EEF Venues invests in growth strategy

EEF Venues has strengthened its sales operation by appointing Anna Barton as national sales manager. 

Anna joined on 2nd March and is now responsible for developing business across EEF Venue’s three AIM gold accredited venues; Woodland Grange in Leamington Spa, Broadway House in Westminster and Engineers’ House in Bristol.

Anna brings over twelve years’ experience of working in senior sales roles within the conference and event sector. Prior to joining EEF Venues she was a director of sales for the QHotels group, responsible for account managing a portfolio of key clients and generating new business opportunities.

Commenting on her appointment, David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: ”This latest investment is an indication of the confidence we feel in the market. Our order book is already 20 per cent ahead of expectations, and with the economy continuing to recover, we are in a strong position to seize further opportunities. We place great emphasis on building relationships with our clients, and with Anna’s skills, experience and commercial focus, we hope to make 2015 a record year for EEF Venues.”

Anna Barton said: ”I am thrilled to have joined EEF Venues, a group that has such an exceptional reputation for delivering seamless meetings and events. My aim is to build on the foundations that already underpin the success of the individual venues by driving new business opportunities and growing incremental revenue through diversification into new markets and generating opportunity across a wider range of industry sectors.”

ISO18001 for EEF Venues

EEF Venues has attained occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) 180001 certification across the group’s three venues.

This internationally recognised hallmark of excellence promotes a safe and healthy working environment, as David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, explained:”ISO18001 provides a framework that helps organisations to identify and control health and safety risks, reduce the potential for accidents, aid legal compliance and improve overall performance.

“This achievement places EEF Venues in an elite category of businesses who strive for the very best for their staff and customers through robust health & safety standards. It highlights our culture of health & safety responsibility and that we take a proactive approach, continually seeking improvement to minimise risk and maximise the venue experience for our teams and our delegates.”

For more information about the EEF Venues please contact us on 0845 230 1414 or email info@ccceonline.co.uk

Increase in web traffic boosts imago enquiries

imago has recorded double digit growth in the number of people visiting its website, which is contributing to a growth in business enquiries. 

The conference and events arm of Loughborough University launched its new website in December 2013 providing a portal for each of its venues – Burleigh Court, Holywell Park, Loughborough University Campus and The Link Hotel. It was designed to give event organisers a wide range of information, including a downloadable booklet which offers advice to help event organisers get the most out of using the first class facilities available. 

In January 2015, www.welcometoimago.com saw a 12% increase in the number of website sessions compared to January 2013 when the old website was still in operation. Of those who have downloaded the e-booklet, almost 40% have gone on to make an enquiry to hold an event. 

Emma Boynton, head of sales and marketing at imago comments; “Our new website was specifically designed to boost our online presence and we are really benefiting from this, as demonstrated by the growth in visitors and enquiries. The website makes it easy for event planners to find all the information they need so they can make an informed decision. Whilst not all of the website enquiries will turn into business we are delighted that more people are discovering what imago has to offer and we’re certain this will help us win new business. It’s also a great tool for organisers who have already booked an event at one of our venues. The e-book is part of our commitment to supporting clients, from the initial enquiry through to event delivery.” 

Based in Loughborough, Leicestershire, imago provides high quality meeting spaces, venues and accommodation along with excellent sports and leisure facilities.

Rachael Bartlett named as Fast Forward 15 mentee

Head of sales and marketing at Warwick Conferences, Rachael Bartlett, has been named as one of the mentees in the inaugural Fast Forward 15 programme – created to inspire, encourage, and empower women in the events industry.

The mentoring initiative – pioneered by Fay Sharpe of Zibrant – aims to help 15 women develop their events and hospitality careers by sharing knowledge and expertise with leaders in their field. In total, the Fast Forward 15 scheme attracted 139 applicants, with the chosen 15 announced at a lunch on Friday 20th March.

Rachael will be mentored in the ‘Aspirational Board Director’ category of the programme by Jo Austin, head of sales at Lime Venue Portfolio. The programme, which is endorsed by the HBAA, MPI, and the Women’s Business Council, will see mentors and mentees work together over a 12-month period to achieve specified objectives and goals.

Rachael comments: “I’m delighted to be a part of the Fast Forward 15 scheme and to have the opportunity to gain valuable insight into the wider industry. Understanding events challenges through new perspectives is key to both personal development and business growth, and it’s a privilege to have been selected from the pool of candidates that applied.

