Farncombe wins prestigious conference award

Farncombe Conference Centre near Broadway, Worcestershire, has been named Best Conference Venue for Customer Service outside London in a glittering ceremony at London’s Battersea Evolution.

The national award, in its fourth year, is organised by the Global Conference Network and celebrates the best in conferences and meetings, from major venues to meticulously-planned events.  Other 2014 winners include the iconic Manchester Central (previously G-MEX) and Eventbrite, a global company running 2.9 million events.

The judges’ verdict on Farncombe stated that "With a very long client list and a lively set of examples of services and products, this entry stood out through its highly innovative projects. They also showed good HR and training policies and are clearly taking their staff with them on an exciting journey."

Farncombe beat a shortlist of eight, including Center Parcs at Elveden Forest; Careys Manor, named one of the top 50 UK hotels by The Independent; the National Motorcycle Museum and Austin Court, another award-winning venue in the Midlands.  

“This award reflects the fantastic service we offer our customers all year round,” said Farncombe operations manager Richard Howdle.  “This is an award for everyone in the team, whether they wash up, make beds, cut the grass, cook the food or face customers day in, day out.  It shows that our ‘Can Do’ approach to customer service is paramount to our success.”

 

Farncombe Conference Centre, which has 10 flexible meeting spaces and 87 ensuite bedrooms, is set in a stunning 400-acres Cotswold estate.  Known for its high customer service standards, it is one of a handful of conference venues in the UK to win a Gold Venue Verdict award – based entirely on customers’ votes and comments – for four years’ running. 

More than 750 industry professionals attended the largest-ever Conference Awards ceremony earlier this month.  Winning teams were presented with their awards by comedian Josh Widdicombe.

Weetwood’s rising star toasts to success after winning accolade

Weetwood Hall toasted to success at a glittering awards ceremony this month, after fighting off stiff competition and scooping an accolade for the determination and hard work of one of its team members.

Conference Operations Manager, Lukasz Opilowski, was honoured to win the Rising Star Award  at the Leeds Hotels and Venues Association’s (LHVA) awards on Thursday 12th June at Leeds United’s Centenary Pavilion, that celebrate the best in service from over 30 hotels and venues across the city.

The awards celebrate exceptional talent in all aspects of hospitality. The categories are Team of the Year, Customer Service, Rising Star, Bright Idea and Mentor. Awards are only given to the best of the best in the hospitality industry. 

Lukasz joined Weetwood Hall as a Conference Porter in 2006, and has since worked his way up the ranks to team leader and then Conference Operations Supervisor. He successfully secured his current post as Conference Operations Manager in April of this year. 

Michael Longstaff, Director of Operations at Weetwood Hall, said: “I would like to congratulate Lukasz on this great success and believe it is well and truly deserved. Lukasz’s evident commitment to the team, business and customers shines through and all who come into contact with him remark upon his ‘can do’ attitude, knowledge and flexibility. 

Lukasz said: “I am delighted to have won the Rising Star Award and would like to thank Weetwood Hall for the opportunity to develop my skills and to grow my career. The awards were great fun and provided a chance for our team to celebrate in style. Here’s hoping for next year’s awards!”  

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

Farncombe Conference Centre wins best customer service at CVS Awards

The winners of the Conference Awards and Conference Venue & Supplier (CVS) Awards were announced at Battersea Evolution on Friday 13 June at their biggest ever ceremony, and Farncombe Conference Centre won the ‘Best Conference Venue Customer Service – Outside London’. 

Claire Wormsley, director of the Global Conference Network, said: “We’ve had a thriving year for the conference industry and we’re delighted to see the Conference Awards grow. These awards have become the definitive recognition of the dedication and innovation that drives excellence in our sector. Congratulations to all our winners and we would also like to say a huge thank you to all our sponsors and partners for making this event possible. A special thank you should be extended to Hiscox Event Insurance who has been our sponsor from the launch of the awards in 2010 – they are a fantastic asset to our events and to the conference industry as a whole.” 

Farncombe Conference Centre, an award-winning Cotswold conference centre, between Stratford-upon-Avon and Cheltenham has 89 high quality en-suite bedrooms rated 4 Star by VisitEngland and 9 flexible meeting spaces, taking up to 120 delegates, theatre-style.

Conference Awards Winners 2014

Best Association Conference – National Institute for Health and Care Excellence / NICE Annual Conference

Best Publication Led Event – Last Word Media / Expert Investor Europe, Pan European Congress

Best Managed Event – BrandFuel / Zeitgeist

Best Awards Event – EMAP / Construction News Awards

Best Conference Series – ICBI / SuperReturn Global Series

Best Operations Team – IWSC Group 

Best Conference Content Team – Incisive Media 

Best Marketing Team – Terrapinn 

Best Large Scale Event or Congress – i2i Events Group / World Retail Congress

Best New Product Launch – Wilmington Group / SJ Live

Best New Geographical Launch – Capacity Media / Myanmar Connect

Best Development of an Existing Conference UK – Haymarket Business Media / Media360

Best Development of an Existing Conference Overseas – Gartner UK / IT Infrastructure & Operations Management Summit

Conference Venue & Supplier Awards Winners 2014

Best Small Conference Venue (up to 350 theatre style) – Cavendish Conference Centre

Best Mid-sized Conference Venue (between 350 – 500) – Business Design Centre

Best Large Conference Venue (over 500) – Manchester Central 

Best Conference Supplier - Eventbrite

Best Conference Venue Customer Service – London – Olympia Conference Centre

Best Conference Venue Customer Service - Outside London – Farncombe Conference Centre

Mark of Excellence

Best Association Conference – Association of Corporate Treasurers / ACT Annual Conference 2013

Best Conference Series – Forgather / eCommerce Futures

Best Operations Team – George P Johnson 

Best Large Scale Event or Congress – Adam Smith Conferences / Russian Automotive Forums 

Best New Product Launch – Elsevier / The 1st International Conference on Global Food Security

Best New Geographical Launch – The Economist Events / The Lisbon Summit

Best Development of an Existing Conference Overseas – LinkedIn / Talent Connect 

Woodland Grange short-listed for four Touch FM Pride of Warwick District Awards.

