Conference Centres of Excellence - CCEOnline

Fantastic Day Delegate Rates with Nottingham Conference Centre

2012-02-14T11:00:00.000Z

Special Offer – All Inclusive Day Delegate Package just £28 +VAT

Our state of the art conference rooms with a DDR package contain all of the below:

• Conference Room Hire from 08:30 – 17:30
• Unlimited fair-trade organic tea, Puro fair-trade bean-to-cup coffee and orange Capri-Suns
• Mineral water coolers in the room
• Morning pastries and afternoon homemade cakes
• Fruit basket and sweet jars
• 3 Course Hot Buffet Lunch served in the stunning Old Library, or working finger buffet lunch
• Fully integrated Personal Computer Pod with screen and projector, or 50” Plasma TVs for presenting with professionalism.
• Digital signage outside the room.
• Complimentary WiFi
• Climate control, floor to ceiling windows and disabled access for all rooms
• Notepads, stationary box, flipchart and on-site AV support
• Complimentary use of the Sillitoe Executive Lounge for breakouts and smaller meetings

The small Print: Offer valid subject to availability on groups of 10 or more delegates, for events taking place before 31st March 2012. All rates quoted are net of VAT and inclusive of service. Full Terms and Conditions apply.

Make sure you don't miss out on this great offer, call us today on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Take advantage of the Leap Year with Conference Aston

2012-02-13T11:00:00.000Z

2012 is a leap year and in celebration Conference Aston are offering a cool £29 Day Delegate Rate for new bookings booked to take place 1st March - 31st May 2012. And as an extra bonus, any delegate whose birthday is Feb 29th, goes free!!

For one day only - Wednesday 29th February - you can get this fantastic £29 rate for your event which must take place in March, April or May 2012!!

Leap Year Day Delegate £29 per delegate includes:
• Main meeting room
• Three servings of tea, coffee & biscuits
• Three course buffet lunch
• Meeting room stationery including flipchart, pens & paper
• LCD projector & screen

Only valid for new bookings to take place1 March - 31st May 2012. Subject to availability. Minimum of 20 delegates and not in conjunction with any other promotion or offer. Rate subject to VAT.

For further information contact the Hotline team on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Burleigh Court celebrates turning 21

2012-02-02T16:00:00.000Z

Burleigh Court has provided meeting and event facilities for thousands of companies, luxurious accommodation for over a million guests and catering for everyone from Olympic athletes to wedding parties and this year celebrates 21 years as one of region’s favourite four star destinations.

The hotel, spa and meetings venue, run by Loughborough University’s hospitality brand imago, is celebrating this milestone by hosting a number of exciting events and activities throughout 2012. In addition to a gala dinner in March, the Burleigh Court team will be offering exclusive customer discounts and teaming up with local suppliers to launch unique imago treats including its own specially brewed ale.

2012 is set to be a momentous year for the whole imago team as it becomes the official host venue of Team GB and the Japanese Olympic team, with a number of top athletes due to stay at Burleigh Court during training.

Kay England, imago Chief Executive and team member since Burleigh Court opened 21 years ago, said: "I was here on the day that Burleigh Court first opened and I'm proud of where it now stands as a leading Leicestershire venue and host of two Olympic teams.

"The venue itself has vastly changed since a £8.5 million expansion in 2006 when the venue nearly doubled in size. This is the ideal year to celebrate 21 years in business as we not only mark this achievement but welcome athletes preparing for the 2012 Games.”

In 2009, a further £400,000 was invested to bring the original Burleigh Court bedrooms up to the same standard as those created in the 2006 expansion. In January 2012, £60,000 was also spent on the bar and lounge to create a relaxing space for guests and athletes alike. Since opening the venue has won numerous awards in recognition of its meeting facilities and accessibility status. Burleigh Court currently employs 82 staff members.

imago also manages Holywell Park, a versatile conference and exhibition centre and The Link, a quality budget hotel which is ideally located for access to the University, the M1 and East Midlands Airport. It also has a range of meeting facilities and accommodation across Loughborough University campus.

Conference Centres of Excellence expands its portfolio with three new members

2012-02-02T11:48:00.006Z

Conference Centres of Excellence are pleased to announce three new members; The John McIntyre Conference Centre in Edinburgh, Kettering Park Hotel Management and Development Centre in Northamptonshire and Cottons Hotel and Spa in Cheshire. With the arrival of these new prestigious venues growing our portfolio, we are able to offer extended choice of venues and reach, specifically in the North and North West of the country where we have identified increased demand for specialist training, meeting and conference centres.

The John McIntyre Conference Centre rooms can be configured to accommodate between 16 and 330 delegates, is fully accessible, and comes fully equipped with state-of-the-art audio-visual kit.

Kettering Park Hotel Management and Development Centre is a purpose-built venue offering dedicated meeting facilities in a separate management training centre, with private break out areas and syndicates adjacent to main plenary rooms.

Cottons Hotel and Spa is a first-class venue with easy access from M6, M56 and M62 – an ideal north-west venue, just 8 miles from Manchester Airport.

Conference Centres of Excellence is the leading Sales and Marketing Consortium for specialist training, meeting and conference venues. With an impressive 44 members the consortium is able to offer a wide variety of traditional and purpose built venues and choice, whether you are dependent on location, style, residential options or competitive rates.

Our aim is to create the perfect learning environment for your company to attain great results, which is achieved through space dedicated to the single use of learning and development with professional staff, state of the art technical and AV equipment and an unrivalled level of quality which can be found consistent throughout all of our members. Our high level of quality is something which we pride ourselves on and that is continually monitored and assessed by BDRC’s Venue Verdict.

The value you get when using a Conference centre of Excellence is unrivalled. Offering a free venue finding service, all inclusive rates and an unforgettable experience, you won’t use anywhere other than a Conference Centre of Excellence again!

Up to 1/3 off rates at Warwick Conferences!

2012-01-30T16:15:00.000Z

For a limited period, Warwick conferences are offering up to a 1/3 off published rates at any of our 3 training and conference centres – Scarman, Radcliffe and Arden.

Place a new booking for 10 or more, taking place between 1st March and 13th May 2012 and you could take advantage of this fantastic offer*.

Simply contact us today quoting Mar12_TCC on 0845 230 1414, or email info@cceonline.co.uk

* Offer is applicable on new bookings only, taking place between 01/03/12 and 13/05/12. Bookings must confirm by 29/02/12 with a minimum of 10 people. Offer is subject to availability. Full terms and conditions apply.

LOUGHBOROUGH HOTEL FRESHENS UP BEFORE OLYMPIC ARRIVAL

2012-01-30T12:53:00.003Z

A team at Burleigh Court, the four star hotel from Loughborough University hospitality brand imago, is preparing for the arrival of two Olympic teams by giving its lounge a brand new look.

Anticipating both athletes from the Japanese and British Olympic teams, the Burleigh Court team has invested over £60,000 in new furnishings, fittings and paintwork in the lounge, which will provide a dedicated relaxation space for guests.

2012 is a particularly important year for Burleigh Court. Not only is it being recognised nationwide as the year of the Olympics but the hotel and meetings facility will also be celebrating its 21st anniversary.

Kay England, Chief Executive of imago, said: “We wanted to create a relaxing space where guests and athletes alike could get away from the busy restaurant and formal nature of the meeting rooms. Involving members of the team in the design and refurbishment is a great way to kick off an exciting 2012 which is all about team work. Working together also reflects the ethos of our company; we are utilizing the talents of our staff across the venue and helping them to make a personal investment in where they work and the facilities guests will be enjoying.”

Loughborough University is the official preparation camp for Team GB and the Japanese Olympic Team. imago will be host to a number of athletes and events throughout 2012.

WARWICK GOING FOR GOLD

2012-01-30T12:32:00.003Z

Warwick Conferences has cause for celebration after being shortlisted in three categories in the Meetings & Incentive Travel (M&IT) Awards 2012.

Warwick Conferences has an impressive track record in securing top awards in the categories for which it is shortlisted, winning gold in three awards and silver in the fourth last year. It is hoping for a repeat of similar success at the awards ceremony held on Monday 5 March 2012.

This year, Warwick Conferences has been shortlisted for three awards: Best UK Management Training Centre, Best Academic Venue and Best Value for Money Conference Centre.

Rachael Bartlett, head of sales and marketing at Warwick Conferences said: “We are absolutely delighted having been shortlisted for three M&IT Awards.

“The shortlist is a real honour in itself and is a great recognition for everyone who has worked so hard to make Warwick Conferences world class.

“On behalf of the team, I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to vote for us.”

The M&IT Industry Awards recognise and reward excellence, and winners are voted for by conference organisers and readers of Meetings & Incentives Travel magazine, the conference industry’s leading publication.

Fall in Love with Ashorne Hill

2012-01-30T11:54:00.002Z

Cotswold Conference Centre's new website goes live!

2012-01-20T14:57:00.006Z

Cotswold Conference Centre, near Broadway, has launched a new, re-branded website which should make life easier for customers.

“Our website was 10 years old,” says marketing manager Debbie Sarjant, “and, like all old websites, in need of an update. “We have worked very hard on the design, the words and the overall feel to create a site that is fresh, modern and easy to use.

“We hope visitors will be able to navigate their way around more easily; get in touch with us immediately and get a more accurate impression of our business.”

Companies from all over the UK and internationally use the conference centre’s flexible meetings spaces and 89 bedrooms on the Farncombe Estate. Later in the year, a new “umbrella” website will be created for all the Farncombe businesses, include weekend leisure courses, B&B and special interest groups.

“A new web identity was essential for reminding people of our award-winning service, our stunning location and our recent investments,” says Debbie Sarjant. “The new corporate website will be a major tool in getting our messages across.”

Be first off the blocks for Summer 2012

2012-01-18T16:15:00.003Z

From the Opening Ceremony on 27th July to the end of the Paralympic Games on 9th September, you’ll be wanting to do what’s best for your business. We think you’ll benefit from our special offer, which makes the most of our stunning out-of-town location and will let your team run off steam.

We are only 1.5 hours by train from London Paddington and can arrange free transfers for residential events.
Book your company’s Away Day or training event now for Summer 2012 and we will throw in use of our teambuilding exercises for free.* You can even theme your own Games using the exercises on our 370-acre Estate.

To make the most of your business this summer, contact the hotline time today on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk.

*Offer applies to all new bookings made before 9th February 2012 and includes any Eye Opener teambuilding activity except Kanw.

The Møller Centre, a great place to work, and also achieves Gold status

2012-01-18T12:19:00.006Z

The Møller Centre, the only dedicated residential management training centre in Cambridge, has achieved a 2* outstanding rating in the Best Companies process. With 20% more full time staff employed over the last year to assist with growing business demands, achieving this great result has been through recognising that one of the most important assets to the company is their staff.

Last year The Møller Centre achieved “One to Watch” accreditation in the Best Companies process, the next milestone would be achieving 1* status, however, The Møller Centre has exceeded their expectations and achieved the 2* status, one of the highest categories.

“The loyalty and support we get from our clients has allowed us to grow, employ more staff and support the local community.” Says Gillian Secrett, CEO of The Møller Centre. “We take the recruitment, development and training of our staff very seriously which is reflected by our very low staff turnover ratio, a very unusual statistic in our demanding industry. This Best Companies result is an award for our staff to recognise and further develop their skills and career at The Møller Centre.”

It’s Gold again for The Møller Centre in the 2011 BDRC Continental VenueVerdict awards. To achieve this standard, The Møller Centre must achieve a net promoter score of over 70 from client event organisers’ feedback over a twelve month period, and The Møller Centre achieved 79.9.

“This result reflects our ongoing commitment to deliver excellent service and facilities to our clients. It is no easy task to achieve this high score, and we thank our clients for providing this positive result for us” says Stuart Websdale, General Manager of The Møller Centre.

The Møller Centre has recently finished a £100k refurbishment programme of the Study Centre including more networking tables and chairs, enhanced IT facilities, repainting of the Centre’s walls, new wash basins and taps in the public toilets, and a new bar and servery area to offer clients greater flexibility with the space available and even quicker service.

Gold awards for Warwick Conferences

2012-01-12T13:22:00.003Z

WARWICK VENUES HIGHLY COMMENDED IN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY

Two Warwick Conferences venues have been awarded Gold in the BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict Awards for 2011, in recognition of their outstanding level of customer satisfaction throughout the year.

Warwick Conferences’ Radcliffe and Scarman training & conference centres are amongst just a handful of conference and meeting venues in the UK to be awarded the prestigious Gold Standard for 2011.

VenueVerdict Gold Standard is measured through ‘Net Promoter’, a progressive measure of customer service performance, and is awarded to venues with a twelve month ‘Net Promoter Score’ of +70, subject to the venue having met specific qualification requirements in each calendar quarter.

James Bland, senior client services manager at BDRC Continental said: “This year, only 18 properties out of 350 achieved the Gold Standard so Warwick Conferences should be very proud.

“Net Promoter can range from -100 to +100 so to achieve and sustain a score of +70 requires consistently excellent customer service.”

Rachael Bartlett, head of sales and marketing at Warwick Conferences said: “We are absolutely thrilled that two of our venues have been rated so highly in the awards.

“There is no better testimony than positive customer feedback and this accolade is a real testament to the outstanding service that we strive to deliver on a daily basis.”

Top customer award goes to Cotswold Conference Centre

2012-01-09T14:31:00.002Z

Cotswold Conference Centre near Broadway has achieved a top nationwide customer service award for the third year running. The VenueVerdict Gold Award for 2011 goes to only five per cent of conference venues and hotels in the UK.

“This is fantastic recognition, based on customer feedback throughout the year,” says Nick Akerman, Head of Sales. “We are dedicated to conferences, training and teambuilding and I think people really appreciate the efforts we make on their behalf.”

Market research agency BDRC Continental operates the VenueVerdict Awards which, in 2011, were based on feedback from 23,500 customer surveys across British venues and hotel groups. Conference centres and hotels are assessed over 12 months and must achieve a Net Promoter Score of +70 to reach the Gold Standard. Only 18 properties out of 350 delivered the top level of consistently-exceptional customer service in 2011.

Cotswold Conference Centre has been taking part in the VenueVerdict programme for several years and regularly appears in the top quartile of conference venues.

Happy 20th Anniversary to the Møller Centre

2012-01-06T09:28:00.007Z

The Møller Centre, the only dedicated residential management training centre in Cambridge, celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2012 with a range of events that will be held throughout 2012.

The Møller Centre’s history is one of Cambridge’s best kept secrets. The Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Centre for Continuing Education was built with a gift of approximately £10 million to Churchill College. The money was donated by the A.P. Møller & Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation, a Danish charity, set up in 1953 by shipping magnate A. P. Møller. The Foundation makes contributions to good causes, especially those involving national heritage, shipping, industry and science.

The Møller Centre is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Churchill College in the University of Cambridge, and today provides Churchill College with nearly £1000 each year towards the cost of education of each Churchill student. The Centre’s success and growth over the last 20 years has been due largely to the exceptional service it provides for its clients, and its forward-thinking attitude to business growth and diversification. This has won the Centre numerous awards and accolades.

Today, The Møller Centre has three core areas of the business: providing a conferencing and management training facility, learning and strategic support to the professional service firms market, and executive education.

Avoid Olympic Chaos in the Capital

2011-12-22T10:00:00.000Z

A leading Midlands conferencing venue is advising companies to rethink their logistics when organising group bookings and events during next year’s Olympic season.

With London and further South hotels now having their space block booked during the summer, group bookings have become extremely difficult to accommodate in the capital and surrounding areas.

And with availability in 2012, Conference Aston is welcoming those pushed out of South East and London venues by the ‘Olympic displacement’ effect to its centrally based hotel.

Conference Aston’s head of sales and marketing Christine Page suggests a number of tour operators and larger group bookings are looking to escape the Olympic hype of next year.

“It’s great news for the Midlands and further north as those who would have traditionally chosen London or the South East hotels are being forced out through price hikes or date clashes with the Olympics and we have certainly reaped the benefits of the ‘Olympic Effect’,” she said.

“There’s no denying that the games are a fantastic revenue generator for the South East and the UK as a whole but some people wish to avoid the increased volume of visitors and travel chaos that comes hand in hand with a national event of this magnitude.”

“We are perfectly positioned to welcome those who wish to reroute their groups through the UK and avoid Heathrow and Gatwick airports by flying into Birmingham or further north and work their way down the country.

“Our central location means we are still accessible to the capital, with our venue being only an hour and half train journey.

“By rethinking the logistics of group tours in the UK, operators can provide a more relaxed itinerary during the more chaotic Olympic period with little disruption to those booking.”

Conference Aston welcomes more than 54,000 people a year to Birmingham for training, residential conferences, for weddings and to stay in its high quality hotel facilities and on site campus accommodation.

It sits at the heart of Aston University, which is a long established research-led university known for its world-class teaching quality and strong links to industry, government and commerce.

Kelly sprinkles Gold Medal dust at Cotswold Conference Centre

2011-12-21T11:18:00.001Z

Dame Kelly Holmes, double Gold Medal winning athlete, joined the British Triathlon team at Cotswold Conference Centre near Broadway this week for two days of inspirational teambuilding.

With core values that include respecting the environment, the triathletes were challenged to arrive at Farncombe Estate using minimal carbon footprint. Five of the super-fit team chose to cycle an average of more than 60 miles round trip to Broadway, while others car pooled, picking up fellow staff en route from all over the country.

It’s the second year that the British Triathlon team has chosen Cotswold Conference Centre for its annual meeting. The addition of Kelly Holmes brought a special meaning to this year’s Olympics theme. “Kelly came to sprinkle some gold dust on our team-building event,” said Chief Executive Zara Hyde Peters, who organised the event for the 41 staff members.

Middle-distance runner Kelly Holmes won the adoration of millions at the Athens Olympics in 2004 when she won Gold in the 800m and, only a few days later, another Gold in the 1500m. She was 34 and – having battled injury for much of her sporting career – became an inspiration to many.

After retiring, Holmes set up “On Camp with Kelly”, a mentoring programme to encourage young female middle-distance runners, and the DKH Legacy Trust to inspire disadvantaged young people. She said she was very impressed with the setting and facilities of Cotswold Conference Centre.

“I haven’t been here before but wow, it’s a great place,” she said.

The team’s two-day training day included a strategy meeting, an outdoor challenge using one of Cotswold Conference Centre’s own teambuilding activities on the 370-acre site and a celebration Christmas dinner. Other sports teams to meet at Cotswold Conference Centre include England Athletics and UK Athletics.

Happy 25th Birthday to Radcliffe Training and Conference Centre

2011-12-16T10:07:00.006Z

25 fantastic facts about Warwick Conferences to mark the 25th birthday of its most established training and conference centre – Radcliffe

1. Warwick Conferences comprises three dedicated, all year-round training and conference centres (Scarman, Radcliffe and Arden) and utilises the very best of the University facilities during student vacation periods – the Conference Park

2. Warwick Conferences’ Radcliffe and Scarman now offer bed and breakfast for business travellers

3. Warwick Conferences’ Scarman is one of few venues in the UK to achieve the IACC (International Association of Conference Centers) gold standard

4. This year, Warwick Conferences played host to Teach First’s three week residential Summer Institute for the second time in a row. The event, which takes place at the Conference Park, attracts over 1,300 top graduates to the venue
5. Warwick Conferences’ venues are located at the hub of the national motorway network and are served by excellent air and rail travel links making it the ideal, central location for companies to bring their staff together

6. Warwick Conferences’ Scarman training and conference centre underwent a £2 million refurbishment this summer

7. The venues are located on 700 acres of rural parkland in the heart of England. The location benefits from banks, bars, shops, a pharmacy, supermarket and hairdressers, so all amenities are close at hand. Warwick Conferences also offers access to extensive sports facilities

8. Warwick Conferences offers free Wi-Fi for delegates across all of its venues and is supporting the Conference Cloud campaign

9. Warwick Conferences regularly welcomes famous faces. Over the years these have included President Clinton, Princess Anne, Howard Webb, Gordon Brown and Alistair Campbell

10. Warwick Conferences plays an active role in the conference and meetings industry. It is a member of the Meetings Industry Association (MIA), Conference Centres of Excellence (CCE), International Association of Conference Centers (IACC), Venuemasters, Hotel Booking Agents Association (HBAA) and Marketing Birmingham

11. Richard Harrison, General Manager of Scarman is the current chair of CCE while Alan Robinson sits on the board of the MIA and our business development manager Gail Tomlinson-Short is on the board of Venuemasters

12. Radcliffe is just one of a handful of conference venues in the UK to offer state-of-the-art Cisco TelePresence video conferencing technology. It is even available at no extra charge as part of a day or 24 hour delegate rate
13. Warwick Conferences is the largest of the University of Warwick’s commercial operations. All surplus from its £20 million turnover is reinvested into the University’s world-class teaching and research

14. In March 2011, Warwick Conferences won three gold awards and one silver at the M&IT Awards. This was the 16th time in the awards history the venue has taken home the gold award for Best Academic Venue

15. On 24th June 2011, Scarman celebrated its 20th birthday. Since opening, Scarman has hosted an amazing 77,060 events and its loyal staff have served up 721,000 sausages, 2,164,00 rashers of bacon and over 3.8 million cups of tea and coffee

16. Warwick Conferences was awarded gold in the TUCO Chefs and Food Service Challenge in 2011

17. This summer, our development chef Graham Crump helped raise £800,000 for underprivileged children in South Africa when he took part in the ten day Bidvest World Chefs Tour Against Hunger 2011

18. Warwick Conferences has a reputation for sporting excellence. Events hosted in conjunction with Warwick Sport in recent years include the British Transplant Games, the Nike Premier Cup and the Under-23 Women’s International Football Tournament

19. The University of Warwick is home to 22,000 students, 1,000 academic staff and 700 researchers and is recognised as one of the UK’s leading universities, with a reputation for excellence in research and teaching, innovation and links with business and industry

20. Clients to have hosted events at Warwick Conferences include Coca Cola, E.on, RSPCA, Siemens, Costain, The Environment Agency and Jaguar Land Rover

21. Having worked at Warwick Conferences for 25 years, Dannie Cahill is one of its longest serving employees. He started as head chef at the Radcliffe training and conference centre and is now general manager at the same venue

22. This December, Warwick Conferences will play host to the annual Jewish Limmud festival for the fifth consecutive year. The event welcomes up to 2,500 participants from more than 30 countries worldwide and involves more than 800 sessions over a six day period

23. Warwick Conferences offers a huge choice in accommodation. It has 479 hotel standard en suite bedrooms at its three training and conference centres and student accommodation in excess of 1,200 rooms

24. Warwick Conferences is on Twitter. Follow us at @WarwickConf

25. Warwick Conferences has achieved triple gold in the BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict assessment this year. The accreditation is awarded in recognition of their outstanding level of customer satisfaction

IMAGO TO WELCOME PRESTIGIOUS UNIVERSITY CONFERENCE IN 2012

2011-11-30T13:02:00.002Z

imago, the hospitality and conference brand of Loughborough University, has kicked off preparations for a high profile and successful 2012 after being named the event manager and hospitality provider of the prestigious AUDE Conference.

The conference, held from 2nd to 4th April 2012, will see 120 individually invited Directors of University Estates descend on the James France Exhibition and Meeting Space at Loughborough University, for a stimulating programme of plenary and seminar sessions. In addition to leading the management of this reputable event, imago will also be offering delegates a range of services at its conference centre Holywell Park and four star hotel, Burleigh Court.

All delegates will be attending key note speeches by Sir Drummond Bone, Master of Balliol College, Oxford and Baroness Sue Campbell, Chair of UK Sport and the Youth Sports Trust.

Emma Boynton, head of marketing and sales at imago, said: “The AUDE Conference is a natural fit for imago due to our strong academic ties with Loughborough University. The title of the conference is ‘Leading the Way’ which has obvious links with our role as host to Team GB and the Japanese Olympics team. Andrew Burgess, Director of Facilities Management for Loughborough University has played a vital role in bringing this respected conference to campus and continues to be key in leading the event management.

“Not only is imago able to provide a high standard of accommodation and excellent conferencing facilities but we also have the skills to lead in the management of this event. This is an added value service that we provide to ensure our client has the best event possible. We’re looking forward to welcoming the delegates and proud to be representing the East Midlands.”

The annual AUDE Conference is a specialist event which travels to a different location each year. In 2012, AUDE chose Loughborough to represent the East Midlands due to its fantastic links with competing Olympic teams and world-class athletes. AUDE is a not-for-profit organisation which promotes excellence in the planning, management, operation and development of Higher Education estates and facilities. AUDE offers membership to publically funded UK bodies who work within higher education teaching or research.

For further information on imago’s portfolio of venues visit http://www.welcometoimago.com/, call 0845 036 4624, or follow @imagolboro on twitter. For further information on AUDE, log on to www.aude.ac.uk.

An early Christmas present from Cotswold Conference Centre

2011-11-25T12:30:00.000Z

We’re getting into the Christmas spirit at Cotswold Conference Centre, with a fantastic offer to all our agents. Book a new event to run before the end of 2011 and we will DOUBLE your commission to 20%.

To enjoy your early Christmas present and create a successful event for your clients, all you have to do is book an event that runs in November or December this year*.

To help you match us to your last-minute bookers, here are some important facts to remember:

• We are an award-winning, dedicated conference venue in the Heart of England

• Delegates can reach us easily from the M5 or M40

• We’ll arrange free transfers from Moreton-in-Marsh station (direct from London) for residential delegates

• There are ten meeting and training rooms, the largest of which takes up to 120 theatre-style

• Our USP is our location: there are stunning views from our 370-acre estate in the north Cotswolds

• We’ve just completed a beautiful new bedroom courtyard, bringing our bedroom total to 89

To unwrap your 20% commission, Call the Hotline on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Special Christmas Rates at Ashorne Hill

2011-11-25T10:02:00.005Z

Book a Christmas meeting at Ashorne Hill to take place between 19th - 23rd December 2011 and take advantage of some great rates!

Day Rate: £35.00 + VAT

24 Hour Rate: £125.00 + VAT

You will be able to relax in our festively decorated Great Hall while tucking into fresh mince pies!!

** Applies to all new bookings taken for this period

Call the Hotline team now on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

The Møller Centre, Best UK Management Training Centre, rebrands

2011-11-14T10:49:00.001Z

The Møller Centre, the only dedicated residential management training centre in Cambridge is a successful and growing business. Having established its foundations nearly twenty years ago, The Møller Centre awarded “Best UK Management Training Centre” has rebranded.

The Møller Centre, a wholly owned subsidiary of Churchill College in the University of Cambridge, today launches its new logo, which has been designed to more accurately reflect the identity of our established business activities.

The new logo maintains the Møller “M” which is recognised by our clients as a symbol of quality and which also reflects the shape of the Centre’s iconic tower. The new logo incorporates the traditional crest of Churchill College to demonstrate to clients and stakeholders the relationship with Churchill College and the University of Cambridge.

The new platinum Møller Centre brand incorporates a suite of 3 logos to represent the key business activities:

• The Møller Centre
A world class host venue for clients’ own training and development activities.

• Møller Centre Executive Education.
During the last seven years, The Møller Centre has been delivering customised executive education programmes providing a special combination of practitioner and academic based learning to senior executives from international organisations.

• Møller Professional Services Firm (PSF) Group
Supporting clients’ needs, this company was established in January 2009 and comprises of 20 partners focused on leadership, strategy, research and development within professional service firms.

“As The Møller Centre approaches its 20th anniversary in 2012, the rebrand aims to recognise the breadth and reputation of our services internationally”, comments Gillian Secrett, CEO at The Møller Centre.

