News update: Broomgrove plays host to the Trade and Investment Minister

Broomgrove plays host to the Trade and Investment Minister

Lord Green, the newly appointed Trade and Investment Minister, was one of the guests at a dinner and round table discussion hosted by EEF Venues at Broomgrove on Thursday 17th February. Attending the function were senior figures from local business and industry including Professor William Blake Speirs, who was elected Master Cutler in September 2010. Professor Speirs is the chairman of a number of businesses and acts as an ambassador of industry in Sheffield.

Dr Graham Honeyman, Chief Executive of Sheffield Forgemasters International Ltd, and James Newman, Chairman of the Lancashire Evening Post, were also present. The evening was an excellent opportunity for local senior businessmen and entrepreneurs to put their questions to Lord Green about the state of the economy and the future of manufacturing in the area.

“Lord Green is responsible for ensuring the delivery of a cross-Government strategy for trade, and attracting international investment to the UK,” said Richard Morely, Chair of the EEF Regional Council, “so it was really valuable for us to be able to meet with him and raise our questions and concerns. It was also very exciting for us to welcome such prestigious guests to Broomgrove.”

The 18 attendees were well looked after and enjoyed the hospitality and fine food that all EEF venues are noted for. Drinks and canapés were served as the guests arrived, and the discussions continued over a sit down dinner with three delicious choices - roast fillet of beef on celeriac mash, pork fillet steaks braised in red wine or wild mushroom lasagne with parmesan cream.

For more details about Broomgrove Conference Centre and Conference Centres of Excellence visit www.cceonline.co.uk or call 0845 230 1414.

Maple House: What's in the news?

Maple House, Birmingham retains BDRC Venue Verdict - Gold Standard award 2011

Maple House wins prestigious IITT Award - 09/02/2010

We just keep on winning! Not only have we just won 2 awards from the BDRC AND a place in the prestigious Sunday Times Buyout Track 100 league table, but Maple House has also clinched “IT Training Venue of the Year” from the IITT - the second year in a row one of our venues has won it!

The Institute of IT Training’s Training Awards were announced on 4th February at a glittering awards ceremony at The Dorchester in London, and continues a great run of success for our Birmingham venue – Maple House.

Our first venue outside the capital, Maple House keeps going from strength to strength. After announcing their expansion at the beginning of the year, they swiftly followed this with the BDRC’s “No 1 Conference venue for Service Award”, and now the triple – Training Venue of the Year from the IIT.

Maple House's General Manager, Guy Booth commented:-
“Its fantastic that our commitment to client service combined with a bespoke training environment has been recognised by the IIT. It’s a great achievement considering that Maple House has only been open for 18 months, however, we’re looking forward to even more award winning space when we expand into our ‘Expand’ suite”.

Its yet another example of how etc.venues is continuing to grow through its fit-for-purpose venues and award winning client service.

For more details about Maple House and etcvenues please visit www.cceonline.co.uk or call 0845 230 1414.

News update from Henley Business School, Oxfordshire

With views over the estate and River Thames, the newly refurbished Heyworth Restaurant offers a wide choice of dishes to suit delegates individual tastes.
These tranquil views ensure delegates can recharge during a focused meeting.

For more information about Henley Business School visit http://www.cceonline.co.uk/our_venues/our-venues/Henley_Business_School or call 0845 230 1414.

imago at Burleigh Court celebrates success of local entrepreneur

They say that life changing ideas can strike at any moment and for Pete Gardener of Loughborough based business Chocolate Alchemy, it was behind the bar of imago’s four star Burleigh Court hotel in 2007. Two years later he no longer works at Burleigh Court but imago is still supporting Pete as he grows his successful handmade chocolate business.

Pete has always had an ambition to start his own business, using his experience in the food and drink industry having previously been a bar manager and landlord. Taking on the role of bar supervisor for imago not only gave him the time to develop his entrepreneurial vision but to also find added inspiration thanks to help and support from the staff.

Pete comments: “After months of research into the local area and a lot of hard work to develop a strong business idea, I launched Chocolate Alchemy. We are experts in handmade chocolate – not only selling our products and running a coffee shop but offering master classes and team building courses. imago were incredibly supportive and allowed me to be flexible with my working hours so that I could invest time into getting Chocolate Alchemy started. Mark Price, imago’s head of catering, and head chef Andy Grant have also been really important from the start – helping me to develop the idea behind the business and now testing flavours and giving me feedback.

