From this October and following an extensive brand review, Conference Cambridge is changing its name to Meet Cambridge.
This acknowledges the broader remit – including a new partnership with Visit Cambridge and Beyond – and the variety of event enquiries which now encompass one-day meetings, week-long residential association conferences, weddings and family celebrations, corporate dinners, team-building sessions and award ceremonies.
Meet Cambridge is to be a single point of contact for regional, national and international event organisers, providing bureau services that deliver exceptional experiences within the University of Cambridge, the Colleges and unique venues in the city and beyond.
Kelly Vickers, Director of Meet Cambridge said: “As we are no longer just a venue-finding service, the Board of Directors and the team wanted a new brand to acknowledge the wider range of services now offered and the variety of event enquiries we receive.
“Working with Visit Cambridge and Beyond to promote the city and the region to business visitors, demonstrates a real commitment from our stakeholders, the Colleges and our other academic venues, to work in partnership to attract even more business events to the area.
“Meet Cambridge will provide a single point of contact for anyone looking to host an event in Cambridge and to deliver a rewarding membership for venues in the region. Our portfolio of venues will now be extended to include non-academic venues across the city and beyond.”
Visit Cambridge and Beyond, which was launched in January, is a membership organisation dedicated to promoting Cambridge as a destination for leisure and business. Its aim is to grow the value of the visitor economy by promoting Cambridge and the surrounding area and providing the best possible visitor experience.
Emma Thornton, CEO, Visit Cambridge and Beyond said: “We are delighted to be entering into this formal partnership with Meet Cambridge to market the city and beyond to our business visitors.
“The destination marketing achievements of our respective teams to date is already contributing to the city’s success – working together, the possibilities are really exciting.”
Kelly added: “It’s great to be able to meet our business clients’ requests to provide a one-stop shop for all venues in the region, with greater choice for residential options during term-time and hotel accommodation.
“Our ethos is to focus on each event organiser’s specific needs and each event’s objectives – we do a whole lot more than simply providing a directory of available and suitable venues. Our clients trust us to be impartial and welcome the fact that with just one enquiry, they can establish the availability of a large number of venues in their desired location, saving a lot of time.”
Conference Cambridge was established in 1998 and since then has seen a huge increase in the number of enquiries: from 1587 in 2000 to 4755 in 2015.
The launch of the new brand will include a new website www.meet-cambridge.com with more sophisticated search functionality to help clients find the right venue for their event. Meet Cambridge will also be launching new enquiry management software which means clients will be able to review offers and choose a venue via an online client portal called EVENT.
Image: A new name and a new partnership, left to right: Emma Thornton, Chief Executive, Visit Cambridge and Beyond; Kelly Vickers, Director, Meet Cambridge; and Becky Roberts, Commercial Manager, Visit Cambridge and Beyond.
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Further press information from: Lesley Crosland at Crosland Communications on 01638 662188 Email: info@croslandcomms.co.uk
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