(COVID-19) Coronavirus 19

This event has taken us all by surprise, and our thoughts go out to all those that have lost loved ones, and to those that have been infected, and affected by this disease. We wish all the survivors well and a very quick recovery.

In 32 years of doing business, we have been through some global events that have rocked the world and taken everyone by surprise. This is different, as it has a broad spread, and like a ghost, it hangs around, ready to rest on and infect anyone, vulnerable or not, that it comes across.

We’ve adhered to Government and National Health Service (NHS) recommendations, respecting their professional advice, to de-spread, and take personal hygiene seriously.

We have received many emails from both large and small hospitality organizations laying out their terms of business in these pressing times with many events being canceled or postponed. It is with great relief that we have seen the general trend to be that of understanding, and considerable relaxation in the terms and conditions with regards to deposits and cancellations, offering shorter lead times for both. We have called this period a blip with a bump and this suspension thrown in has helped to smooth out the ride.

We say, please “stay positive”, as worrying will do nothing, and speaking to no one will lead to possible depression and anxiety over issues that have not been caused by you, and that cannot be controlled by you alone. We believe in the medical experts that can solve this problem. They are paramount to our healthy well-being and a bright future. In two months we have seen green shoots of recovery in certain parts of the world, so always carry on planning ahead, as with all surprises, they come to end, and when the beginning of the new starts, great new fresh pastures will also grow.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new virus illness, that can affect your lungs and airways.

If you think you might have coronavirus

• follow the latest (NHS) advice. The symptoms of coronavirus are:-
• a cough, high temperature, and shortness of breath

NHS 111 has an online coronavirus service that can tell you if you need medical help, with helpful advice as to what to do: https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19

If there’s a chance you have coronavirus, you will be asked to stay away from other people (self-isolate). and will not be able to attend any events. Stay true to yourself if asked whether you have been in contact with anyone else who has contracted the disease. Check your temperature on a regular basis if you notice any signs of abnormality and take the appropriate advice on offer.

Thank our cotton socks, this is not a war. Across all borders, we are in this together, and we will come out of it even stronger, working cooperatively and as one. I am confident this is a very solvable blip, and from it, we will learn some very valuable lessons, to help us all for a brighter future.

Tim

In 31 years GSC has booked groups* in over 100 city destinations in 42 countries

• 1     Moscow
• 2     St Petersburg
• 3     Copenhagen
• 4     Stockholm
• 5     Paris
• 6     Amsterdam
• 7     Rome
• 8     Barcelona
• 9     Madrid
• 10   Algarve
• 11   Miami
• 12   Kuala Lumpa
• 13   Tokyo
• 14   Busan
• 15   Seoul
• 16   Dubai
• 17   Abu Dhabi
• 18   Munich
• 19   Frankfurt
• 20   London
• 21   Edinburgh
• 22   Dublin
• 23   Seville
• 24   Milan
• 25   Geneva
• 26   Nice
• 27   Monte Carlo
• 28   Harare
• 29   Victoria Falls
• 30   Quebec
• 31   Hong Kong
• 32   Istanbul
• 33   Limassol
• 34   Valetta
• 35   Naples
• 36   Malaga
• 37   Porto
• 38   Lisbon
• 39   Cascais
• 40   Marrakech
• 41   Athens
• 42   Prague
• 43   Budapest
• 44   Vienna
• 45   Brussels
• 46   Brugge
• 47   Lyon
• 48   Hamburg
• 49   Cardiff
• 50   Birmingham
• 51   London
• 52   Brighton
• 53   Bristol
• 54   Bath
• 55   Cambridge
• 56   Oxford
• 57   Exeter
• 58   Reading
• 59   Chantilly
• 60   Strasbourg
• 61   Santiago
• 62   Cape Town
• 63   Cong County Mayo
• 64   Berlin
• 65   Warsaw
• 66   Bucharest
• 67   Lima
• 68   Vancouver
• 69   Seattle
• 70   Newcastle
• 71   Liverpool
• 72   Manchester
• 73   Oslo
• 74   Glasgow
• 75   Norwich
• 76   Plymouth
• 77   Antwerp
• 78   The Hague
• 79   St Andrews
• 80   Noordwijk
• 81   Chartres
• 82   Montreux
• 83   Wengen
• 84   Lake Maggiore
• 85   Southampton
• 86   Leeds
• 87   York
• 88   Paphos
• 89   Sitges
• 90   Pissouri Bay
• 91   Venice
• 92   Versailles
• 93   Magne Le Hongre (Disneyland)
• 94   Faro
• 95   Marbella
• 96   Torquay
• 97   Swindon
• 98   Bambang (Santa Cruz River)
• 99   Truro
• 100 Coventry

