Leading organisations work in partnership to strengthen Learning and Development provision

Conference Centres of Excellence and the Learning and Performance Institute (LPI) have formed a partnership representing an on-going commitment to raise quality standards within venues dedicated to learning and development.

Following an independent business mapping process carried out on behalf of the LPI, the long-established level of standards demonstrated by Conference Centres of Excellence venues has been endorsed in alignment with the Learning Facilities Accreditation Programme, providing evidence of on-going commitment to best practice and providing highest quality, cost effective facilities and service for the Learning and Development community.

Conference Centres of Excellence has been working with specialist venues in the training, meeting and events industry for 21 years, and its 32 members include many of the country’s best known specialist venues, covering a geographical area extending from the South Coast of England to Scotland.  Before joining venues have to meet stringent criteria in terms of facilities, accommodation and customer care, criteria which is then monitored using independent customer feedback.

Conference Centres of Excellence demands exacting levels of facilities and staffing throughout all areas of its 32 dedicated training and event venues, providing customers with a quality promise to deliver results, and providing a single route to booking nationwide venues, with consistent quality standards.

The Learning and Performance Institute is a global Institute for Learning & Development professionals. Established in 1995 the Institute has grown on an annual basis to become the leading authority on Learning & Development.

Through an unrivalled range of membership, certification, accreditation, events and bespoke consultancy services, the Institute focuses on enhancing and recognising the skills and professional status of individuals and organisations engaged in learning activities, and assessing the quality of learning services.

 “Forming an alliance with the Learning and Performance Institute allows both organisations to benefit from the considerable experience built over time working in the Learning and Development sector. The sharing of information is invaluable to ensure we continue to raise standards in the venue sector” commented Anthony Lishman, Conference Centres of Excellence Executive Director. “This endorsement allows trainers to book Conference Centres of Excellence venues with complete confidence that their needs and expectations will be met and exceeded.”

“In our experience, there are two types of accreditation standards”, said Alan Bellinger Executive Consultant of the LPI. “They are either base level minimum standards that minimise problems, or stretching, aspirational standards that maximise the client experience.  We were delighted to see that the Conference Centres for Excellence standards were of the latter variety.”

Double win for Warwick Conferences at CCE Chefs’ Challenge

Warwick Conferences found success to be twice as nice at the weekend when two members of its catering team were awarded recognition at a highly competitive industry contest.

The CCE Chefs’ Challenge is a competition run by Conference Centres of Excellence to find the best of the chefs in the UK conferencing industry. Ryan Dare and Natalja Saveljeva—from Warwick Conferences’ Ninety One restaurant at the Scarman venue—both brought home awards on the night of the final, which took place on Saturday 9th November at Stratford-upon-Avon College. 

This year marked the 15th annual CCE Chefs’ Challenge and brought together 12 outstanding chefs to battle it out in the race to become 2013’s culinary champion. 

The final saw the top 12 put their skills to the test to produce a three-course fine dining menu in accordance with certain criteria. This year, the dishes served needed to be suitable for an end-of-conference dinner for a large group, and beef was required to be served as the main.

After careful consideration, Ryan was announced as the joint winner of the Bronze Chefs’ Challenge award for his menu. He comments: “I’m honoured to have been awarded joint Bronze in the CCE Chefs’ Challenge. It’s a competition which sets out to recognise and reward the best in the industry, so I’m absolutely thrilled that my menu seemed to impress the judges.”

Natalja, who supported Ryan in the competition, picked up the Best Food Service Skills award. She was tasked with preparing, serving and clearing a table for two people, suggesting appropriate wines to match Ryan’s menu, while demonstrating food service techniques and excellent customer service.

Natalja adds: “I’m over the moon to have been awarded the Best Food Service Skills award in this year’s challenge. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the opportunity to compete in the company of such a talented group.”