“imago is now one of my biggest customers and I’m really pleased that they still support me as a Loughborough business. The partnership also works both ways as I am now booking a lot more hen parties and it’s great to be able to recommend Burleigh Court and The Link hotel to these visitors.”

Mark Price, head of catering at imago said: “It’s been fantastic to see the growth of Pete’s business idea from original conception whilst he was a member of staff here to an established business. Not only is it important to support a friend but also a local business which offers excellent quality produce. His chocolates are now available at the Burleigh Court restaurant, in the bar at The Link Hotel and to delegates at Holywell Park.”

The future for Chocolate Alchemy looks bright with a new investor on board with plans to expand the brand in the future. The new investor is runner and former Loughborough University student Lisa Dobriskey along with her husband Ricky Soos, providing yet another link back to the campus where Pete first had his spark of inspiration two years ago.

For further information on imago visit www.cceonline.co.uk, or call 0845 230 1414, or follow @imagolboro on twitter.

Find out more about Chocolate Alchemy by visiting http www.chocolatealchemy-loughborough.co.uk or by calling 01509 238113. Chocolate Alchemy is located at 5 Churchgate Mews, Loughborough, LE11 1TZ.

Major refurbishments completed at Lane End Conference Centre

Lane End Conference Centre has carried out a major structural refurbishment of one of its key facilities in just three weeks.

Lane End has transformed its Wycombe Lodge building with the latest hi-tech presentations technology plus a new higher ceiling that allows more natural light to flood in.

All the work had to be carried out in less than three weeks so Lane End could meet all the bookings in its conference venues schedule.

Refurbishment work was completed on time – 72 hours ahead of a new client arriving at Wycombe Lodge.

The two main conference rooms in Wycombe Lodge have been equipped with the latest data projectors and screens while new 50-inch plasma screens have been installed in all five breakout rooms.

Free high speed internet access is available throughout the building with a purpose-built coffee bar in the lounge offering tea, coffee and freshly baked biscuits throughout the day.

Other benefits include 35 bedrooms within the building plus a private lounge and dining room – all of which can be hired for exclusive or shared use.


For more details about Lane End Conference Centre visit www.cceonline.co.uk or call 0845 230 1414.

Broomgrove Conference Centre joins Conference Centres of Excellence

Broomgrove Conference Centre is a Grade II listed Victorian villa with a light and airy style and many period features.

It has 8 meeting rooms and an exceptional team of people committed to providing superb facilities and fine catering – all underpinned by a consistently warm and friendly service designed to help you ‘balance concentration with relaxation’. The centre is 10 minutes from Sheffield’s mainline station and 15 minutes from the M1, where connections can be made to the north and the south.

Broomgrove is dedicated to providing high quality conference facilities for businesses. With all the rooms being different sizes and available in a variety of layouts clients can be sure to find a suitable venue for their event whether it be a training programme, formal meeting or away day. And no event would be complete without Broomgrove’s range of freely available refreshments and freshly prepared meals.

For further information about Broomgrove Conference Centre Sheffield or Conference Centres of Excellence please visit www.cceonline.co.uk or call 0845 230 1414.

Spice up Christmas 2011 at the IET London: Savoy Place

Sumptious summer parties at IET London: Savoy Place

Our philosophy ...

Conference Centres of Excellence’s purpose is to represent specialist conference centres at the top end of the meetings sector, providing excellent quality events, in a dedicated environment, at all inclusive rates.

With and on behalf of its members, the consortium works to promote to organisers the benefits of focused conference facilities and support.

Apart from a guaranteed excellence of facility, the distinguishing principles of Conference Centres of Excellence’s members are the consistent delivery of very high standards of quality, and the meeting and exceeding of customer expectations in terms of service, delivered by a high level of experienced meeting and technical staff support.

Quality of staff support is a major focus. This is achieved not only by regular training in key areas, but by providing motivation which encourages staff to stay and develop, providing a continuity which non specialist venues such as hotels rarely match. We are utterly convinced of the value of this continuity; customers place great on a familiar face who knows them and their requirements – indeed, it can be a major factor in securing repeat business.

A further focus and key value is excellence of food. We seek to achieve levels across all elements of food provision which are sector leading, and certainly significantly in advance of non-specialist venues.

More generally, we seek differentiation for our member venues in terms of their ability to create for customers and delegates a genuine ‘sense of belonging’ rather than that feeling that they’re just a number. That is achieved by support that is warm, friendly, welcoming, flexible, attentive, and focused.

Our philosophy is that high quality cannot solely be based on class-leading tangibles such as ‘8 hour chairs’. It's about a high level of discreet, friendly customer care, provided proactively and with anticipation.

Key values CCE’s principle is that dedicated venues represent the best platform for a successful event, because they give;

* Dedicated conference support, without the distractions that affect conference provision by non-specialist and hotel-based venues
* A focused environment for communications, learning and discussion
* Rooms that are designed and configured specifically for conferences and meetings, with dedicated furnishings and equipment
* Supportive staff, trained in the meetings business and fully sympathetic to clients’ and delegates’ conference needs
* Across all member venues, the highest standards of supporting facilities and service in terms of residential accommodation, food, leisure facilities and general guest support (especially in terms of support for their ongoing business).

For more details email info@cceonline.co.uk or call Anthony Lishman on 0845 230 1414.

Book early! Christmas Party Package from IET Birmingham: Austin Court

Summer offers at IET Birmingham; Austin Court

Conference Centres of Excellence announces prestigious new members

A duo of high profile, historic sites have been signed up as the latest members of the UK’s leading sales and marketing consortium for dedicated conference and training centres. BMA House in London and IET Glasgow:Teacher Building have both joined Conference Centres of Excellence this month.

Consortium executive director Anthony Lishman said he was delighted the venues had chosen to join Conference Centres of Excellence, bringing the total number of venues to 42. “We are committed to seeking out the best possible specialist venues, which match the facilities and the service levels that we require to meet our quality promise,” he said. “The appointment of two such prestigious sites only underlines the commitment to quality which forms a foundation stone for Conferences of Excellence.”

BMA House is home to the prestigious British Medical Association. This stunning Grade II listed building was designed in 1911 by the famed architect Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been the Headquarters for the BMA since 1925. Located in Tavistock Square, the house has undergone many developments and refurbishments over the years, the most recent being completed in 2008. The extensive redevelopment created five versatile and contemporary spaces for events yet many of the rooms still retain their original Grade II listed features. Alongside the event spaces are eleven purpose built meeting rooms. Capacities range from small boardroom meetings for two to large conferences for 300, dinner for 200 and cocktail parties for 320. The house also boasts a courtyard and garden offering outdoor space that is so rarely found in Central London.

BMA House Assistant Events Manager, Cherith Speers said 'We are delighted to have been accepted into the Conference Centres of Excellence, and to be part of this exclusive group of venues who consistently demonstrate the very highest standards in quality to our clients. “BMA House is a truly unique venue offering a variety of meeting and event spaces, which blend traditional architecture with modern, contemporary design, backed up by a team who are passionate about ensuring every event is a huge success coupled with a burning desire to continually improve on our service.'

IET Glasgow: Teacher Building has been a Glasgow landmark since 1875 and continues to boast original features from its famous history. Built in the early 1870s, the venue was commission by whisky magnate William Teacher and for 100 years the building was home to the world-famous Teacher’s Whisky. A Grade II listed building, IET Glasgow: Teacher Building is part of the city’s uniquely rich heritage of Victorian commercial architecture. In 1995 the venue became the Scottish Engineering Centre, under the Institution of Engineering and Technology receiving a thoughtful transformation into a versatile city centre venue for events, banqueting, conferences and meetings. The venue includes state of the art technology and has one of the only tiered lecture theatres in the city. IET Glasgow: Teacher Building also includes 15 multi-use rooms that lend themselves to all events and occasions.

Justin Livesey, Venue Manager said: “We are delighted that IET Glasgow: Teacher Building has been recognised by Conference Centres of Excellence. This recognition is testament to our focus on providing a high quality, tailored service that suits each of our customers’ unique needs.”

For more details visit www.cceonline.co.uk or call 0845 230 1414.

Academic Venue Show could go with a bang for Conference Aston

Birmingham’s leading academic venue is preparing for a dynamite time at the Academic Venue Show, as two of their buildings have been knocked down to make way for a new accommodation development.

Two student accommodation towers, just minutes from Conference Aston, were demolished on May 8, just before the show on May 11 at the Emirates Stadium. (http://youtu.be/QdnsBSDk12o)

The blocks, part of Aston University’s student accommodation will be replaced by a state of the art student residences which will also be used by Conference Aston for summer campus conferencing.

The new accommodation buildings, scheduled to be completed in 2012, form part of a four year development plan which will increase the campus accommodation available during the summer months to 1000 ensuite bedrooms.

Head of sales and marketing Christine Page believes the new development will help make the show a busy one for Conference Aston.

“Campus conferencing and summer schools have become a significant growth market for us, with more than 33,000 bed nights booked for July and August,” she said.

“Our attraction for organisers is the combination of a fantastic central location, just minutes walk from the centre of Birmingham with routes to other Midland attractions, and accessible through public transport links and a friendly, small campus environment with onsite facilities for accommodation, eating and teaching activities.

“It is ideal for summer schools covering anything from school pupils sampling university life to international summer schools for those a little older learning about British culture.”

The programme of refurbishment will see not just an increase in room numbers but in the quality of accommodation, something which opens up new markets for Conference Aston.

“We are seeing more and more enquiries from organisations with tight budgets looking at cost effective ways to host conferences,” said Christine.

“They make use of the fantastic conference facilities we have at Conference Aston, while staff stay in the campus accommodation, which reduces costs considerably while still offering a quality service.”

To celebrate the fact that phase one of the Aston Student Village is already available for campus conferencing and work on phase two has started, Conference Aston is offering an explosive rate for residential delegates.
The 24 hour Residential Conference Rate of 75 includes:

Accommodation in the Lakeside bedrooms and new residences in single occupancy, ensuite rooms, Continental Breakfast
Two Tea and Coffee Breaks
Main Meeting Room Hire
3 Course Buffet Lunch (or barbecue)
3 Course Dinner (or barbecue)
Registration Desk
Conference stationery.

To speak to the Conference Aston team stop off at Stand 4 in the Heart of England region.

Conference Aston welcomes more than 54,000 people a year to Birmingham for training, residential conferences, for weddings and to stay in its high quality hotel facilities and on site campus accommodation.
It sits at the heart of Aston University, which is a long established research-led university known for its world-class teaching quality and strong links to industry, government and commerce.

For more details about Conference Aston visit www.cceonline.co.uk or call 0845 230 1414

Discover the IET London: Savoy Place

IET London: Savoy Place is by far one of London's most interesting and versatile venues. Located in the heart of Central London and boasting uninterrupted views across the Thames from St Paul's Cathedral to the Houses of Parliament, Savoy Place retains all the character of a famous Institution, fused with modern, plush furnishings and state-of-the-art audio-visual technology. 

Click here to watch the online video

For more details visit www.cceonline.co.uk or call 0845 230 1414

Cool Summer Conference Rates at Conference Aston, Birmingham

**Cool Summer Conference Rates** for events to be held 25th July - 3rd September at Conference Aston, Birmingham

Summer is on its way and it's going to be a hot one!
We have some super cool summer rates for new bookings placed for events to be held 25th July to 3rd September 2011 inclusive.

Escape the office and come to the tranquil environment at Conference Aston for your summer meetings and conferences, where the air con is on full blast and 5 o'clock is 'Pimms o'clock'!!

Day Delegate from £30 per delegate includes:

Purpose built main meeting room; three servings of fair-trade tea, coffee and biscuits; three course buffet lunch in our contemporary restaurant; meeting room stationery including flipchart, pens and paper; LCD projector and screen.

24 Hour Delegate from £99 per delegate includes:

Overnight accommodation, full English breakfast, purpose built main meeting room; three servings of fair-trade tea, coffee and biscuits; three course buffet lunch in our contemporary restaurant; meeting room stationery including flipchart, pens and paper; LCD projector and screen.

These cool summer rates are available for all new enquiries and bookings made from 4th May 2011 for events held from 25th July to 3rd September 2011 inclusive.

Call us to discuss your needs on 0845 230 1414 quoting 'Summer Rates' or email info@cceonline.co.uk

A stunning central London conference location - discover BMA House

BMA House is a stunning Grade II listed building located in fashionable Bloomsbury, central London.

Most recently refurbished in Summer 2008 this beautiful property created five impressive new event spaces alongside its combination of 17 purpose built meeting rooms. The House also boasts a garden and courtyard offering outdoor entertaining space so rarely available in central London. Sited on the grounds of the former home of Charles Dickens; BMA House is steeped in history and offers a grand setting in which to host your event.

