Narnia weaves a magical winter spell over Farncombe

It was only an end-of-year conference, but delegates couldn’t believe their eyes when they stepped into a winter wonderland at Farncombe Conference Centre near Broadway in the Cotswolds this week.

For the largest meeting room had been transformed into the fantastical realm of Narnia, complete with Aslan the Lion and giant polar bears.

For one night only, the entrance to the 150-seater conference space was remodelled to resemble two enormous wardrobe doors.  Once inside, guests were amazed to find a snow scene draped in white and sparkling blue light. There was a dashing white sleigh, an “ice throne” photo booth and a winter’s disco. 

“It was fabulous to see our lovely buildings transformed into a magical other world,” says Farncombe General Manager Gillian Roe.  “Just the night before, we were host to a Masquerade Ball. We have such a beautiful setting and the only limit is the imagination.”

Real live reindeer shared the terrace for pre-dinner drinks at the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe theme party.  Guests went on to dine and dance the night away.  But the next morning, as mysteriously as it came, the fabled world of Narnia had vanished into the winter air.

Wyboston Lakes Rates 'Outstanding' in Sunday Times 'Best Companies' Survey for a second year

Conference, training and leisure venue Wyboston Lakes has achieved a two out of a possible three-star rating in the prestigious Sunday Times ‘Best Companies’ accreditation standard. This has been awarded for a second year in a row.  The two-star status, awarded on the basis of employee feedback, means that the venue is considered an ‘outstanding’ employer in terms of the way it engages with its staff.  The company has also been award a place in the Sunday Times Best Companies top ‘100 Best Companies to work for’ ranking.

“We fundamentally believe that a highly engaged team will make the customer experience and we know that a disengaged one will break it. We live or die by the positive experiences we give to our customers - be they with us for training, a conference, a hotel stay, golf or to use our fabulous Y Spa. We are truly delighted to be recognised again for the second year running” said Mark Jones, managing director of Wyboston Lakes: “To achieve such a high rating in these world-renowned awards is a source of enormous pride throughout the organisation.”

This year marks the 15th year for the Best Companies ranking.  Best Companies have been producing the Accreditation standard since 2006 to acknowledge excellence in the workplace. Accreditation is a focus on Workplace Engagement as an integral component of an organisation's success and growth. Every organisation that goes for Best Companies Accreditation is given a Best Companies Index score (BCI). This score (on a scale of 1 to 1000) is defined from employee’s responses to questions within the Best Companies survey. Michelin-style star ratings are then determined from that score, with one star acknowledged as ‘very good’, two stars as ‘outstanding’ and three stars as ‘extraordinary’.

This accreditation is regarded as among the UK’s most reliable and thorough processes for assessing the merits of organisations from all sectors in terms of the way they encourage, motivate and generally engage with their employees.

Wyboston Lakes is now waiting to hear which position they will hold within the Sunday Times ‘100 Best Companies to work for’. The final rankings will be announced at an awards dinner, February 2015.

Missenden Abbey Conference Centre's hidden secrets soon to be uncovered

Bucks New University's Missenden Abbey Conference Centre is set to be the focus of an interesting community project which will see the completion and digitisation of original records made during an excavation of the Abbey site 30 years ago, when many fascinating medieval and post medieval objects were discovered.

The 12th Century abbey site, based in London Road, Great Missenden, was founded in 1113 and was one of the early monasteries in southern England. It was excavated during the 1980s and among the archaeologists' findings were several complete human skeletons, animal bones, coins, glass and pottery. 

Some of the items, such as stained glass, are on display at the Abbey but the majority of the finds and relevant documents were stored at the County Museum Resource Centre  in Aylesbury. However museum staff, archaeologists and volunteers have now established the Community Archaeology Project with the primary task being to complete the identification of finds, and to digitise and document all the original excavation plans and records. They are planning to publish the results of this work so that more people can discover the history of the Abbey and how people lived there in medieval times.

The Community Archaeology Project relies on crowd funding and direct donations to generate support for the work, and aims to raise £4,000 through local communities keen to discover the history of the Abbey.

The Abbey now exists as a dedicated conference, wedding and events venue owned by Bucks New University. Katie Shrives, Marketing Executive at Missenden Abbey Conference Centre, said: "It will be fantastic to discover the hidden secrets of the Abbey and to better understand the history of the place. To have the findings recorded and digitised is very important to us and I'm sure what is produced will be something many people would be keen to explore."