“The Fast Forward 15 scheme is a brilliant initiative for supporting women in the events industry, and I look forward to working with my mentor Jo over what I’m certain will be a hugely rewarding year.”

Conference Centres of Excellence outlines future vision for the group

Conference Centres of Excellence outlines its strategy for the group as members report continued confidence and growth in the market.

Starting with a handful of consortium members in the early 1990s, and officially launched in 1992 with 20 independent venues, the group is unique in providing marketing and sales support for quality venues across the UK. 

Following a period of consolidation, Conference Centres of Excellence has now unveiled a stronger vision for the consortium, with a focus on quality, marketing and sales for its members. Alan Robinson steps into the role of Chief Executive Officer, with the objective of guiding the consortium to ‘be the membership body of choice for the marketing of high quality, innovative, customer led conference centres in the UK.’ Alan joined Conference Centres of Excellence as Membership Director in May 2014, becoming Chief Executive Officer in February 2015. He had previously served on the board for seven years during his time at member venue Warwick Conferences. 

Conference Centres of Excellence is the only membership body within the industry that has a full sales service to support its marketing activities, and is very excited to also announce that it has secured the services of Mandy Jennings and her team at Paje Consultancy to direct its sales operation and represent all of the CCE Venues on a national basis. Mandy has a wealth of experience in the conference and meetings industry having previously been Sales Director for both Principal Hayley and De Vere Hotels & Venues Group.

Overall the board foresees the 2015/16 membership year as one of growth in all areas for the consortium, using the experience and commitment of the team to deliver the ongoing benefits and association with Excellence for all our members.

Commenting on his role and the future plans for the group, Alan Robinson said “Conference Centres of Excellence is principally a marketing consortium which helps to drive standards in the industry through sharing of best practice. It is a tremendous organisation which I am proud to be involved in, and I look forward to delivering our vision to all members.”

For more information about membership contact Alan Robinson on 0845 230 14 14 or info@cceonline.co.uk.

Warren House becomes latest Conference Centres of Excellence member venue

Warren House has joined Conference Centres of Excellence, the UK’s only sales and marketing consortium of dedicated meeting providers.

Recognised as one of the country’s finest meeting venues, Warren House is located inconspicuously on the borders of Richmond Park. Originally built in 1864 as a family home, from 1996 this elegant Victorian building became an award winning conference venue boasting truly unique facilities for business and pleasure set within 4 acres of private gardens. 

Retaining the distinct ambience of a family home, guests are drawn to Warren House for its very contemporary approach and the level of excellent service and personal attention. Whether travelling to Warren House by car, train or plane, it is ideally located in Kingston-Upon-Thames, combining the convenience of a London location (just 20 minutes from London Waterloo) with the tranquillity of a country house setting.

Warren House has 10 meeting/conference rooms (accommodating up to 120 delegates) and 46 individually appointed bedrooms. Warren House is also very well known for the ability to close out the outside world and can literally close the formidable gates making it a venue perfect for mergers, acquisitions and highly confidential events.

Having met stringent criteria in terms of facilities, accommodation and customer care, joining Conference Centres of Excellence enables Warren House 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.

Alan Robinson, Chief Executive Officer of Conference Centres of Excellence commented “We are delighted to have Warren House join our portfolio of venues, particularly at a time when quality and exceptional service delivery has really set our members apart from the wider conference market. Warren House is a truly exceptional venue and prides itself on delivering every event with individual attention to detail and excellent quality standards.”

Conference Centres of Excellence has been working with specialist venues in the meetings, training and events industry for nearly 25 years, and its 31 members include many of the country’s best known specialist venues, covering a geographical area extending from the south coast of England to Scotland. 

Warwick Conferences scores UEFA 2018 business

Warwick Conferences has been named as one of three host venues for the teams competing in the 2018 UEFA Under-17 Championship following a successful bid in partnership with Warwick Sport. The news comes after the announcement that the FA will stage the championship after England was awarded hosting rights for the Euro 2020 Finals.

The best 16 nations in Europe will descend upon the Midlands to compete and - as in the 2012 London Olympics - Warwick Conferences will act as a training base. Its Scarman and Cryfield facilities will host four international teams during May 2018, with the remaining teams accommodated at St George’s Park and Loughborough.