Alan Robinson, Director at Warwick Conferences, also comments: “We are absolutely delighted with Ryan and Natalja’s success at this year’s CCE Chefs’ Challenge. They are both very skilled at what they do and are a credit to Warwick Conferences. 

“It’s a real achievement to have been recognised by such a prestigious judging panel, especially considering that this was their first national competition, and we couldn’t be more proud. I have no doubt that they’ll continue to impress in the future.”  

Conference Centres of Excellence is the leading national consortium of specialist conferencing venues. Its annual CCE Chefs’ Challenge has proved to be a stepping stone for young chefs to go on to higher profile competitions nationwide and is endorsed by the British Culinary Federation.  Each chef receives a certificate and one year’s free membership to the BCF.

The awards dinner was attended by 110 guests from CCE member centres, including a number of the conference industry’s leading figures.  

New European flight routes makes imago even more accessible

New flight routes to East Midlands Airport and Birmingham Airport are making it even easier for delegates to travel to imago’s portfolio of venues in Leicestershire. 

East Midlands Airport recently opened flights to Dubrovnik, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Lanaca, Nice, Fuerteventura, Jersey and Reus. 

It already operates direct flights to a wide variety of airports in European hub countries including Scotland, Ireland, the Channel Islands, Holland, France Germany, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, Latvia, Greece, Croatia, Austria, Mediterranean Islands as well as Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt and the United States.

Flybe has announced it is to operate a new route between Birmingham Airport and Ireland West Airport Knock, making it the largest scheduled airline at the airport in terms of number of aircraft movements. This latest route to Knock increases the airline’s already extensive list of 23 destinations, including Belfast City, Dusseldorf, the Channel Islands, Paris Charles de Gaulle, regional France and Scotland. 

Key routes from Birmingham Airport include: Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, Holland, Spain, France, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Turkey, Russia, Poland, Norway, Italy, Sweden, Croatia, Romania, Belgium and Slovakia as well as flighty to the Middle East, South Africa, China, United States, Hong Kong, Canada, Brazil and South Korea. In 2014, the airport will be extending its runway bringing with it direct flights from additional long haul destinations such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Bangkok, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Johannesburg. 

Emma Boynton, Head of Sales and Marketing at imago, comments: “Many clients are surprised to learn how much of an international destination Loughborough, and therefore imago is. Both East Midlands and Birmingham Airport are on the door step making our venues easily accessible from many world leading business destinations. The new flight routes make it even quicker for international delegates to get here as there are many travel options available to them. Future development at Birmingham Airport will open up additional international routes making imago n attractive proposition for overseas business events.”  

Located in Leicestershire, imago unifies Loughborough University’s conference and events venues under one brand - including Burleigh Court, Holywell Park, Loughborough University’s conference and events facilities and The Link Hotel – allowing it to offer unrivalled conference facilities and luxury accommodation. 

New Senior Event Co-ordinators at the Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre

Ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre have appointed two new Senior Event Co-ordinators, Heather Steven and Claire Wilson, to join their team. 

Claire Wilson, a 2009 graduate of Glasgow University, has joined the Beardmore, bringing with her extensive specialist experience in corporate and conference event planning at a 4 star, Greater Glasgow, hotel. 

Heather Steven is a former Assistant Manager for a 3 star, Perthshire, hotel and graduate of Glasgow’s Metropolitan College who has been working within the Beardmore since the beginning of 2013. 

Bronagh Bell, Director of the Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre, commented on the appointments saying: “Our Events Team are responsible for arranging and co-ordinating events, as well as liaising with conference and events organisers to ensure that we provide the highest standard of service possible.

“As we continue to develop the Hotel and Conference Centre, constantly improving, upgrading and enhancing our facilities, and as demand increases ahead of Glasgow 2014 and the Commonwealth Games, it is essential that we have the right team in place.  

“We are delighted to welcome Claire and Heather to the team, and look forward to benefiting from their experience and enthusiasm as we move on to this exciting time in the Hotel’s development.”

