Dateline Monday 19th May 2025

Happy Monday morning, what a difference the sun makes to a Monday morning. We had a great week of weather although the sun takes a while to break through the cloud on Sunday the sun didn’t come out till about midday, when not in the sun it is still chilly. As regular readers will know for me the weather has to be north of 30 degrees C for me to say it’s warm.

Next Monday it’s the Whitsun Bank Holiday, and guess what the weather forecast is for rubbish weather well that is a surprise.

Very busy world last week President Trump was feted all over the Middle East, Saudi, UAE and Qatar did you see the welcome he got it was very impressive, he must have loved it all the attention he likes that type of things as well as gifts such as the Qatari gift of a $400 million dollar Boeing 747 I guess the Sheik was having a clear out of his aircraft hangar and found he had a few too many flying palaces.    

Iranian spies arrested in the UK the spies allegedly came over on rubber dinghies across the English Channel and one infiltrated the UK hidden in a lorry, and guess what we gave them accommodation clothes, food and succour. Apparently, they came over to attack the Israeli Embassy in London and a news agency that is against the evil regime of Iran.

Tragic fire at an Oxfordshire business park, sadly Firefighters Jennie Logan, 30, and Martyn Sadler, 38, died fighting the fire and father-of-two David Chester, who worked at the site, was also killed, sending my sincere condolences to all concerned and good wishes to the inured firefighters in hospital for a quick and full recovery.

Horrific tornadoes once against tore through parts of the USA causing death and destruction mother nature will do what she want to do.

Soap box time

The bitter news AGAIN today, it is 588 days since Israeli and other nations’ citizens were on 7th October 2023 wrenched violently from their homes, streets, fields, and places of leisure in Israel and taken to be held hostage as pawns of war imprisoned in squalid conditions in the Hamas terror tunnels in Gaza. A total of 59 Israelis are still being held captive by the group of evil, blood thirsty, barbaric terrorists called Hamas. Sadly out of the 59 people being kept in horrific conditions only 24 are still alive.

Off the soap box now

Gaza has erupted once again, Hamas can stop this once and for all, release the hostages, accept Israel’s right to exist and to lay down their weapons  

Congratulations to Crystal Palace winners of the FA Cup, their first football trophy ever the team are history makers, so pleased for the team and fans, obviously sad for Manchester City they are so used to winning silverware what they are not used to is a barren season.

Congratulations to Austrian singer JJ who has won the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland. The 24-year-old, who is a counter-tenor at the Vienna State Opera just proved to the world that there is awesome talent in Austria. Normally the entry that comes second gets lost but not this year, against all odds Israel’s entry came over all second Yuval Raphael an Israeli singer and survivor of 7th October  2023 heinous barbaric attack by Hamas against Israeli civilians,  she represented Israel with the song "New Day Will Rise".   

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

MM and Company news update

Amsterdam

Alexandra Andrewas and the team at DELTA DMC Amsterdam have told us that Rosewood Hotels has opened its long-awaited property in central Amsterdam. Rosewood Amsterdam is housed in the historic 17th century former Palace of Justice, which is located within the city’s Canal District. The building has undergone 10 years of renovation before reopening as a 134-room hotel.

Prague

Daniel of ITC DMC Prague last week gave me a full update of the conference scene in Prague. Daniel told me that last year several new event venues opened, which can be used for both small private events and large conferences. This year and in 2026 at least five additional projects are due to be completed. Together, the new premises will give a total capacity for at least 6,500 persons with 1,000 newly constructed hotel rooms..

Since the beginning of 2024, several new venues have been added to the Prague meetings scene including the reconstruction in the Prague Exhibition Grounds. Last year the newly renovated Křižík Pavilions were opened, followed by the renovated premises of the Nová Spirála (New Spiral) last autumn. Together, these spaces offer a capacity of up to 4,500 delegates also in the Exhibition Grounds the Prague Planetarium is due to reopen this summer, the venue is available for private events, with a total capacity, including an outdoor terrace, for up to 700 pax.

To support the expansion of the meeting facilities in Prague the former Art Nouveau Grand Hotel Evropa—now W Prague—was opened on Wenceslas Square with a total capacity of 161 rooms and another three rooms suitable for smaller social events for up to 50 persons. In addition The Cloud One hotel near Masaryk Railway Station has opened it has a total of 382 rooms and two event spaces, including a rooftop bar with a terrace for up to 160 guests. Also this year the Fairmont Golden Prague Hotel (former InterContinental Hotel) with 320 rooms and conference space that can accommodate up to 600 pax will open as well as the Sir Prague Hotel with 76 rooms.

Germany, Frankfurt IMEX 20th – 22nd May 2025

Here is the list of DMCs MM and Company represent that have told us that they will be attending IMEX  

Eva of Cornerstone Meetings DMC Germanyinsight at F110 Frankfurt booth

Stephane of Hello Islands DMC Mauritius

Enrica of NACARA DMC on the EUROMIC Stand

Nassos of AME DMC Greece

A number of DMCs we at MM and Company work with and recommend will also be there amongst them Enjoy Slovakia DMC and Hadler DMC Scandinavia   

That’s it from me this Monday, wishing you a terrific week ahead, enjoy the sunny weather its sadly not going to last rain is forecast for Friday yeah I know the garden needs it.  I am expecting a hose pipe ban to be announced someday soon.

Obviously as it is bank holiday next Monday there will not be a Monday morning e mail