Ongoing Woodland Grange investments secure 4* VisitEngland reaccreditation

VisitEngland has commended Woodland Grange Conference Centre in Warwickshire for its continued provision of ‘comfortable, well-maintained accommodation, mainly for the commercial market’. 

Re-accrediting the residential centre with its four-star rating, awarding an overall guest accommodation score of 77%, VisitEngland used its report to highlight the positive impact to the customer experience of recent investments into décor, including new carpets throughout landings and an extensive refurbishment of the Lawns Restaurant. 

‘The restaurant has been fully refurbished and decorated this year and really presents very well indeed, for which the management is to be commended,’ reads the assessor’s report. Bedrooms are ‘decorated very much with the property’s core business market in mind’, continues the report, and bathrooms are furnished with ‘modern style sanitary wares and fittings’ and a ‘very good range of well-presented towels and toiletries’. ‘Extensive well-tended grounds show care and attention, enhancing overall first impressions to arriving guests. [There’s] ample well-presented parking along with very effective directional signage. Guests also benefit from an excellent range of facilities including coffee lounges, gym and spa, which are sure to be popular with a variety of guests,’ continued the report. 

Speaking of the reaccreditation, EEF Venues director David Vaughton said: “We’re thrilled to have retained our four-star VisitEngland Quality in Tourism accreditation. It’s an important benchmark of the excellent quality and service you can expect when you stay at our flagship venue. We specialise in conferencing and meetings and our on-site accommodation has proved a real bonus for groups wishing to take advantage of our location and facilities to host residential conferences, away days and training programmes with an overnight option. When demand allows, we’re also able to encourage a competitive bed and breakfast service for non-corporate guests wishing to escape to the peaceful Warwickshire countryside.” 

Woodland Grange’s location, nestled in leafy 16-acre grounds, offers access to Royal Leamington Spa and its railway station in less than 10 minutes, to Birmingham International Airport in 30 minutes and to the major motorway network (M40, M42, M6 and M69). 

Businesses from near and far find Woodland Grange a perfect fit for conferences, training courses, team building sessions or corporate events. From the outside it is a building flooded with English country house character, yet on strolling into the spacious, bright reception and neighbouring coffee lounge, you’ll be met by slick architecture, etched glass panelling and bold colours. Its 26 conference and meeting rooms can be arranged to suit your requirements, with the largest suite accommodating up to 200 people. Within these rooms, air conditioning, soundproofing, natural daylight and blackout facilities meet free WiFi access, convenient laptop connections, in-room computers and audio-visual equipment, with technical support always on hand. 

Guests can relish in a restful night’s sleep in the 114 homely ensuite bedrooms on site, some with idyllic countryside views. They come complete with double beds as standard, complimentary WiFi, toiletries, a 26” flat screen television with Freeview, data points, telephone, ironing facilities and coffee/tea provision. Woodland Grange also has a well-equipped fitness room, with sauna and Jacuzzi, for use by any customer.

To book the venue contact The Hotline today on 0845 230 1414 or info@cceonline.co.uk

Conference Centre named best in the country

(left to right): Penelope, Viscountess Cobham, Chairman of VisitEngland, with the team from Cotswold Conference Centre: Rachael Buttery, Mandy Morrison, Debbie Sarjant and Lesley Stretch. Far right: James Berresford, Chief Executive, VisitEngland. 

Cotswold Conference Centre has been named as the country’s best business tourism venue by industry experts VisitEngland. 

The conference, training and teambuilding centre, on the Farncombe Estate near Broadway, won Gold in the Business Tourism category of the prestigious VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2012. The national awards celebrate the best tourism venues, businesses and visitor attractions in the country and this year saw a record 392 applications. Winners were selected for their use of best practice, quality and innovation throughout the business and for helping raise standards across the industry. 

Cotswold Conference Centre topped a Business Tourism Award short-list which included Ribby Hall Business & Conference Suite in Preston, Manchester’s Lowry Hotel and Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The awards ceremony was held at the Athena in Leicester on Tuesday and the success marks the fourth Gold award that Cotswold Conference Centre has won so far in 2012. 

Richard Howdle, Operations Manager of Cotswold Conference Centre, said: “We’ve won regional awards, customer service awards and environmental business awards this year but there’s no doubt that this national recognition tops it all. “It isn’t just that we were short-listed alongside some great venues which makes winning so special, but also the fact that it comes from VisitEngland makes it very satisfying. “To have an organisation that works with so many great venues across the country choose us as the winner is a fantastic reflection of our performance and a wonderful boost for the whole team.” 

Cotswold Conference Centre’s other awards so far this year are the VenueVerdict Gold Award for customer service in January, the Cotswold Tourism Gold Award for best conference centre in March and Gold in the Green Tourism Business Scheme, in April. 

Cotswold Conference Centre is a modern venue based on the 370-acre Farncombe Estate, five minutes from the picturesque town of Broadway and just half-an-hour from Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Spring offer at Chicheley Hall

Spring is a wonderful time at Chicheley Hall with the garden in bloom and longer, brighter days.

Make the most of this season by holding your event with us during the next 6 weeks. 

If you book an event with us in May or June we’ll provide a complimentary upgrade to a Chicheley Hall cream tea for the afternoon break. 

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

Eight is great as Beardmore triumphs at hotel ‘Oscars’

The Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre was the big winner at the Scottish Hotel Awards last night (Sunday 20 May 2012). 

The Clydebank hotel, which has been recognised at the Scottish Hotel Awards every year since its launch nine years ago, walked away with eight titles on the night, including five individual awards for staff. 

Staff attending the glittering ceremony – dubbed the ‘Scottish Hotel Oscars’ were delighted as the prizes kept on coming, culminating in the hotel being crowned Conference Hotel of the Year for the second year in a row. 

The awards presented to the Beardmore are: 

• Scottish Conference Hotel of the Year 

• Green Hotel of the Year (Medium) 

• Business Performance Gold Medal, for the Beardmore Sales Team

• Management Excellence Gold Medal, for Director Bronagh Bell 

• Dame of Hospitality in Honour of Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality, for General Manager Eileen Newman 

• Food and Beverage Hospitality Gold Medal, for Food and Beverage Assistant Gregory Gibson 

• Reception Excellence Gold Medal, for Heather Cosgrove 

• Restaurant Manager of the Year, for Terry McQuade 

The winners are selected following inspections, interviews, consumer feedback and nominations, industry intelligence and critic analysis. 

The awards were presented on Sunday 20 May 2012 in a ceremony that was attended by hotel teams from across Scotland. 

Jill Young, Chief Executive, congratulated the team on their achievements. She said: “This result is outstanding and so very well deserved by the Beardmore team. We believe it is because our staff focus on every little detail to ensure that guests have the best leisure stay, conference, wedding or dining experience. “We have known for a long time that we have a high quality hotel with fantastic staff to match. It feels even better when external accreditation reinforces this, so well done to all of our staff who absolutely embody excellence in health, hospitality and learning.”

Warwick Conferences AIMs Higher with Gold Hat-trick

Warwick Conferences has cause for celebration after announcing today that all three of its conference and training venues have been awarded the prestigious Gold AIM Accreditation from the Meetings Industry Association (MIA). 

Endorsed by the likes of Visit Britain, Visit England and the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers, the Gold AIM Accreditation is awarded to venues that have met or exceeded 50 criteria including customer service, quality of facilities, compliance with codes of conduct and corporate social responsibility. J

Jane Longhurst, chief executive of the MIA said: “AIM is the meeting industry’s national standard and AIM Gold is the highest level a venue can achieve. Meeting the criteria, following stringent assessment by independent assessors, demonstrates exceptional levels of service and facilities. “For buyers considering using Warwick Conferences, AIM Gold is an assurance of excellence beyond expectation, and I believe all involved in this achievement should be commended for the competitive advantage they have created for their business.” 

Alan Robinson, Director of Warwick Conferences’ comments: “We are beyond thrilled that our Radcliffe, Scarman and Arden venues have all been awarded the coveted Gold AIM Accreditation. “There are 382 venues at entry level of the scheme and now only 14 are at the Gold standard so this is a real achievement indeed. “It was a hugely intensive process spent gathering significant information over a very long time - as well as completing a portfolio of excellence and undergoing rigorous assessments - so I would like to say a huge thank you to the project team involved in making this happen. “These awards are testament to the exceptional facilities and outstanding customer service that we pride ourselves on delivering and further cement Warwick Conferences’ position as a world-class venue.” 

Warwick Conferences has also recently been awarded Gold Standard in the BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict and scooped up two gold awards and a silver award at this year’s M&IT Awards.

EEF Venues 3 day flash sale

For 3 days only, claim exclusive and generously discounted day delegate rates when you book any JUNE 2012 event at an EEF Venue.

We have 4 acclaimed venues in 4 top UK business destinations:


WOODLAND GRANGE, Warwickshire
FLASH SALE DDR: £35.00
Maximum room capacity: 200

ENGINEERS' HOUSE, Bristol
FLASH SALE DDR: £24.50
Maximum room capacity: 170

BROADWAY HOUSE, Westminster
FLASH SALE DDR: £42.00
Maximum room capacity: 120

BROOMGROVE, Sheffield
FLASH SALE DDR: £25.00
Maximum room capacity: 90

Sale begins: 9:00am, Wednesday 23rd May
Sale closes: 5:00pm, Friday 25th May

To book your event contact the Hotline today on 0845 230 1414 or info@cceonline.co.uk

Eynsham Hall invests in new website

Exciting times ahead at Eynsham Hall, Oxfordshire with the launch of its new website: www.eynshamhall.com.  

This new website allows customers to have all the information they need as well as appreciate the images of the stunning venue. 

With the website proving very popular in the first few hours of its launch, Eynsham Hall urge you to keep an eye on offers and features regularly appearing on the website.

Fantastic success for The Beardmore at the Scottish Hotel of the Year Awards 2012

The Beardmore were certainly the winning venue at this year's Scottish Hotel of the year Awards 2012 where they received the following awards:

Scottish Conference Hotel of the Year

Green Hotel of the Year (Medium)

Business Performance Gold Medal, Sales Team

Manager Gold Medal, Bronagh Bell

Dame of Hospitality in Honour of outstanding contribution to Hospitality, Eileen Newman

Hospitality Gold Medal, Gregory Gibson

Reception Excellence Gold Medal, Heather Cosgrove

Restaurant Manager of the Year, Terry McQuade

Congratulations to all the staff at The Beardmore!

An invitation to visit Ashorne Hill

Fantastic rates at Weetwood Hall

... and take advantage of 20.12%* discount from our best available day delegate rate inc. VAT throughout June, July and August.

* applicable to new bookings only, subject to availability

Contact the Hotline today on 0845 230 1414 or info@cceonline.co.uk and quote 'GOLD'

Visit Warwick Conferences at the international IMEX exhibition

The University of Warwick, Conferences & Events to showcase its award-winning facilities in Frankfurt

The University of Warwick, Conferences & Events will be among 3,500 other exhibiting companies from 150 countries lined up to market themselves to nearly 4,000 hosted buyers and 5,000 trade visitors from the international meetings, incentive travel and events industry in Frankfurt this May.

This year’s IMEX in Frankfurt trade show will take place at Messe Frankfurt from 22 – 24 May. It will be attended by hosted buyers from 68 global markets, including the fast-growing, influential BRICS countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China. Hosted buyers from the powerful German meetings and events market generally account for 16% of the total.

According to an exit survey conducted after last year’s show, buyers placed orders worth $508 million with exhibitors during the three days of the show, a rise of nearly 12.8% compared to the year before. As a result, many exhibitors return year after year and use the show as a key part of their annual marketing plan. This year the award-winning trade show also celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Rachael Bartlett, head of sales and marketing at The University of Warwick, Conferences & Events comments: “The University of Warwick, Conferences & Events offers some of the finest university conference facilities in the UK and regularly plays host to huge numbers of international conferences and event visitors.

“Our outstanding facilities have led us to hold a number of prestigious titles and accolades and we are regular winners of M&IT’s Best Academic Venue award which we have won 17 times in the awards’ 24 year history.

“Easily accessible, with the motorway networks just a 15 minute drive away and Birmingham International airport a 20 minute drive away, The University of Warwick, Conferences & Events couldn’t be easier to get to. Located in the very heart of the UK, we also benefit from our proximity to fast rail links to London – a mere 60 minutes away from Coventry train station.

“With over 2,100 bedrooms, we are able to accommodate large numbers of delegates with a vast array of requirements and our exceptional and flexible catering, served up by our award-winning chefs, completes the unrivalled, world-class events experience.

“For delegates seeking to experience some of the UK’s finest treasures, Shakespeare’s Stratford-Upon-Avon and Warwick Castle are just a short journey away, together with Royal Leamington Spa, Coventry Cathedral and Birmingham City Centre.”

Olympic offer at Ashorne Hill

Travel on Sunday, Fresh on Monday

If you're coming to a meeting at the Manor House on Monday, why not arrive the night before? 

You can get a great night's sleep in a comfy bed and avoid the nightmare of stop start traffic. 

For meeting guests only, the special price is £75 including VAT and yummy full English breakfast. 

*This offer is subject to availability and must be mentioned at the time of enquiry. This offer is valid for new bookings only and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Valid for bookings taking place from 1st May to 30th June 2012. 

To check availability or discuss your requirements call us on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

HOTEL LOST AND FOUND MAKES A DIFFERENCE TO LOUGHBOROUGH CHARITY

Burleigh Court, the Loughborough-based hotel and conference centre from hospitality brand imago, has teamed up with charity Sense UK to make the most of the many unclaimed items that get left at the four star venue. 

Burleigh Court now sends regular donations to its Sense UK shop which is located on Biggin Street, Loughborough. The lost items are passed on to be sold if they are not claimed after three months. Despite some of the weird and wonderful things that end up in the lost and found, the most common donations are books and odd items of clothing. 

In celebration of its 21st anniversary, Burleigh Court recently invested £60,000 in its bar and lounge area. All of the old furniture, including coffee tables and lounge chairs were also donated to the Loughborough Sense UK branch. 

Guy Hodge, Venue Manager at Burleigh Court, commented: “Traditionally, lost property items would be in storage for years and it seemed too wasteful to throw them away. Burleigh Court places a lot of importance on supporting its community and being as efficient as possible – from using local suppliers to recycling food waste. By donating to Sense UK we are able to put lost goods to the best possible use whilst supporting a really worthy cause.” 

Sense UK is a national charity that supports and campaigns for children and adults who are deafblind. They provide tailored support and advice, as well as specialist services to all deafblind people, their families, carers and the professionals who work with them.

Spring Time Offer at The Manor House, Surrey

It's springtime at the Manor House and with the blossoms blooming, the rain pouring, and drought looming we've decided to celebrate with some extra special offers. 

It's never too soon to meet in May or June If you book your meeting at the Manor House and it takes place before the end of June, you can enjoy a full day package for just £35 plus VAT per delegate. 

Or stay overnight and benefit from a residential package for only £135 plus VAT per delegate. 

For shorter meetings, you can meet for half a day for just £28 plus VAT per delegate or in the morning or afternoon at a special price of £18 plus VAT per delegate. 

p.s. remember these prices include everything you need to run a successful meeting. You won't find any hidden extras on any of your bills! 

To check availability or discuss your requirements call us on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

WARWICK INVITES EVENT BOOKERS TO COMPEAR THE CONFERENCE

Warwick Conferences, the award-winning collection of conference and training venues, has launched a quirky and entertaining campaign to highlight the issue of hidden costs within the meetings and conference industry. 

The campaign, which comprises a spoof price comparison website called comparetheconference.com and a conference pear named Compear D’conference, is designed to show event bookers how a complete package at Warwick Conferences stacks up against the costs of other conference venues. 

Rachael Bartlett, head of sales and marketing at Warwick Conferences comments: “The issue of ambiguous pricing is prolific in the budget airline industry but it is also a tactic used by some venues as a way of making their headline rates more appealing.” 

“Whilst operating in the current climate, it can be quite tempting when booking a venue to go for the cheapest option. However, this often catches businesses out with unavoidable hidden costs which can soon make the total bill hugely different to the original quote.” 

“At Warwick Conferences, all of our costs are included in the day delegate rate. We don’t charge extra for things like parking, Wi-Fi or refreshments – all things that we consider to be essentials – and we certainly don’t put a cap on the number of teas and coffees consumed within a day!” 

“We’re really pleased with our comparetheconference.com campaign and believe it is a fun way of highlighting a more serious issue commonly cited in the meetings and conference industry.” 

For more information visit www.comparetheconference.com.

Woodland Grange proves it’s good as gold, despite “very challenging business climate”

A decade after aligning itself with the Meetings Industry Association (MIA), Woodland Grange has sailed through a stringent Accredited in Meetings (AIM) reassessment to retain its clutch on the elite AIM Gold Award – a privileged assurance of quality achieved by just 14 conferencing venues in the whole of the UK. 

Woodland Grange Conference Centre, in Leamington Spa, has been a venue member of the MIA since 2002, first scooping the Gold Award in 2008 with the highest ever score recorded.

In this year’s AIM Higher Accreditation feedback report, assessor David Battersby praised Woodland Grange for exceptional competitor benchmarking, customer feedback monitoring and staff training, combining to create “an extremely impressive venue which displays many examples of best practice”.

“The staff have been well trained, are extremely personable and are thoroughly committed to helping the venue maintain and grow its customer base in a very challenging business climate,” said Battersby.

“It is a well-managed and maintained venue with an extensive range of well thought through and robust operational policies, systems and procedures which are regularly reviewed, updated and improved in light of customer feedback. Regular benchmarking activities against different competitor sets show increasing positive trends in results across all aspects of the business.”

In conclusion, the assessor said that Woodland Grange is “a venue with an extremely strong focus on the customer, identifying customer needs and exceeding customer expectations”.

Significant investment has been made into Woodland Grange in the last six weeks, with an extensive refurbishment of the 230-seat Lawns Restaurant, to transform it into a vibrant, stylish brasserie dining environment. It’s a setting that now gels more fluidly with the outstanding menu on offer, courtesy of the venue’s award-winning chef team, led by Matthew Parsons – 98% of customers rated food at Woodland Grange as “Excellent”, “Very Good, or “Good” in March 2012 alone and 99% of all customers would be very willing to host repeat events at the venue as a result of highly positive experiences in all areas of service.

The AIM Standard became available to non-MIA members in January 2009, but still the number of venues effectively meeting the criteria to be deemed worthy of the Gold standard has remained low.

At a Gold level accredited venue you can expect first-class facilities with the very highest levels of service reflected throughout, from your first welcome to your final goodbye. You can expect exceptional catering using the highest quality ingredients and equipment, efficient staff with an eye for detail and pricing that is reflective of the quality of the venue and service.

Speaking of Woodland Grange’s reaccreditation, David Vaughton, Venues Director for parent organisation EEF Venues, said, “By talking to our customers regularly, we feel we’re really spot on with interpreting what they want from a conference and meetings venue and we go the extra mile to exceed expectations, by investing heavily in our staff training. They’re the ones on the front line, delivering. This AIM Gold accreditation is a real credit to the team for making our excellent facilities come to life. We’re only as good as our people and this actively demonstrates that our people and product are best in class.”

Woodland Grange is the flagship of the EEF Venues portfolio. Its location, nestled in leafy 16-acre grounds, offers access to Royal Leamington Spa and its railway station in less than 10 minutes, to Birmingham International Airport in 30 minutes and to the major motorway network (M40, M42, M6 and M69). 

Businesses from near and far find Woodland Grange a perfect fit for conferences, training courses, team building sessions or corporate events. From the outside it is a building flooded with English country house character, yet Woodland Grange has the best of both worlds. Stroll into the spacious, bright reception and neighbouring coffee lounge to be met by slick architecture, etched glass panelling and bold colours.

Its 26 conference and meeting rooms can be arranged to suit your requirements, with the largest suite accommodating up to 200 people. Within these rooms, air conditioning, soundproofing, natural daylight and blackout facilities meet free WiFi access, convenient laptop connections, in-room computers and audio-visual equipment, with technical support always on hand.

Guests can relish in a restful night’s sleep in the 114 homely ensuite bedrooms on site, some with idyllic countryside views, which come complete with double beds as standard, complimentary WiFi, toiletries, a 26” flat screen television with Freeview, data points, telephone, ironing facilities and coffee/tea provision. Woodland Grange also has a well-equipped fitness room, with sauna and Jacuzzi, for use by any customer.