In partnership with Warwick Conferences, Woodland Grange Conference Centre hosted the 15th annual Conference Centres of Excellence Chefs’ Challenge Competition on Saturday 9th November 2013.  The event invites chefs who work in any of the nationwide CCE centres to take part in a cook-off competition at nearby Stratford Upon Avon College, where their skills are put to the test with specific criteria for their menu.  This year, the chefs had to prepare a 3 course meal suitable for a banquet, using beef for their main course.  

The competition again included a Food Service Skills award, to encourage food service staff to take part and support their chef colleague.

The competition has proved to be a stepping stone for young chefs to go on to higher profile competitions nationwide and is endorsed by the British Culinary Federation.  Each Chef receives a certificate and one year’s free membership of the BCF.

The Judges for the cook-off competition were:

• Christopher Basten Craft Guild of Chefs

• Graham Crump (Chair) Executive Chef, University of Warwick

• Graham Day Food H&S Manager, Warwick University

• Jim Eaves Chairman, British Culinary Federation

• Peter Griffiths MBE Director, Le Salon Culinaire International 

• Stephen Lambert University of Brighton and TUCO Food Service Skills

The 11 Finalists were:

• Scott Cawse, Barnett Hill

• Jennifer Chaudhuri-Goff, Maple House

• Ryan Dare supported by Natalja Saveljeva for Food Service, Warwick Conferences

• Robert Gossage, Imago @ Burleigh Court

• Bartosz Kowalczyk, Missenden Abbey

• Ross McMillan, Stirling Management Centre

• Iain Miller, Woodside

• Daniel Park, Kents Hill Park

• Josh Sewell, The Manor House

• Claire Willett supported by Megan Horne for Food Service, Wyboston Lakes

• Matthew Wiltshire, Ashorne Hill

The Awards Dinner was this year held at Woodland Grange Conference Centre in Leamington Spa.  However the Competition was still Chaired by Andrew Taylor, Food & Beverage Manager from Warwick Conferences Scarman.  The dinner was attended by 110 guests from CCE member centres, including a number of the conference industry’s leading figures.  The event was supported and sponsored by:

• 3663 First for Food Service

• Althams Meats

• British Premium Meats

• Kent Frozen Foods

• Knight Catering

• Nisbets plc

• Savilles Audio Visual

• E Sidwells

• Stratford Upon Avon College

• Tchibo Coffee International

• Wilson Vale Catering Management

Plus the following CCE Centres:

• Ashorne Hill

• The Beardmore, Scotland

• Burleigh Court

• Kents Hill Park

• The Moller Centre,

• The Sundial Group

• Warwick Conferences

• Woodland Grange

• Wyboston Lakes

A raffle took place during the Awards Dinner, raising £822 for the “Meeting Industry Meeting Needs” charity.

The winners of each Award category were:

• Best Hygiene:   Daniel Park, Kents Hill Park

• Best Starter:                 Matthew Wiltshire, Ashorne Hill

• Best Main Course:   Daniel Park, Kents Hill Park

• Best Dessert: Scott Cawse, Barnett Hill

• Best Food Service Skills: Natalja Saveljeva, Warwick Conferences, Scarman

• Chairman’s Award for Best Team Work: Claire Willett and Megan Horne, Wyboston Lakes

• Joint Bronze:   Ryan Dare, Warwick Conference Scarman

Claire Willett, Wyboston Lakes

• Silver: Matthew Wiltshire, Ashorne Hill

• Gold: Daniel Park, Kents Hill Park

After much deliberation, the Judges could not differentiate between two chefs for the Bronze Award, so made the decision to award two Bronze medals.