“The Møller Centre is a customer orientated, forward thinking organisation which has celebrated substantial growth in recent years. We will continue to focus on the changing needs are our clients, tailoring our services to surpass their expectations”.

Discover Penyard House - the home of The Leadership Trust Foundation

2011-11-11T16:37:00.000Z

A superb venue for conferences and executive training, Penyard House's warm service and exceptional attention to detail is unparalleled. Set in beautiful surrounds, facilities include a spacious 130 seat lecture theatre, 3 conference suites with 11 syndicate rooms, and a dedicated board room with spacious breakout area. High quality accommodation is combined with exceptional local and seasonal food, and a complementary gymnasium.

In addition to conferencing and venue hire Penyard House is the UK’s foremost provider of leadership development solutions. A wide selection of open leadership courses is supported by bespoke solutions, executive coaching, applied leadership research and evaluation.

Research projects include the Worldy Leadership Initiative which aims to review leadership wisdom and ask the questions, ‘Have we got it right? and ‘What are we missing?’

Chefs Challenge 2011 - winners announced

2011-11-10T09:25:00.001Z

Warwick Conferences opened its doors again to host this year’s Chefs Challenge Competition 2011 and the beautifully refurbished Scarman House was a very appropriate setting to celebrate exquisite food and fantastic service levels.

The Chefs Challenge was billed as a celebration of the skill and dedication of Chefs across member venues of both IACC and Conference Centres of Excellence and it did not fail to deliver. With the proliferation of cooking programmes and people travelling the globe our food experience becomes ever more sophisticated and our attitude towards food we are served ever more critical.

Conference Centres of excellence venues deliver the most suitable food for the event taking place, whether a working lunch or an important dinner our chefs enjoy the challenge of stretching their creativity to deal with the smallest of budgets for food to those wishing to celebrate something special with a fine dining experience.

The chef’s challenge was an opportunity for some of the best chefs in our sector to be recognised by their peers and a distinguished panel of judges from across our industry. The judging took place under tight Salon Culinaire conditions and once again the judges were impressed by the high standard of Cooking

“The standard of food and service we witnessed today has once again assured me that Conference centres of excellence and IACC venues are among the best in the country.”

“Every one of our finalists should be very proud of their achievements today. Well done to you all!”

Graham Crump, Chairman of the judges, Executive Development Chef at the University of Warwick and Secretary General of the education committee of the world association of chefs was assisted by:

• Jim Eaves, Chairman of the British Culinary Federation
• Jerry Toth , Group executive chef for the sundial group
• Peter Griffiths MBE, Director of Le Salon Culinaire
• Graham Day, Food Health & Safety Manager at the University of Warwick
• Steve Lambert, Senior Catering Officer University of Brighton
• Tony Freeman from S H Jones & Company

Food is an important factor in supporting the success of an event whether it’s the conditions in which it’s prepared the nutritional content or the way it tastes and looks. This competition really tests the chefs’ skills in these areas, but it’s meaningless if the cooking conditions don’t reflect the reality of our chefs in their day to day professional lives. That is why there are strict entry conditions and restriction on the types of food that can be used and of course the amount each chef can spend on their menu.

You might think this restricts creativity, but speaking to one chef who took part he disagreed and said “we enjoy the challenge and much prefer the competition to recognise the day to day challenges we face, after all it’s not hard to create fine dishes with the most expensive ingredients, with lots of chefs buzzing around the kitchen as you might find in a Michelin starred restaurant, we provide tasty, healthy food that fuels our delegates through their busy day at our venues. We do get the opportunity to show off at dinner, but during the day it’s all about speed and nourishment and being flexible enough to fit in with the needs of the delegates and organisers”

Richard Harrison said “this is the 13th year of this competition and the standard gets better and better each year, much as it does on Masterchef, but it’s a testament to the colleges such as Stratford College who continue to train and develop first class chefs and recognise the importance of developing raw talent not only into great cooks, but great kitchen managers too by teaching them the basics of business, so they have a better understanding of managing budgets and careful purchasing. We are grateful to Stratford College who continue to support this event year on year”

Further thanks go to all supporters, who without their generosity this event could not take place.

Tim Chudley, a trustee of Meeting industry meeting needs (MIMT) was on hand to receive the proceeds of the charity raffle, which generous attendees raised during the awards dinner.

Finally, we are delighted to announce the following winners from the Chefs Challenge Competition 2011.

• Gold Award went to Raymond Thomson of the Stirling Management Centre
• Silver Award went to Lisa Morris of Ashorne Hill
• Bronze Award went to Paul Worthy of Woodland Grange
• Best Hygiene Award went to Raymond Thomson of the Stirling Management Centre
• Best Starter Award went to Vincent Wood of Wyboston Lakes
• Best Main Course Award went to Raymond Thomson of the Stirling Management Centre
• Best Dessert Award went to Raymond Thomson of the Stirling Management Centre
• Best Food Service Skills Award went to Peter Tedford of the Stirling Management Centre
• Chairman’s Award for Best Team Work went to Raymond Thomson and Peter Tedford of the Stirling Management Centre.

www.cceonline.co.uk

Allergy-free rooms are a safe haven for sufferers

2011-11-09T11:23:00.004Z

In the approach to Indoor Allergy Week 2011 [14 to 20 November], Cotswold Conference Centre has become the first venue of its kind in the world to qualify for an international allergy-friendly award.

Cotswold Conference Centre, on the Farncombe Estate near Broadway, has been accredited with a prestigious ECARF Seal of Quality for eight new Allergy Free bedrooms and a wide range of allergy-friendly policies.

“We are delighted to give this award to Cotswold Conference Centre, the first dedicated conference venue in the world to earn the ECARF Seal,” says Professor Torsten Zuberbier, an allergy expert from the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation. “Conferences can be a headache for allergy sufferers, who are confined to meeting rooms and bedrooms with little chance to escape.

“Allergy at work and at school leads to lower levels of concentration and achievement. We want to find affordable ways to make people’s lives easier.”

One in four people in the UK now suffers from an allergy. Cotswold Conference Centre’s accreditation is an acknowledgement of a raft of measures to combat the problem.

This autumn, the centre completed a £3.5m bedroom courtyard of 32 bedrooms, of which eight are designated Allergy Free. No smoking, pot plants or pets are permitted. Wooden floors replace carpet, there are blinds instead of curtains and a special vacuum cleaner gives 99.9% filtration and helps eradicate dust mites.

In the dining room, kitchen staff deal with a growing number of allergies: dairy, gluten, peanut, nuts – even celery. In the bedrooms, delegates allergic to perfume can request fragrance-free toiletries.

“The body of scientific evidence shows us that allergies are getting worse,” says Professor Zuberbier. “ECARF takes a pragmatic approach, we do not want to put allergy sufferers into a sterile box, but offer support for a better life.
“Over-insulated buildings can make things worse. It always helps to be able to open a window.”

Cotswold Conference Centre’s operations manager Richard Howdle has noticed a significant increase in allergic customers in the past 10 years. “We have many different reactions to deal with these days,” he says. “If you have lactose intolerance, we will offer you a lactose-free coffee to help you concentrate on your conference or training.

“If anyone comes to us with an allergy, we do our best to make their stay just as comfortable as at home.”

Warwick conferences takes steps to alleviate delegate stress levels

2011-11-08T10:00:00.002Z

Last week saw Warwick Conferences and mental health charity, Coventry & Warwickshire Mind team up to support National Stress Awareness Day.
The collaboration was in response to recent reports which suggest that work-related stress has doubled over the past decade.

According to a recent report by the Health and Safety Commission, out of the 33 million working days lost to illness last year, more than a third (13.4 million) were attributable to stress, anxiety or depression.

Due to the nature of Warwick Conferences’ business, it meets many businessmen and women who are all taking time out of their usual work environment to attend conferences, meetings, training sessions and events.

It is therefore inevitable that some delegates arriving at the venue may be feeling anxious. This may be compounded if they are feeling under pressure to deliver their best, are worried about other work they feel they should be doing or being away from home.

In a move to help reduce these potential feelings of anxiety amongst delegates, Warwick Conferences has developed two sets of tips. One offers advice to delegates about how to manage feelings of stress and get the most out of their conference experience, while the second offers tips to event organisers about how to prevent delegate anxiety.

Coventry & Warwickshire Mind were at Warwick Conferences’ Scarman venue on National Stress Awareness Day on Wednesday 2nd November to offer advice and practical relaxation guidance to delegates if they wished to take part.

Rachael Bartlett, head of sales and marketing at Warwick Conferences said: “We understand that taking a day or more out the office to attend an event can sometimes be stressful if delegates are already feeling under pressure; so we wanted to offer some tips on how to make their experience more enjoyable and productive.

“We also realise that distracted attendees can compromise the success of a conference or meeting so we designed the second set of tips with the aim of helping event organisers manage and prevent delegate anxiety and replace any feelings of stress with confidence.”

Chris Sampson, resources officer at Coventry & Warwickshire Mind comments: “It’s great that Warwick Conferences took the time out to mark National Stress Awareness Day.

“Stress is a serious and health-debilitating issue which not only affects the individual but can also have a detrimental effect on families, relationships and businesses.

“As the pressure of modern living takes its toll, stress is on the rise in the UK and it is important that we have the support of organisations like Warwick Conferences to help raise awareness of this issue.”

If you would like copies of the tips please contact Conference Centres of excellence on 0845 230 1414 or info@cceonline.co.uk.

Anthony Lishman presents at CIPD 2011

2011-11-07T16:42:00.004Z

Anthony Lishman gets up on stage at the annual CIPD exhibition in Manchester tomorrow, where he will be offering expert advice on how to find the most suitable venue for every training need.

Presentation: How to Choose the Best Venue for your Training Event
Date: Tuesday 8th November
Time: 15:15-16:00

Apologies to those who have seen it advertised for Wednesday... it is definitely tomorrow, make sure you are there!

Visit us at stand 3110 at any time!

Success after success for Ashorne Hill

2011-11-07T16:22:00.007Z

The training and conference centre team at Ashorne Hill near Leamington Spa is currently celebrating three exciting new developments in the same week! Ashorne Hill is based around a Grade II listed mansion set in the heart of the Warwickshire countryside, and has been a dedicated training and conference centre for over fifty years.

A £2.4M refurbishment project, transforming the restaurant and part of the training/conference room facilities, has now been formally opened by Mr. Andrew Robb, Chairman of Tata Steel Europe. Mr. Robb is also a board member of Jaguar Land Rover – and both organisations are key customers of Ashorne Hill. The opening ceremony was followed by a gala reception and dinner for over a hundred customers and guests.

The following day it was announced that a chef at Ashorne Hill has won second place in the UK Chef’s Challenge. This is a very tough national competition and so to be placed overall second in the UK is a fantastic achievement.

And all of this good news comes on top of the confirmation that Ashorne Hill has been selected by the UK government’s Technology Strategy Board as sole provider for the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) Associate training programme, responsible for design, residential training, delivery and project management for the next four-year contract period. Debbie Buckley-Golder, Head of Knowledge Exchange at the Technology Strategy Board, said: “KTP is the leading programme in Europe helping businesses to improve their competitiveness, productivity and performance through partnerships with higher education institutions and research organisations, so it is vital that new KTP Associates are provided with the best possible management skills to enable them to make a success of their assignment. We are delighted that Ashorne Hill will be providing these important training programmes and look forward to working with them.”

John Carson, MD of Ashorne Hill, commented “Our team at Ashorne Hill is renowned for our high standard of customer service, and making this much progress in just one week reflects that commitment. These developments take us to a new level, from which we can continue to create excellent training and conference solutions for our customers.”

Woodland Grange completes makeover of its smallest rooms!

2011-11-04T16:59:00.000Z

The makeover of the washrooms at Woodland Grange, the Warwickshire conference centre owned by EEF Venues, is now complete – and so far, guests have given nothing but positive feedback.

The venue recently replaced all its outdoor signage with stunning magenta and brushed silver signs - and they looked so good that it was decided to continue with a theme of vibrant, contemporary colours in the smallest rooms.

An eye-catching lime green was chosen for the entrance lobby and the border below the basins and there is a striking striped laminate with chrome trim at the back of each cubicle. The basins and toilets are bright white with clean square lines to give a really modern look and feel. Slate grey wall tiles and a dark stone ceramic floor contrast well with the green and shocking pink.

Comments from guests have included ‘bright and eye-catching’, ‘certainly wakes you up in the morning’, ‘clean and contemporary’ and ‘excellent lighting’.

A war hero remembered as new facility opens at Cotswold Conference Centre

2011-11-04T15:35:00.000Z

Military heroes past and present were honoured in a moving ceremony at Cotswold Conference Centre, Broadway, this month. Maudslay Court, a new £3.5m Cotswold-stone building constructed at Farncombe Estate, was officially opened by Victoria Trevelyan, niece of the Dam Busters’ hero Henry Maudslay. The Maudslay family lived on the Estate during WW2 when Henry was tragically killed in raids on six German hydroelectric dams.

To commemorate the connection with 617 Squadron, the Dam Busters’ unit of which Henry Maudslay was B Flight Commander, a plaque was also unveiled by Wing Commander Keith Taylor, currently Officer Commanding 617 Squadron.

'This beautiful building has given us a fantastic opportunity to honour an earlier resident of the Estate,” said Cotswold Conference Centre’s MD Mark Philip-Sørensen. 'We would like to thank the Maudslay family and Wing Commander Taylor for making our opening ceremony so special.'

The large new wing of 32 en-suite bedrooms, constructed by skilled local tradesmen, boasts a number of ecological features, including a ground-source heat pump and solar panels. The Cotswold stone building even has its own tower. One deluxe room - Number 617 – is themed with prints that tell the Dam Busters story, including a picture of the Lancaster Bombers in action in May 1943.

