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Plus Ultra Marketing draws on 30 years' combined experience, including senior roles at global exhibitions leader GES, to help event suppliers unlock commercial growth.Coventry, UK - August 2026: David and Michelle Lane, a husband-and-wife team with senior marketing backgrounds in the global exhibitions industry, have launched Plus Ultra Marketing, a consultancy dedicated to helping suppliers in the exhibitions and events industry find and act on their biggest growth opportunities.The pair bring more than 30 years of combined marketing experience across supplier, organiser and venue businesses, giving them first-hand understanding of how event products and services are positioned, marketed, evaluated and bought."The event supply chain is full of brilliant businesses," said David Lane, co-founder of Plus Ultra Marketing. "They know their craft inside out, but knowing where to focus limited time, budget and resources can be difficult. More marketing activity isn't always the answer. The opportunity might be a proposition that isn't landing, leads getting lost between marketing and sales, or something valuable within the business that hasn't been properly explored. Our job is to find where marketing can make the biggest commercial difference, develop the right response and give the business a practical way to move it forward."Plus Ultra structures its work around focused 90-day engagements, each concentrating on the single commercial challenge or opportunity with the greatest potential impact, whether that's sharpening a proposition, building a go-to-market or lead-generation strategy, improving the customer journey, strengthening the marketing-to-sales handoff, mapping a commercial process, or identifying opportunities for automation.Each engagement turns the strategy into implementation-ready plans, frameworks, briefs, templates and tools that clients can put into action using their own teams, external specialists or AI tools, giving them the flexibility to deliver in the way that best fits their skills, capacity and budget."Businesses often know there's more opportunity there, but they don't always know where to focus first - that’s where we add value," said Michelle Lane, co-founder of Plus Ultra Marketing. "We bring an experienced outside perspective, identify what is most likely to make a meaningful difference, and turn that into something practical. The aim is to give clients clarity about what to do next, why it matters, and a clear structure for moving it forward."Beyond the initial 90-day engagement, Plus Ultra can continue to support clients as a strategic adviser - reviewing progress, testing assumptions, and helping determine where attention should move next.Plus Ultra Marketing is now working with event suppliers and other growing organisations looking to sharpen their positioning, improve commercial performance and make more of the opportunities already in front of them. The consultancy has already been engaged by its first client, a full-service contracting business in the exhibitions sector
17th August 26, Manchester, UK: CHS Manchester has unveiled the latest additions to its growing Fringe programme, with new experiences, workshops and social events springing up across the city ahead of the show at the AO Arena next month.Taking place throughout the show, the expanding Fringe will see the events community head out across Manchester for everything from chocolate making, live music and cocktail masterclasses to food tours, live event pitching and behind-the-scenes venue experiences.Among the experiences now confirmed is Creativity, Chocolate and Music at Hyatt Regency, where guests can take part in a sip and paint session, make chocolates alongside the hotel’s pastry chef and enjoy a live set from Kenny B from the hotel’s 18th floor.Elsewhere, From Power Hall to Cloud 23 will take guests from a live engine demonstration and exclusive event-space experience at the Science and Industry Museum, through to a Benugo reception and cocktail masterclass high above the city at Cloud 23.Flavours of Manchester will take a different route through the destination, beginning with low-carbon dining at Radisson Manchester City Centre before heading out on foot to discover some of Manchester’s independent food stories and finishing with drinks and nibbles at Townhouse Manchester.The Fringe is also continuing to grow beyond CHS’s own hosted buyer experiences.NOWIE will host Pitch Perfect: The Perfect Pitch Workshop, putting attendees into agency teams to respond to a live event brief before pitching their ideas to a panel of senior corporate buyers. Meanwhile, The Delegate Wranglers are also working on their own Fringe activity, with more details set to follow.The activity leads into Manchester Calling, the CHS Manchester Welcome Reception at Manchester Central, bringing the wider show community together ahead of CHS Manchester the following day. Adding some unmistakable Manchester flavour, the reception will also feature a special guest appearance from Manchester-born DJ Clint Boon.For CHS Manchester CEO Emma King, the way the Fringe is developing is as important as its growing size. “The Fringe is growing beyond what we’re doing at CHS; it’s got a life of its own now, and the industry is taking it forward,” comments Emma. “It’s a wonderful reflection of the industry and the city that so much is happening, all around the show and across the city. It’s a great success story for everyone.”“The Fringe is for everyone, and seeing it grow organically around CHS tells us something about how people want to experience industry events. They want the show, but they also want all the extra experiences that happen around it.”The Fringe begins across Manchester on 29 September, ahead of CHS Manchester at the AO Arena on 30 September.