The Gold award winner, Daniel Park from Kents Hill Park presented a menu of :

Starter 

Scottish hand dived scallops, charred corn, pancetta, pumpkin

~~~

Main 

Smoked fillet of beef, braised shin, horseradish pomme puree, 

autumn vegetables, truffle and Madeira jus

~~~

Dessert 

Egremont Russet Apple Fritters, blackberry gel, crumble Anglaise

Blind athlete raises over £1,000 for charity

Chris Marshall, a 21 year old blind athlete from Parkhall, Clydebank, has successfully completed a charity triathlon at the Beardmore Health Club, raising over £1,000 for Guide Dogs for the Blind. 

Chris has been blind since suffering a blood clot at age 15. After spending six weeks in a coma, he awoke to discover he could no longer see: having to learn how to walk, talk and even eat again. 

A member of the Beardmore Health Club since then, Chris has been training for just over two months to complete the sprint-led triathlon; replacing the traditional swim, bike ride and run with 20 kilometres on a static exercise bike, 750 metres on a rowing machine and 5 kilometres on a cross-trainer. 

Fitness instructor Chris McGoogan and Health Club Manager Craig McKinnon, were delighted to see the hard work and dedication had paid off, when Chris completed the circuit in one hour, eight minutes and 54 seconds: beating his target time of one hour 15 minutes.

Commenting on the success of the triathlon, Craig McKinnon said: “We’re very proud of Chris; we knew he would do well, but he has surpassed every target we set for him. He’s been training with us for about 6 years now and is truly an inspiration to everyone here, he has an incredible attitude. 

“It was really important for him to do this triathlon and raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind to show that you shouldn’t let anything stand in your way: you can accomplish whatever you set your mind to.”

With the initial target of raising £250, Chris has now raised £580 through his JustGiving page (www.justgiving.com/chris-marshal12) and taken this total to well over £1,000 thanks to the support and sponsorship of local shops and businesses.  

Chris, who carried on exercising after completing the triathlon, said: “raising money for Guide Dogs for the Blind means a lot to me; outside of the gym, guide dogs are probably my main interest. A lot of people don’t realise it takes £50,000 to raise and train a guide dog and that this is generated through a charity. Guide dogs can make such a positive difference to so many people, so I want to raise as much money and awareness as possible to let them carry on the amazing work.

“I’m keen to get on the waiting list to get a guide dog of my own. I don’t know what the plan is for the next fundraiser, but I’m definitely going to stay involved with the charity.”

Weetwood Hall strengthens membership with Conference Centres of Excellence

Weetwood Hall, one of the finest conference centres in the North of England, has developed their relationship with Conference Centres of Excellence, by becoming the latest full member of the UK’s only sales and marketing consortium of dedicated meeting providers.

Set within 9 acres of woodland and gardens, the award winning Weetwood Hall is one of the finest Conference centres in the North of England which has been awarded with AIM gold accreditation for its facilities, services and customer care, as well as the highest Green status, for meetings & events within the healthcare sector awarded by Compliant Venues.

The dedicated centre along with the Manor House has a total of 36 conference and seminar rooms; the largest seating up to 200 (theatre style) / 120 (cabaret) with an audio visual link to an adjacent room seating further 160 (theatre style).

There are 106 en-suite bedrooms, offering six different styles of accommodation from junior double to luxury bedrooms. Recently refurbished bedrooms allow guests to enjoy a stylish and modern interior that provides a relaxing area as well as spacious work environment.

Weetwood Hall has been working with Conference Centres of Excellence for some time, and has now decided to join as full member which enables the venue to benefit from the group’s marketing activities, providing customers with a single route to booking one of our nationwide venues, with consistent quality standards.

Anthony Lishman, Executive Director of Conference Centres of Excellence said “Leeds has been identified as one of the truly up and coming areas for the conference industry, and we are delighted to welcome Weetwood Hall to full membership in order to continue growing our Nationwide presence.  Weetwood Hall is an exceptional venue delivering everything we look for as part of our quality promise to customers.” 

Conference Centres of Excellence has been working with specialist venues in the meetings, training and events industry for 21 years, and its 32 members include many of the country’s best known specialist venues, covering a geographical area extending from the South East of England to Scotland.  Before joining venues have to meet stringent criteria in terms of facilities, accommodation and customer care. 