The Grand Ceremony began with the Celebration Reed and Brass Band of Hampton playing stirring renditions of the Dam Busters theme and the RAF March Past, while 80 guests and staff assembled in Maudslay Court.

The historic afternoon was completed with traditional afternoon tea – in the Estate’s dining room decorated with gingham and bunting, to the strains of Vera Lynn.

All four EEF venues are now Conference Centres of Excellence!

2011-11-04T12:46:00.000Z

EEF Venues has announced that following a recent independent and rigorous assessment, Engineers’ House in Bristol and Broomgrove in Sheffield have joined Woodland Grange and Broadway House as Conference Centres of Excellence!

That means that EEF Venues is the only group in the UK able to offer the high standards that CCE insist on – at all its venues. Conference Centres of Excellence is a consortium of the finest conference and training centres. To become a member, a venue has to meet exacting criteria. Only dedicated business centres can achieve this coveted hallmark which is a guarantee of quality and the very highest standards in terms of service, facilities, catering, residential accommodation and technical support.

'The assessment takes place on a normal working day,' said David Vaughton, Venues Director. 'Two CCE Board Members examine every part of the business to ensure that we are providing a superb working environment, free of distractions and supported by excellent customer service.'

Woodland Grange became the first EEF venue to join CCE in 2004, and has since been continually improving all areas of the business. In the last year alone, Woodland Grange has been re-certified to ISO 14001, has re-launched its website, created a fresh new brand identity – and invested in management training and teambuilding to help the venue offer an even better experience for its customers.

'Our outstanding customer service is one of the things we’re most proud of,” David says. “From the moment you step through the door until the moment you leave, we’re friendly and welcoming. There’s a genuine sense of belonging at an EEF Venue – you’re not just ‘another delegate’

Having dedicated and high quality conference venues in Sheffield and Bristol is good for the consortium because it enhances its geographical footprint.

And it’s certainly good for EEF Venues, enabling it to share best practice and ideas with other members and benefit from the expertise and reach of CCE’s dedicated sales team.

Overnight delegates benefit from new state-of-the-art sports centre at Aston University

2011-11-04T11:38:00.001Z

Local businessmen and former Aston Villa Chairman Doug Ellis has opened the £5 million refurbishment of Aston University’s historic Woodcock Sports Centre, which has now been renamed in his honour.

The Doug Ellis Woodcock Sports Centre is now available for University staff and students, and also for residential conference and event delegates attending meetings organised by Conference Aston.

Visitors to the new Centre will be able to enjoy a range of facilities including;

• A new 120-station fitness suite with latest cardiovascular machines and weights

• A new two-storey facility with martial arts, fitness and dance studios

• A refurbished sports hall and swimming pool

• A new sauna, steam room and changing rooms

• Improved badminton, basketball and netball facilities

Sheila O’Neal, Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations at Aston University, added; 'We’d like to thank all of the Aston alumni and benefactors who have personally contributed towards the redevelopment of this important sports facility within the heart of the City. We are very proud to have a strong alumni body, which yet again has supported Aston University and its commitment to student and community engagement.

Warwick awarded top marks by independent education charity

2011-11-04T11:35:00.001Z

Record numbers of top graduates gathered this summer at Warwick Conferences to train to teach in the UK’s most deprived areas.

Warwick Conferences has been highly praised by Teach First, after successfully hosting the largest ever three week residential Teach First Summer Institute, with over 1,300 top graduates converging on the Midlands for part of their unique two-year Leadership Development Programme.

Teach First is an independent charity working to break the link between low family income and poor educational attainment by creating, equipping and mobilising a movement of teachers and leaders with a commitment to raising the achievement, aspiration and access to opportunity of children from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Held at Warwick Conferences’ Conference Park, Teach First utilised classroom and accommodation facilities as well as use of the library building as a recreation zone. Warwick Conferences also hosted a barbecue for all 1,300 delegates on two evenings.

Amanda Timberg, director of leadership development at Teach First, said: 'Warwick Conferences took on the organisational and logistical challenge of Teach First’s biggest ever Summer Institute and delivered beyond our expectations.

'The Summer Institute is a vitally important time for our participants, marking the beginning of their time on the two-year Leadership Development Programme and we are delighted to work with Warwick Conferences to ensure its success.'

Rachael Bartlett, head of sales and marketing at Warwick, said: 'Teach First required a completely focused venue for its National Summer Institute. With so many delegates in attendance, and a complex programme of activities, not many venues would be confident in delivering the consistently first-rate experience which was both expected and required.

'Our belief is that every delegate, whether visiting us for a small meeting or as part of a large multi-day event, is entitled to the highest standard of service and an environment which allows them to concentrate fully on the purpose of their visit.

'We were delighted to welcome Teach First back for their second annual event and look forward to their return next summer.'

Fantastic delegate rates for all new business at Kents Hill Park

2011-11-04T10:59:00.004Z

Get 1/3rd off day delegate rates and 24 hour rates for all new business at Kents Hill Park between November 1st and January 31st

Arrive to a very warm welcome less than 10 minutes from...
• Central Milton Keynes
• M1 junctions 13 and 14
• Milton Keynes central rail station

Stay in one of our 330 en-suite bedrooms and enjoy...
• television, telephone and alarm facilities
• free wi-fi access
• hospitality trays
• dry cleaning and laundry facilities
• 800 free car parking spaces
• one of our Executive Packages

Play in Milton Keynes’ most extensive hotel health and fitness facilities, such as our...
• 17m pool and jacuzzi
• steam and sauna rooms
• gym, squash courts and sports hall
• Oasis beauty room

Relax and socialise in our ergonomically designed café bar and enjoy...
• Sky and Sky Sports on our 118” screen
• the benefi ts of free wi-fi in our cyber café

Dine on a comprehensive choice of dishes...
• delivered by our highly experienced chefs
• all made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients

For further details, contact our Hotline team today on 0845 230 1414 or info@cceonline.co.uk

Engineers’ House gets its biggest ever facelift

2011-11-04T10:46:00.000Z

Following a complete makeover of its Blue Room Lounge and Restaurant in early October, Engineers’ House - EEF Venues’ Bristol-based conference facility - is now re-vamping all its lounges, dining rooms, coffee stations and breakout areas.

The makeover started on the 24th October, and is due to be completed within a single week.

The improvements are designed to take the elegant 19th century building to a new level of excellence and comfort. Engineers’ House is Grade II listed so all refurbishments have to be completely in character with the building. For the coffee lounges, EEF Venues have chosen some classically simple wooden-framed chairs in muted blues and creams and stylish poseur height tables in a deep red. The dining chairs are, again, simple yet elegant with pale green and aubergine upholstery.

Martyn Bowen, the Venue Manager says: 'It’s been a personal ambition of mine to give these areas a complete makeover for quite some time, so I’m delighted that it’s going ahead. The new décor, furnishings, carpets and curtains will add a touch of luxury to this state-of-the-art training facility, which recently became a Conference Centre of Excellence.'

To celebrate the improvements clients past and present are being invited to come and have a tour of the building – with lunch to follow. The tours will be held every day during the week of the 31st October and will include the newly refurbished lounge and dining areas.

A return on your objectives and a competitive edge

2011-11-04T10:06:00.004Z

By Anthony Lishman, Executive Director

The key principles of Conference Centres of Excellence: genuine all-inclusive pricing and dependable, comprehensive knowledge of our venues

Anthony Lishman - Executive Director

CCE has had a long held belief that to be successful we have to do all we can to support businesses deliver the objectives of their events. Over the last couple of years that’s meant being as competitive as we can, being innovative and listening to our clients. At the same time we have had to look after our own business to ensure its survival, looking at new markets offering new products and efficiencies that don’t compromise quality.

As we head, hopefully, out of recession the experience of the difficult times has taught us not to take business for granted, continue to believe in our quality ethos and to be as flexible as possible. That’s why we, at Conference Centres of Excellence and our members continue to offer competitive all inclusive pricing packages with no hidden extras as well as individual pricing, for those times when you as event organisers need to compare apple with apples. So if you don’t want to get charged for Wi-Fi or additional cups of coffee check out our range of quality venues located across the UK, Conference Centres of Excellence the UK’s only Marketing Consortium for Venues that’s quality assured. It’s not all about free venue finding (although we offer that too!!!!)

Have you ever asked the question 'have you visited this venue you are recommending to me?' you might be surprised by the response you get from most venue finders. Fit for purpose is a term you hear a lot these days but how can you measure if a venue is fit for purpose for your event by looking at a venues’ website or a brief description on a conference listing site, even our highly detailed information on our website sometimes is not enough.

You have to trust the specialist knowledge of someone who has actually been and carried out a site inspection of the venue. Our enquiry handlers have been to all our member venues and have an excellent understanding of the constituent elements that make for a successful event. We pride ourselves on matching the right venue to the requirement of the customer. Our team have great listening skills and take a little time in finding out what is important to you before selecting the most suitable venue, but don’t take our word for it try us for free and find out for yourself, in fact it’s always free whenever you place an enquiry with our team.

For us it doesn’t end with a successful placement, our team follow up with a call both to you and the venue after every event and our member venues participate in and independent quality assurance programme, Venue Verdict, managed by BDRC continental.

Quality doesn’t cost more, it just takes a little time and expertise, ours, to source and remember a better more suited venue delivers more of the important things, like a return on your objectives and a competitive edge.

Conference Centres of Excellence: www.cceonline.co.uk - 0845 230 1414

Henley Conferences: the perfect ‘green’ venue for any event!

2011-11-04T09:46:00.000Z

Henley Conferences at Greenlands is committed to achieving the highest standards of environmental performance, preventing pollution and minimising the impact of its operations. In the past year, the venue has achieved the extensive recognition for all the work undertaken to protect and sustain the environment. This includes:

• BS ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems, demonstrating commitment to the environment.

• BS ISO 9001Quality Management Systems demonstrating commitment to service quality.

• Platinum Tier International Association of Conference Centres Green Star accreditation.

• Green Tourism Gold Award for Sustainability.

Not content with resting on our laurels, Henley has continued to implement numerous systems to improve the sustainability of the business and whilst segregating waste for recycling has been common practice for several years, its team have now gone one step further to divert many tonnes of waste away from landfill, by harnessing the power of the mighty worm! Working alongside Kompost, Henley Conferences at Greenlands have introduced several specially created composting bins to their waste and recycling collection point. These bins are filled with food waste, tea leaves, coffee grounds and other vegetable matter and then play host to a colony of busy earthworms, who munch their way through this wonderful banquet and in their wake leave a superb organic compost, that then goes back onto the gardens of the estate to bolster productivity.

Greenlands is also fortunate to be situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty, with a unique riverside environment and it is our policy to work to conserve these natural habitats and create additional areas of wildlife value wherever possible. River banks have been reinforced with an environmental solution to river bank engineering and allowed the creation of wetland scrapes to encourage wildlife habitat and there is also a wild meadow area containing many specimens of local flora and encouraging insect and mammal activity.

The venue has an ongoing programme of tree planting to add to our arboretum, using planting, felling and conservation methods to create additional wildlife habitats where possible.

Triple gold for Warwick Conferences

2011-11-04T09:06:00.000Z

Warwick Conferences is celebrating after achieving a triple gold in the BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict.

The achievement for its Radcliffe, Scarman and Arden training and conference centres means that all three Warwick Conferences training and conference properties are now in the elite BDRC Continental grouping at the end of quarter three. The accreditation is awarded in recognition of their outstanding level of customer satisfaction.

VenueVerdict Gold Standard is measured through ‘Net Promoter’, a progressive measure of customer service performance, and is awarded to venues with a twelve month ‘Net Promoter Score’ of +70.

James Bland, senior client services manager at BDRC Continental said: “Warwick Conferences should be very proud that all three of their venues have now achieved the Gold Standard Award.

'Net Promoter can range from -100 to +100 so to achieve and sustain a score of +70 requires consistently excellent customer service.'

Alan Robinson, director of training and conference centres, said: 'We are absolutely thrilled that another of our venues has gone on to win the VenueVerdict Gold Standard Award. 'There is no better testimony than positive customer feedback and this accolade is a real testament to the outstanding service that we strive to deliver on a daily basis.'

Ashorne Hill completes £2.5 million refurbishment project

2011-11-04T07:45:00.000Z

Ashorne Hill training and conference centre has recently completed its biggest facilities investment in 50 Years, a £2.5 million pounds upgrade of its kitchen and dining facilities, together with a modern façade to the existing pre-cast concrete building from the 1960s.

The refurbishment has turned the dining room, into a beautiful space including a mezzanine level. The extension will enable Ashorne to seat around 200 guests. The interior has been completely transformed into a welcoming space ideal for dining, private functions and weddings. In addition, a beautifully laid patio has been built overlooking the grounds and is perfect for a drinks reception with outdoor lighting showcasing the true beauty of the Grade II listed manor house.

The project has given a real boost to the local economy with all sub-contractors working on the project based in the West Midlands. Along with contractors, many local craftsman were commissioned to design and manufacture bespoke items such as; furniture, fabric and artwork. John Carson, Managing Director of Ashorne Hill said: 'The investment will cement our reputation as a leading centre for management training and conferencing. We are committed to continued investment to ensure that companies know they will receive the best training, conferencing and events provisions. This work is hot on the heels of the unveiling of five new meeting rooms here at Ashorne Hill'

November availability at Ashorne Hill!

2011-11-03T15:59:00.002Z

November availability at Ashorne Hill!

We now have the following space left available in November!

14th/15th November - 1 x meeting room plus 50 beds

24th/25th November - 1 x meeting room plus 30 beds

29th/30th November – 1 x meeting room plus 30 beds

Take advantage of a ‘super low’ last minute 24hr rate of £130 and day rate of £30 (plus VAT) by booking these dates now!

Call us now on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Our Chairman: Richard Harrison

2011-10-28T11:33:00.000+01:00

Richard Harrison became the Chair of Conference Centres of Excellence in September 2010.

