MEI seeks out new opportunities

Wei Li, MEI’s Business Development Manager for Asia attended the annual Event Production Show on 2 February 2011 in London.

The Event Production Show is a meeting place for companies involved in selling and sourcing products and services for major events. The event is seen as one of the leading forums for specialists and buyers from the events marketplace in the UK.

With the London Olympic Games approaching in just over 12 months, there will be many more hospitality events taking place in and around London and MEI will be looking to this market for business opportunities for our clients seeking partnering and supplying for large events.

MEI welcomes new Brazil director

MEI’s expansion in Brazil has taken another leap forward with the appointment of new country director Antonio Castro Neves.

The appointment follows MEI’s CEO, Dennis Mills and key account director Rachel Hughes’ visit to Brazil in early February 2011.

Antonio will be operating from Brazil, ensuring full support is offered to our clients in both Brazil and in the UK.

Brazil has become a target country of interest to many sectors and MEI can help turn initial interest in a country into doing business successfully.

Antonio will be able to keep MEI fully engaged with opportunities around Brazil, allowing us to make introductions to key stakeholders and providing expert advice along the way for all our clients.

MEI now has a website dedicate to Brazil, written in Portuguese, please visit http://meibrazil.com.

Members Briefed on Security and Technology at Lords Cricket Ground

MEI clients and EVTG members gathered at Lords Cricket Ground for a briefing on Security and Technology on 9th February 2011 in London.

• Technology and Security are two integral aspects of hosting events at large stadiums Guests and Members also got exclusive access to restricted areas
• A great insight into the history of this iconic venue

Roland Hemming of RH Consulting gave a talk on the extent of the work involved when hosting an event at a stadium. The issues were explained within the context of his audio systems installation business, specifically the audio he is installing at Lords.

 

The briefing moved on to focus on crowd management, which is one of the biggest challenges when hosting a major event. Richard Strudwick of G4S explained how the key to good crowd management is planning and learning from previous crowd disasters. The consequences of bad crowd management can be fatal and as little as one person can cause devastation through the amplification effect.

 

Chris Phillips of NaCTSO (National Counter Terrorism Security Office) gave a presentation challenging the idea of evacuating crowds in a security emergency, as this could potentially exacerbate the situation. Phillips suggested the threat could be outside the venue, and therefore it is safer to stay put, or if an explosion has already occurred in one area it is highly unlikely that it will occur again in the same place. It was discussed that stadia are not necessarily the biggest target for terrorism as they are fixed dates and gate security hinders such activity. However shopping centres and airports are prime targets as there are a lot of people in one place at any time.

 

John Hamilton of Honeywell talked about the models of security which enable strong security practices at venues. Hamilton highlighted how important it is that crowds are checked when entering a venue in order to protect them. This can only be achieved if the organiser is aware of and can identify the potential risks to put such preventative measures in place.

 

Delegates were then invited to network and enjoy a drinks reception which was sponsored by Honeywell.

 

Also present was the IT Manager, Estates Manager and Head of Security from Marylebone Cricket Club. This gave our members a chance to connect with such individuals which often takes much longer when using official channels.

This event demonstrated how EVTG can assist both its members and MEI clients in meeting key contacts in the events and venue sector. We will be holding more events of this style in 2011 and we will keep you informed. The next EVTG event is on the 4th April and the focus will be on Iconic and Major events in Scotland with the key note speaker confirmed as David Grevemberg, the COO of Glasgow 2014.

For more information on our events please contact Amy at: abrice@majoreventsint.com.

Major Sporting Event Committee successfully launched

The Major Sporting Events Committee was launched on 26 January 2011 in London.The new group was formed by The Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Major Events International (MEI).

The aim is provide clear communication about the commercial opportunities presented by hosting iconic events such as FIFA World Cup series and Olympics, and a framework of support to help members of the Chamber establish a stronger business presence in Brazil and greater collaboration in UK.

The launch was a great success, bolstered by the presence and support of some of the industries most well respected and high profile speakers.

In attendance was Paul Deighton, CEO of London 2012, who stated that he was "delighted to support this initiative, especially as it involves a country that has won both the World Cup and the Olympic Games".

Further support was given by John Armitt, CEO of the Olympic Delivery Authority, who assured delegates that the Olympic organisations from London 2012 will be happy to share with Brazil the knowledge and lessons learnt about the games being held in the UK in 2012.

The wealth of support show towards the Committee was welcomed by Roberto Jaguaribe, Brazilian Ambassador in London, who offered his appreciation, commenting: “We are extremely grateful by the way all British Olympic authorities have been cooperating with us.”

Dennis Mills, CEO of Major Events International (MEI) and chairman of the Major Sporting Event Committee introduced the key objectives of the new group, highlighting the development of a business and knowledge sharing framework that will generate a greater collaboration between organisations from the two countries.

Mills went on to explain the potential for businesses investing in Brazil, detailing that: "...the size of the market and the scale of opportunity cannot be ignored. The Committee will help UK and Brazilian businesses to get to know this market.”

The new Committee is formed of nine key organisations that are members of the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and have strong connections in both countries. They are:

Major Events International (Chair); Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP; Brazilian National Development Bank (BNDES); Bradesco Securities; Embratur; KPMG; Noerr LLP and TAM Airline.

The Committee are to hold at least five themed events per year organised by the members. They will focus on sharing experiences and opportunities relating to Major Sporting Events in Brazil and the UK.