Michael Longstaff, General Manager at Weetwood Hall stated “We are pleased to continue and strengthen our partnership with Conference Centres of Excellence.  This affiliation delivers excellent representation in the corporate marketplace which we require as an independent conference centre & hotel”.

Corporate Training - Get the base right and see it pan out perfectly...

It should be easy to make a pizza. After all, the dough is just a handful of simple ingredients - flour, water, yeast – and then there is just the oven time.  If you apply the standard approach, you’ll probably achieve a base that’s OK... But nothing better.

Pizza bases vary enormously, in texture, presentation, taste and quality. The pizza is now effectively a world commodity, but the range, variety and quality is breathtaking – from breathtakingly delicious to gasp-inducingly bland. This spectrum of quality is a major concern to those who guard the origins of the iconic food and genuinely care for its heritage, the Neapolitans:  so much so that in 1984 they formed the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana -  the True Neapolitan Pizza Association – to protect and preserve the taste and texture of the authentic pizza. The AVPN lists all those standard ingredients: but the secrets of perfection are in the preparation techniques and the baking. 

What has the humble pizza to do with organising training events? 

Well, similar attitudes exist. Those that commission training events believe that Standardisation and Commoditisation are good things. After all, you know what you’re going to get and what price you are going to pay, you can budget better and model your costs more effectively so that you know what profit or R.o.I you are going to make. The approach also represents the easy option and usually the most straightforward. In other words, you get by with something that’s OK.  

But more often than not, as with the pizza, the standard approach usually means blandness – uninspiring events that may achieve the turnover but fail to excite the customer, or in our terms, the delegate. Because the approach excludes the key techniques that make for truly effective events - creativity, inspiration, innovation, anticipation, exceptional support and service. I’d argue that ignoring any or all of these factors actually threatens what you’re really trying to achieve:  inspired, motivated and well trained people.

More than ever, corporate training has to be optimised if it is to reinforce an organisation’s competitive advantage. But why go to great lengths selecting the right courses for your people to attend, the best trainer possible to deliver and inspire them, then care so little for the environment in which it is delivered? It puts the whole end product at risk. As with the pizza, it’s the base that counts most of all, and the best base for your event is an environment in which your people won’t be distracted by poor or unwilling service, facilities that don’t meet the needs of the trainers, extraneous noise or lack of responsiveness from those who staff the venue. 

In a Conference Centre of Excellence, the base combines the best ingredients and advanced techniques - conditions that not only optimise the education process, but also give you those vital by-products of getting people together: effective and spontaneous networking and the ready sharing of best practice. We believe that those results, together with service that is intuitively supportive and rates that are truly all-inclusive, give the organiser real value for money. 

  

To get all your ingredients right for a successful training event, call us on 0845 230 1414 or visit our website - or next time, ask your agent to book a Conference Centre of Excellence, for the very best results.  

CEME Conference Centre welcome their new Events Manager

CEME Conference Centre is delighted to announce that Ranjith Kumar has joined the venue team as Events Manager.

Ranjith has worked in the hospitality industry for over 6 years having joined from the Warldorf Hilton where he spent 3 years.  He has particular expertise in hospitality and events and in his new role he will ensure that each event is organized meticulously.

Ranjith joins a busy team in the Conference Centre and looks forward to bringing his expertise to the events team at this award winning Conference Centre.

Speaking of his new role Ranjith said “I am delighted to be joining CEME Conference Centre and I am looking forward to contributing to the CEME’s growth and reputation for great meetings and hospitality”

CEME Conference Centre is an award-winning meetings venue offering innovative and flexible solutions for all your meeting requirements from our ‘high-tech’ POD Theatre to small meeting rooms, conference, exhibition and outdoor space.  CEME can host product launches, presentations, awards, training seminars, conferences, film shoots and exhibitions for up to 600 with the latest AV technology, natural day-light and special inclusive rates and is ideally located for London Docklands, City, East London and Essex with excellent underground, train and road links and free parking for 500 cars.

