Who Let The Dogs Out…At Farncombe

New Teambuilding Course At  Farncombe Estate

Ever wanted to yell MUSH! while leading a team of husky dogs along a snowy wilderness trail?

Well now you don’t have to travel to the frozen Arctic, as Farncombe Conference Centre, near Broadway, has introduced a new half-day team-building experience with participants learning the expert skills needed to handle a dog sled travelling at speed. 

Sled dog adventure specialist Arctic Quest joins an impressive line-up of teambuilding providers at the centre which also offers a diverse range of course and experience days throughout the year. Corporate and other groups can enliven their events with cupcake decorating and sheep herding, street luging or sushi-making. 

Vickie Pullin, managing director at Arctic Quest said: “Working with huskies is the perfect 

team-building experience.  Along with the sled handler, the dogs instinctively work as a team and respond well to the necessary trust and respect needed to get from A to B.  Participants quickly develop a bond with the dogs, very much akin to colleagues working collaboratively as a team in the workplace.”

For those looking to unleash their adventurous spirit, in just half a day a ‘musher’ will gain a real sense of teamwork and understand what the dogs are really capable of.  That’s all while driving a dog sled across the rolling Cotswold hills.  The day rounds off with a gathering around a roaring fire along with everyone’s tales from the trail.  

Jilly Jones, marketing manager at Farncombe Conference Centre, added: “Arctic Quest and the husky experience is an exciting addition to the already varied team-building programme.  We look forward to welcoming to the centre all those intrepid Arctic adventurers out there.”  

Prime Minister Backs APPG Events Inquiry

Ahead of the launch this month of the 2014 Britain for Events campaign, the industry body and All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) Inquiry for events received endorsement from Prime Minster David Cameron for their ongoing promotion of business tourism in the UK.  

 

Mr. Cameron congratulated the campaign on its recent work with the APPG and subsequent report, having received a copy by APPG Chair Nick de Bois MP. 

 

In his letter, the Prime Minister wrote: “Business and events tourism represents an important and growing sector of our economy, so I do welcome the efforts of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Events for the publication of this Inquiry Report.”   

 

He continued: “The Government looks forward to working with the APPG for Events in the future and continues to recognise the significant work it performs in helping to attract world class business to our shores.” 

 

This follows the launch at International Confex of the Events are GREAT report, which revealed an increase in direct spend by event attendees of £3 billion since 2010 to £39.1 billion. 

 

Michael Hirst, campaign supporter and Chair of the Business Visits & Events Partnership comments: “The work the APPG inquiry and campaign have done over the last year has been great and receiving glowing recognition from the Prime Minister is deserved endorsement for their commitment to the events industry. Without doubt bringing the APPG together has been a great challenge but has shown that there is support and ambition out there from government for the development and continued growth of the events industry.”  

 

“It’s now up to the industry working in partnership with government to see through the various recommendations in the Inquiry report”.

 

The next eight months will see the Britain for Events campaign presence at the International Festival for Business in July and at its new creation, the National Events Month in October.  

 

Since publication of the APPG Inquiry, copies of the report were sent to the Prime Minister and other Government Ministers and government agencies. Secretaries of State were asked by the Prime Minister to outline their views on issues raised within the report as it affected their respective departments.  

Vince Cable Endorses Closer Business Trade Between UK & Ireland

On 9th April the Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP) was represented at a business meeting with Business Secretary Vince Cable, Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny and around 300 leading business industry professionals at Mansion House to discuss ongoing trade development between the two countries.

The event, hosted by the Lord Mayor Alderman Fiona Woolf CBE heard Cable and Kenny make speeches and field questions about trade links between the UK and Ireland.

Richard Foulkes, BVEP Vice-Chair asked Mr. Cable on behalf of the UK events industry to back the introduction of a Special Events Visa that will ease inbound overseas trade visits to the UK.

Foulkes asked: “Both Ireland and the United Kingdom have a robust and growing business tourism and events sector focussing on events conferences and trade shows. Does the business secretary support a more collaborative approach between Ireland and the UK including a special event visa to better leverage joint activity thereby mutually increasing overseas trade visitors to events conferences and trade shows and bring associated economic benefits?”

In response the Business Secretary said both countries “lose out” when industries work separately and that UK and Irish business links were massively important. Richard Foulkes, Vice-Chair of the BVEP added: “The business events community in the UK is asking the Home Office to introduce a Special Events Visa to help process business travellers to UK business events. It is hoped the Business Secretary will do everything to persuade the Home Office of the benefits of this to the UK economy and consider a scheme where there can be reciprocal and joint arrangements between Ireland and the UK on welcoming overseas trade visitors to both countries.” 

Foulkes continued: “With support from the minister and his positive response, the industry continues to head in the right direction – but it remains important for the events industry to be recognised by government as a major contributor to economic Growth in the UK.” 

Recently Tourism Ireland joined the BVEP through its business events marketing agency Meet in Ireland.

The Manor House wins Gold... Again!

The Manor House is delighted to have started 2014 with the award of another prestigious accreditation.

The Manor House received a VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation for the first quarter of 2014 from BDRC Continental, who collect feedback to measure how likely the Manor House’s meetings customers are to recommend it. There are around 360 hotels and venues nationally who take part in the VenueVerdict scheme and of these only 29 got the net promoter score of +70 or more necessary to win the Gold Standard Accreditation. The Manor House is the only venue to achieve the award in the Surrey area.

“We're all delighted that the Manor House has received the VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation for  the first quarter of 2014” says Centre Manager Howard Canning, who also points out that this is the ninth successive quarter that the Manor House has achieved Gold Standard Accreditation. "The BDRC Continental VenueVerdict Accreditation is a fantastic endorsement for new or potential customers. Customer feedback is independently measured and verified by BDRC Continental, so the Accreditation is an indication to any meeting booker that their peers are happy to recommend the Manor House’s meetings facilities and services. Customers are assured of a great experience.”

For more information please contact us on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Conference Centres of Excellence member venues continue to exceed customer expectations with a number of venues achieving BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation for Q1.

Conference Centres of Excellence is delighted that so many of our member venues have achieved the top level Gold Standard Accreditation, demonstrating that quality remains at the very core of their businesses and our consortiums desire to promote excellence across our industry.

Over 22,000 individual pieces of feedback were collated to determine the VenueVerdict Q1 results, providing a completely independent assessment of experience. In choosing a venue where customer feedback and in particular the ‘likelihood to recommend’ has been measured in this way, customers can rest assured that they are in safe hands.

Seven Conference Centres of Excellence member venues have achieved the BDRC Continental VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation following ongoing assessment of customer feedback during the year from April 2013 to March 2014.

The Conference Centre of Excellence gold accredited venues are:

• Broadway House, London

• Farncombe Conference Centre, Cotswolds

• Engineers House, Bristol

• Woodland Grange, Warwickshire

• The Manor House, Surrey

• The Møller Centre, Cambridge

• The Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre, Glasgow

Amanda Stacey, Marketing Manager of Conference Centres of Excellence commented:

“We use a number of quality criteria for our member venues, ensuring that they consistently provide excellent quality standards in terms of dedicated facilities, exceptional food, superior staff expertise, and overall event experience. As part of our quality assurance, BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict provides independently gathered, genuine feedback from customers and once again we are delighted to have a number of venues achieving the Gold Standard.”

For more information please call us on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

EEF Venues reports robust first quarter sales

EEF Venues’ first quarter trading results show a 12 per cent increase in sales revenue over YTD figures for the same period last year. The increased sales are right across the group’s three AIM-Gold accredited venues; Broadway House (Westminster), Engineers’ House (Bristol) and Woodland Grange (Leamington Spa). The double digit growth significantly surpasses UK GDP growth for the first quarter of 2014.

