Apollo & Leonardo Hotels are proving how hotels and venues can play a role as business events shift to virtual and hybrid. This month, they are rolling out innovative technology solutions that will enable event planners to link up delegates simultaneously across various locations, including here in the UK.
We caught up with Director of Events at the Leonardo Royal Hotel Amsterdam, Anita de Jager-Brown, to find out more.
What are the challenges that have led you to focus on providing hybrid solutions for meetings & events?
In Holland, social distancing means keeping 1.5 metres apart and so firstly, this has an impact on the capacities we can host in our meeting spaces. Further, we know that companies are already looking at ways to break larger international meetings down into smaller regional events. So, we wanted to offer a means of still being able to partner with corporates on their larger events, especially as they start thinking about their 2021 kick-off meetings.
What is your proposition?
We are introducing the technology in conjunction with our AV partners, that will allow companies with dispersed teams and local offices to organise smaller regional meetings in our hotels across Holland and also in the UK, linking them all up simultaneously. Instead of organising smaller back-to-back events that limit team interactions, create one large event split across multiple locations.
What are the benefits?
Multiple regional meetings split across several days allow companies to get their message across to their people in the same way as in one main event, but it is time consuming and delegates miss out on opportunities to interact with their colleagues elsewhere.
A multi-hub set up can bring global and regional colleagues together in a way hosting several regional meetings cannot.
How can you help planners achieve this?
Clearly, you need a hotel that can work with and accommodate the technology. What is critical is that the hotel or venue has the bandwidth to handle the technology. This will make or break your event. We can offer all of this, and we are rolling out packages that will enable clients to do exactly this.
We are partnering with our hotels in the UK, so it will be ideal for companies who need to bring delegates together in these locations.
How do people find out more?
We’re hosting a webinar on Tuesday 26th live from Amsterdam when we will introduce the concept, tell you about the various benefits and explain how we will do it and what the packages are that are available. We hope to see you online!