Ranjith is looking forward to welcoming you and ensuring your event at CEME Conference runs smoothly from conception to finish.

EEF Venues takes prospective clients on a virtual tour

EEF Venues has produced three individual videos to provide a ‘virtual tour’ of its three distinctive venues: Woodland Grange, Broadway House and Engineers’ House. 

Martyn Bowen, Venue Manager at Engineers House

John Turpin, group operations manager for EEF Venues, said: ” The power of visual imagery to sell a venue cannot be underestimated. Video, in particular, can give potential bookers a real insight into a venue’s facilities, ethos and ambience. 

“Prospective clients can’t always find the time to visit a venue but the beauty of these short videos is that they showcase everything we have to offer throughout the group.”

Each of the three minute videos highlights the versatility of meeting rooms available at each venue, and covers everything from the food offer and audio visual facilities to local amenities and attractions.

“Our goal is to give a flavour of each venue,” said John Turpin. “All of the voiceovers and presenters seen on the three videos are EEF Venues’ staff, who were only too delighted to showcase their superb facilities.” 

Films of each venue can be seen on our venue pages here>

Warwick Conferences awarded Investors in People accreditation

Coventry- and Warwickshire-based Warwick Conferences is celebrating after once again being awarded the prestigious Investors in People accreditation. The achievement places The University of Warwick business amongst an elite group of employers – just a quarter of firms achieve the standard.

The areas in which Warwick’s collection of conferencing venues was recently found to particularly excel are: the apprenticeships programme; staff inductions; the learning and development programme for staff; and the staff Reward and Recognition scheme.

Alan Robinson, Director of Warwick Conferences, comments: “We’re delighted that our efforts continue to be recognised by the Investors in People standard. 

“We believe that it’s our people that really set us apart in the industry, so we’re dedicated to providing a framework of opportunities to progress.

“The fact that we’ve retained the award provides clear evidence of our investment in training and development initiatives for our people, and shows that we are dedicated to continually improving standards.”

Investors in People (IIP) is the UK’s leading business improvement standard, channelling the power of people to transform performance across a whole range of industries. It provides advice and support to organisations nationwide with a view to helping them achieve their goals.

Businesses applying for accreditation are assessed by an independent panel, which not only evaluates existing training and development programmes and other people-related initiatives, but also conducts interviews with staff and management in confidence in order to build a true picture.

Following a two-day assessment, cross sections of staff from the sales department and the Radcliffe, Arden, and Scarman venues at Warwick Conferences were interviewed. 

Warwick Conferences, part of the University of Warwick, is one of the leading collections of dedicated conferencing space in the UK. 

Eat Seasonably at Kents Hill Park

East Seasonably helps everybody enjoy fruit and vegetables at their seasonal best.  As part of Compass UK, Kents Hill Park is proud to partner this fantastic non-profit campaign.

Eating seasonably means: 

Better taste – top chefs agree that fresh seasonal produce is best 

Better value – our research has shown that a basket of fruit and veg bought in the summer can be as much as a third cheaper than the same basket bought out of season 

Better for the planet – growing in season requires lower levels of artificial inputs than at other times of the year

Every month we will have new information for you to take away in our restaurant, from seasonal recipes and menu ideas to tips on growing your own fruit and vegetables.  We also have monthly focus on food issues that are important to us. From supporting British Farmers and Fair Trade to tips for a healthy life style. 

For instance: Did you know active bodies crave carbohydrate for energy. But how do you get the most from the meals and snack on the right food at the right time? 

Get healthy habits up and running: 

• Regular sports demand regular, well balanced meals and plenty of fluids before, during and after training.

• There is no need to rely on supplements if you are eating a balanced diet.

