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1st September 26, 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."
1st September 26, UK: GES is launching a major creative activation at this year’s AEO Conference, designed to both celebrate and shine a light on the people, personalities and ideas shaping the exhibition industry.‘GES Live… from the AEO Conference’ will see GES create a fully functioning broadcast studio at the Vox, Birmingham, on 3 September, interviewing speakers, VIPs and industry leaders live from the heart of the event. The activation has been created in partnership with the Association of Event Organisers (AEO) and underlines the brand’s support for both the conference and the wider industry.The studio will have the feel of a sporting broadcast, a place where the action comes back to the studio, conversations continue, and the people behind the event get their moment on screen. Interviews and reactions will be captured throughout the day, with selected content broadcast across GES and AEO social channels during the conference and more released in the days and weeks that follow.Anna Golden, Chief Executive, AEO, commented, “GES is a great partner to the AEO and have really embraced what the conference is about this year. GES Live will give us another way to celebrate the brilliant people and thinking within our industry, while creating content that can take those conversations beyond the day. It’s a fantastic example of a partner bringing its ideas and expertise to the event and making the experience richer as a result. We can’t wait to see the studio go live.”GES Live GES Live has been created using VICO, one of the four designs within The Edit, GES's curated range of premium stand concepts launched last year. Designed to offer exhibitors a more considered, design-led presence, VICO has been reimagined for the AEO Conference as a live broadcast studio and content hub, extending its role beyond the exhibition floor to become a platform for content, conversation and industry insight.Penny Banks, Creative Director at GES, said: "We're incredibly proud to support the AEO Conference, not just through sponsorship, but by actively contributing to the event experience itself. The exhibition industry is built on great people, great ideasand great conversations, and GES Live is our way of helping bring those moments to life to share them with a wider audience. Using VICO as the foundation for the studio felt like a natural fit. It's a great example of how thoughtful design can be adapted to serve a completely different purpose.”GES are also planning one more reveal for the day too, with conference attendees the first to get a sneak peek at a new creative identity ahead of its wider launch post-event.GES Live… from the AEO Conference will broadcast from the Vox, Birmingham, throughout the AEO Conference on 3 September 2026.
August 2026: Hilton Birmingham Metropole marked its 50th anniversary in spectacular style last night, welcoming event buyers, agencies and industry partners for an immersive celebration that showcased the hotel's creativity and vision for the future of events.Guests were invited on a journey through the venue, experiencing transformed event spaces, guided site visits, live entertainment, innovative production and an evening of celebration that demonstrated the scale and versatility of the UK's largest conference hotel outside London. With a theme of “A Merry Un-Birthday”, inspired by Alice in Wonderland, Hilton Birmingham Metropole was transformed into a whimsical wonderland.The milestone allowed the Hilton Birmingham Metropole team to demonstrate its new Strategic Event Partner Programme, which brings together a carefully selected network of trusted event specialists to provide clients with a seamless, fully integrated event delivery experience.The programme formalises long-standing relationships with four specialist suppliers:· 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 experiencesTogether, these partners transformed the hotel for one unforgettable evening, demonstrating how collaboration and creative excellence can elevate every stage of the delegate journey.Nicola Betley, Area general manager, Hilton Birmingham Metropole, said:"Our 50th anniversary was about much more than celebrating our history, it was about showcasing what's possible when great people come together with a shared ambition to create unforgettable experiences. Seeing the vision brought to life with our incredible partners was a fitting way to celebrate this milestone. These partnerships represent years of collaboration and trust. By bringing together specialists who know our venue, our team and our clients, we're making event planning simpler while giving organisers access to some of the very best creative and production expertise in the industry."The evening highlighted Hilton Birmingham Metropole's continued commitment to innovation, partnership and customer experience, while celebrating the people and relationships that have shaped the venue over the past five decades.
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