And more

Countries

1. Zimbabwe
2. Botswana
3. South Africa
4. Namibia
5. Morocco
6. Spain
7. Portugal
8. France
9. Switzerland
10. Belgium
11. Holland
12. Germany
13. Austria
14. Poland
15. Czech Republic
16. Russia
17. Korea
18. Cyprus
19. Greece
20. Romania
21. Turkey
22. Japan
23. China
24. USA
25. Canada
26. Chile
27. Brazil
28. Sweden
29. Denmark
30. Ireland
31. Scotland
32. England
33. Wales
34. UAE
35. Peru
36. Norway
37. Monaco
38. Hungary
39. Malta
40. Italy
41. Philippines

(*Group sizes – 10 to 1000 delegates for one day to 5 day residential meetings)

55,000 new rooms have been added to the EU Hotel bloc in the last 18 months. This has had the overall effect of reducing room rates by an average of 9 per cent. It’s the old supply and demand adage.

Brexit sees some challenges for the hospitality industry in the UK. Minimum wage and utility cost increases have had a double whammy on the industry, together with the drop in the number of Europeans who have come to work here. Other increases incurred by employers are in the employee national insurance, apprentice levy and compulsory pension enrolment schemes.

Management is now having to reorganise their business models to keep service levels high whilst running profitably and still offer decent service levels.

The challenge with new openings is that they increase the demands on established businesses qualified staff, who are aware of new opportunities in the expanding market place,

In terms of rates, some are offering lower room and meeting prices, to win the business. This is where GSC can advise and be helpful!

London adds close to 7,000 bedrooms between 2017 and Q1 2018 – Try our venue finding service for something different.

New York, followed by Geneva, Zurich, Paris, Washington, and Monaco, with London* dropping to sixth place (in Europe*) due to strong currency fluctuations, healthy new supply, extreme weather, and Brexit – resulting in a 4.8% decline in average occupancy.

Quality of content, type of delivery, time of delivery, and place of delivery are key factors to the successful outcome of a meeting. We can offer advice in all these areas. It is important to stay ahead in whatever business you are in, with personal interaction with your staff and customers a vital part of keeping ahead of the trend. Our customers are planning their events up to three years ahead. We are also helping to arrange very short term meetings for those that need to keep up with new policy and legislation changes.

Wow – the time has gone by quickly learning all the way. Experiences have filled every memory of it – together with our customers we have grown stronger – receiving advice and giving ideas – to help our clients have the best times possible. Whatever happens with the bigger picture surrounding events – we combine the experience and approach of the best people and companies we have worked with to arrive at the best outcome for a meeting.

18 hours of darkness presents a different type of opportunity for a conference organizer at this time of year, and being famous for its Nobel Peace Prize presentations, it is busy. The famous place offers great winter activities only half an hour from the city center. If you want your group to get away from it all, and experience the chill of the Northern Hemisphere, GSC can help you.

We have booked meetings this year and going forwards to 2019 in :-

Berlin, Abu Dhabi, Paris, Barcelona, Prague, Dublin, Ottawa, Rio, UK, Holland, Hungary, Malaysia, Tokyo, South Korea, and have looked at, and are looking into client requests for meetings in India, Singapore, the USA, and different destinations around Europe.

Outlook

Safety, ease of access, and high standards, with prices that reflect quality of service – these are key selling points.

We understand how clients and venues work, and giving all round feedback is so important to GSC. Emphasis on listening and learning helps with improvement and success.

Trust in electronic communication is waning. Looking forwards, meeting on a one to one basis has never been more important than now, and it quickens the pace of getting the job done efficiently and methodically, because meeting one another face to face leaves no room for misunderstanding.

GSC is working towards it’s 31st year helping industry with its important meetings and events.

Having just spent some time in this wonderful city we can confidently recommend a wide range of venues to suit your budget and numbers – you can have a go at Gaelic Games or Irish dancing once your conference has ended. We have excellent contacts in the city to make sure you experience real Irish Hospitality!