• Know when to snack, and what on, to reduce fatigue and maintain blood sugar and carbohydrate levels

What to eat and when:

• 2-4 hours before exercise try:

• 2 Portions of fruit
• 1 slice of whole meal bread with topping
• 2 Weetabix with skimmed milk 

• If you are exercising for more than an hour top up your energy stores every 15-20 minutes. Try:

• 125-150ml isotonic sports drink
• 2 handfuls of dried fruit

• After exercise to replace lost energy and help with recovery, eat carbohydrates within 20 minutes of finishing.  Try:

• 1 cereal bar
• 2 large bananas
• 1 bowl of wholegrain cereal with skimmed milk

For more details visit Kents Hill Park on our website > or call us on 0845 230 1414

imago invests £25,000 in AV control systems at Burleigh Court

imago has invested £25,000 on upgrading the AV control systems at Burleigh Court to enhance the delegate experience during meetings and conferences. 

Working with Innovations Audio Visual, Burleigh Court has installed a Crestron control system so all AV equipment is connected and controlled via in-room iPads. Burleigh Court has also benefited from the installation of ceiling mounted HDMI projectors, projector screens, Blu-ray players, Digital Freeview and additional speaker system. Delegates can easily access connection points using almost any laptop, tablet, phone or other device without the need for cables. 

Tatjana Walker, Front of House Manager at Burleigh Court comments: “Conferences and meetings are becoming ever more interactive. As a venue it is important for us to deliver reliable technology to help clients meet delegate expectation which is why we have made significant investment in state-of-the-art AV equipment and an easy to use control system. It also places Burleigh Court at the forefront of meetings and conferencing technology. We have worked with Innovations Audio Visual for a number of years and this investment will allow us to continue expanding our IT and AV capability as technology evolves.”  

imago unifies Loughborough University's conference and catering activities under one brand. Burleigh Court is one of the UK's leading residential conference centres and provides the ideal environment for training and conference events.

Møller Centre builds for growth

The Møller Centre has been granted planning permission by Cambridge City Council to expand their premises at Churchill College, Cambridge, which will support the growing demand for its residential meeting facilities and executive education programmes. 

Having completed a pre planning and formal planning application, and consulted local residents and the collegiate community, The Møller Centre’s modest extension to its main building will provide an additional 21 bedrooms, increased catering space and enlarged state of the art meeting and office space.  The project has been phased over a period of months to ensure that the Centre can continue with “business as usual” throughout the build.

“The extension intentionally compliments the original building design” says Stuart Websdale, General Manager of The Møller Centre. “On completion, the new facilities will blend effortlessly into the original building using precise design detail and matching materials.  The commitment to detail has meant ongoing consultation with members of the original Henning Larsen Architectural practice in Denmark. The benefits to clients will be vast, providing greater flexibility, increased variety in training room sizes and additional capacity for our loyal client base. The build will enhance The Møller Centre’s commitment to sourcing high quality, environmentally friendly and sustainable materials.  We are delighted to be using local contractors and suppliers to help support the regional economy.   Meticulous planning and collaboration with various stakeholders will ensure that the construction goes smoothly, allowing us to continue our focus on our customers.”

The Møller Centre was established in 1992 after a generous donation by the A.P Møller & Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation, a Danish institution that makes contributions to good causes, especially those involving national heritage, shipping, industry, education and science. Mr. Møller envisaged The Møller Centre to be a “Centre of Excellence” - bringing together the worlds of academia and industry. 

Today, The Møller Centre is a very successful business that employs over 100 skilled and motivated staff working exclusively in the fields of Management Training, Customised Executive Education and Conferencing. Conducted in bespoke, state of the art facilities, this very pure learning environment is also appealing to international delegations.  All profits from the Centre are then donated to Churchill College for educational support.  

The Møller Centre build project will start in December 2013, with a view to opening the new facilities in the spring of 2015. To follow the project’s progress, please follow #mollerbuild