A long-standing multi-national client recently asked us to organise a fully inclusive three-day international conference here in the UK, for forty leading academics and nutritional experts. As well as UK delegates, guests and speakers were flying in from throughout Europe, Canada and the States.

Our Senior Event Manager Garry was on-site to co-ordinate the event both during set-up and throughout the conference, meanwhile back at the office Nicky and Becky co-ordinated flights and airport transfers, arranged off-site dinners, accommodation and the entertainment programme – and handled the reimbursement of travel costs to delegates.

As you are aware international travel can be prone to delays and mishaps but one poor delegate really was put through the mill. She arrived at Chicago from Toronto to catch her connection to the UK. Asking in the pharmacist for medication for a sore eye she was directed to the First Aid post. There she was descended upon by a flock of paramedics who diagnosed swine flu and loaded her – protesting vociferously – into an ambulance and sped her to a downtown hospital. Needless to say the hospital (who had some unkind words to say about the airport authorities) simply gave her some eye drops and sent her back to the airport – where she had missed her flight! I must admire her tenacity however as after an 11.00 pm arrival at Heathrow and transfer to the Midlands hotel, she was still bright-eyed and ready for the conference at 9.00 am the following morning!!

All went exceptionally well! Both the client and the delegates were delighted with the quality of the food, accommodation, conference content, conference management and logistics organisation and we were proud to be part of such a successful conference.

A big thank you to everyone involved in making the client’s event a success, particularly Garry and Becky, Helen at Belvoir Castle, Suzi and Melanie at Stoke Rochford Park and Brian at Meadows Executive Travel.

Nicky
August 2009

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