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: ”We usually use GDP growth rate as a bench-mark as we find that improving performance and optimism in the manufacturing and construction industries can impact positively on the conference and venues market. To have out-performed British economic growth is beyond our expectations, and we predict similar success throughout our second quarter.”

David attributes the strong trading results to a combination of several factors. He explained: ”Increased corporate confidence, coupled with sharper and more proactive negotiating skills and better levels of engagement have all impacted positively on our results this quarter.”

Named ‘No 1 Small Group’ and ‘Best Value for Money Group’ in the BDRC VenueVerdict Awards earlier this year, EEF Venues reports these significant increases across multiple income streams including residential  and non-residential conference bookings.

Conference Centres of Excellence Goes Dutch

A group of 12 Directors and Managers from Conference Centres of Excellence and its member venues travelled to The Netherlands on a study tour from 13 – 16th April, visiting four unique conference venues.

The tour is the first time CCE has ventured to Europe for a formal study tour, having traditionally visited UK venues on a number of tours to share in the best practice and quality standards in the meetings and conference industry.

During their visit, the members visited Blooming Hotel (Bergen), Mooirivier (Dalfsen), De Ruwenberg (Sint-Michielsgestel) and Kapellerput (Heeze), all of which are members of ‘Meetings and More’ - an organisation similar to CCE which provides quality standard benchmarking delivering excellence to delegates.

The hosts from each venue spent considerable time with the visiting members discussing the similar challenges and opportunities faced by conference venues, including the changing expectations of the business delegate in today’s market.

 “This was a unique opportunity to understand and experience how our European counterparts are delivering excellence to their customers", commented Amanda Stacey, Marketing Manager at Conference Centres of Excellence.  "Our members are continually looking for ways to improve the delegate experience and seeing some of the innovation in The Netherlands has provided inspiration on many levels which we are excited to share amongst our peers.”

Conference Centres of Excellence will be sharing the findings of the study tour with their members during a presentation at the annual conference to be held in July.

For more information please contact marketing@cceonline.co.uk.

Conference Centres of Excellence strengthens customer relationships with new team member

Conference Centres ofExcellence, the UK’s largest sales and marketing consortium of specialist conference, meeting and training venues has welcomed Lauren Quigley to their central sales team.

Lauren joins the central sales team in the role of Sales Coordinator, at their offices in Warwickshire, and will handle all enquiries and proposals for Conference Centres of Excellence members, assisting customers with their event requirements.  

Lauren previously worked for a local conference hotel in Warwickshire in their conference and events office, looking after day to day conference, events and weddings in the venue.

Lauren completed her degree at the Cardiff University of Glamorgan, and previous job roles have given her an excellent level of customer service and organisational skills.

Conference Centres of Excellence, with 35 members nationwide, is the country’s largest provider of dedicated meetings space and is synonymous with offering both a first class service and exceptional professional standards.

Katharine Armstrong, Sales Manager at Conference Centres of Excellence said: “Lauren is a great addition to our team, assisting us to develop our relationships with customers and delivering an efficient service to member venues.  At a time when customer expectations are higher than ever, Lauren and our team strive to exceed expectations and deliver excellent service to all our clients.”

Burleigh Court’s Natasha Hughes honoured in miaList 2014

The miaList recognises individuals from within the meetings industry who are willing to go that little bit further in pursuit of excellence for their client, employer or colleagues. Natasha was named as one of the 10 winners at a celebratory lunch at Church House Conference Centre on April 7. 

The rigorous judging process involved an initial written submission about the nominated individual from which judges selected a shortlist. Those shortlisted were invited to a group lunch where both the nominator and nominee took part in a video interview which was then viewed by the judges who decided on the final list. 

