Dateline Monday 10th November 2025

Happy Monday morning I hope you are well.

The countdown to you know what has started in earnest, that means I do not go anywhere near the West End of London till 15^th January 2026, I was in town last week for a client meeting town was not town it was mayhem. 

Guy Fawkes is done what’s next? The lights are illuminated in the West End Oxford Street, Bond Street and Regent Street are ablaze with light, across The Pond Thanksgiving is coming up soon, this is celebrated / observed on Thursday, 27^th November. Thanksgiving Day in the United States is a time to give thanks for all the sacrifice and hard work done for the harvest, then the countdown to you know what it is well and truly on

I was at World Travel Market at Excel East London on Tuesday getting into Excel was a challenge, the queue to get in started at the Custom House station ticket barrier it took well over 20 minutes to finally gain entrance to the show. It is quite a spectacle, the money that some destinations spend on their stand is eyewatering. I met up with Jyoti and Christina of TRAVCO DMC Dubai Abu Dhabi and Oman  I also met up with a good friend of MM and Company, Vlad of the Baltic Travel Group he is MD of a great DMC in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.  

If you think the UK Government is making a total dog’s breakfast of the country check out what is going on across the Pond. Due to the USA political parties having caused a shutdown of Government services due to the Budget not being agreed.  The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered a 10 % reduction in flight capacity at 40 of the busiest U.S. airports tht began on Friday it is a safety-driven move amid the government shutdown and the fact that Air Traffic Controllers have not been paid for five weeks and many are leaving or going on the sick as they are sick of being badly treated by their employer the Government of the USA.

Last Thursday was a day of shame in the UK, I am talking about the Aston Villa v Macabee Tel Aviv football match, the match that the authorities in Birmingham told football supporters of an Israeli team that they should not come to the area as they, the local, and indeed the UK Government, the Home Office and the Police could not guarantee their safety, that is totally outrageous. Sir Kir weak, weak, weak Starmer the Prime Minister (in name maybe) a huge football fan especially when the tickets are free criticized the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the Aston Villa match, calling it "the wrong decision" amid safety concerns. He emphasized that the role of the police is to ensure all fans can enjoy the game without fear of violence or intimidation. Well guess what they totally ignored what the weak Prime Minister said and banned Macabee Tel Aviv fans from travelling to the game.

Aston Villa beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 2- 0 clearly Villa had an advantage they didn’t have a Muslim mob presenting a serious threat of violence and disorder baying for the blood of their players, the Villa supporters were allowed to stage a thuggish display of hatred of Jews, incitement against them and intimidation. The mob swarmed the area around the Villa Park stadium where Aston Villa was playing Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The game should have been played behind closed doors, no fans present in a non-affiliated stadium somewhere like Hull or Newcastle.

Another week and another cock up by Numbskull waste of space Secretary of State for Justice Minister David useless I have no idea what is going on in my department Lammy, apparently there are several prisoners on the loose who have been let out of jail by mistake. If there was any justice at all he would be on the back benches where he belongs, twit

Soap box time

TWO YEARS AND 33 DAYS since innocent and murdered Israeli citizens’ bodies were taken by the violent, medieval, barbaric terrorist group Hamas who had murdered them in cold blood to be held as bargaining chips against the Israeli Government.  So far some of these deceased people have been repatriated to their families for a decent burial and closure however the bodies of nine Israelis and 2 foreign nationals remain in the Gaza Strip; Hamas claims it cannot get to some, doesn’t know where other five bodies are.

And talking of conflict the civil war in Sudan is raging, it is not on the front pages of the newspapers and social media. The war which started in 2023 has resulted in catastrophic humanitarian conditions, with over 60% of the population requiring assistance. Millions have been displaced, with estimates of over 15 million people forced to flee their homes, both internally and as refugees in neighbouring countries. The conflict has also led to severe food shortages, with famine conditions reported in various regions. So tell me where are all the useless or useful idiots now, why are they not protesting against the war in Sudan in their tens of thousands on the streets of major world capitals and university campuses? It is perhaps because there are no Jews or Israelis in Sudan? So they cannot spit their vile antisemitic tropes out in front of the television camera or is it because the war is Muslim against Muslim, brother against brother and the useless idiots do not want to draw attention to the violence perpetrated by Muslim militia.

Off the soap box now

COP 30 is going on in Belem Brazil, dozens and dozens of world leader gathering to discuss the climate crisis and how did they get there? Many indeed I would guess the majority by the private jets, normally big jets depending on the size of their country.

That’s it from a David point of view for this week.

MM and Company news update

SPAIN

Marc, Celine and the ream at Ambiance Incentives DMC Spain have to us that The Hoxton, Madrid will open in 2026. The new hotel, located on Plaza de Santa Ana in the heart of Madrid’s historic centre, will have 192 guestrooms and suites, it is the second Hoxton property in the country, following The Hoxton, Poblenou in Barcelona, which opened in 2022.

IBTM 18^th – 20^th November 2025 Barcelona

STEPHANE LOUISE General Manager of Hello Islands DMC Mauritius will be on the Euromic stand P85

Douglas & Erika of Mi Malta DMC will be on the Malta Stand B60

Loic from The J Team DMC Japan will be at IBTM on Stand J50 - the Japan stand

Marc Schwabach of Ambiance Incentives SPAIN will be at IBTM

Eva Hoffmann of Cornerstone Meetings DMC Germany will be at IBTM

IMOLA GORÓ of COSMOS Budapest DMC will be on the Hungarian stand 

Candy Lobo of TRAVCO DMC Dubai Abu Dhabi and Oman will be at IBTM

PRAGUE

As promised in last week’s  Monday morning e mail  more Prague developments shared with us by Daniel, David, and the team at ITC DMC Prague 

One of my favourite venues is the Holešovice Market Hall (Holešovická Tržnice), which is currently undergoing an extensive reconstruction, the opening is due early 2026 can’t wait to see the finished venue

Another great venue well now at least is the former Slaughterhouse Exchange, which is being transformed into a restaurant called Burza with a capacity for 300 guests. A new addition to the gastronomic and event scene is also the largest Mexican restaurant in the country, opened in March this year has a capacity for up to 300 guests.

The hotel inventory is being increased in Prague 1,000 new rooms and additional meeting facilities will come on stream very soon indeed so far this year the former Art Nouveau Grand Hotel Evropa—now W Prague—was opened on Wenceslas Square with a total capacity of 161 rooms and three venues at the hotel suitable for smaller social events for up to 50 persons.

The Cloud One hotel near Masaryk Railway Station is also new the hotel has 382 rooms and two event spaces, including a rooftop bar with a terrace for up to 160 guests

Other hotels due to open very soon in Prague include the Fairmont Golden Prague Hotel with 320 rooms and residences, six restaurants and conference facilities with a capacity of 600 pax and breakout rooms Finally the Sir Prague Hotel has opened with 76 rooms near the Dancing House.

Dubai

Jyoti, Candy, Christina, and the team at TRAVCO DMC Dubai Abu Dhabi and Oman have told us that Jumeirah Burj Al Arab has announced the launch of a new private island destination, offering private hire availability and experiences for up to 20 guests. Located within Dubai’s World Islands - an archipelago of artificial islands located just off the coast - access to Cape Morris is provided by a 64-ft luxury yacht.

As you may have guessed it is not cheap, but it is very special, if you want more information please contact TRAVCO DMC of us here at MM and Company    

And that is about it for this Monday, you know as much as I know, wishing you an outstanding day and an awesome week ahead.