Economic boost for Scotland as the Scottish Open sponsorship is confirmed with sponsorship from Aberdeen Asset Management for the next 3 years

April 4, 2012

Aberdeen Asset Management, the global investment management group, has been unveiled as the new title sponsor of the Scottish Open. Particularly good news for the Scottish economy as last year’s Scottish Open, which was won by World No.1 Luke Donald, was worth more than £5m to the Scottish economy.

 The European Tour Chief Executive George O’Grady CBE, Aberdeen Asset Management Chief Executive Martin Gilbert and the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP, Scotland’s First Minister, revealed details of the three year agreement at a press conference held in the historic setting of the Queen Anne Room in Edinburgh Castle.

The first tournament under the new title of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open will be played this summer at Castle Stuart Golf Links near Inverness from July 12-15, with the three year agreement seeing the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open also take its place on The European Tour International Schedule in both the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

George O’Grady said: “We are delighted to welcome Aberdeen Asset Management, an eminent global company based in Scotland, as title sponsor of the Scottish Open, one of the most prestigious tournaments on The European Tour International Schedule which, this year, will once again be played on the spectacular links layout at Castle Stuart.

“We are also extremely pleased to welcome Scottish Government support. This commitment is another example of Scotland’s strong backing for European Tour events, and is part of the strong partnership that has developed in the build-up to The 2014 Ryder Cup.”

Last year saw Castle Stuart Golf Links become the seventh Scottish course to host the tournament since 1972; following in the footsteps of Downfield, St Andrews, Haggs Castle, Gleneagles, Carnoustie and Loch Lomond.

The Inverness venue debuted at number 56 in Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Courses in the World and received universal praise last July for the test it provided the world’s best golfers.

Castle Stuart however is not the only course in Scotland to receive world recognition. Boasting over 550 courses, 400 of which are within an hours drive of a Scottish airport, no other country in the world offers golf courses of such high quality, variety, accessibility and number ranging from Open Championship venues, to historic links courses to hidden gems. With Scotland’s annual golf events calendar including the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, the Scottish Challenge, the Scottish Seniors Open and the Ladies Scottish Open it is no surprise that the industry sustains around 7,000 jobs and has an economic impact on Scotland of £220 million.

 I happily agree with Alex Salmond:-

“Scotland is already recognised worldwide as the Home of Golf, and with The Ryder Cup set to be played at Gleneagles in 2014 as well as the new commitment to the iconic Scottish Open announced today, everyone in this country can look forward to a bright future for Scottish golf.”

By Rebecca Henderson | Posted in Little's Updates | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Olympic boom for tourism in Scotland.

February 3, 2012

Scotland is experiencing a knock-on boom in tourism because of the Olympics in London this year, according to online travel firm Expedia.

The company said an extra 30% have booked to visit Glasgow and Edinburgh this July.

Visitor numbers in both cities have increased 10% since last year while parts of the Outer Hebrides and the Highlands have also seen growth in tourism of as much as 300% in the same period.

These figures translate into thousands of passengers looking to travel, not just to Glasgow and Edinburgh but Aberdeen and out to the regions as well.

 Andy Washington, Expedia managing director in the UK and Ireland, said:

“You have the culture, some great sights to see. But also events like the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where people are coming and enjoying that and getting the experience. People are looking for something a bit different.” 

In July this year London is hosting the Olympics, and people aren’t just going to the capital city.  They are looking to get out to the rest of the UK.

Tourism figures will climb even further with a total of 8 Olympic football matches scheduled to take place at Hampden Park, Scotland’s national stadium. Speaking of the games, Paul Deighton, chief executive of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said:

 ”Football is always the largest ticket sell. When you go for tickets for other Olympic events you know what you’re getting. That’s not the case with football. When it comes to the draw A-list teams will be at Hampden and there’s a very strong chance we’re talking Brazil or Spain, teams everyone wants to watch.”

Expedia figures for January show Edinburgh is second most popular place to visit in the UK, with London coming top. Glasgow is fourth, behind third-placed Manchester.

With the 2014 Commonwealth Games being held in Glasgow, businesses in Scotland will be looking ahead at how they can take advantage of the situation, in order to provide excellent service and hospitality to our international guests.  Let’s think of the Olympics as our “trial run”.

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Wedding Car Prices

October 3, 2011

I often hear from Brides that putting the word ‘Wedding’ in front of something suddenly increases the cost, and while I agree to a certain extent, there are also times when this can simply be down to a misunderstanding about how prices are calculated. I hope this information will go some way in explaining this in more detail and shed light on why wedding car hire is often slightly more expensive than other chauffeur driven car bookings.

Base to Base Charges

When hiring any chauffeur driven car, for a wedding or otherwise, the price is based from when the car leaves the company premises until it returns to those premises. Therefore, although your church may only be two minutes from your house, you are paying for the time and mileage that the car incurs from when it left the garage. So for the most cost effective wedding car deal, choose a company that is in close proximity to either where you are getting picked up or where you are being dropped off, as this will reduce the ‘empty mileage’ before and after your actual requirements.

Preparation of The Car

For any wedding supplier, the most important part of providing services on your wedding day is for everything to be absolutely perfect. When it comes to wedding cars, this means that the car must be immaculately clean inside and out, and dressed with ribbons and flowers as per your requirements. All this takes time; on average our chauffeurs spend at least one hour per car making sure that it will be perfect for your wedding day. This also means that this car cannot be used for any other hires prior to your wedding, whereas a corporate hire may go straight from one booking to the next.

Time Car is Required For

When we are quoting for a wedding car, we have to take into account how long you will require the car for. For a wedding where the ceremony and reception are taking place at two different venues, the car will pick up the Bride, transfer them to the church, wait at the church until after the ceremony and photography, transfer the Bride and Groom once they are married to the reception venue, wait for some more photography and only then will the hire be complete. It is very important that the prices you are given when you book are realistic, and include enough time to allow for all of this to happen. Little’s Chauffeur Drive recognise that many couples choose to have their ceremony and reception at one venue, and for this reason we can offer a 20% discount on standard wedding rates, as long as the cars are not required to wait until after the ceremony for photography.

I very much hope this information will assist you in getting the best price for your wedding cars, while also explaining why wedding cars can be higher in price than other chauffeur driven cars. If you have any queries about Little’s Wedding Car prices  in Glasgow or Edinburgh please contact us.

By Rebecca Henderson | Posted in Little's Updates | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Glasgow – A World Class Conference Destination

August 9, 2011

Glasgow recently welcomed the organising committee of The World Water Forum, who are considering the city for their Congress in 2015. Glasgow is competing against South Korea to host this international summit, which would welcome 20,000 delegates to the city. The final decision of the committee will be announced in October; here is why we think Glasgow should be the natural choice for this and many other world class events:

 

Glasgow - A Leading Conference Destination

 

1. Accessibility

Glasgow is well served by transport links by air, rail and road. There are regular shuttle services from all London Airports to the city, as well as direct flights from most European cities and further afield from Dubai and New York, and  Airport transfers to the city centre take just 15-20 minutes. See the BAA Glasgow Airport website for full details of airlines and destinations.  For delegates travelling from within the UK, Glasgow is served by Central and Queen Street stations, and can be reached from London in just over 4 hours.

2. Conference Support Services

The award winning Glasgow City Marketing Bureau work tirelessly to promote the city to a local and national audience. They offer free and impartial advice to conference hosts and professional conference organisers includings venue and accommodation sourcing, organisational support, financial support and marketing support.

The SECC is undoubtably the reason that many an organising committee choose Glasgow for their events. The venue provides five exhibition halls, the Clyde Auditorium (locally known as ’The Armadillo’) and 31 breakout rooms, providing flexible space for 10 – 10,000 delegates.  

One of the biggest selling points of the city is the diverse range of accommodation stock available in the city, ranging from the 5* Blythswood Square to new concepts in hotel experience like the CitizenM Hotel and providing accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets.

 3. Leisure Activities

The actual conference and accommodation facilites are clearly very important when choosing a conference destination, but there also needs to be an excellent range of leisure activities for the delegates and their partners or families while the congress takes place. Glasgow is a great base from which to explore Scotland, with the historic cities of Edinburgh and Stirling and the Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond  all around an hour away. If shopping is your passion, Glasgow city centre has world class shops and boutiques, aptly known locally as ‘The Style Mile’.

Stunning Loch Lomond Scenery

4. Other World Class Events Taking Place

As everyone knows, there is no more reliable way to rate a service or product than by others’ recommendations. In the next two months, Glasgow will be hosting three very large medical congresses; the 41st Annual Meeting of the International Continence Society (ICS 2011), the 50th Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE 2011) and the 15th European Society for Organ Transplantaion Congress (EOST 2011). This proves the confidence that organising committees have in Glasgow being the right host city.

Glasgow is of course also hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and has been chosen to host the MOBO awards in 2011, 2013 and 2015 –  further proof that Glasgow really is a world class conference and events venue.

By Rebecca Henderson | Posted in Little's Updates | Comments (0)

Little’s Chauffeur Drive and The Townhouse Collection

October 28, 2010

Working together to provide the utmost in luxury for visitors to Edinburgh

Scotland’s largest chauffeur drive company and Edinburgh’s most stylish boutique hotel group have joined forces to exceed the expectations of business and leisure travellers from the moment they arrive in the capital.

Johanne Falconer, Area Manager at the Townhouse Collection said, ‘we know that first impressions count, and we feel that the guest experience should start from the moment of arrival in Edinburgh. We had used Little’s on numerous occasions and knew that their excellence in customer service was just what we were looking for in a chauffeur drive partner’.

Now all guests who make a reservation at The Howard, The Bonham, Channings and The Edinburgh Residence will be offered this service. A Little’s chauffeur will meet and greet their guests in the arrivals hall of the airport, assist them with their luggage to an immaculate executive car and transfer them to the hotel in style. Guests will also be able to add on additional services including transfers from the hotel to conferences or events and city tours; perfect for those with limited free time during their stay.

Heather Matthews, Managing Director at Little’s Chauffeur Drive said, ‘we identified an opportunity to provide an additional revenue stream for the hotel at the same time as offering the services which a guest would expect from a luxury hotel group. The Townhouse Collection promotes many additional packages allowing guests to personalise their stay and we are delighted to be working with them to further enhance their luxury offering.’

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Scottish Chauffeur Company Drives Business Forward Worldwide

June 21, 2010

Despite massive disruptions to the luxury travel market, Little’s Chauffeur Drive continues to grow by launching ‘Little’s International’, their Global Reservations Service.

It has been a difficult time in the UK for companies offering business travel services. The nationalisation of several banking giants and the MP’s expenses scandal has lead to much scrutiny of executive travel. More recently, the volcanic ash cloud and BA strikes have added insult to injury causing massive losses not just to airlines, but to other travel services affected by the cancellation of flights.

But despite this, the Scottish chauffeur drive company is thriving by using their 44 years of experience to develop their international reservations service, providing a one stop shop for people wishing to book business travel anywhere in the UK or Internationally.

In 1968, George Wills the Founding Partner of Little’s Chauffeur Drive, recognised the need to form an association of independent chauffeur drive companies across the world. This allowed these companies to offer their clients not just local, but worldwide chauffeur drive bookings.

These associations are still in place today, and with George’s daughter Heather Matthews now at the helm, she has decided it is time to develop this service further.

Heather said, “Recently, due to market conditions, our client base has changed significantly and we are dedicated to offering them the products and services they demand in 2010. Although we have offered international bookings to our clients for some time, I feel Little’s International will more closely match the needs of a new breed of business travel bookers.”

When Little’s heard that the Summer Eventia 2010 conference was taking place in Glasgow this year, they decided it would be the perfect launch pad to get the ‘Little’s International’ brand recognised in the industry.

Izania Downie, CEO, Eventia said: “The theme for this year’s Summer Eventia is ‘raising your game’ and we are delighted that Little’s have chosen to demonstrate that they are doing just that, by launching their exciting new venture at our conference.”

For more information, contact Kenneth Good on 0141 883 2111 or kenneth@littles.co.uk.

Notes to Editors

Little’s Chauffeur Drive is a family owned business, providing chauffeur driven car hire since 1966 from bases in Glasgow & Edinburgh.

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