A Loughborough University graduate, 28-year-old Natasha joined Burleigh Court 18 months ago – her first job in the hotel and conference industry. During her time in the role, Natasha has introduced the venue’s ‘Employee Voice’ initiative alongside a colleague, which engages directly with all employees to explore ways of improving the business. As a result of her efforts, Burleigh Court has seen performance improvements in all key measurement areas including the BDRC Guest Rate and Venue Verdict benchmarks and Review Pro, which she introduced to monitor, track and manage the venue’s online reputation.  Natasha was also instrumental in Burleigh Court’s success at the recent M&IT awards, where the venue picked up Gold in the Best Academic Venue category and Silver in the Best Conference and Banqueting Staff category. 

Natasha was nominated for the miaList by Burleigh Court’s Operations Manager Guy Hodge. He says: “In a very short period of time Natasha has had a significant impact on our service delivery and culture. She leads from the front and sets a fantastic example to the team with her commitment, focus, enthusiasm and passion for offering the very best customer service. Natasha is a true champion and ambassador for our brand, our people and our customer service and has been a catalyst for change and re-invention within our organisation. I’m delighted that Natasha’s commitment has been recognised by the miaList, it is a fantastic achievement”. 

Natasha adds: “I am delighted to be included in the miaList 2014 as it’s a reflection of Burleigh Court. They have helped me achieve my goals and make improvements wherever possible.”

Burleigh Court, part of imago’s portfolio of venues,  is one of the UK's leading residential conference centres and provides the ideal environment for training and conference events offering 26 meeting rooms, 150 square metres of exhibition space and 225 en-suite bedrooms. 

Engineers’ House to host first Bristol Patient Safety Conference

Engineers’ House in Clifton Down, Bristol, is to host the first annual Bristol Patient Safety Conference on 16th May 2014. Part of EEF Venues, the Grade 11 listed, AIM-Gold venue was chosen for its accessible location, close to the motorway network and rail links.

Key note speaker, Bristol North West MP, Charlotte Leslie, who has recently been appointed to the House of Commons Health Select Committee, will give a speech entitled ‘Professionalism in the NHS’. 

One of the aims of the conference is to provide networking opportunities for those involved in patient safety work across the region. Individuals and teams from local hospital trusts, local healthcare professionals, and businesspeople who have innovated to improve patient safety will be talking about their achievements at the conference. 

Delegates will hear from patient safety experts in fields such as obstetrics, clinical audit, patient safety simulation training, medicines safety and anaesthesia. There will also be talks on duty of candour and staff safety. For further information on the conference visit www.bristolpatientsafety.com

Martyn Bowen, venue manager at Engineers’ House said: ”The format of the conference is a combination of plenary talks and interactive workshops so we expect that it will be a lively event, with delegates making the most of our many break-out areas throughout this historic building.”  

Engineers’ House is set in a scenic location overlooking the Avon Gorge and Clifton Suspension Bridge and has nine distinctive meetings rooms, with maximum capacity for 170 delegates. 

A taste for success for Warwick Conferences at industry awards

Warwick Conferences certainly proved to cut the mustard last week after its catering team excelled in all five contests at the annual TUCO (The University Caterers’ Organisation) competition, bringing home an impressive seven awards in total.

 

This is the fifth successive year that Warwick Conferences has been recognised at the two-day competition, designed to celebrate the talents of university chefs and catering staff through a range of skills-led challenges.

As a leading collection of conferencing venues, Warwick Conferences prides itself on catering and service excellence, and constantly strives to improve standards both within its own offering and across the industry.

Its recent, independent Value of Satisfaction report highlighted the direct and positive correlation that quality catering enjoys with increased levels of customer satisfaction, with good food exerting an important influence during an event and playing a significant role in determining the defining experience.

This year’s TUCO Competition provided a respected platform upon which to demonstrate the expertise of Warwick Conferences’ catering team with a range of contests to assess flair and technique in a wide variety of areas, from savoury meals to elaborate confectionary.