Richard joined Warwick Conferences in June 2006. He has overall responsibility for the Scarman operation, including the meeting and exceeding of financial and guest satisfaction targets and the effectiveness of its ongoing investment programme. The centre, which has 54 meeting rooms and 204 bedrooms, currently holds the ‘Best UK Management Training Centre’ and ‘Best Value for Money Conference Centre’ gold titles in the annual Meetings & Incentive Travel awards.

Richard Harrison becomes Chair at a critical time for the meetings venue sector, but believes that the place of specialist conference and training centres is being reinforced by current trends. “In times of pressure, organisations want to maximise the effectiveness of their workforce through training and team building, and dedicated centres optimise that process,” said Richard: “At the same time, specialised venues enable organisers of all kinds to demonstrate their determination to create cost-effective, fully focused events, which is now more critical then ever. I look forward to helping the consortium to communicate these benefits.”

Meet the Team: Executive Director Anthony Lishman

2011-10-28T08:31:00.000+01:00

CCE has appointed Anthony Lishman as Executive Director. This is a new, full time position designed to help the consortium grow through a process of raising its sector profile and achieving a progressive increase in membership.

Most recently he was regional general manager for the Niche Hotel group, based at its Cotswolds venue Wyck Hill House, where he was responsible for a £3 million investment to expand bedroom capacity and extend conference and leisure facilities, and for developing new business.

Previously he managed his own executive search and business consultancy, specialising in the conference centre and hospitality sectors. This followed a nine year career with Initial Style conferences (now De Vere Venues), including a period as multi site general manager with specific responsibility for the development of the group’s Wychwood Park and Cheadle House conference and training centres in Cheshire. He successfully managed the projects to develop both venues from greenfield sites to fully operational businesses with multi million pound turnovers. His previous roles with Initial Style included general manager positions at two Buckinghamshire venues, Uplands in High Wycombe and Harben House in Newport Pagnell.

Our people: Sophie

2011-10-27T08:29:00.000+01:00

Sophie Gibson is our Marketing Executive

Sophie graduated from The Nottingham Trent University in 2008 with a 2:1 BA Hons in Business Studies and Marketing.

Her four year degree included a year in industry where she worked at Panasonic, which she felt was invaluable marketing experience alongside the course theory. Sophie then worked for IDS Scheer as Marketing Executive for 18 months where she managed a variety of campaigns and gained a broad range of skills and knowledge in all areas of the marketing mix. Within this position she managed and executed the company’s annual conference, which made her realise she had an interest in the conference and meeting industry and a passion for exceptional quality and high levels of service.

Sophie then spent a year in Australia, where she spent time working at Janssen-Cilag and Queensland Gas Corporation to fund her travelling before returning to the UK to focus on her career. Sophie will be responsible for all Marketing activities in line with the overall Marketing plan.

Meet our Hotline Team: Katharine

2011-10-26T08:28:00.000+01:00

Katharine Armstrong is our Hotline Sales Manager

Katharine will be responsible for generating new business and developing the existing client portfolio within CCE. Working closely with key accounts to find them the solution that most accurately meets their needs.

Meet our Hotline Team: Rebecca

2011-10-25T08:25:00.000+01:00

Rebecca White - Business Development Executive

Rebecca graduated from De Montfort University in 2009 with a 2:1 BA Hons in Dance and Arts Management.

Whilst studying an events management module on the course in her final year she became interested in perusing the events and hospitality side into greater depth. This led her to gain the opportunity to work as an Administrator for Conference Centres of Excellence upon graduating.

Rebecca has developed her role within the company and succeeded to the position of Enquiry Co-ordinator and is now progressing into the role of Business Development Executive.

Rebecca will be responsible for generating new business, growing the existing client basis and developing relationships with small to medium agents.

Meet our Hotline Team: Pauline

2011-10-24T08:20:00.000+01:00

Pauline Saunders is our Enquiry Co-ordinator

Pauline graduated from University College Birmingham with a 2:1 degree in Events Management. This degree gave her knowledge and understanding of the industry and encouraged her to pursue a career in this sector.

After university Pauline spent a year working in Australia and travelling Fiji and New Zealand, when she returned to the UK she worked at Ardencote Manor Hotel before joining the team at Conference Centres of Excellence as enquiry co-ordinator.

Start your 'Olympic' year with a meeting warm up!

2011-10-20T09:05:00.000+01:00

For any new meeting booked to take place in January or February with Henley Conferences, the following special rates will apply

Residential rate - £165.00 - normally £175.00 per person

Day Delegate Rate - £55.00 - normally £65.00 per person

Based on a minimum of 10 delegates

Quote 'January Warm Up Rate' at the time of booking.

Call 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk for more details

Cotswold Conference Centre manager celebrates 30-years career

2011-10-19T20:45:00.002+01:00

Nick Akerman, Head of Sales at Cotswold Conference Centre, is celebrating 30 years since he started working at Farncombe Estate, Broadway in Worcestershire.

Nick started out when the Estate was Group 4, at the tender age of 19, when he was too young to drive a company vehicle. His first role away from Broadway was based in South London. Early career memories include looking down the barrel of a shotgun during an armed robbery in London.

“We were in the cash-in-transit business then,” says Nick, “carrying money across pavements from retailers and delivering to banks. I knew my way around London pretty well.”

“One day we were in Charlton on the south side of the river, when there was a Post Office raid. With a gun pointing at me, the training kicked in and I had to give away six big bags of Post Office money. It was frightening actually. Soon after that I was moved away to a new district office in Oxford. I worked at the Unipart Head-Office by night and sold Group 4 services during the day!”

Gold Business Tourism award

Nick’s 30-year career has taken him to a number of locations – including a stint operating a new guarding contract in New Delhi – but his longest-serving roles have been based on the 370-acre Farncombe Estate, owned by the Philip-Sørensen family.

Ten years ago, Nick was part of the launch team at the Cotswold Conference Centre.

“At that time, Group 4 decided to close its training facility on Farncombe Estate and I was working at the Dormy House. I was tasked with researching the conference industry for a new venture,” says Nick. “One of our first clients was the global engineering group IMI, who still train here today.

“Highlights include us winning the first ever Gold Business Tourism Award from VisitBritain – and writing the business plan which led to the building of our new building, Maudslay Court, which has opened this autumn. This brings our bedroom capacity to 89 and takes our business to a new level.”

Not all Nick’s memories are as scary as the Post Office hold-up. Some – like escorting the late Dennis Thatcher to the bathroom at the first Birmingham SuperPrix and, in India, managing one of the largest guard forces anywhere in the world – bring a smile to his face.

“One night in India, I was doing the rounds checking in on the security guards,” he recalls. “I approached a gate house where a Sikh guard was sitting with his feet up and his eyes closed. ‘Are you relaxing?’ I asked him. The guard stood up immediately. ‘Oh no sir, my name is V.P. Singh.’”

A practical way to meet that reduces environmental impact @henleymeetings

2011-10-19T13:12:00.000+01:00

Whilst all businesses recognize the need for some face-to-face meetings, when participants are some distance apart this normally requires most parties to travel to a remote location and forsake a great deal of time to that travelling. Most forms of transport today still rely heavily on fossil fuel thereby creating emissions of carbon dioxide and pollutants such as nitrogen oxides. Henley Conferences now offers clients a practical way to meet with clients and colleagues that significantly reduces the impact of business meetings on the environment.

The new Video Conferencing suite is equipped with all the latest low emissions technology to ensure a smooth and easy communication across any distance and can accommodate 15 people seated comfortably around a large board table. WiFi access and the support of Henley's skilled technical support staff also make it feasible for conference members to make a variety of presentations and negotiations remotely, saving time and energy of postal contract exchanges and the like.

Henley Conferences has been at the forefront of Greener Conferencing in the UK for some years, with it's sustainability achievements being accredited with BSI ISO14001 for Environmental Management, as well as Greener Tourism Gold Award and the International Association of Conference Centre's Green Star award

Booking the Video Conference Suite couldn't be simpler, just contact the team at Conference Centres of Excellence to arrange times and dates, giving details of any technical support you need, then arrive on the day to hold your meeting.

Government Funded Training

2011-10-19T09:05:00.001+01:00

Government funding of up to £1,000 towards your leadership and Management Training.

As part of the investment required for the Private sector to take up the challenges in the months and years ahead, the government has, through the Skills Funding Agency, launched a scheme to assist businesses with vital training for senior managers.

In this scheme, using a simple one-page form you fill in prior to booking, you can claim back half the cost of training for senior managers, up to a maximum of £1,000.

That means you have direct access to a whole range of courses that will benefit you directly, along with all the help you need to process your application as quickly as possible.

Cotswold Conference Centre | Official Blog site | Meeting and Training in the Cotswolds: Government Funded Training

Sports Centre gets £5m Refurb at Conference Aston

2011-10-14T08:00:00.000+01:00

Aston University’s new sports centre is now open after a £5m refurbishment. The Doug Ellis Woodcock Sports Centre is open to staff and students of Aston University in addition to delegates and guests at Conference Aston.

Facilities include:
• A new 120-station fitness suite with latest cardiovascular machines and weights
• A new two-storey facility with martial arts, fitness and dance studios
• A refurbished sports hall and swimming pool
• A new sauna, steam room and changing rooms
• Improved badminton, basketball and netball facilities

**New Catering Partnerships**
Conference Aston’s Lakeside Centre in Birmingham city centre has discovered the venue’s reputation is growing in the Caribbean and Asian communities of Birmingham as the place to celebrate love and romance.

With the number of weddings rapidly on the increase, the Lakeside Centre is pleased to announce a number of partnerships with local catering companies which will offer the best traditional cuisine in the city for these events.

Christine Page, Head of Sales and Marketing for weddings, conference and banqueting, comments: 'With an increase in Asian and Caribbean weddings, we’re keen to ensure that our budding brides and their husbands to be have a simple, stress free experience with us.

'By creating partnerships with catering specialists in these areas, our brides have one less thing to worry about because we can put them directly in contact with organisations who have met our quality criteria.

'Each event will have one of our dedicated event planners throughout the planning process and a manager on the day to work with the appointed caterer; this will allow the bride and groom to enjoy their day without any worries on the day.'

The venue has continued their commitment to the local Birmingham area by focusing on catering companies from the region.

Christine continues: 'These preferred suppliers have been individually selected for their quality and customer service and have undergone an inspection of their food production and systems to ensure that the highest standards of service are met.

'They’re also based in Birmingham and the Midlands, so not only are they on the doorstep for the bride and groom, but we’re supporting local business'.

The specially selected caterers that Conference Aston is partnering with are renowned for their outstanding standards of service and cuisine; couples can relax, safe in the hands of:

• Five Rivers – Asian Cuisine - www.thechefskitchen.co.uk

• Sukhdev’s Catering Services – Asian Cuisine - www.sukhdevsfood.com

• The Deep Experience - Caribbean Cuisine - www.caribbeanrestaurantbirmingham.co.uk

'We believe in embracing the many cultures of Birmingham and by working closely with these carefully selected local suppliers, we can ensure we provide the highest standard of service on the most important and romantic day of their life'.

The Lakeside Centre at Conference Aston, in the heart of Birmingham, is a self-contained venue which is ideal for self-catered events and celebrations including birthdays, weddings and Mehndi ceremonies.

The Lakeside Centre overlooks the Chancellor’s Lake in the heart of Aston University campus and boasts a spacious reception area and the potential to host celebrations on the ground and first floor banqueting suites.

The ground floor banqueting rooms can accommodate up to 170 guests with an adjacent room offering a casual seating or reception area and when combined with the first floor, can accommodate an additional 350 guests with an adjacent reception area.

One step ahead...Free wifi in all 41 Conference Centres of Excellence venues

2011-10-12T13:41:00.001+01:00

With increasing demand for free wifi to be standard in venues within the meeting, training and conference industry, Conference Centres of Excellence are proud to be one step ahead with all 41 venues offering free wifi.
“Our dedicated training and conference venues are all highly focused on providing fantastic learning environments and with technology improving at such a rapid rate we believed that wifi would be and has become a necessity.” Anthony Lishman. Executive Director, Conference Centres of Excellence

As leading providers of dedicated training and conference venues within the UK, Conference Centres of Excellence know the things that are important to the client so it is no surprise that all venues already offer free wifi.

“Free wifi is just one of the many tangible parts of our overall offering. We believe it is important to understand what clients expect and need, and what we can offer to make their experience the best it can be. Whether it is good transport links, free wifi or residential capability that our venues already offer or a personalised service that involves going the extra mile.” Richard Harrison, Chairman of Conference Centres of Excellence.

The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) recently launched the Conference Cloud campaign, which calls for free Wi-Fi for conference delegates at venues across the UK. The campaign follows feedback from PCO members regarding the negative impact of high Wi-Fi access prices for delegates and calls from buyers for venues to review their pricing strategies when it comes to separate charging for Wi-Fi. An open forum debate on the topic at the recent Summer Summit in Belfast further reinforced the need for a campaign to address this issue for PCOs.

Newly appointed ABPCO Chair Michael Foreman commented: ‘The Conference Cloud campaign has already achieved great support from both venues and individuals signing the petition. Providing Wi-Fi free of charge to conference delegates is a growing demand and as ABPCO we are pleased to have highlighted this issue and stimulated debate on the topic in the industry. We are currently planning a round table debate in the next few months.’

Day meetings from £19.95*

2011-10-07T13:33:00.010+01:00

Throughout the month of October, Warwick Conferences are offering day meetings from £19.95* per person!

For further details, contact our Hotline team today on 0845 230 1414 or info@cceonline.co.uk and quote OCT_1995.

*Rates quoted are exclusive of VAT. The offer is available on day meetings only taking place between 1st and 31st October 2011 subject to availability.

Cotswold Conference Centre are shearing their rates !

2011-10-06T09:29:00.002+01:00

For one week only, due to a cancellation, Cotswold Conference Centre have taken the clippers to their delegate rates!

