Events trends

Space weddings to become reality in 2011

From 2011, couples will be able to stage their own wedding in space, thanks to a new joint American and Japanese venture.

US-based Rocketplane has teamed up with First Advantage to offer wedding packages in jets up to 70 miles above the earth's surface.

The privilege doesn't come cheap, however, as space weddings aboard Rocket Plane XP are expected to cost a cool £1.1 million....
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Stag parties becoming more ambitious

Grooms to be in the UK are becoming increasingly ambitious with their stag party plans, according to one industry expert.

Anna Makin Made, project manager at the firm Designaventure, reports that many men are uninspired by traditional pre-wedding pursuits such as partying and paintballing.

Instead, more unorthodox activities are becoming the mainstay of stag celebrations, she explained....
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Credit crunch causes corporate travel cutback

A corporate travel specialist warned this week that tightening market conditions are affecting spending on foreign business travel.

John Coombe, chairman of Hogg Robinson, the world's fourth largest corporate travel firm, reports that the leading banks and financial institutions are cutting back.

"Certainly, we began to see some changes in the final quarter of the financial year and some of our managed clients, particularly those in financial services, have sought to reduce their overall travel expenditure," he said....
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Green issues high on corporate event agenda

Three quarters of corporate event organisers concur that environmental awareness is an increasingly important factor when staging events.

A new ec0event poll shows that the majority of planners are very conscious of the need and responsibility to stage green events and conferences.

More than nine in ten of the respondents indicated there was a niche in the market for more sustainable products to aid corporate event organisers....
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Bespoke weddings increasingly popular

There is a growing penchant in the UK for bespoke weddings that break with tradition, the Observer reports.

Many couples are looking for more inventive ways to make their nuptials unique, different and more personal.

"The first thing that happened, three or four years ago, was that people realised they could have more than one best man," UK Alliance of Wedding Planners director Kelly Chandler told the daily....
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Hospitality bonanza for Champions League showdown

The Manchester Evening News expects to see corporate event organisers capitalise on the unprecedented English interest in this year's Champions League final.

As Chelsea prepare to take on Manchester United on May 21st, hotels, bars and other venues are gearing up for a massive boost to trade, as hospitality is laid on for clients and employees unable to travel.

Demand for plane tickets is so high that Manchester Airport has forecast additional revenue of £1 million that night alone from airline landing fees, extra car park charges and bumper retail sales....
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Branson plans to be first man to marry couple in space

Sir Richard Branson is vying to become the first man to marry a couple in space, using his Virgin Galactic venture.

The entrepreneur plans to conduct the first sub-orbital wedding next year on a flight 70 miles above the earth's surface.

The 58-year-old was ordained last year in an online church in order to officiate the union of Virgin America marketing director Dimitrios Papadognonas and Coco Jones on a flight from San Francisco to Las Vegas....
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Lapdancing clubs 'unacceptable' venues for corporate events

The Fawcett Society has launched a campaign to stop City businesses from using lapdance clubs as venues for corporate events and meetings.

The Sexism and the City initiative is part of a broader campaign to stamp out sexism in British workplaces, which the society argues is rife.

Among the facts to back up this claim is the statistic that only 11 per cent of FTSE 100 companies directors are female....
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Themed weddings on the rise

Destination weddings are becoming increasingly popular, as couples look to tie the knot in exotic and quirky locations, according to marriage experts.

Truly Wedding Favors attributes the latest trend to the growing selection of choices on offer to romantic partners hoping to make their big day truly memorable.

The matrimony specialist is catering to this burgeoning market for overseas ceremonies by offering trinkets that can enhance the flair and flamboyance of tying the knot abroad....
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