The Static Salon contest—which showcases the artistic presentation of a variety of dishes—saw Warwick Conferences scoop awards in four of its categories: Pete Fry, for the Bronze award in Plated Fine Dining and Student Meal; Graham Edwards for the Bronze award in Senior Class for Bread Making; Mary Fry achieved a Merit in the Decorative Exhibit; and Jonathan Rackham won Silver in Junior Bread Making.

Gary Crump and Gary Brown were awarded Bronze in the Chefs’ Challenge, which requires contestants to create outstanding menus using a mystery box of ingredients.

Ravinder Kumar was named first runner-up in the Street Food category in the Chef of the Year contest, while Kian Shakouri of Warwick Retail received a Silver Award in the TUCO Barista Skills challenge. Front of house staff Natalja Saveljeva and Kristine Vilcane were also recognised in the Service Skills challenge.

Warwick Conferences’ success at this year’s TUCO Competition is the cherry on the cake following a range of other culinary accolades recently awarded to its catering team. In November 2013, Graham Crump, executive development chef, was awarded the Innovation in Management award by the Institute of Hospitality, while two members of the team were also winners at the CCE Chefs Challenge.

Rachael Bartlett, head of sales and marketing at Warwick Conferences, commented: “We’re extremely proud of the team’s success at this year’s TUCO Competition. Creating world-class dining experiences for our delegates is something we are hugely passionate about, and events such as this help to hone our skills and allow us more of an insight into our competition, as well as ensuring we’re constantly at the forefront of industry development.

“To be recognised so highly across all five contests is an incredible achievement—especially considering the calibre of all those competing—and is a credit to the team’s hard work and dedication to dishing up exceptional food and outstanding service across our venues.”

The TUCO awards were announced at a gala dinner at the Hilton Blackpool on Tuesday 18 March.

Burleigh Court shortlisted for VisitEngland Awards for Excellence

imago’s four star conference centre and hotel Burleigh Court has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Large Hotel of the Year category at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2014.

Burleigh Court is part of imago’s portfolio of venues, offering business and leisure guests 26 meeting rooms, 150 square metres of exhibition space and 225 en-suite bedrooms with a range of facilities to suit all needs. Other on-site features include a well-equipped gym complete with swimming pool, sauna and a spa offering a range of relaxing treatments.

The venue is mobility three accredited, which is part of the National Accessible Accreditation Scheme run by VisitBritain, with dedicated disabled parking bays located close to reception and training rooms, restaurant, lounge area and 13 bedrooms all designed with improved accessibility in mind.

The VisitEngland Awards attracted 368 applications and finalists were chosen based on key criteria such as customer service, commitment to excellence, staff training and development, accessibility, marketing and promotion, quality improvement and development and sustainability.

The awards ceremony will take place at Cheltenham Racecourse on Monday May 12, 2014, when Burleigh Court will find out it if it has received a Gold, Silver, Bronze or Highly Commended Award.

Guy Hodge, Operations Director at Burleigh Court, comments: “It is fantastic news that Burleigh Court has been shortlisted as a finalist for the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2014. We are committed to providing our guests, whether they are here for business or pleasure, with the best possible service. Being recognised for such a celebrated award is recognition of the hard work of the entire team.” 

James Berresford, Chief Executive of VisitEngland, said: “I would like to congratulate all those nominated as finalists for this year’s VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.  We receive hundreds of applications each year of an extremely high standard, so it is a tremendous achievement for Burleigh Court to become a finalist and to represent the top five in their category in England.  I wish all the finalists the very best of luck for the Awards Ceremony in May.”

Launched in 2003, imago unifies Loughborough University’s conference and events venues under one brand, offering high quality meeting spaces, venues and accommodation alongside excellent sports and leisure facilities.

Broadway House to support the PSP Association

Broadway House, EEF Venues’ dedicated conference and meetings venue in Westminster, will host a post-Virgin London Marathon 2014 event on 13^th April to welcome participants running in the marathon in aid of the Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Association. 

The PSP Association offers advice, support and information to people living with the degenerative brain diseases, PSP and CBD, and supports research into treatments for those conditions. 