The Community Archaeology Project leader, Dr Yvonne Edwards, from the Chess Valley Archaeological & Historical Society (CVAHS), added: "We are delighted with the progress made on this project so far. Most of the finds are now recorded and the plans, maps and photos digitized. We very much hope the final effort during 2015 will allow us to get this valuable information into the public record." 

The complete history of Missenden Abbey, including all of the information acquired during excavation and recent researches, will be produced as a fully illustrated book. Members of the public will be able to view and purchase copies of the book from the Museum Resource Centre and the County Museum in Aylesbury, and longer term there are plans for the book to be available online.

To support the Community Archaeology Project, go to www.crowdfunded.microplasts.org/projects/living-and-dying-at-great-missenden-abbey.

Alternatively you can send a donation to Honorary Treasurer, CVAHS Missenden Abbey Project, Hollybank, Botley Road, Chesham HP5 1XG.

Leicester Conferences ‘highly commended’ in Tourism Awards

Leicester Conferences has been highly commended in the Business Tourism category at the Leicester and Leicestershire Excellence in Tourism Awards 2014.

The team beat off competition from other local venues. The category winner was another organisation with close links to the University – the National Space Centre.

Emma Rathbone, Conference Sales and Marketing Executive, said, ‘We are delighted to be highly commended in the Best Business Tourism category. We were the overall winners in this category last year so we didn’t really expect to receive any recognition again this year. To be highly commended given the level of competition is a great achievement.’

The Awards, created by Leicester Shire Promotions and now in their third year, celebrate the excellent work that a wide range of attractions, accommodation providers, restaurants, pubs and event organisers undertake to ensure their customers have the best possible experience.

The Business Tourism category is aimed at organisations at the forefront of the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions sector of the tourism industry. In particular, it seeks to reward innovation in products and services, and improvements to quality and infrastructure.

Meet the EEF Venues team: Kristen Pilarek

EEF Venues has expanded its hospitality team at Woodland Grange conference centre in Leamington Spa with the appointment of Kristen Pilarek as assistant food & beverage manager.

Before joining the AIM Gold accredited venue on 20thOctober, Kristen was previously food beverage supervisor with Hilton Hotels in Coventry.

Commenting on her new role, Kristen said:” I am really enjoying it so far and look forward to the challenges my new role brings. The team are all very welcoming and have made me feel totally comfortable.  It is great to be working with like-minded people who share a passion for great food and service. “

Kristen is now working closely with Debbie Beecham, Woodland Grange’s food and beverage manager, to ensure that standards remain consistently high in The Lawn’s Restaurant and right across the venue’s food offering, from tasting plates and hospitality to fine dining events.

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, believes that exciting, innovative food drives retention and client loyalty.

He said: “While location, accessibility and the availability of meeting room spaces drive sales, it is food and service that impact on repeat business,” he said. ’Clients remember how well they were treated and the quality of the food - and that is why they come back.

“We view Kristen’s appointment as part of our on-going investment in the venue and its services.”

Kristen, whose other passions are music and fashion, is now using her skills to maximise the food experience for delegates.

She said:” This is a new role for Woodland Grange and I am keen to bring my experience to it. I enjoy a challenge and there’s lots to look forward to in the coming weeks at Woodland Grange, with a whole series of Christmas parties throughout the busy festive season ahead.”

AIM Gold for Woodland Grange

Woodland Grange conference centre in Leamington Spa has achieved AIM Gold in the stringent Accredited in Meetings (AIM) assessment – the nationwide 'kitemark' for accredited venues and service providers in the UK meetings, conference and events industry. This is the third time that the venue has achieved this mark of excellence which is awarded every three years to a select portfolio of venues throughout the UK.

Ian Chaplin, general manager of Woodland Grange said: ”We first gained this important accolade in 2008 so this is great credit to the team for their consistent attention to detail and customer care excellence over the years.  On-going investment in our facilities and in our people keeps standards high and we are constantly looking at new ways to improve the experience for our delegates.

“From a business development perspective, having AIM Gold status gives us a considerable competitive advantage, particularly as many organisations use procurement specialists and agents who will only use AIM accredited venues.  AIM Gold is the ultimate benchmark of quality so to have achieved this places Woodland Grange within the top tier of UK venues.”   

Named ‘Business of the Year’ in this year’s Touch FM Pride of Warwick District Awards, Woodland Grange has recently completed a £120K refurbishment project and has recorded its best trading month to date in October, with revenue up 13% over the same month last year. 

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