Yet! Annual Chaser User Group meeting success

Winter frost and warm food – all great ingredients for the 2008 Christmas Chaser User Group (ChUG) meeting! The Royal College of Physicians provided the perfect venue for this year's event – easily accessible with an excellent meeting room and superb food at lunchtime.

ChUG 2008 is possibly the most important user group meeting to date. A day packed with information about all three of Velvet's products; ConferenceBookings.co.uk, Reg.istrations.com and Chaser BUREAU, the main highlight and focus of the day was a preview of the new ChaserBureau.com system.

Chaser BUREAU originated in Conference Bristol (now Visit Bristol) in 1998. Ten years on, over fifty UK destinations have purchased the system. Velvet, working with Conference Leeds, are implementing a brand new version of Chaser as a web-based solution using the latest web 2.0 technology. Set to revolutionise the way in which destinations work with local providers, the system will enable quicker responses to enquiries, less data entry and professional on-line proposals for event clients.

Velvet's Tim Clark presented the new Chaser BUREAU system in the first afternoon session. The enthusiasm of the presentation was clearly shared by many of the delegates asking, “When can we have it!” and “wow - will it make the tea?!”. Tim talked through the work-flow of the new enquiry process, the method for adding new providers and the way in which the new actions list may be used to manage enquiry actions as well as general “to-dos” and appointments.

Velvet have always listened to their clients; throughout the year suggestions made by users are logged and evaluated for inclusion in forthcoming system releases. At ChUG, users have the opportunity to “Brainstrom” in groups. This is a great opportunity to generate new ideas for each system and also to share industry knowledge and experience with other destination colleagues.

Velvet's Simon Hawkins and Chris Gibbs helped facilitate the group brainstorming sessions. Simon presented the Google Analytics modules available for both ConferenceBOOKINGS and Reg.istrations.com – an invaluable tool to measure visitors, site referrals and booking value.

Velvet's annual National Conference Statistics were launched at ChUG this year. Simon presented the latest figures from destinations who have submitted anonymous data throughout the year. Possibly the only true and accurate measure of industry performance by destinations, the report is compiled from destinations' Chaser systems and is based on actual enquiry and conversion figures. Despite the “Credit Crunch”, figures to the year end 2008 are looking positive. A full copy of the report is sent to all destinations who have submitted their data.

Velvet would like to thank all of you who braved the cold for your very positive feedback and kind comments. Mostly, we'd like to thank you for attending the event and continuing to provide the invaluable feedback that have made our products a success and continue to be the preferred choice for Business Tourism professionals. Here's to ChUG 2009!

"Where Time Begins" Velvet welcome Greenwich as the latest ConferenceBOOKINGS system user

A World Heritage Site, Velvet are delighted to welcome Greenwich Tourism Information Centre as the latest users of their dedicated on-line accommodation booking system ConferenceBookings.co.uk.

Mary Fairburn and her dedicated team received training at the start of December at Greenwich's new Novotel Hotel. An excellent facility located directly next to Greenwhich train and DLR stations, five system users were trained on the operation of the system as event coordinators. Opting for the ConferenceBookings? Image Gallery, the new Google Analytics system and on-line payments, Mary is determined to offer the best service to their event clients.

At the end of the second day's training, the team had loaded the allocation and set up a full delegate booking site for their forthcoming high profile “Cumulus” Conference to be held at The 02 arena.

Within minutes of the event going live, Mary received a telephone call from the event organiser who was absolutely delighted with the event booking site, “It's so much more professional than anything we've had before!”. ConferenceBOOKINGS sends an email to event organsiers as soon as the event is at the live “Booking” status – as the team worked on the event, the organiser was able to view the product of their work; a fully branded booking site with scrolling images of The 02 arena, hotel image galleries and Greenwich itself.

Velvet's Tim Clark spent two days on site with the team, “I had a great time in Greenwich – the team were very friendly and picked up the concepts really quickly” said Tim. “Where time begins” and, where conferences start! We look forward to working with Mary and her truly enthusiastic team on their conferences, events and assisting with allocations for the forthcoming Olympics.

Roll out the red carpet!

Dressed to impress the Velvet team looked the part on the red carpet at the exclusive NSPCC premiere screening of the new James Bond film Quantum of Solace in Swindon.

The evening was organised by the Swindon and North Wiltshire branch of the NSPCC to help reach their target of £110,000 during its 110th anniversary and made over £3000.00 through ticket sales and raffle tickets.

The Empire Cinema in Swindon worked with the NSPCC to ensure the event was a sell out, Other audience members included the patron of the Swindon and North Wiltshire NSPCC branch, TV's Johnny Ball and players from Swindon Town Football Club. "We just couldn't resist attending the premiere,” explained Chris Gibbs, "It was the prefect excuse to get dressed up for a night out and support our local branch of the NSPCC."

Dundee & Angus Convention Bureau Team train on reg.istrations.com

Karen Tocher, Business Tourism Manager, of Dundee and Angus Convention Bureau was instrumental in the specification and development of Velvet Software's on-line delegate registration system, http://reg.istrations.com in 2007. Live in January 2008, Laura McGlashan at the Bureau has been using the system since it's launch. "It was great to visit the team again and to see how Laura's been using the system and to train the rest of the team", said Velvet's Tim Clark.

Pictured (from left to right): Karen Tocher, Tracy Duncan, Lorna Reid & Laura McGlashan

Following their success with an initial event through the system Karen wanted the whole team trained so that they are able to effectively promote and support their new on-line delegate registration system in addition to the existing accommodation booking and enquiry handling services that they currently offer.

Using reg.istration.com's integrated dashboard view, it's easy to get a graphical view of booking over a period of time automatically broken down by delegate type, package and revenue. Laura has already loaded a major European conference for 2009 that will be accepting registrations shortly - by the end of the training all four team members were not only able to manage bookings, but also create and configure complex multi-day events for themselves.

Dundee and Angus Convention Bureau have a well-established ambassador programme in addition to which they have strong links with the University of Dundee working with them on both academic events and external events hosted at the University.

Dundee's Tourist Information Centre and leisure tourism bas it at Discovery Point, home to the RSS Discovery. Pictured, Discovery has been restored and is key attraction in the City for visitors and local residents alike. "It's amazing, impressive and quite admirable to think that Captain Scott and his crew navigated to Antarctica and back in this very ship!", commented Velvet's Tim Clark. RSS Discovery may be hired as a venue for corporate events and private dinners in addition to serving as one of Dundee's major attractions.

We look forward to supporting the whole team in addition to the other destination clients who have adopted reg.istrations.com throughout the year in offering a professional, complete conference service to national and international event clients.

Velvet @ Event UK 2008

Great anticipation awaited the new two day Event UK show at Birmingham's NEC on Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 September. A new format, new layout and new approach were very much evident at this year's event attended by Velvet's Chris Gibbs and Tim Clark.

Key Velvet clients Conference Leeds and HEY (Hull & East Yorkshire) held prominence of position with their stands at the main entrance to welcome visitors as they arrived. Yorkshire Tourist Board's (YTB) Nick Bond coordinated the Yorkshire show area grouping each of the region's destinations into one key area of the exhibition space. For the first time, YTB had their own stand space in amongst the exhibiting destinations.

"Event UK is a great opportunity for us to meet with existing clients and also to pre-arrange appointments with new clients" commented Velvet's Tim Clark. "The NEC is just over an hour from our offices in Swindon and is ideal for use to meet with almost half of our clients over the two day exhibition.".

BICB, Bournemouth's International Conference Bureau team member Suzy Wheeler used their award winning stand design to attract visitors. The innovative surf board themed stand won the "best at show" award at Confex earlier in the year. Maximising stand space and providing a welcoming open meeting area worked well again for Suzy and her team on the stand. "I love the design and the layout - simple, clean and clever", said Velvet's Chris Gibbs. Chris attended the show on Tuesday to meet with Worcester's Emma Robinson and Nottingham's Andy Melton. Chris was giving Emma some face-to-face support and help with Chaser BUREAU whilst her discussions with Andy were focused around Velvet's new on-line registration system reg.istrations.com and their web based accommodation booking system ConferenceBookings.co.uk.

ALARM choose Reg.istrations.com

ALARM, the National Risk Management Forum, evaluated a number of different registration systems before choosing Velvet's latest product - reg.istrations.com - the powerful, logical yet simple to use web based delegate registration system.

ALARM's Keith Southwell and Julie Gray received training on the system following which they had two events live and ready for booking. Keith had evaluated a number of established registration systems before viewing a remote demonstration of Velvet's new reg.istrations.com following a link from  their on-line accommodation booking system www.conferencebookings.co.uk.

Easy to use, flexible and yet offering powerful reporting, Velvet Software's Tim Clark was able to demonstrate the system's ability to adapt and provide all of the complex booking features required of ALARM's monthly and annual conferences. Multiple streams, delegate types and pricing are no problem, explained Tim, "Reg.istrations.com is great - even with complex event the system has been designed to be as flexible as possible allowing users to create instant registration web sites for delegates offering multiple choices linked to one or more itinerary items behind the scenes. It does away with all of the paperwork, first / second / third choices and the hassle of amending bookings when an event fills up".

"It's the first computer training I've actually enjoyed!", commented ALARM's Julie Gray. "There's nothing we've come up with that it can't do!".

HEY - they also have reg.istrations.com

HEY - Hull & East Yorkshire Conferences now have Velvet's new on-line delegate registration system reg.istrations.com in addition to ConferenceBookings.co.uk, Velvet's allocation-driven on-line accommodation booking system.

HEY's Claire Hill and Liz Neal are long-time users of Velvet's original and industry leading conference enquiry handling system, Chaser BUREAU. Clients since 2002, the team originally consisted of just Liz and Claire. Today they are joined by Elaine Larney and Nicki Capes - all of whom use each of Velvet's three business tourism systems to manage enquiries, on-line accommodation booking and delegate registrations.

Earlier in 2008 Hull Conferences, based at the city's main council offices, became HEY Conferences, encompassing Hull and the surrounding East Yorkshire district. Based at impressive new offices opposite Hull's well know attraction, "The Deep" their offices and meeting room look out over the Humber Estuary towards the North Sea.