£250 a night to stay in a kid’s tree house! Worse still is being stranded in the Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre (AECC) car park. The oil price isn’t what it was, but some things remain the same.
I recently slept in a hotel room that will cost £3,364.09 for Offshore Europe.
I have heard a speaker in the hotel’s function room equivocally refer to it as “beauty comes in many forms”. At least the hotel fits in with the Aberdeen industrial estate around it.
My own experience wasn’t bad, but Northsound over breakfast was more couthy than continental and I wasn’t tempted to pack the hotel’s toiletries. Hopefully its September visitors will get more VIP treatment; good news that the Marcliffe Hotel is still with us to set the standard.
Offshore Europe is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the best our community and our industry has to offer.
Whilst the North East of Scotland is undeniably the home of the Deep Fried Mars Bar, there is no room for complacency- food and tourism can only do so much. More than ever before, us Scots need to help anchor the energy industry to Aberdeen. Locking our visitors in the AECC car park is not the answer.
I’m not saying our conference centre is harder to get out of than Calais, but we do have a recurring problem. The Aberdeen Oil Summit was held at the AECC earlier this year. Politicians will no doubt return for a photoshoot during Offshore Europe. Will the limousines be long gone by 4pm or will someone with authority and a yellow jacket stay to take charge?
Whilst not all possessing fluorescent jackets, everyone has a part to play. Even us lawyers, accountants, patent agents and public relations professionals can do our bit. Whilst our clients will rightly get the lime light, we should be preparing to work double shifts to get risks managed, intellectual property protected, relationships progressed and ultimately deals done.
It has been a few years since I actually negotiated and documented a deal at the show itself, but having global decision makers in town is an unmissable opportunity to network and spread the word about the quality of UK based professional services. Exports are important for professional services too.
P.S If your are still looking for accommodation my kids’ tree house may be available, although regular readers will know they need to own at least two companies to attract maid service, and we have a strict no pets policy.
Peter Murray is a partner at Scottish law firm Ledingham Chalmers where he specialises in UK corporate law and international projects.
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