The competition will serve as preparation for the Euro 2020 Finals, with The FA hosting the semi-finals and final at Wembley Stadium.

Rachael Bartlett, head of sales and marketing at Warwick Conferences, comments: “We’re delighted that Warwick Conferences has won the opportunity to be a host training venue for the UEFA Under-17 Championship, and we look forward to welcoming the teams to our facilities in 2018.”

Ashorne Hill recently awarded CMI Midlands Centre of the Year 2015

Ashorne Hill was recently awarded the CMI (CharteredManagement Institute) Midlands Centre of the Year 2015.

Ashorne Hill is a dedicated conference centre and learning solutions provider based around a grade II listed manor house, set in 35 acres of stunning Warwickshire countryside, just 2 miles off the M40.

With a dedicated in-house Learning Solutions team, and proud to have been a CMI Centre since 2009, Ashorne Hill has been a training solutions partner to major organisations across industry sectors for over fifty years. 

By working in partnership with organisations, the in-house team discuss the requirements in collaboration, offering the opportunity to provide a blended solution with appropriate objectives and measureable outcomes. Customised programmes can include blending trainer-led, experiential, and e-learning solutions.

On all aspects of accreditation,expert advice and programme design leads to achievement of an appropriate management award, certificate or diploma for learners from the CMI - an internationally-recognised accreditation body.

With a dedicated CMI Centre Manager, the experienced in-house operations team manages pre-programme communications, prepares learning materials, and compiles ongoing programme evaluation and feedback reports. They also manage a tracking system, the process of assignment marking, external verification and certification associated with programme accreditation.

Key features and benefits for organisations and learners are:

• clear process and communication

• tailored guidelines for learners with accessibility to online study guides and contactable Assessors

• an assessment team with clear guidelines that meet annual to review standardisation

• our expert Learning Solutions team encourage learners to make the link between their work place and the learning they acquire

Comments from the CMI Centre Reports include:

“Excellent standard of learner work observed. Possible use of case studies to promote good practice at Ashorne Hill. Overall some excellent practice observed. Good tracking systems in place and Assessment/IV matrix to show sampling strategies. This centre has robust policies and implements them effectively.” CMI Centre visit report 2013

“This centre is well run and the team work well together to provide high quality services to their clients. They have adopted the CMI assessment materials and are finding these to work well. Staff are well qualified and a new IV has been recruited this year too. If there are ever any questions or concerns, Emma contacts me to sort it out immediately which is very reassuring.” CMI Centre visit report 2014

 For more information contact training@ashornehill.co.uk or call the team on 01926 488 016.

imago getting in the spirit for Red Nose Day

Staff at imago, Loughborough University's conference and events arm, have been raising money for Red Nose Day over the past week with activities including with a bake off and face painting all in the name of charity. 

Members of the imago team from across its portfolio of venues were encouraged to bring in their best cake and biscuit creations for a bake off and cake sale earlier this week to help raise money for Comic Relief, which raises vital funds to help change millions of lives, both in the UK and across Africa.

And on Friday 13th March staff were wearing their funniest face to work with the help of an on-site face painter.

“Comic Relief and Red Nose Day bring important aid to many deserving people both here at home and abroad,” comments Emma Boynton, head of sales and marketing at imago. “We had a lot of fun with the bake sale earlier but bringing our best funniest faces to work has been most entertaining. And we've been raising lots of money for a fantastic cause in the process." 

Launched in 2003, imago unifies Loughborough University’s conference and events venues under one brand, providing high quality meeting spaces, venues and accommodation along with excellent sports and leisure facilities. As well as Burleigh Court, imago’s portfolio of venues includes Holywell Park, Loughborough University’s conference and events facilities and The Link Hotel. 

Conference@SaïdOxford on Film!

Conference@SaïdOxford are delighted to announce the release of their facilities on film.  Potential buyers can now view both venues via Saïd Business School’s YouTube channel.

The films aim to capture the look, space and feel of each venue, highlighting certain areas and taking the viewer on a mini journey from the moment they arrive to the post event drinks reception and dinner.  

“The films are a great addition to our website and nicely complement the current photographic images we have online.  The aim is to help buyers make an early decision about our venues and facilities, and in some cases lessening the need for show arounds as all the information is now available and easily accessible online” says Verity Donovan, Business Development Coordinator, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

View the Park End Street Venue here>

View the Egrove Park Venue here>

Wyboston Lakes 35th place in Sunday Times Best Companies Awards

Conference, training and leisure venue Wyboston Lakes has achieved 35th position in this year’s The Sunday Times ‘Best Companies to work for’ List. This is the second year that Wyboston Lakes has ranked in the top 100, this year moving from 69th to 35th place.

“Engagement is fundamentally about creating energy and building relationships.  If we build positive relationships with our employees that are full of energy, they in turn will do the same with 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 not just to be recognised for the second year running, but to have made such a quantum leap in our position within the top 100” said Mark Jones, managing director of Wyboston Lakes: “To achieve such a high rating is a source of enormous pride throughout the organisation.”

Wyboston Lakes ranked 10th on the list for interesting places to work with staff saying they did not feel put upon reporting one of the highest scores for wellbeing and ranking at 15th overall.  Staff were also positive about the consistent pay increases year on year, despite the recession, with a fair deal ranking of 27th.

On the basis of this employee feedback Wyboston Lakes were also awarded the two-star accreditation status, this means that the venue is considered an ‘Outstanding’ employer in terms of the way it engages with its staff.   Chelsey Hutchinson, People and Culture Director said, “We are particularly excited about the score this year, we scored just 2.2 points away from being in the top category of ‘Extraordinary’, which is incredibly encouraging for a small privately owned business.  I truly believe that our number one customers are our employees!”

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 are looking for continual improvement and they will continue to offer a fantastic place to work for all of their employees.  

Madingley Hall – Quality Catering with the Environment in Mind.

Madingley Hall is delighted to announce that it has recently been awarded 2 stars from the Sustainable Restaurant Association.  This is award recognises the ongoing work Madingley does to use locally produced, seasonal and ethically sourced meals to their clients. 

To achieve this accolade the Hall underwent a stringent audit, judged across 14 different categories. These included: sourcing local and seasonal produce, fish, ethical meat, dairy and Fairtrade; community engagement, healthy eating and responsible marketing and environmental initiatives incorporating water saving, supply chain, waste management and energy efficiency.

The Sustainable Restaurants Association (SRA), operates a Sustainability Rating system which helps diners to identify establishments that match their own sustainability criteria. Restaurants are graded One, Two or Three Star ‘sustainability champions’ according to the results of the audit. The Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) is a not-for-profit organisation headed up by leading Chef Raymond Blanc as President. It has over 4,000 members in the UK all united in their commitment to sustainability.

Madingley Hall is a conference venue and the home of the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education. We produce in the region of 150 meals per day to our conference clients and student guests.  The Hall offers low carbon meals and uses locally grown organic bread from Cobs Bakery in Cambridge and Havensfield Free Range Eggs from Suffolk.

In addition to this exciting award Madingley  is also the first venue in Cambridge to sign up for the Sustainable Cities Fish pledge.  As a result the Hall promises to only service MSC certified fish at grade 2 or lower.

Paul Wright, Catering Manager said ‘Madingley Hall is pleased and proud to have won our 2 star award and to support the Sustainable Fish Cities bid.  We hope to champion further sustainability issues across Cambridge in the coming months and years.’

Warwick Conferences strikes gold at M&IT Awards 2015

Warwick Conferences proved winning is thrice as nice after bringing home three awards at this year’s Meetings & Incentive Travel (M&IT) Awards.

The Coventry and Warwickshire-based collection of meeting venues beat off the competition to be awarded the top accolades in two categories: as well as receiving Gold for Best Management Training Venue, Warwick Conferences was also awarded Gold for Best Academic Venue - the 19th time in the awards’ 27-year history that its venues have come out on top in this category.

Additional success for Warwick Conferences’ facilities came in the form of Silver for Best UK Conference Centre, with Warwick Conferences holding onto its crown from 2014’s awards in this fiercely competitive category.

Rachael Bartlett, head of sales and marketing at Warwick Conferences, comments: “We are thrilled with our results at this year’s M&IT Awards. Warwick Conferences is hugely proud of its identity as an academic venue and consistently champions a distraction-free approach to catering for business, so to win Gold in Best Academic Venue and Best UK Management Training Centre is a valuable endorsement of our efforts in both fields.