Amanda Sutton, venue manager at Broadway House, said: ”There will be a warm welcome awaiting the participants, their families and friends at Broadway House where they can  take rest and refreshment after the event and share their experience with us.   We will be replenishing their batteries with delicious finger food and plenty of juice and water and there will be rooms set aside for massage areas for the participants.”

Jean Kelly, fundraising manager with The PSP Association commented: “We have 70 supporters running on behalf of the charity in the 2014 Virgin London Marathon. The PSPA is a small charity and the event is its biggest fundraiser. There is no cure for PSP, a degenerative neurological disease, or any effective treatment, but there is still a lot PSPA can do and the money raised will make a huge difference. It will go directly towards helping those living with PSP, be it through funding our Specialist Care Advisers, holding more local Support Groups, or funding research into the causes, treatments, and eventually, a cure for PSP.

“We are looking forward to hosting our post-race reception at Broadway House and greeting our amazing runners and their friends and families. All that is left to say is good luck PSPA runners!”

Edinburgh First Rises to the Challenge to Scoop Silver Award

Edinburgh First’s dedicated team of experienced staff has been recognised in The University Caterers Organisation Ltd (TUCO Ltd) Awards. Rebecca Roberts (23), conference and banqueting supervisor was awarded silver in the Food Service Challenge.

The TUCO Awards comprise a wide range of skills-based competitions for catering staff holding in-house positions in higher and further education establishments. This year’s competitions were held earlier this month in Blackpool.

The Food Service Challenge is open to all food service staff that provide front of house services in the university catering sector. Rebecca had to demonstrate that she consistently delivered a first-class dining experience thorough excellent customer care, product knowledge and teamwork amongst other key skills essential to working in food service.

Ian Macaulay, assistant director (catering) at The University of Edinburgh, commented: 

“This is a fantastic achievement for Rebecca and clearly illustrates the progress she has made since joining us in 2012.  Rebecca was recently promoted to Conference and Banqueting Supervisor and this award is another terrific way of recognising her hard work and achievements.

“Entering competitions and awards has become an integral part of staff training and development across the catering industry. It’s a great opportunity for our staff to hone their food service skills and measure themselves against others in the profession.”

Jennifer Hart (22) Edinburgh First’s conference and banqueting assistant also competed in the TUCO Awards this year for the first time and is looking forward to returning next year to hopefully follow in Rebecca’s footsteps.

TUCO Ltd is a membership organisation representing all in-house caterers operating within the higher and further education sectors.

Conference Centres of Excellence brings Nationwide Venues to London

Conference Centres of Excellence, in conjunction with MyVenues.co.uk hosted an exclusive client event recently to showcase the group’s Nationwide Venues.

Corporate event organisers from London and National organisations met with 20 of the group’s venue teams during the evening event, hosted in the ‘Illuminate Suite’ at etc.venues, Prospero House.

The event was created to raise the profile of member venues, whilst saving event organisers time in travelling for site visits, providing the opportunity to discuss their requirements and event ideas with the dedicated teams from a wide range of venues within the Conference Centres of Excellence group.

During the evening, the event organisers were also able to sample a delicious variety of the excellent quality of food and refreshments provided – a key element of the quality promise offered by all member venues.

“This showcase event was created in response to our member requirements, as a great number of event bookers and head offices for corporate businesses in particular are based in London, in addition to booking events regionally.” said Amanda Stacey, Marketing Manager for Conference Centres of Excellence. “We will now be also be looking at regional showcase events which are tailored to our venues in the Midlands, The North and Scotland, offering more opportunities for all sector event organisers to experience the level of excellence delivered at all of our venues.”

Etc.Venues, Prospero House is situated just opposite Borough Tube in London, offering three floors of flexible conference and meeting space, and is proud to be a member of Conference Centres of Excellence.

For more details or to register for future events please contact marketing@cceonline.co.uk