New Year break

Thinking about a break in the New Year - and then, very timely, into my inbox pinged the latest e-news from Wolsey Lodges.

Whenever I get these, I browse online among the old rectories and 17th century manor houses, imagining a perfect retreat.

So why have I never booked? Well, presumably I'm not the only person who is everso slightly put off by the recurring references to the enthusiastic and ebullient hosts who "welcome guests into their homes as friends"? I don't know about you, but I rather enjoy being treated as a paying guest when I am one ...

Still, there are some wonderful properties, and the prices are relatively low. Time to reconsider?

We have no standards

I like the way Event Connections market themselves with the headline "We have no standards. Guaranteed."

It's eye-catching and thought-provoking. After all, do clients (in this case - event organisers) really want standard products, or do they want refreshing, creative solutions?

I guess it depends on the sector: I'd say when it comes to cleaning fluids, it's "yes" to standard products. But if we're talking about events, and for that matter destination consultancy, then "definitely not!" (Although try telling that to procurement departments ...)

Not sure I understand the significance of the rocket-powered turtle in their ads though - unless it's an oblique reference to the company's "refreshing events" strapline?

Beyond Staycation

The fashion to blend words to predict whole new trends took off this year with staycations. And you'll recall the Blue Sail blog has been at the forefront with our hands-on experience of glamping. But we are very taken with 'flashpacking' (having the right gear such as this lovely Cath Kidston tent) and 'toff-roading'(no explanation required). So that's 2010's holidays sorted then.

'Cut-through' marketing

We loved this tongue-in-cheek video, marketing a small gem of a hotel in Cornwall - it's called How Not to Run a Hotel.

See what you think!

The future according to Google

It is customary to have a few predictions as the old year comes to a close. Here are five for five years hence from Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
1.The internet will be dominated by Chinese language content.
2.Today's teenagers are the model of how the web will work in five years; they jump from one subject to another seamlessly.
3.There will be broadband well above 100MB in performance, and distribution distinctions between TV, radio and the web will disappear.
4.Web content will move more and more towards video.
5.The fundamental shift towards user-generated information means people will listen more to other people than to traditional sources.

Are we prepared?

Darlington calling

Darlington now has a 'Tweeter in Residence' to tweet about news and events in the town. The Darlington Partnership appointed teacher Mike McTimoney, a local college lecturer, to become TheDarloBard receiving £140 a year for his efforts.