Will your next meeting be in a pub?
Cost-conscious event planners are increasingly looking for money-saving venues that include ordinary-looking pubs, reports MICE.
Could this mean the traditional hotels and their conference centers are threatened?
Yes, says Mark Bevan, head of partner services at Expotel.
"Almost every week Expotel is now booking smart pub-type venues for meetings because they are seen as a viable ‘no-frills’ option," he said.
One reason is that pubs can offer the same services as hotels at a lower price. Often free back rooms can substitute for more expensive hotel meeting venues.
"We’ve seen a move from the top end of the four star [hotel] market. People will avoid residential meetings if they can, therefore a hotel is suddenly not the only option," said Des McLaughlin, managing director at Grassroots.
By David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025
U.S.A. and Israel attacks on Iran impact air movements in the Gulf (Update 1.00pm CET)
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism