Cotswold Conference Centre now offer Sushi team building

 Contact the Hotline today on 0845 230 1414 for more details on this offer from Cotswold Conference Centre

Danish Ambassador visits The Møller Centre

The Danish Ambassador to the UK, Her Excellency Anne Hedensted Steffensen visited The Møller Centre last week for the first time since becoming the Ambassador to the Court of St James’s in the autumn of 2011. 

The visit was hosted by Gillian Secrett, CEO of The Møller Centre together with members of the Møller Team and Churchill College Fellows. 

One of the topics of discussion was the forthcoming Wegner exhibition to be held at Churchill College in October. This exhibition is a unique opportunity to focus on Danish architecture and design, in association with The Møller Centre with its iconic furniture by Hans Wegner including the “Møller Chair” which was especially commissioned for the Centre in 1992. This exhibition forms part of the Centre’s 20th Anniversary celebrations, and is also being sponsored by Peter and Marianne Landrock, local Danish residents, who were also present at the lunch. 

“We were delighted to receive the Ambassador and to share with her our special affinity to Denmark and the AP Møller & Chastine McKinney Møller Foundation. It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know Her Excellency and to explore ways in which we might work together in the future” said Gillian Secrett.

The Møller Centre meets HRH The Duke of Kent

Following the success of The Møller Centre’s Queen’s award for Enterprise for International Trade, 4 members of staff (Stuart Websdale, Maureen Dye, Tina Cronin and Christine Hartshorne) went to the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel in London this week to participate in a Queen’s award networking gala dinner organised by the Institute of Export. 

Guests of honour were His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, who is the Patron for the Institute of Export, and Richard Noble OBE – holder of the land speed record. 

The aim of the networking dinner is to facilitate business opportunities with Queen’s award winners and celebrate the success of which many refer to as “the best of British businesses”. 

“The Queen’s award for Enterprise is a very prestigious award, which we are delighted to celebrate with like-minded forward thinking businesses from across the UK,” comments Stuart Websdale, General Manager of The Møller Centre. ”Meeting His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent was a great experience; he showed great interest in both our business and the success of all the Queen’s award winners. The Queen’s award is an internationally renowned achievement which recognises our success through our commitment and dedication to our clients, and will assist us in further growth into new markets.”

IMAGO TEAM TAKES ON A TOUGH CHALLENGE FOR CHARITY

Eight fearless members of staff from imago’s Burleigh Court are currently resting their feet after completing the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge to raise over £1000 for Youth Sports Trust’s ‘Sporting Chance’ campaign. 

The Loughborough team took on the demanding 24 and a half mile trek across Yorkshire’s three highest peaks; Pen-Y-ghent, Whernside and Inglesborough. After enduring snow, sleet and high winds for most of the journey, the team completed the three peaks in an impressive time of 11 hours. 

Guy Hodge, Operations Manager at Burleigh Court and expedition leader, commented: “We wanted to mark the hotel’s 21st anniversary year by doing something special - we have just partnered with the Youth Sports Trust due to Loughborough University’s strength in the sporting arena and our role as part of Team GB’s official preparation camp. 

“With a cross section of senior staff taking part, from the Head Chef to the Customer Relations Manager, the trek was a great team building experience, as well as a chance to raise some money for a worthy cause. When we set out from Horton-in-Ribblesdale the weather was not on our side, but I was very proud of how the team pulled together to keep going. It was no easy feat but crossing the finish line knowing that we’d raised a great amount for the ‘Sporting Chance’ campaign made it all worthwhile.” 

In its 21st anniversary year, the four star hotel and conference venue based on Loughborough University campus, teamed up with the Youth Sport Trust as its first official charity partner. A Gala dinner held at Burleigh Court raised an additional £2100 for the cause, making a current total of over £3,000 already raised. 

Youth Sports Trust is an independent charity devoted to changing young people's lives through sport. It aims to help all young people to achieve their full potential in life by delivering high quality physical education and sport opportunities. 

The ‘Sporting Chance’ initiative aids teachers, coaches and volunteers to create innovative and exciting activities, giving young disabled people more opportunities to be included in PE and school sport. 

Baroness Sue Campbell CBE, Chair of Youth Sports Trust, said: “We are extremely pleased to be supported by imago and Burleigh Court in particular. With the Olympic and Paralympic games starting next month, this year it is an important one for the Trust. To receive £3000 at the start of the partnership with imago is staggering and it’s a tremendous amount for the charity.”

Eco-building short-listed for excellence award

A sustainably-built and managed Cotswold building is in the running for a Building Excellence award just six months after it was opened. 

Maudslay Court, on the 320-acre Farncombe Estate between Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon, was opened in November 2011 and is now in the running for the Best Commercial Building accolade in the West of England LABC Awards. 

The 32-bedroom courtyard is part of the award-winning Cotswold Conference Centre. It increases capacity for business delegates who meet for conferences, training and teambuilding – and for customers on leisure courses at weekends. 

Featuring a tower built from Cotswold stone, Maudslay Court looks over the panoramic landscape of the Vale of Evesham. It cost £3.5m to build and was designed with a host of renewable energy features and a monitoring system to track eco-efficiency. Eight bedrooms are certified allergy-free – a unique provision for any conference centre in Europe. 

The Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Awards recognise the very best in building design and construction and Maudslay Court is one of eight venues short-listed in the category. Others in the running include The Roman Baths in Bath, Warminster Civic Centre, Batswood Arboretum Visitor Centre near Moreton-in-Marsh and the Holburne Museum of Art in Bath. 

Richard Howdle, Operations Manager of Cotswold Conference Centre, said: “The building was named in honour of Dam Busters hero Henry Maudslay, whose family lived on Farncombe Estate during World War II. “Maudslay Court was officially opened at the end of 2011 by Victoria Trevelyan, the niece of Henry Maudslay, and we are proud both of the historical link and the quality of the unique venue. “To be short-listed in a category as competitive as the Best Commercial Building is fantastic.” 

The awards ceremony is being held on Thursday 21 June at the Bristol Marriott Hotel. 

Cotswold Conference Centre is a modern, award-winning venue based on the 320-acre Farncombe Estate, five minutes from the picturesque town of Broadway and just half-an-hour from Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Møller Centre cycling team arrive back to Cambridge over 700 miles later

The DK2UK Møller Centre cycling team (Mark Carberry, Michael Herriot, Mark Campbell and Stefan Mitham) arrived safe and sound back in Cambridge on Monday 11th June. 

The team successfully completed over 700 miles of cycling to raise money for East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH). 

The cycle ride took the team across Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands and back to the UK in 11 days. The cycling team completed the cycle ride as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations for The Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Centre for Continuing Education. To date, they have raised over £8k for EACH – The Møller Centre’s nominated charity for 2012. 

“We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported the team” says Mark Carberry of The Møller Centre. “This was a tough challenge, but one that was well worth it to raise money for such a great cause. Thanks to people’s generosity, we know that the money raised is going to a fantastic charity that will do great work for both the children and their families.”

Conference Aston Launches iPad App

Conference Aston, the conference centre and hotel venues at Aston University in Birmingham, are leading the way in the world of venue finding by launching the first iPad app in the Academic Venues arena. 

Offering a sneak preview at the Academic Venue Show on the 16th May in London the new venue guide app, which incorporates a delegate information feature, attracted a lot of interest from industry associations and other venues ahead of its official launch on the 1st June. 

As the tablet revolution has gripped the business world, the new app has been developed in response to increasing interactions from the hand held devices. 

“We are constantly looking at how event organisers and delegates are finding out about the venues and in the past 6 months we have seen a notable increase in traffic from tablet devices. Although the website is always available, we wanted to develop something customised for tablet users that would allow quick and easy access for everything from room capacities for organisers looking for the perfect meeting space, to hotel check in times for delegates arriving for their conference, it even has a copy of the bar menu so delegates can choose what they would like to eat before they get here! 

The app also offers 24/7 access. Once the app has been downloaded, there is no need to worry about connecting to the internet to find out information about the venues, it’s in the palm of your hands, all the time.” says Paul Bunce, Marketing Manager for Conference Aston. “So far we’ve received fantastic feedback on how easy the app is to use and the information it provides, and it’s great to be able to say we’re the first academic venue in the UK to launch an iPad app, even more so that it’s from a Birmingham based venue. 

We have also had interest from event organisers who can offer the tool to their conference delegates to provide them with all the information they will need during their events.” continues Paul. 

Conference Aston offers Birmingham’s leading Academic Venue with two year round centres, Aston Business School Conference Centre and Hotel, and the Lakeside Conference and Banqueting Centre, as well as the extensive University teaching and accommodation facilities which are available during the summer. 

Aston Business School Conference Centre and Hotel has recently completed a quarterof a million pound investment into their stylish hotel facilities and offers Birmingham’s largest residential conference centre. All of the venues can be found within the green and focussed campus of Aston University and the impressive choice of facilities offer flexible meeting space for small meetings for five people, up to large conferences for 235. 

Conference Aston also offers one of the city’s greenest meeting venues having recently achieved the British Standard ISO14001 for commitment to providing an integrated Environmental Management System. The brand new Conference Aston iPad app is now available to download from the app store 

4th July Garden Party Venue Showcase and Bristol Supplier Expo at Engineers House

Engineers’ House announces 4th July garden party venue showcase and Bristol supplier expo 

Bristol’s Clifton Down favourite, Engineers’ House, will treat clients new and existing to live music, personal conference venue show-rounds and open-top bus tours on 4th July, as it hosts a free networking showcase from 5.30 – 9.00pm within its picturesque gardens, overlooking Westbury Park. 

The garden party venue showcase is expected to bring together up to 350 professionals for summer drinks and networking over a feast of delicious foods from Engineers’ House’s brasserie dining menu. 

On your show-round, take in the spacious spread of meeting rooms, with their high ceilings and period features and envisage your next meeting, conference, team building event or networking lunch in the light and airy surrounds of Engineers’ House. Make the most of a summer’s evening with newly extended opening hours, from 7am til 11pm, seven days a week, introduced to service the growing demand Engineers’ House is seeing for out-of-hours functions. 

All guests attending the open evening will be entered into a prize draw to win an all-inclusive all-day corporate hire of an Engineers’ House meeting room for up to 30 people, worth more than £1000. The prize will be drawn on the night. 

Guests can mingle with colleagues, other local businesses and friendly Engineers’ House staff, while making the most of a valuable opportunity to learn about the products and services of up to 20 scheduled exhibitors. These will include Engineers’ House tourism partner CitySightseeing Bristol, which will be inviting guests to cruise the sights of famous Clifton Downs in style in a bright red open-top tour bus. Hear all about the quirks and character of the city on a fun and educational ‘Hop On, Hop Off’ trip, led by an energetic and knowledgeable guide. 

Speaking of the history of this Engineers’ House showcase and supplier exhibition, Martyn Bowen venue manager, says: “This is the eighth year we’ve run this garden party venue showcase and Bristol supplier expo. In the past we’ve welcomed up to 180 different organisations, who all attend to support this opportunity we’ve created for businesses in Bristol and the south west to come together and network. It’s all about raising the profile of Bristol as a business destination and building rewarding relationships between businesses. We also treat guests to free food and drinks while they’re here, to showcase the fantastic service and surroundings of Engineers’ House.” 

Attendance at this garden party venue showcase is by registration only. If you would like to attend, please call the Hotline on 0845 230 1414. 

Engineers’ House is an AIM accredited conference and training centre. It has 14 well-equipped meeting rooms and can provide tailored packages for up to 170 delegates. Engineers’ House is just three miles (10-minute drive) from Bristol Temple Meads station, five miles from the M4 and 10 miles from the M5.

1 in 10 go free!

Warwick Conferences’ training and conference centres offer meeting space of the highest quality. 

Relaxed social spaces, award winning catering and hotel standard accommodation support their flexible meeting facilities. 

Throughout September, ‘1 in 10’ delegates go free on all new event enquiries*! 

Contact the Hotline today on 0845 230 1414 or info@cceonline.co.uk quoting 'June1in10' 

* This offer is applicable to new enquiries only, taken from 07/06/2012 and confirmed with a signed contract prior to 30/06/2012. Offer is applicable to events with a minimum number of 10 delegates and a maximum number of 130 delegates. Terms and conditions will apply. All rates quoted are subject to VAT and subject to availability.

BURLEIGH COURT EMBRACES GREEN TO GET THE GOLD

imago’s four star hotel Burleigh Court is celebrating Green Tourism Week after earning a gold rating on the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS), which is accredited by the British tourism board, Visit Britain. 

With a strong sustainability agenda and a forward thinking approach on issues around energy, recycling and wastage, the Loughborough based hotel managed to earn a gold accreditation for the second time running. 

Burleigh Court excelled in criteria which judged the environmental impact of its green policy and the resulting benefit to staff and the business. 

What’s more Burleigh Court is now a featured example on the Green Tourism website due to its strong and proactive management team headed by hotel manager, Guy Hodge. 

Guy said: “We are thrilled to have held on to our gold status during the 21st anniversary year of the hotel and to be used as an example of best practice on the Green Tourism website. It was quite an achievement to receive the highest level of approval at the first attempt two years ago, so to retain it again is amazing. 

“We are very passionate about sustainability and ensure all staff receive regular and thorough training on green issues. Initiatives such our cycle to work and staff car share scheme continue to make a difference whilst our green policy, which includes ideas such as recycling food waste and grey water, extends across the whole hotel. We see sustainability as much more than our efforts to save water and energy - it is also about benefiting the community and our guests. We are proud to display our gold accreditation and are committed to maintaining it for many years to come.” 

imago has been recognised by Visit Britain for its comprehensive monitoring of energy, water and wastage across all areas of the business to ensure consumption and wastage targets are achieved. A unique example is the hotel’s ‘Heatsaver’ pool cover that reduces heat evaporation from the pool surface. The hotel also strives to support the community and encourage sustainability by sourcing local produce and supporting local producers and suppliers. 

The GTBS is the national sustainable tourism certification scheme for the UK. Originally developed in partnership with Visit Scotland, it is now the only certification scheme validated by Visit Britain, through the International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT).

Sizzling summer rates at Missenden Abbey