Take your group for a conference, teambuilding or training event in the week beginning 7 November and they will guarantee a stripped-down Day Delegate rate of £20 and a 24-hour rate of £90.*

Cotswold Conference Centre is perfectly located near the M5 and M40 motorways in the Heart of England. The campus-style meeting rooms are set on a 370-acre estate with real sheep and panoramic views towards the Malvern hills. The food is great and so are the 89 en-suite four-star rated bedrooms. The dedicated conference service is backed by free WiFi and excellent phone signal.

Cotswold Conference Centre - rural but not remote.

*New bookings only apply for this exceptional offer. Call the Hotline on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk.

On your marks, get set, go

2011-09-30T11:41:00.004+01:00

To commemorate the start of the 2012 London Olympics year, The Møller Centre is offering their clients even more when booking an event with us at no extra cost!

Whether you are planning a strategy meeting, budget planning, review meeting or team event that is held from the 1st December 2011 to the 29th February 2012*,when making a new booking you will receive one of the following benefits for no extra cost:

Day meeting options:
Full English Breakfast included
After meeting drinks/canapés reception (max. of 2 glasses of house wine or soft drinks/person)
Free laptop hire
Video Conferencing
Access to preferential bedroom rates (subject to availability)

Residential meeting options:
Champagne evening reception (max. of 2 glasses of house
champagne or soft drinks/person)
1.5 hour walking tour of Cambridge
1 hour ghost tour of Cambridge
Cinema night in our lecture theatre plus refreshments
Free upgrade to fine dining for one night

Call us now on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Fantastic offers at Warwick Conferences

2011-09-30T10:00:00.002+01:00

Book your December 2011 event at Radcliffe or Arden and for every delegate place booked, you could receive another completely free! Valid up to a maximum of 12 free delegates places*.

For events larger than 24 delegates please call us to discuss what we can do for you.

Contact us today on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk and quote 'TCCDec112'.

*Offer is redeemable on new bookings only and is subject to availability.

Take a look at our latest brochure!

2011-09-29T11:12:00.000+01:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More venue finding

End the year in style

2011-09-23T14:00:00.002+01:00

End the year in style at the newly refurbished Scarman House.

Book your next residential event at Scarman and receive complimentary private dining room hire or half a bottle of wine per person with dinner*. Available for a minimum of 10 delegates on the first night only.

To find out more simply contact us today on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk and quote 'SCAPD11'.

* Offer only available on bookings taking place in November and December 2011. Subject to availability, offer must be quoted prior to confirmation for discount to apply and cannot be used in conjunction with any others.

Celebrate Christmas at The Moller Centre

2011-09-23T10:43:00.004+01:00

Celebrate Christmas at The Moller Centre with fantastic rates for Christmas lunch, dinner and meeting packages.

Come and celebrate your staff 2011 Christmas party at the Møller Centre and enjoy a festive high quality lunch or dinner fine dining experience in beautiful, elegant surroundings.

The Møller Centre is located within 42 acres of parkland, close to the centre of Cambridge at Churchill College along Madingley Road. With ample free parking, our staff warmly welcome you to our facilities.

Christmas lunch £25.95 + VAT

Christmas dinner package £39.95 + VAT

Day meeting package with Christmas lunch or dinner - £99 + VAT

Christmas Full package – day meeting,Christmas dinner and accommodation with breakfast - £149 + VAT

Disco and entertainment can be arranged on request.

Call us now on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Christmas at The Manor House

2011-09-23T06:32:00.001+01:00

The Manor House is an ideal venue for a truly memorable Christmas celebration. They are hosting Christmas Parties throughout November and December, suited to individual parties of 50 guests or more or for smaller parties from 8 up to 20 guests.

A selection of fantastic menus created by our head chef Nick Jeffels to choose from and entertainment can be arranged to suit all budgets and tastes.

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

New IT Partnership for Wellcome Trust Conference Centre

2011-09-22T15:49:00.002+01:00

The Wellcome Trust Conference Centre on the Genome Campus near Cambridge is pleased to announce a new partnership with Kinetic Solutions in providing their new booking system.

The announcement comes after two months of hard work and training through the summer, updating and matching bookings onto the new system up to 2015 in readiness for the switch.

'Clients have commented on how well the switchover has gone,' said Rachel Cordier, Conference Centre Manager, ' Those with knowledge of the change reported no impact on them, which is thanks in no small part to meticulous planning and scheduling with our IT teams. I'm really impressed with how smoothly everything has gone.'

The benefits of the switch have been seen already in an improved chase system for keeping track of bookings and the faster dispatch of invoices. Linda Prior, Sales and Marketing Manager comments: 'Previously we were working with three different systems to achieve the same results, which was time consuming, unproductive, and often unreliable. It's a relief to have one system for all data and its management.'

The new booking system is also being implemented at the Wellcome Trust offices on Euston Road, London to manage around 80 internal meeting rooms in support of the Head Office function.

Introducing the Chicheley Challenge team building event

2011-09-22T14:00:00.003+01:00

With the shorter days of autumn creeping around the corner take the opportunity to boost staff morale with an action-packed team building day at Chicheley Hall.

Make the most of our 80 acres with motorised activities, real clay shooting or try our new Chicheley Challenge: based on the principles of a treasure hunt, involving code breaking, orienteering and problem solving, this team building event is personalised to suit Chicheley Hall's many historical and unusual features.

Lasting a full day, or part of a day, the Chicheley Challenge can be combined with a business meeting or leading into evening entertainment.

The objective of this team challenge is to have terrific fun in discovering the secret combination code to unlock the Safe, which contains the location map for the Treasure Chest, by answering as many questions on the "Mission Passport" as possible.

Delegates are informed that there is a locked Treasure Chest hidden in the grounds. The map for the Treasure Chest is contained in a locked safe and it's your task to answer clues and complete challenges to find the combination lock to get access to the Treasure Map to find the location of the Chest.
There will be a prize for every team that successfully "cracks the code" and gains entry to the Treasure Chest. There will be an additional prize for the FIRST team back to have successfully opened the Treasure Chest.

And it's not necessarily the first team back which is the winner! This Mission involves planning and team work and if questions on the passport have not been correctly completed or answered then the next team will have the first opportunity to unlock the safe.

Each Challenge is created to your specification based on your numbers, timescales and budget. As a guide the cost is £59.50+VAT per person, based on a minimum of 20 delegates, plus venue facility fees and catering. Large numbers will be at a lower rate.

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

Scarman's doors reopen after £2 million refurbishment

2011-09-22T09:08:00.000+01:00

The doors of Scarman, the largest of Warwick Conferences’ three training and conference centres, have re-opened following an extensive renovation and refurbishment programme.

Taking place over the Summer, over £2 million has been invested to provide the public areas at Scarman a brand new look and feel. The Reception, Gallery, Lakeview Restaurants, Lounge and Bar have been completely revamped to further cement Scarman’s place as one of the leading venues of its kind in the UK.

These areas have received new floor and wall coverings, decoration, flooring, windows, furniture and refreshment facilities. Six syndicate rooms have also been upgraded to incorporate built-in AV equipment.

Low energy lighting has been introduced in line with Warwick Conferences’ ongoing commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its venues. In July this year, it was awarded Gold Status by the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) after being assessed for the Association’s Green Star accreditation scheme.

Alan Robinson, director of training and conference centres comments: 'The works completed to Scarman over the summer are indicative of our ongoing commitment to providing delegates with modern, clean, efficient and purposeful facilities. The upgrades completed not only ensure this objective continues to be met and even exceeded but will also introduce efficiencies made possible by modern technologies.

'With Scarman celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the investment is a fitting birthday present to a hardworking and respected venue.'

The investment forms part of a multi-million refurbishment programme announced in the latter part of 2010. Works already completed across the Warwick Conferences estate include the refurbishment of the bedrooms and private dining facilities at Arden and extensive upgrades throughout Radcliffe.

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

Bollywood blockbuster filmed at The University of Nottingham

2011-09-22T06:17:00.002+01:00

A spectacular, time-travelling Bollywood movie is being filmed this month at The University of Nottingham with the historic buildings of University Park and the ultra-modern Jubilee campus as its backdrop.

The film is called Teri Meri Kahani and is being directed by rising Indian star director Kunal Kholi.

It’s the story of a couple who embark on a romantic journey of eternal love through different lives that start in contemporary London and Nottingham, go back in time to the Punjab of 1910 and forward to 1960s Bombay.

Bollywood superstars Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapoor play the lead roles, Krish and Radha, two young people who find themselves destined to be together no matter what the era, location or circumstances of their multiple and varied lives.

Filming has already taken place in India and in London and Stratford-upon-Avon. Currently the cast and crew are working at numerous locations around the University including large open-air dance sequences involving 100 dancers on the campus parkland, as well as interior scenes in lecture theatres, cafes, the Hallward library and halls of residence.

Cyrus Patel, UK Line Producer for the project said: 'It’s been a wonderful opportunity to film at one of the most prestigious and picturesque universities in the UK. The staff have been brilliant to work with and have ensured our shoot has run smoothly from start to finish.

'The actors, directors, producers and crew have had a great experience filming here and I would recommend this as a very cinematic location for all future films coming to the UK.'

Chief Estates and Facilities Officer at The University of Nottingham, Chris Jagger said: 'Helping a Bollywood cast and crew deliver a large scale movie like this has been something out of the ordinary, but also a very enjoyable and rewarding challenge for the University’s dedicated conference office team.

'They have done a tremendous job juggling the required filming logistics, people movements and updated daily schedules around both University Park and Jubilee Campus with the minimum of disruption or inconvenience to normal university campus activity.

'I am sure that everyone involved will be eagerly awaiting seeing the finished result.'

Teri Meri Kahani will be released in India early next Spring with a worldwide distribution of the film shortly afterwards.

Improved A421 brings even easier access to Wyboston Lakes

2011-09-21T10:44:00.004+01:00

There’s no doubt that a growing number of event organisers are fed up with the negative impact which traffic congestion, unreliable transport links and expensive, inconvenient parking have on events organised in city and town centres. However well organised the event is, its impact can be significantly reduced if delegates or guests are frustrated, late or more concerned with getting home.

Out-of-town venues like Wyboston Lakes eliminate all these risks, especially when they’re well served by convenient road links, stations and airports, and offer plenty of free parking close by the venue.

We’ve certainly acquired more clients during the year for this reason. We’re literally a few metres away from the A1, and short drives away from the M1 and the M11 – with a mainline rail station in our nearest town which is five minutes drive away. And also due to the fact that each of our three venues has large free adjacent car parks!

And now, we’re even easier to get to with the opening of the newly dualled A421 in the Bedford area, giving our visitors an even faster link with the M1. It has eight miles of new dual two and three lane carriageways, cutting congestion, reducing journey times by two thirds and improving safety on the route.

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

Boot Camps mean Business!

2011-09-21T09:53:00.005+01:00

A new Cotswolds-based company is aiming to start a quiet revolution in business training.

Cotswold Business Boot Camps launch this autumn at Cotswold Conference Centre on the 370-acre Farncombe Estate near Broadway, Worcestershire.

'We have developed a new style of high-intensity training, as closely allied to the real workplace as humanly possible,' says CBBC director Mark Higgins. 'The Boot Camp concept applies brilliantly to business training, without the need to get cold, wet or physically exhausted,' adds co-director Jeff Farish.

Each Boot Camp takes place at the Cotswold Conference Centre, which has eight dedicated training rooms, extensive outdoor spaces with team-building activities and panoramic views over the Vale of Evesham.

'The environment is a big part of what we do,' says Mark. 'There aren’t sterile training rooms like you find in a hotel. The landscape is stunning and we use it to create stimulating and memorable events. The centre’s flexible approach allows us to get on with what we do best.'

High-tempo approach

Cotswold Business Boot Camps offer fast-track change that meets real business objectives. Its high-tempo approach is delivered by trainers who have years of expertise in public, private and charity sectors.

'Our philosophy is to provide clear, simple and effective programmes that enhance leadership and business performance. We don't need high ropes and assault courses to achieve that.'

Nick Akerman, head of sales at Cotswold Conference Centre, is delighted to be hosting the new Boot Camps.

'Mark and his team have been bringing customers to us for the past 12 years and we know they are some of the best trainers around,' he says.

'Their delegates return to work invigorated and ready to apply their experience to the real world. In a tough economic climate, it takes intensive training to make a real difference.'

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

Toilet provision is no laughing matter at Woodland Grange

2011-09-21T08:27:00.002+01:00

It’s what you see first and last that leaves the greatest impression, and for many venues that means the washroom facilities.

Woodland Grange has just completed washroom refurbishment upgrade, offering plush and spacious facilities to delegates throughout the venue. What’s more, with free Wi-Fi, you really can make sure no time is wasted when you are out of the office on business!

Eugenie Hales, venue manager comments: 'It is important that we offer our delegates outstanding amenities in every respect and this means taking into account things that often aren’t seen as important like the toilet facilities. We want each and every visitor to arrive and leave with the best impression possible. By listening and putting ourselves in our clients’ shoes we can continue to ensure this is carried out effectively.'

An impressive residential conference venue in Warwickshire, Woodland Grange is continually improving its facilities to ensure it meets and exceeds the high standards of today’s delegate. As well as providing facilities which are second-to-none, customer service is central to the service on offer at Woodland Grange. It is fair to say that the team doesn’t do venue and event management by halves; every single staff member takes total ownership of customer care and this is endorsed by a management team that encourages staff to be empowered and as a result, proactive.

Offering delegates a building full of character, state-of-the-art facilities, 16 acres of beautiful grounds - and a convenient location at the heart of the motorway network (the M40, M42, M6 and M69 are all within a 20 minute drive), Woodland Grange really does have it all. One of only eleven conference venues in the UK to have achieved the Accredited in Meetings (AIM) Gold Award for superb meeting room facilities, Woodland Grange is also a Conference Centre of Excellence, the highest measure of quality within the conference venue sector.

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

Conference Aston keeps it local when it comes to the perfect breakfast

2011-09-21T06:03:00.000+01:00

Conference Aston’s Lakeside Centre in Birmingham city centre has discovered the venue’s reputation is growing in the Caribbean and Asian communities of Birmingham as the place to celebrate love and romance.

With the number of weddings rapidly on the increase, the Lakeside Centre is pleased to announce a number of partnerships with local catering companies which will offer the best traditional cuisine in the city for these events.

Christine Page, Head of Sales and Marketing for weddings, conference and banqueting, comments: 'With an increase in Asian and Caribbean weddings, we’re keen to ensure that our budding brides and their husbands to be have a simple, stress free experience with us.

'By creating partnerships with catering specialists in these areas, our brides have one less thing to worry about because we can put them directly in contact with organisations who have met our quality criteria.

'Each event will have one of our dedicated event planners throughout the planning process and a manager on the day to work with the appointed caterer; this will allow the bride and groom to enjoy their day without any worries on the day.'

The venue has continued their commitment to the local Birmingham area by focusing on catering companies from the region.

Christine continues: 'These preferred suppliers have been individually selected for their quality and customer service and have undergone an inspection of their food production and systems to ensure that the highest standards of service are met.

'They’re also based in Birmingham and the Midlands, so not only are they on the doorstep for the bride and groom, but we’re supporting local business'.

The specially selected caterers that Conference Aston is partnering with are renowned for their outstanding standards of service and cuisine; couples can relax, safe in the hands of:

• Five Rivers – Asian Cuisine - www.thechefskitchen.co.uk

• Sukhdev’s Catering Services – Asian Cuisine - www.sukhdevsfood.com

• The Deep Experience - Caribbean Cuisine - www.caribbeanrestaurantbirmingham.co.uk

'We believe in embracing the many cultures of Birmingham and by working closely with these carefully selected local suppliers, we can ensure we provide the highest standard of service on the most important and romantic day of their life'.

The Lakeside Centre at Conference Aston, in the heart of Birmingham, is a self-contained venue which is ideal for self-catered events and celebrations including birthdays, weddings and Mehndi ceremonies.

The Lakeside Centre overlooks the Chancellor’s Lake in the heart of Aston University campus and boasts a spacious reception area and the potential to host celebrations on the ground and first floor banqueting suites.

The ground floor banqueting rooms can accommodate up to 170 guests with an adjacent room offering a casual seating or reception area and when combined with the first floor, can accommodate an additional 350 guests with an adjacent reception area.

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

Fresh thinking: new menus, faces, virtual tour and discount offer for new customers

2011-09-20T16:12:00.005+01:00

Roffey Park has refreshed its range of menus using locally sourced, high quality ingredients, including those from our own kitchen garden, to offer complete flexibility for our clients. The team of experienced chefs are also on hand to design menus to suit any occasion or theme.

The Hospitality Team at Roffey Park also welcomes a new member to the team with the appointment of Nancy Rosen as Hospitality Services Manager. Nancy’s responsibility will be to ensure that all our clients receive the excellent hospitality that they are used to and will play a key role in looking after our wedding guests on their special day.

A virtual tour is now live on our website offering full 360 panoramic views of all the meeting rooms, grounds and facilities.

So why not consider Roffey Park for your next event and sample our new menus for yourself, as well as meet Nancy and the rest of the hospitality team.

They are offering a 20% discount off all day or 24 hour delegate packages for new bookings between 5 September and 30 November 2011.

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

Golden Wonders again!

2011-09-20T12:37:00.000+01:00

The Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre has received the ultimate Gold award for Green Tourism for a second time.

The four star residential conference venue received the Gold award from the Green Tourism Business Scheme for the first time in Summer 2010 and were accredited again following a visit by inspectors in July this year.

The Beardmore has an active ‘green’ team with representation from every department. The team regularly meets to discuss methods of improving its green credentials and encourage guests to ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’.

Eileen Newman, General Manager of the Beardmore, said: 'We are delighted to have received the gold award again as it shows how committed we are to helping to reduce the impact of our activities on the environment.

'As well as doing all the fundamental good sustainable practices such as recycling, watching energy consumption and encouraging guests to re-use linen and towels, we have also come up with some innovative schemes.

'Many of our most popular and fun ideas have come from the staff such as growing our own herbs to use in the Beardmore kitchen and providing complimentary bicycles for guests to borrow during their stay.'

The Beardmore's green policy also includes recycling paper, oil and cans, using products made from recycled materials, and encouraging guests to re-use towels and bed linen.

They also have a popular ‘green conference package’ to encourage conference organisers to hold sustainable events.

Ms Newman added: 'The green package encourages them to use less paper and use public transport to travel to the Beardmore. But any conference organiser or delegate can experience our clever technology like the Smart Board, the Apple iMacs and the video conferencing equipment.'

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

Executive Director Anthony Lishman comments on 'Talking Points' - myvenues.co.uk

2011-09-20T08:12:00.000+01:00

Anthony Lishman, Executive Director

Anthony Lishman, Conference Centres of Excellence’s Executive Director, comments on the current myvenues.co.uk discussion article
"Why are sales and marketing associations still relevant?"

What’s the point of running events if you don’t get the outcome you need?
What do you mean by hidden costs?

Read more or add your comments at www.myvenues.co.uk

Conference Centres of Excellence hold their first annual conference

2011-09-20T05:44:00.000+01:00

This summer, Conference Centres of Excellence held their first annual conference. This successful event brought members of the association and industry colleagues together under one roof, providing a fantastic networking and learning environment, enabling benchmarking and best practise sharing opportunities and a real feeling of community within the sector.

The conference program included key note speakers, panel discussions and a variety of workshops with industry experts covering a wide range of hot topics including; innovative ways of using media and technology, achieving a competitive edge through quality benchmarking and the benefits of using a strategic PR approach. Conference Centres of excellence wanted to provide their members with informative and interactive sessions to help them gain an advantage in the market place.

This conference really highlighted the benefits of being part of such a prestigious and high profile association with over 40 members, providing a rich resource of expertise and experience.

'Very rarely do you get this amount of competitors in one place, all very focused in terms of sharing and discussing best practice within our industry. So it’s been a great networking opportunity to share ideas, come together and look at how the industry is moving forward and how we can collectively move the dedicated conference centre concept forward' - Paul Bunce, Marketing Manager at Conference Aston.

Conference Centres of Excellence’s annual conference was perceived as a rare but great opportunity to get so many venue representatives in one place networking and building relationships.'We were delighted by the way this event was received by our members and the support it received from both our members and those that have a stake in the provision of venues for conferences, training and meetings. This event could not have taken place without the support of the Sponsor and Speakers and we were delighted by their response to our invitation to take part, I’m sure it was our standing in the industry and the access to so many key decision makers at venues that made it worth their while in attending' says Anthony Lishman the association’s Executive Director.

Richard Harrison, Member and Chairman of Conference Centres of Excellence also commented 'The programme of speakers was a big draw, in these tough economic times you have to ask yourself whether you can justify time away from the office and whether an event like this can really deliver any new ideas that can be implemented back in the work place. I can genuinely identify some ideas and techniques that will help me improve my business and also an insight in to challenges that may present themselves in the future'.

Roy Sheppard, a business relationships professional speaker and author of 6 books including ‘Rapid Results Referrals’ gave a keynote speech on the art of networking and business influence. His interactive session provided practical tips, ideas and techniques to delegates, helping them realise how much they could do in being proactive about building relationships. Something which Roy believes will 'crucially add value to their clients and perspective clients'.

This is an annual event and will be repeated next year so if you want to take part or be involved in helping us design the programme for next year contact AnthonyLishman@cceonline.co.uk

Get the dates at the rates you want

2011-09-15T10:52:00.001+01:00

image © Chris Lamphear

Bookings for 2012 are well underway at conference centres all over the UK, but your business doesn't need to have an Olympic sized budget to secure the dates you need.

Call our Hotline Team and ask about dates and availability so we can find the best location for your next conference or training programme on the dates that suit you best.

Email info@cceonline.co.uk or call 0845 230 1414 and ask for Katharine Armstrong or Rebecca White.

The hidden costs of short lead meetings

2011-09-14T04:52:00.000+01:00

When planning for your next corporate event, leaving arrangements to the last minute isn't necessarily going to result in a bargain. Keeping lead times short may mean incurring hidden costs:

Extra resources to locate a venue and arrange any transportation
Dedicated business venues may already be booked which can lead to the use of secondary, or even unknown locations and quality can be compromised.
If quality is reduced then your event will have a reduced impact returning a lower ROI
Through rushed decisions, insufficient marketing time & failure to achieve minimum numbers, last minute meetings can lead to increased cancellation or administration costs

When planning your next event, seek advice from Conference Centres of Excellence. Staff at dedicated business venues nationwide are experienced experts within the hospitality and meetings industry and will help you achieve successful events whilst making the most of your budget every time.

Locate a venue...»

Celebrating exceptional food at the Chefs Challenge Competition 2011

2011-09-13T14:16:00.000+01:00

Celebrating exceptional food at the Chefs Challenge Competition 2011 Conference Centres of Excellence look forward to this year’s Chef’s Challenge Competition, an annual event which brings together chefs from within Conference Centres of Excellence and IACC (The International Association of Conference Centres) and from a variety of styles of venues, giving them a wonderful opportunity to showcase their best menus and cooking ability.

The competition is open to any chef who works within Conference Centres of Excellence or whose centre is a registered member of the International Association of Conference Centres, and will be judged by a panel of invited professionals from the hospitality industry. The original entries will be shortlisted to twelve finalists who will be invited to a cook off where the best tasting and best presented meal will be decided. Awards will then be presented to winners in a number of different categories including; overall best tasting meal, best main dish, starter and dessert. There is also a special award for the chef who demonstrated the best hygiene practices on the day.

With high quality service levels becoming increasingly important, this year the competition has incorporated a service element, where food service staff can enter to work alongside the chefs to compete for such awards as best service skills and the chairman’s award for best team.

Anthony Lishman Conference Centres of Excellences Executive Director said “ Chefs in our venues are seriously talented people who work hard to create interesting and appropriate menus for those attending training, events and conferences and as such their focus needs to be on providing a variety of interesting and tasty food that recognises the fact that most of our customers stay for long periods of time at our venues, this obviously includes healthy eating options but also food that can be consumed in a working environment and dishes that are an aid to learning in that they support the individuals concentration levels”

For Conference Centres of Excellence this event is an additional component to their strategy of continuous quality assurance and is a great opportunity to recognise the achievements of their members’ chefs and a celebration of exceptional food.

Get the most out of your working week at The Manor House, Surrey

2011-09-12T09:32:00.000+01:00

An atmospheric venue, professional staff and excellent facilities combine at The Manor House to create a unique business environment.

Get the most out of your working week with The Manor House’s great rates for conference bookings.

Marvellous Mondays and fabulous Fridays
Residential package for just £150 + VAT (Reduced from £210 + vat)
Full day package for just £50 + VAT (Reduced from £72 + vat)
½ day package for just £40 + VAT
Morning or afternoon package for just £20 + VAT
Terrific Tuesdays, Wonderful Wednesdays and Thoughtful Thursdays!
Residential package for just £160 + VAT (Reduced from £210 + vat)
Full day package for just £60 + VAT (Reduced from £72 + vat)
½ day package for just £45 + VAT

Morning or afternoon package for just £20 + VAT
To check availability or discuss your requirements call us on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

All prices quoted are subject to VAT at the current rate. This offer is subject to availability and must be mentioned at the time of enquiry.

This offer is valid for new bookings only and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Valid from September 2011 to 31st December 2011

Day delegate rates from just £25

2011-09-12T08:26:00.003+01:00

Conference Aston offers three meeting, conference and banqueting venues in the heart of Birmingham.

Book your conference during October and November and benefit from or autumnal delegate rates! Day Delegate Rate £40.00 inc VAT and 24 Hour Rate £115.00 inc VAT.

Valid for new enquiries and bookings throughout October and November 2011. Call us to discuss your needs on 0845 230 1414 quoting "Autumn Rates" or email info@cceonline.co.uk

**Hat Trick Deal**

Booking your 2011 conferences, meetings and events?

Make it a Hat Trick for day delegate rates from just £25 ex VAT
Book a trio or more of your 2011 meetings in either of the Conference Aston venues and enjoy day delegate rates from just £25 ex VAT

How does it work? Simple!
If your event is for more than 10 delegates, at the time of enquiry...

If you book one meeting for 2011,
enjoy a day delegate rate of £35 ex VAT

If you book two meetings for 2011,
enjoy a day delegate rate of £30 ex VAT

...and if you book three or more,
enjoy a day delegate rate of £25 ex VAT

What does it include?
Purpose built main meeting room
2 servings of fairtrade tea and coffee
Buffet lunch in our courtyard restaurant
Meeting room stationery including flipchart, pens and paper.

Our award winning conference team offers a flexible service alongside flexible venues to cater to your every need. Take advantage of our discounted rates by calling us to discuss your needs on 0845 230 1414 quoting
"Hat Trick" or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Get Motivated Great Meetings : Eynsham Hall

2011-09-09T06:50:00.000+01:00

Quote GMEH1 for a complimentary wake up energiser before breakfast with any new residential meeting booked at Eynsham Hall. Subject to availability and terms and conditions.

To check availability call 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk.

Complimentary on site parking
Health and fitness club
126 bedrooms
40 meeting rooms
Set within 3000 acres of parkland
Complimentary wifi
Meetings for up to 150 delegates
Corporate events up to 5000
Indoor and outdoor team building activities

Spookily low rates at Ashorne Hill!

2011-09-09T06:43:00.000+01:00

Book your conference or meeting at Ashorne Hill between 24 and 30 October 2011 and take advantage of our special offers

24 hour delegate rate of £125 + VAT
Day delegate rate of £35 + VAT

Call us now on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Offer applies to all new bookings taken for this period.