The versatility of rooms at BMA House allow for meetings as small as 10 boardroom and 20 for a private dinner to 300 theatre style, 200 for banqueting and 320 for cocktail parties. The majority of rooms offer flexible seating layouts and four are even licensed for weddings!

BMA House boasts state of the art audio visual equipment and in-house technicians to ensure successful delivery of your message.

Catering is provided by award winning on site caterers; menus offer innovative design, premium ingredients and stunning presentation.

For more details about BMA House visit www.cceonline.co.uk or call 0845 230 1414

Several Conference Centres of Excellence members feature in latest VenueVerdict Gold Standard Venues update

Market research agency BDRC Continental has announced the latest venues to attain its VenueVerdict Gold Standard accreditation following the assessment at the end of Quarter 1.

VenueVerdict Gold Standard is awarded to any participating venue with a twelve-month Net Promoter Score of +70. 'Net Promoter' is a progressive measure of customer service performance that acknowledges the power that excellent service has when it comes to driving positive word of mouth for a brand. By the same token, it recognises the impact that poor service can have on a brand's reputation and future sales prospects. Previously, venues had to achieve an average score of 90% or greater for a composite 'Overall Performance Index' measure devised by BDRC Continental.

From the sixteen announced three months ago, twelve have retained their VenueVerdict Gold Standard status from the 2010 year-end assessment …

Maple House (etc venues)

Highgate House (Sundial Venues)
IET Birmingham: Austin Court
Cotswold Conference Centre
Apex City of London

IET Glasgow: Teacher Building
Woodside (Sundial Venues)
Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes, London
Novotel Southampton
The George Hotel, Edinburgh (Principal Hayley)
The Møller Centre
Church House Conference Centre

imago to host the 2011 Corporate Games

With a four star hotel and conference centre, an exhibition venue, a budget hotel and numerous facilities across Loughborough University, imago has already had much to celebrate this year – and now it’s poised for more success. Having taken home a trio of top national awards, it’s preparing to host the 2011 Corporate Games.

The Corporate Games will be held in Loughborough from 14-17th July. imago will be hosting athletes from leading businesses across the UK, in partnership with Loughborough University, Charnwood Borough Council and Leicestershire County Council. The UK Corporate Games is Europe’s largest corporate multi-sports festival and brings business’ together to build employee confidence, loyalty and team spirit. The competition covers 23 different sports including volleyball, hockey, dragon boat racing and football.

Kay England, chief executive of imago, commented: 'It’s a great privilege for Loughborough University to be named the host of the 2011 UK Corporate Games and we hope that the high level of service we offer as standard across the whole of the campus will help the guests to get the most out of the Games.

'Being based at Loughborough University means we have links with the top sporting talent in the UK including the England rugby team and the Japanese Olympic team, which we hope will motivate and inspire all the businesses taking part in the 2011 competition.'

The all-round credentials of imago were highlighted recently by its success at the Meetings & Incentive Travel (M&IT) Awards 2011. The awards, which are highly regarded in the industry as the winners are chosen by customer feedback and votes, named Burleigh Court the ‘Best UK Conference Centre’, with awards also won in the ‘Best Conference and Banqueting Staff’ and ‘Best Academic Conference Venue’ categories. This is the second year running that imago has taken home the top title for ‘Best UK Conference Centre’ at the M&IT Awards, winning gold in this category and silver for Best Conference and Banqueting Staff in 2010.

Kay England commented: 'We’re over the moon to be named the UK’s Best Conference Venue for the second year running and we’re especially proud of the recognition of our fantastic staff. These awards are testament to our dedication to deliver a first rate service to all our customers and prove that the experience and knowledge of our team is second to none. The M&IT Awards are particularly valuable to us as these were voted for by our customers, so we are sincerely thankful for all their support in helping us achieve these two fantastic accolades.'

2012 is looking just as bright with Burleigh Court reaching its 21st birthday. A number of imago staff will be sharing in the celebrations having stayed with the venue since its doors first opened. With the Japanese Olympic team also relying on imago’s hosting skills to help in its preparations for the Games, it is likely to be a busy time for everyone at imago.

Imago is currently running a ‘Spring into Summer’ promotion which offers up to 20% off conference rates in May, June, July and August with one complimentary place for every 10 delegates confirmed.. Details can be obtained through the company’s website or by calling its sales office.

For more details call 0845 230 1414 or visit www.cceonline.co.uk