One Collective. Infinite Possibilities 17th August 2026 - Hilton Birmingham Metropole has announced a new strategic partnership programme with a select group of trusted event specialists. Together, the team delivers a fully integrated network of event suppliers designed to provide clients with a simpler, more seamless planning experience at the venue.Hilton Birmingham Metropole has formalised the partnership with long-time partners: - Eventologists – creative event design and production specialists - Protec – technical production and audiovisual experts - Apollo Music – bespoke music and entertainment solutions - Showstoppers Entertainment – live entertainment and performance experiencesEach supplier brings with them extensive experience of delivering successful events at Hilton Birmingham Metropole and share the venue's commitment to excellence. The initiative moves beyond the traditional venue-supplier relationship, bringing together an established team of experts who already understand the venue, its operations and its event standards.Nicola Betley, Area General Manager, Hilton Birmingham Metropole, said:"This new partnership reflects our commitment to making event planning as seamless as possible for our clients. We know that organising an event often means coordinating multiple stakeholders, suppliers and moving parts. By bringing together a trusted network of partners who already know our venue, our teams and our standards, we're able to offer a more streamlined experience that reduces complexity and allows clients to focus on achieving their event objectives."The partnership has been developed to deliver tangible benefits for event organisers, including faster planning processes, improved communication, reduced administration and greater operational reliability. It supports every stage of the event journey, from initial planning andproduction through to entertainment and on-site delivery, ensuring a consistent and high-quality experience for organisers and attendees alike.The launch reinforces Hilton Birmingham Metropole's position as one of the UK's leading event destinations, offering clients not just a venue, but a complete event delivery ecosystem where every detail has already been considered, coordinated and perfected.
12th August 25, London, UK: The days of conferences, networking receptions and gala dinners existing as separate event formats are beginning to fade, as organisers increasingly combine elements of each into a single programme.The trend is particularly evident among returning clients. Around 40% of repeat bookings at London Hilton on Park Lane have evolved beyond their original format, incorporating new culinary concepts, entertainment or production elements to refresh the delegate experience.Aaron Testo, director of groups, conferences & events at London Hilton on Park Lane, said: "Challenging the status quo of a conference, awards dinner or networking event has become a major focus for many of our clients."We're seeing a move towards events that achieve several objectives in one programme, rather than hosting multiple events with individual goals. Clients want delegates to learn, connect, celebrate and build relationships during the same event. That naturally creates a blurring of traditional event formats."The shift is also influencing how organisers approach catering and networking, with food increasingly viewed as a way to bring people together rather than simply provide refreshments."The more engaging and creative a networking opportunity is, the stronger the turnout and the longer people stay," Aaron said. "That's increasingly what our clients are trying to achieve."We're seeing growing demand for interactive food concepts and more social styles of dining because they naturally encourage movement, conversation and connection. It's often where the best conversations happen."Aaron adds that organisers are looking for ways to evolve traditional formats without losing the sense of occasion that makes face-to-face events memorable."People still value moments that feel special, whether that's an awards ceremony, conference or client event," he said. "But they also want those moments to feel more social, immersive and memorable."The most successful experiences aren't built around entertainment or catering for their own sake. Every element should have a purpose. Whether it's live chef stations, personalised food experiences inspired by the destination or interactive entertainment, they should all help people connect, collaborate and leave with something worth talking about."Ultimately, organisers aren't trying to reinvent conferences or awards dinners. They're looking at how every part of an event can contribute to the overall experience and help people get more from being there."