EEF Venue’s Woodland Grange Meeting and Conference Venue in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire has been short-listed under four categories in this year’s Touch FM Pride of Warwick District Awards.

From the 150 entries received, the venue has been short-listed down to the final three under Business of the Year, Hospitality Business of the Year, Customer Care Award and Green Business of the Year categories.

The overall winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Friday 4th July at The Chesford Grange Hotel. 

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: ”We are absolutely thrilled to have received this recognition. The short-listings alone are a great vote of confidence in our customer care standards and business practices. We look forward to the finals when we will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with many other exemplary local businesses. All credit must go to our team at Woodland Grange but also to 102TouchFM for introducing the Pride of Warwick Awards to showcase and acknowledge local business success.” 

Woodland Grange earns 2014 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence

Woodland Grange Conference Centre in Leamington Spa has received a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence award for the second year running.

The accolade, which honours hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor.

It places Woodland Grange in the top-performing 10 per cent of global businesses listed on TripAdvisor to receive this prestigious award.

To qualify for a Certificate of Excellence, businesses must maintain an overall rating of four or higher, out of a possible five, as reviewed by travellers on TripAdvisor, and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months. Additional criteria include the volume of reviews received within the last 12 months.

Commenting on the award, David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: “There is no greater seal of approval than being recognised by one’s customers and we feel extremely grateful to them for taking time to give us this remarkable vote of confidence in our service standards and facilities.”

Puma Hotels rebrands to 'The Hotel Collection'

Puma Hotels Collection, the portfolio of 21 properties that includes The Lygon Arms in Broadway, the Cotswolds, Hinckley Island Hotel in Leicestershire and The Imperial Hotel in Torquay, has rebranded to The Hotel Collection with immediate effect. 

Commenting on the announcement, Fredrik Korallus, Chief Executive Officer of The Hotel Collection said: “The new name reflects our desire to build upon our successful strategy to focus on the strengths of the individual hotels, many of which are iconic properties, well known in the market in their own right.

He continued: “Since taking over management of the collection, we have achieved strong revenue growth predominantly driven by the resurgence in the meetings and events market, as well as strong leisure demand.

“We will continue our focus on providing excellent customer service through high quality management both centrally and throughout our individual hotels.”

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

Kents Hill Park offers a fresh summer welcome

Kents Hill Park, one of the largest meeting and training centres in the UK is undergoing  a fantastic refurbishment programme, updating specialist facilities providing the ultimate environment for learning.

Sarah Glossop, Head of Sales and Marketing at Kents Hill Park talks us through the project:

“With phase one of our meeting room refurbishment complete, we are now getting phase two well under way.

Delegates can now use our new look board room and over the coming months the interiors of our meeting rooms will be getting a makeover with fresh paper and paint to continue the contemporary feel of the site.  We already have three meeting rooms complete and work starts on a four room this weekend. 

This is part of an ongoing refurbishment plan which will see all areas of the venue refreshed and refurbished including our lounge, restaurant, meeting space and bedrooms. 

We are carrying out all the current work when the site is quiet or at weekends so there will be no disruption to guests and events.  It is definitely business as usual.

We are just finalising the colour schemes for phase three, and next month we will be able to show you the trial rooms. 

We look forward to welcoming you to the new look Kents Hill Park soon.”

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

Senate House achieves Bronze Food for Life Catering Mark

Aramark at the University of London has achieved the Catering Mark for their Hospitality Menu at Senate House, catering for internal and external meetings and events. 

The Food for Life Catering Mark recognises restaurants and caterers who serve fresh food which is free from controversial additives and better for animal welfare. It offers a guarantee that fresh food customers can trust is always on the menu, providing reassurance that the food served meets high standards of traceability, freshness and provenance. 

The Bronze, Silver and Gold tiers recognise caterers who serve more locally produced, healthy and organic food. Caterers with the Bronze Catering Mark serve seasonal meals which are freshly prepared and free from undesirable additives including MSG, tartrazine and aspartame. No GM ingredients are used and all eggs are from cage-free hens. 

The Bloomsbury based venue has cultivated a reputation for event excellence and flexibility, and is a popular venue for meetings, conferences, exhibitions, private events and live music evenings. 

Commenting on their achievement, Charlie Vernon, conference and business development manager at Senate House says, “We are immensely proud of this accolade, it’s a fantastic achievement for both Senate House and Aramark as we are committed to working together to ensure our catering is environmentally-friendly and delicious.”

Vivienne Shinner, regional business manager at Aramark also commented: “We’re delighted that we’ve achieved the Bronze Food for Life Catering Mark in recognition of our dedication to serving freshly prepared, seasonal meals and ensuring our customers know exactly where their food is coming from.” 

Rob Sexton, Chief Executive of Soil Association Certification, says: "The Bronze Catering Mark is an excellent achievement which recognises the vital role that fresh, seasonal meals play in healthy, planet-friendly menus, especially for large-scale catering.” 

For more information about meetings and events at Senate House contact us on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk