Ashorne Hill in the community

One of the core values at Ashorne Hill is to have a positive impact upon the local community and support worthwhile causes. 2015-16 was no exception to this and the venue team are proud to have been involved in a number of activities to benefit others:

We kicked-off the year in supporting Breast Cancer awareness with a number of staff wearing pink for a day and enjoying a range of games and quizzes, together with hosting a cake sale for delegates and staff.

In November 2015, Ashorne Hill responded to calls for volunteers from DIY SOS, one of the nation's best-loved television shows. DIY SOS were planning a BIG Build in Bidford-on-Avon, just a few miles away from us for 20 year old Chloe Print-Lambert who suffers from Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.
We saw this as a fantastic opportunity to put ourselves forward to support this project in the only way we knew possible…. delivering a fantastic range of refreshments prepared by our award winning chefs. Our selection of refreshments included sandwiches, chocolate brownies, doughnuts and hot drinks all of which really helped to rally the volunteers on a cold December afternoon.
It was a huge privilege for us to be selected to support the volunteers at the BIG build, as they created Chloe’s dream family home. The show is due to air in September 2016.

Christmas is a time for giving and with this in mind Ashorne Hill decided to support our local Salvation Army with their Christmas present appeal in 2015. The Christmas present appeal was formed to help make Christmas special for those less fortunate by taking donations of unwrapped toys and gifts. These were then distributed within the local area to children, families, the elderly and the homeless.
The support from the staff at Ashorne Hill with this initiative was huge, and donations for this important appeal came flooding in. Toys, puzzles, books, toiletries, DVDs and chocolate were some of the items that were distributed in and around Leamington Spa making a difference to a number of families and people over the festive period.

For a number of years we have supported Myton Hospice as our chosen charity. In 2015-16 we set a target to raise £2,000. Throughout the past year staff have taken part in a number of fundraising activities and in addition; a tuck shop was provided by our fantastic accounts team, staff got into the festive feeling and wore Christmas jumpers, and a Christmas raffle featured at our staff Christmas lunch with a number of prizes donated by our suppliers. We are delighted to have exceed our target and raised a total of £2,362.50.

Our Managing Director, John Carson, fully supported each of the events and stated, ‘For me, supporting local causes is ingrained in our values and I am extremely proud that each fundraiser is always met with enthusiasm from across the whole business. We make it fun, although I am not sure I will wear a pink shirt again! But seriously, the funds we raise do make a difference and we will continue to support local causes and charities throughout this and future years’.
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Gin Corner at Kents Hill Park

Since 2010 Gin has had a massive revival. In particular the British Gin industry which had a record breaking year in 2015 with sales nearing £1bn. The value of gin sold in supermarkets reached £400 million while on- trade sales also did particularly well according to a report from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association WSTA. 

“There is definitely a Gin boom at the moment” Sarah Glossop, Head of Sales and Marketing Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, “This is being led by the popularity of the drink within the 18-34 age bracket and the diverse abundance of quality products in the marketplace. They have become so popular we have created a ‘Gin Corner’ in our ‘Lounge Bar’. We are extremely lucky to have Paul Mott on our team who has a wealth of experience in the bar industry. In October last year Paul competed in the Conference Centres of Excellence –Chef’s Challenge  where he won the award for ‘Best Cocktails’ as well as ‘Service Champion’ and along with Chef Nic Harry, ‘Best Team’. We gave Paul the challenge of selecting a range of outstanding Gins and he really has come up trumps”

Even though there are hundreds of Gins on the market at the moment not a lot of people realise that Gin comes in 7 different styles. You have the more common London Dry’s such as Gordons and Bombay Sapphire. Then there’s the  New Western styles such as Martin Millers and Hoxton. The older more traditional style is called Old Tom with brands such as Haymans or Jensen’s.  Navy Strength has an abv of 55%! It had to be this potent because Naval Officers would drink it on old warships; if they spilt this Gin on the gunpowder, they would still be able to get it to light! Sloe Gin is more of a liqueur and is made using sloe berries and sugar and has a low abv of around 20%. You also have your Gins such as Plymouth and Xoriguer from Menorca which like Champagne and Tequila are protected by laws governing the region they are produced in. Finally the grandfather of Gin is Genever. This is a Dutch spirit and is made with varying amounts of malt wine and was given to soldiers before heading into battle giving them what we know today as Dutch Courage. 

Gin Corner at Kents Hill Park offers 8 different gins taken from the different styles available as well as a premium tonic in Fever Tree. We serve our G&T’s  with lots of ice in a tall glass with varying garnishes from berries, citrus, mint and even cucumber!

Coming into what we hope will be a hot summer, guests will want a long refreshing drink to cool down and slowly sip in the sun and nothing beats a G&T!!

BVEP Partners Put Their Views On Britain In Or Out Of Europe

The umbrella body for the UK events industry, the Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP) has surveyed members of its partner organisations to determine their thoughts on how ‘Brexit’ might affect events in the UK. 

The overall results show the industry to have concerns about the level of events that would be attracted to the UK and the amount of investment that would be made in the industry, if there is a vote to leave.

Just 10% felt more events would be attracted here after Brexit, with 60% predicting there would be less. Industry investment was predicted to decrease by half of all respondents. The other half said it would stay the same or increase - just 13% expected it to increase. 

56% believed the ability to recruit the right staff would be the same after leaving the EU and 39% felt that it would be harder with just 5% said recruitment would be easier.  

Business regulation was the topic that most divided the industry’s opinion. While the EU is often criticised for hindering UK businesses with bureaucracy and red tape, the majority felt this would stay the same or increase, with 44% believing a leave vote would lead to less regulation. 

Many of the specific respondents’ comments on possible post-Brexit issues for UK events business, highlighted increased regulation on events held in Europe as one of the largest concerns. Other issues raised were the potential loss of work to European contractors and destinations; additional transport and other operational costs and the possible perception of Britain as an “outsider” destination for European events. 

On the plus side the possible weakening of the pound could make Britain more competitive; there might be greater flexibility and ability to win more global events and trade outside Europe, with more opportunity for government to support events without breaching state aid rules.

Speaking of the results, Michael Hirst OBE, Chair of the BVEP says; “This is a timely piece of research, organised by the BVEP. It highlights some of the key considerations and demonstrates how many opinions there are in this important debate. On the one side there are concerns about some of the circumstances which will arise from a Brexit but there are others who feel there will be positive opportunities too”. 

He added; “The EU referendum is now just weeks away, no matter what the UK decides, the BVEP will continue to raise sector awareness and work with its stakeholders to support its future growth.”

The BVEP represents a broad base of opinion formers in the industry and believes the best way to contribute is to present the findings of its survey without prejudice to either point of view.

Warwick Conferences new venue takes shape as ground works are completed

Warwick Conferences new £5.3m dedicated meeting venue on the University of Warwick campus in Coventry and Warwickshire is beginning to take shape with the completion of the ground works and substructure. 

With the steel frame in place, work has now begun on the timber frame, which will be exposed within the main conference space. The idea for the new venue is to create a beautiful pavilion that sits on the edge of the lake offering a calming backdrop to events.    

Kevin Scott, Senior Architect at Associated Architects, says: “The structure of the new venue is really starting to take shape now that the ground work and steel frame have been completed. The next stage is to complete the installation of the timber frame before work can begin on lining the roof and forming the roof lights serving the rear of the conference space.”    

“Close collaboration with Warwick Conferences has been integral in this project, particularly when it comes to utilising their knowledge and understanding of working in these types of venues on a daily basis. The input of the Warwick Conferences team in each stage of the build from the design process, technical side and now on site has created a more refined and streamlined design.” 

Richard Harrison, Head of Conference Centres at Warwick Conferences, adds: “It is fantastic to see the venue progressing so well. We have already received £3,586,060 worth of enquiries for the new space with over four months to go before opening, which is a great indication of the demand for the venue.

“The need for high capacity, high quality and flexible event space is rising and there are few venues that currently meet these requirements in Central England. We are looking forward to being able to offer an uncompromised, contemporary and striking space for tailor-made and bespoke event experiences when our new venue opens this autumn.” 

Offering 650sqm of contemporary and highly flexible event space with capacity for 350 delegates seated, the new venue will be available on an exclusive use basis so it can be customised to meet individual needs.

New Accommodation Building Project at Henley Conferences

NEW ACCOMMODATION BUILDING PROJECT AT HENLEY'S GREENLANDS CAMPUS

60 new high quality bedrooms are being built at Greenlands to ensure that the standard of accommodation for all visitors and programme participants at Henley is appropriate and meets their expectations. The initial preparation work has just started and we expect the project to be completed within 12 months.

 CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

The buildings have been designed to be sustainable, energy efficient and cost effective, using high quality, low energy, responsibly sourced Green Guide specified materials to meet the BREEAM standards of the world’s leading sustainability organisation, BRE Global Limited. An Ecological Appraisal has been undertaken which includes tree, bat and bird surveys, with all necessary measures taken to protect the natural environment.

IN HARMONY WITH THE SETTING

Architects Design Partnership was the architect chosen to design the new accommodation. A highly respected firm, the practice has completed several other projects on the Greenlands campus over the past 25 years. Their experience at Henley and other institutions including Reading, Oxford, Bath and Leeds means they have a particular understanding of the specific needs of the higher education sector.

The architectural style and the materials to be used will reflect the existing buildings and will be sympathetic to the Grade 2 listed main building and its unique setting by the Thames.

RESPECTFUL TO OUR NEIGHBOURS AND VISITORS

Henley Business School has been part of the local Henley community and economy for over 70 years and this substantial investment is a positive step for the future of the Business School at Greenlands and its continuing provision of world-class facilities.  In addition to a Transport Statement prepared and agreed by the Highway Authority, a noise assessment was accepted by the Local Planning Authority to protect the interests of our neighbours. This is a large scale building project so we hope that through careful planning, consultation and communication with all parties, any disruption to the normal functioning of the site and surrounding area will be minimised.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Regular updates about the project will be posted on this page. In addition, once building works have progressed to a certain stage, a briefing event will be arranged when colleagues, programme members, clients and the general public can find out more and pose questions.

Andrew Wilson and Carolyne Vale Regional Finalists

Andrew Wilson and Carolyne Vale named Midlands regional finalists in EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards

Andrew Wilson and Carolyne Vale, co-founders of Wilson Vale, have been named joint finalists within the Midlands region of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2016.

The couple started their niche catering business in 2002, working initially from home above their garage in Derbyshire, and establishing the business on £50K personal savings and ‘a laptop and a pencil’.

Wilson Vale now employs 600 people and holds 85 catering contracts, mainly within business & industry, independent education and the conference venues sector. Conference Centres of Excellence works in partnership with carefully selected preferred suppliers in the industry, and are proud to have worked with Wilson Vale since 2012. 

Throughout the company’s growth, the co-founders have never lost sight of their fresh food ethos and values.

Andrew Wilson said: “We are absolutely thrilled, surprised and honoured to be included in such great company. We really didn’t expect this as we don’t see ourselves as high flying entrepreneurs but more as two people with a passion and enjoyment for what we do. 

“This is a fantastic endorsement of everything we have achieved to date, and we are particularly pleased for our teams whose hard work and absolute commitment continue to make the Wilson Vale journey so special.”

Andrew and Carolyne will join 33 others at the Midlands finals, which will be held on Tuesday June 14 at Birmingham Council House in Birmingham. 

The 12-strong judging panel includes Lord Digby Jones, an international businessman and active cross-bench peer in the House of Lords, and Inspired Thinking Group CEO, Simon Ward.

Now in its 30th year globally and 18th in the UK, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year recognises entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.