“Our success at this year’s awards is testament to the team’s relentless work in providing exemplary conferencing experiences – we’re competing in an increasingly challenging marketplace, and it’s terrific to still be considered so highly by our customers.”

The M&IT Awards – which serve to reward excellence within the meetings and events industry – are voted for solely by event organisers and the readers of M&IT magazine. This year’s ceremony was held on Tuesday 3rd March at Battersea Evolution.

CCE Venues achieve multiple wins at biggest ever M&IT Awards

Conference Centres of Excellence member venues achieved significant success winning  a number of gold, silver and bronze awards at the prestigious annual Meetings & Incentive Travel Awards held this week, and celebrated in style with their industry colleagues and peers.

The Meetings & Incentive Travel Industry Awards event was held on March 3rd at Battersea Evolution in London, hosted by former England rugby star Matt Dawson and with more than 1,100 guests in attendance.

Conference Centres of Excellence were once again well represented with several member venues shortlisted as finalists, and a highlight of the evening was the group securing Bronze, Silver and Gold awards in the ‘Best UK Management Training Centre’ category. Gold winners of this category, Warwick Conferences also picked up the gold award for ‘Best Academic Venue’ and a silver award for the ‘Best UK Conference Centre’, enjoying prominent and well deserved customer endorsements for their venue.

 Imago, Burleigh Court also secured a silver award for ‘Best Academic Venue’ and bronze for ‘Best Conference and Banqueting Staff’ which follows a year of winning highly respected accolades and awards in the industry. The Møller Centre was also a multiple award winner on the evening, with silver awards for ‘Best UK Management Training Centre’ as well as ‘Best Conference and Banqueting Staff’, both awards coming despite being in the midst of a substantial redevelopment and refurbishment at the venue.

“These awards celebrate quality standards in all areas of the meetings and events industry, and as a membership organisation based on a commitment to excellence, we are delighted to have once again supported and sponsored these awards” commented Amanda Stacey, Marketing Manager at Conference Centres of Excellence. “To also have a number of our venues once again winning prestigious awards based on an independent customer vote is testament to the quality standards within our group.”

The event also raised more than £36,000 for event charity Meetings Industry Meeting Needs, with both an online auction prior to the awards, and a table raffle on the night of the event.

EEF Venues’ chef wins Mentor of the Year title in People 1st National Apprenticeship Awards 2015

Matthew Parsons, executive chef at EEF Venues’ Woodland Grange conference centre in Leamington Spa, has been named Mentor of the Year in the People 1st National Apprenticeship Awards 2015.   The news was announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday 26th February at the House of Commons. 

Matthew was short-listed with Rhiannon Ball from the Lancaster London Hotel, and he was selected as winner because of his outstanding work in mentoring and developing young people at the AIM gold accredited Warwickshire venue.  He has mentored six apprentices to date at Woodland Grange, two of whom are now full-time staff members at the venue.

His nominator, David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: ” We feel incredibly proud of Matthew for gaining such national recognition. For Matthew, there are no short-cuts as consistent quality is everything. ‘Do it well, do it right’ is his mantra so he instils high standards in his apprentices from the outset. 

“95% of our food served at Woodland Grange is made from scratch by our brigade – a tangible indication of the training apprentices receive in classical culinary skills and methods such as how to make a classic roux, how to skin and bone a fish and make a consommé  - many of which have disappeared in kitchens due to convenience foods.” 

Matthew said: “I am very proud of this award as it is embodies my belief in training and developing the next generation of chefs. It is wonderful to be acknowledged in this way by peers.”

Simon Tarr, People 1st managing director, said: “These awards promote the industry as a great place to work, highlight the value apprentices can offer, and celebrate those who play an essential role in supporting apprentices on their chosen career path. The passion and enthusiasm of everyone involved - the young people, their employers and those who came to support them points to a great future in our industries.”

Bryan Anderson, Team Leader for Work-based Learning at Stratford upon Avon College, said: ‘We have worked with Matthew Parsons for many years delivering successful hospitality apprenticeships at Woodland Grange. His passion for the industry and desire to develop the next generation of chefs is clearly demonstrated by the time and commitment he commits to the candidates.“

In the lead-up to National Apprenticeship Week (9th-13th March),  Matthew has been invited to take part in a campaign by Warwickshire County Council to raise awareness of the benefits to businesses of taking on apprentices.