Cameron House - Taking the events high road

Simon George finds no shortage of ambition at Cameron House on the banks of Lock Lomond as the venerable Scottish establishment seeks to internationalise its MICE offerings Sunshine through the rain Dark skies, lashing rain and howling winds courtesy of Storm Isha greeted our arrival at Cameron House, a luxurious five-star hotel dating back 200 years set in 400 acres, a short drive from Glasgow airport, By the time of departure, the storm clouds had lifted, the winds had relented, blue sky was visible and the sun had come out. The transformation in the weather provides a fitting analogy for the challenges the hotel has faced in recent years: closure from the end of 2017 to early 2021 while it underwent extensive renovation including a new event wing; the pandemic and economic headwinds – and where it finds itself now. Much better placed structurally and strategically to specialise in the MICE sector, especially the incentives market, Cameron House offers complete buyouts and corporate offsite and teambuilding events with an extensive range of outdoor leisure activities available. The ambition is to transition the business from a hotel to a resort, and ambition is certainly not in short supply. As Michael Lavizani, who had been resort director since Q2 2023, explains: “Cameron House already attracts international visitors from Europe to the Americas but now I want to propel its status to be the most internationally recognised luxury hotel in Scotland” Event wing game-changer In the heart of the hotel lies the library, an ideal space for cocktail receptions or as a breakout are; the morning room, perfect for boardroom-style meetings; and the cinema, a plush. luxurious space which holds 29, suitable for presentations. However, it is the new event wing built at a cost of £25m by Cameron House’s owner, US private equity company KSL Capital Partners, and opened in November 2022 which elevates the hotel’s MICE offering to a whole new level, enabling it to host large events (300-plus), offer complete buyouts and really target the international market. As Karen Avery, MICE saes director, comments “It puts us is a brand new arena”, and Lavizani adds: “We went from a medium-sized resort to a large resort once the extension was built.” The Loch Lomond suite is the largest meeting room in the new event wing. It has it’s own entrance, can hold up to 500 people theatre style and 500 cocktail receptions, can be partitioned into three and has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the loch, which makes it ideal for large events, especially car marketing as it has a loading bay. Slightly smaller, but similar in terms of feel, i.e. natural daylight, airy, neutral décor; Loch Katrine and Loch Fyne complement the space. There are also 68 new bedrooms (a third of the hotel’s bedroom stock) above this area which means that international delegates can nip back to change. Highlighting its suitability to stage large events, last November Porsche UK took over the entire space for a corporate offsite. Good booking visibility Given its size and the fact that it has only been open such a short time, the new event space brings considerable booking availability and therefore booking visibility advantages. As Avery explains: “when somebody wants a big event for 200-300 people, as long as it is more than six months out we often have availability. Because we are the new venue on the block, we don’t come with a legacy of regular annual business. Which means people still have the pick of some relatively good dates at relatively short notice.” Cameron House has 12 months’ booking visibility. It is, Avery notes, on Venue Directory, the UK portal, on Cvent, which gives it international visibility, and booking conversions are up 8% year-on-year, he says. Strategic focus After a guided tour of the hotel’s event space, it was time to sit down with Avery and Lavizani to find out more about the hotel’s MICE offering and assess Cameron House from a top-down perspective. In terms of strategic direction, both emphasised the key focus on the MICE market, the importance of ramping up Cameron House’s appeal (to international markets from a revenue perspective, improving and weaknesses in the hotel’s services, staff training and pursuing the ideal of obtaining complete buyouts, One Far East golf equipment manufacturer is taking over the hotel in July for a week for the British Open at nearby Troon. In terms of sectors, financial and automotive are the two showing the most growth for events, according to Avery. Both seem buoyant, are looking to put on large events which often involves bringing people over from Europe and the US and offering them something unique, memorable and different, criteria which Cameron House is understandable keen to cater for. Demand for visiting Scotland is up at the moment while London is down year on year, according to Cvent. “There’s lots to do in the region: you have beautiful countryside and it is well connected in terms of US flights to Edinburgh and Middle East flights to Glasgow”, Avery flagged. Pharma and tech are also key sectors. Un terms of country markets, Lavizani cited Western Europe as a market Cameron house is keen to expand. He expressed his hope that the US will become a growing market. Rich incentives offer Cameron house offers a near A-Z list of exciting activites for delegates – from a flight on a sea plane, loch cruises or kayaking, to a championship golf course, a luxurious spa and traditional rural leisure pursuits such as archery, clay pigeon shooting, falconry and the highlight of my stay, off-roading on some treacherous mountain tracks courtesy of 4xx4 Adventures Scotland. Commenting on Cameron House, Sophia Umney, partnership and events manager at Miss Jones Group, was full of praise: “The venue has lots to offer, especially in terms of experiences. For corporates looking to book, everything is either onsite or well catered for offsite while in terms of pricing you get a lot more for your money, especially compared with down south.”