News
National Running
Show London to
launch in 2020
Raccoon Events, organiser
of the EN Indy Award-
winning National Running
Show, has launched The
National Running Show
London.
The National Running
Show London will take
place at the Business
Design Centre in Islington
on 13-14 June 2020.
The launch was
celebrated with an event
on 26 June at the Business
Design Centre, following
two years of The National
Running Show at the NEC in
January 2018 and 2019.
In line with the company’s
sustainability policy, the
attendees’ travel to and
from the launch was offset
using the Travel Carbon
Calculator.
Explori signs deal with
Emerald Expositions
Emerald Expositions will be
joining the Explori research
platform. In a push to
further develop its 60-plus
shows, The organiser
will be using Explori to
benchmark and monitor
customer experience.
Explori’s commercial
director Richard Kensett
said: “Our mission is
to establish a global
common language for the
measurement of event
experience.”
Brian Field, COO of
Emerald, added: “Explori’s
trove of benchmarking
information will provide us
powerful tools to deliver
data-driven insights and
support customer-led
improvements.”
08 — August
The month at a glance
The stories, topics and trends making headlines in recent weeks
Consortium including
Blackstone and LEGO
owner to acquire Merlin
Entertainments
A consortium of investors
comprised of Blackstone,
owner of Clarion Events;
KIRKBI, owner of the LEGO
brand; and global investor
CPPIB has agreed terms
of a recommended offer
for Merlin Entertainments
plc, which would take the
company private.
Merlin operates a number
of well-known attractions,
venues and brands including
Madame Tussauds, Sea
Life, The Dungeons (The
London Dungeon etc.),
Alton Towers, Thorpe Park,
Legoland, The London Eye
and more.
The consortium stated that
it would pay 455p in cash
per Merlin share, valuing
Merlin’s shares at more than
£4.7bn (a multiple of 12.0x
2018A EBITDA), or close
to £6bn including debt.
The deal would be one of
the larger recent European
buyouts.
Merlin also runs The Bear
Grylls Adventure located on
the NEC site in Birmingham,
another Blackstone-owned
company.
Theresa May announces
Tourism Sector Deal
Ex-Prime Minister Theresa
May unveiled an ambitious
new Tourism Sector Deal
for the UK in June, which
contains a commitment to
build 130,000 new hotel
rooms across the UK.
The deal will support
the creation of 10,000
apprenticeships in the
tourism and hospitality
sectors, and a new Tourism
Data Hub overseen by
VisitBritain, which will
collate regularly updated
data on the latest trends and
spending habits.
UK businesses will be able
to access the data to better
target overseas visitors.
The deal comes as visits
to the UK are estimated to
jump 23 per cent by the year
2025, and is designed to help
meet this rising demand.
May commented: “As one
of the most visited countries
in the world, the UK is a
world leader in international
tourism and it is crucial
that we remain globally
competitive to meet growing
demands.
“This deal recognises the
important role tourism plays,
and will continue to play, in
showcasing what our great
country has to offer.”
The deal also outlines
an ambition for the UK to
become the most accessible
tourism destination in
Europe by 2025.
How to network
By Loughborough
University and Imago
Venues.
1. Know where to
place yourself
Start a conversation in
the food/drink queue,
at a standing table, or
a sitting table.
2. Put your coffee
cup on a table
If networking makes
you nervous, arrive at
the networking area
early. Get a drink and
place your cup on a
standing table.
3. Join the
conversation
Position yourself in
direct line of sight of
the people who you
want to interact with.
They are then likely to
realign the circle and
welcome you in.
4. It’s not just ‘hello’
which starts a
conversation
Approach a standing
table, armed with a
coffee cup, and ask
the person at the
table: ‘Is it okay if I put
my cup down here?’
5. Don’t be a
‘mis-greeter’
Don’t say hello to
someone and look
over their shoulder for
the ‘more important’
people in the room.
6. Conversations are
time-limited
Good exits are built
from questions that
imply the end of the
conversation, such as:
“do you know where
the next session is?”