Christmas at The Manor House

2011-09-09T05:41:00.000+01:00

The Manor House is an ideal venue for a truly memorable Christmas celebration. We will be hosting Christmas Parties throughout November and December, suited to individual parties of 50 guests or more or for smaller parties from 8 up to 20 guests.

A selection of fantastic menus created by our head chef Nick Jeffels to choose from and entertainment can be arranged to suit all budgets and tastes.

Please contact our Sales Team for a brochure and more information on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Please note any Christmas party must follow a meeting

Special offer! Get 1 free place per 10 paying delegates

2011-09-02T11:09:00.002+01:00

Nottingham Conference Centre is a brand new modern conference facility in the heart the city. Housed in the Grade II* listed Newton building at Nottingham Trent University, the Centre offers state-of-the-art facilities in a stunning Victorian architectural setting unparalleled in the region.

Nottingham Conference Centre have just launched a new special offer. Book your meeting for autumn 2011 and get 1 free place per 10 paying delegates.

Please speak to a member of the conference team for more details. Call 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk.

Subject to availability. Terms and Conditions apply.

Venue health check !

2011-09-01T10:55:00.010+01:00

image © DNY59

Whether it is the result of tightening rules or a general change of attitude, an increasing number of pharma event organisers are turning away from ‘conventional’ hotels, large conference centres, and other high profile venues.

Specialist Venues for the Pharmaceutical Industry
Pharmaceutical organisations are showing a trend away from a reliance on hospitality to a philosophy that really effective communication is the best solution. Using venues that specialise in communications, and offer transparent pricing packages enables them to demonstrate a cost-effective approach which incorporates the appropriate levels of hospitality.

ABPI members can choose Conference Centres of Excellence venues and book with confidence. Our venues offer some of the UK’s leading ‘dedicated' conference and training centres and make the ideal choice for the pharma sector :

venues may have separate buildings which can be hired for exclusive use
a focused learning environment, often with high tech facilities (including hospital video links) exceptionally versatile meeting spaces for 20 to 200
a "one-stop-shop" to assist with organisational requirements nationwide
very high (four star) standards of supporting facilities in terms of residential accommodation, food, leisure facilities and on-sire business support for guests & delegates

For more details and to request a free meeting planner visit www.cceonline.co.uk or call 0845 230 1414.

Christmas party package from The IET Birmingham: Austin Court

2011-08-31T12:31:00.004+01:00

Austin Court offers the perfect location for events in Birmingham - just off Broad Street in the Centre of town.

CHRISTMAS PARTY PACKAGE!

Exclusive venue hire
3 course dinner
DJ & Disco
Cash bar

£34.50 excl VAT

For further details call 0845 230 1414 or email
info@cceonline.co.uk

Spice up your Christmas !

2011-08-31T11:17:00.001+01:00

Spice up Christmas 2011 at The IET London: Savoy Place

Your all-inclusive package:

Cinnamon and Spice Christmas theme – we’ll add flavour to your party with table centres, room decorations, twinkle lights and 10ft Christmas tree – all following the colours and feel of ‘Cinnamon and Spice’

Mulled or sparkling wine pre-dinner reception

Three course Christmas menu – choose from a selection of starters, main courses and deserts for your event as well as optional extras for that added wow including creative canapés and cocktails (see menu)

Half a bottle of wine per person during the meal
Unlimited water
Dance floor
The Riverside Room exclusively from 18.00 - 00.00

* You can add a DJ to the above package for just £4 pp (+VAT) extra – ask us about this when you enquire.

For further details call 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Meet us at the World of Learning exhibition 27-28 September 2011

2011-08-31T10:49:00.006+01:00

The World of Learning Conference & Exhibition is the essential event for all senior learning decision-makers and buyers. Now there is no better time to ensure you are using the most cost-effective methods and solutions to deliver more successful learning results.

Conference Centres of Excellence will be attending - come and meet us, together with representatives from East Midlands Conference Centre, Kents Hill Park Training & Conference Centre and Eynsham Hall.

Pre-register today and meet us on Stand B80 !

For more details visit www.learnevents.com or call 0845 230 1414.

Nottingham Conference Centre is proud to support The Conference Cloud campaign

2011-08-31T10:27:00.000+01:00

Nottingham Conference Centre has always offered delegates free Wi-Fi access throughout the venue and is proud to be supporting The Conference Cloud campaign. Like all 41 Conference Centres of Excellence venues, we believe that Wi-Fi is an essential service for any event and that additional fees should not be charged to delegates wishing to use it.

The Conference Cloud campaign is an initiative by ABPCO, the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers, to encourage conference venues across the UK to offer free Wi-Fi to conference delegates.

The campaign follows feedback regarding the negative impact of high Wi-Fi access prices for delegates. Most conferences are now using Wi-Fi enabled tools, allowing delegates to access information during the event, encouraging interaction such as social media comments and networking within conference venues. ABPCO believes that venues that are committed to enhancing the delegate experience should work with event organisers to make these tools as accessible as possible through provision of good quality Wi-Fi.

ABPCO Chair Michael Foreman commented: “Online access is a fundamental part of everyday working life and we know that delegates attending our members’ events need to stay connected while on the move. Even with the proliferation of mobile broadband coverage, quality Wi-Fi is still the preferred online access route, especially for overseas delegates keen to avoid excessive data roaming charges.

Meetings and events professionals are also encouraged to support The Conference Cloud through its online petition available via the website at www.theconferencecloud.co.uk, or join the debate on social media via ABPCO’s Linked In Group, Facebook or Twitter using #confcloud

Conference Special Offers!

2011-08-30T10:41:00.002+01:00

To help you get that conference booking for Autumn sorted, Maple House in Birmingham are offering you a great upgrade package that means your numbers will stretch even further. Simply book a conference for over 50 delegates at one of our 10 venues and you can choose to either:

start your day the right way with a FREE breakfast roll for each of your delegates.

end your day on a high with a FREE delegate package upgrade to include evening reception with room hire, drinks and nibbles for your group.

There's more!.........

Special offers for special clients!
We like to think we understand the needs of Public Sector event organisers better than most – we were set up by Public Sector trainers 20 years ago and have worked closely with you ever since.
That’s why we are offering a 2 for 1 promotion to all Public Sector clients on our day delegate rate until the end of the year!

Here’s a reminder of why your budget will go further with us:-

• Flexible, transparent rates
• Wide variety of rooms, suites and event space
• AV, WiFi, refreshments and food all included
• Dedicated learning environments built with your needs in mind

For more information call the Hotline team on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Rescue your budget at Cotswold Conference Centre

2011-08-10T12:59:00.002+01:00

We all know that budgets are tight - and to make yours go that bit further, Cotswold Conference Centre is offering budget friendly rates for meetings, training and teambuilding events the week commencing 17th October 2011.

Day delegate rates are being offered at the reduced rate of £20 + VAT, which includes training room hire, projector, screen and flipchart, unlimited tea and coffee, home-made biscuits, three course hot and cold buffet lunch and afternoon tea. There is also free wi-fi access and parking for up to 200 cars.

Or you could hold your residential event here and pay just £90 + VAT for a 24-hour rate, which will include everything you get in our day delegate package, plus a stay in our comfortable en suite bedrooms, three course dinner and breakfast.

For bookings and enquiries please contact the Hotline on 0845 230 1414 or e-mail info@cceonline.co.uk

Offer applies to new bookings only.

50% off room hire in London during August 2011 !

2011-08-09T09:11:00.001+01:00

Book any room at BMA House during the month of August and receive a 50% discount off the room hire. This offer is available to all new bookings - minimum numbers and catering spend apply for evening and weekend bookings.

To find out more and take advantage please call 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Offer valid from 05 August 2011 to 31 August 2011

imago welcomes 4000 athletes to the UK Corporate Games

2011-08-02T12:16:00.002+01:00

The team at Leicestershire hotel, meetings and conference brand imago are completing their warming down exercises and taking a well deserved break after catering for thousands of athletes during this year’s UK Corporate Games.

The competition covered 22 different sports with organisations such as IBM, Fujitsu, Intel, John Lewis Partnership, Vodafone and ASDA entering teams from all over the UK. Some of the larger companies brought almost 250 from their ranks to compete in almost every sport.

Kay England, Chief Executive of imago, said: “Loughborough University was the official host of the UK Corporate Games this year and it was an honour for imago to be involved. We’re pleased that we could use our expertise to make sure the events around the sporting competition went smoothly and that the athletes had top quality accommodation to make sure they were well rested before each race. This was a unique event and we’re confident that it has put Loughborough on the map for many of the visitors.”

Ben Sedgemore, Games Director is delighted with the resounding success of the 18th UK Corporate Games: “It has been a pleasure to bring this major event to the region. The UK Corporate Games is an event that can and has benefitted everyone that wanted to be involved and there really is no better way to showcase what a region has to offer to the sporting business world. The welcome we have received has been terrific and we know that people will be returning to their offices today with weary limbs yet big smiles and great memories. The standard of facilities has been exemplary, our local event coordinators were great ambassadors for their respective sports and it truly was an unforgettable weekend. Preston have a tough act to follow in 2012.”

The UK Corporate Games is Europe’s largest corporate multi-sports festival and brings business’ together to build employee confidence, loyalty and team spirit. For further information on imago visit www.welcometoimago.com, call 0845 036 4624, or follow @imagolboro on twitter. For further information log on to www.corporate-games.com .

Party on! Bring your corporate Christmas event to Broadway

2011-08-01T12:30:00.000+01:00

Let us Entertain You!
Bring your works party to Broadway this Christmas
Dance the night away at Cotswold Conference Centre on 20th and 21st December. We have some fantastic music, a three-course menu and a fab location for your works do.

Souled Out 2 Funk - 20th Dec
An outstanding Soul & Funk 8-piece band providing the biggest Funky Soul Sound around.
If you're looking for the ultimate in good time, all-singing, all-dancing, non-stop entertainment and party music, then remember: If you want an unforgettable night, then join us and get Souled Out 2 Funk!

Robbie - 21st Dec
Mike Andrew has quickly become one of, if not 'the' No 1 Robbie Williams tribute act in the UK
and has even gained recognition from Robbie's own father Pete Conway.
Mikes unbelievable resemblance to Robbie including his mannerisms, his look & his cheekiness on stage, not to mention his vocal similarity, are second to none. The show cover's all of Robbie's hits, including 'Let me entertain you' and 'Millenium'

You’ll love the tinsel and the party atmosphere in our newly-refurbished dining rooms on the Farncombe Estate.
Tickets are just £35 for the Robbie night and £38.95 for the Souled Out 2 Funk evening and include all entertainment and a 3-course meal.

Why not stay over? B & B for a single ensuite £39 or £55 for a double/twin.

We expect to fill up fast!

Ho ho ho…

Santa Claus is bringing you a special gift at Cotswold Conference Centre this Christmas. Book your group on one of our fantastic live-band Party Nights and we’ll set you up with a free training room during the day. All you pay is £12.50 per head for lunch, teas, coffees and afternoon tea.

And if you want to party into the night, we’re also doing a special corporate B&B rate: £55 per double or twin room (people are welcome to share) and £39 for a single.

Cotswold Conference Centre at Farncombe Estate: Santa stops here.

For this special offer, call the Hotline on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Save time!

2011-07-29T09:55:00.002+01:00

We can help you find the perfect venue for your next event.

Save time!
Call our Hotline team NOW on 0845 230 1414 to find out how we can make your life easier.
Use our online venue finder – a great resource for conference organisers and event planners. Visit www.cceonline.co.uk and choose from the finest dedicated business venues in the UK.

News: Training Launch at Cotswold Conference Centre

2011-07-27T09:51:00.002+01:00

When times are hard, training can be the best way to develop your team or invest in your future. This is the thinking behind a new programme of affordable open training courses launched in September by Cotswold Conference Centre.

From September, a year-round programme will cater for companies and organisations at its venue between Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon. Delegates will be able to enrol on subjects from Business Basics through to Management and Personal Development.

“We aim to reach out to companies and organisation who want to retain and develop their staff in difficult economic times. Our open courses are very competitively priced,” said head of sales Nick Akerman.

“We also anticipate demand for bespoke training, designed to suit the needs of our corporate customers and organisations.”

Cotswold Training‘s open programme has been scheduled in off-peak periods, allowing prices to be pegged. Some courses are run on quieter dates in the conference week. Summer schools will give people the chance to refresh their skills at a time when business can be slow.

It’s a model which allows the venue to maximise the use of its space and create affordable, flexible training for its corporate client base. Leadership, finance and practical skills will be covered, along with sales techniques, customer care and even Happiness at Work.

“Training is a part of our heritage and our success,” said Nick Akerman. “We already have the setting, the hospitality and the people in place. We have 50 years’ experience and a great relationship with some of the best trainers in their field.

“We look forward to delivering great quality training to some of the country’s top businesses and organisations.”

Delegates can book a Cotswold Training course with refreshments and lunch from only £299 +VAT. Dinner, bed and breakfast can be added on for just £80 +VAT per night.

Anyone wanting to book or order a brochure should call 0333 121 8580 or visit www.traincotswolds.com

Cheap and cheerful doesn't work - even in a recession

2011-07-27T09:36:00.000+01:00

What’s The Value of Good Design When Times Are Tough?

Following research across a number of Conference Centres of Excellence members, Tony Matters of Heterarchy has come to the conclusion that cheap and cheerful doesn't work - even in a recession

Times are tough, we all know that, but some conference venues are prospering while others struggle. Why? Who’s got the right formula? What actually wins business? And how can venues make the most of the return to better times?

The most obvious answer is price, price, price, and, with the rise of the online ‘comparison culture’, direct price comparison is much more commonplace. Certainly, clients are more demanding than ever: their budgets have been slashed, so they are demanding a four or five star experience at a three star price. But is that really the whole story?

Of course, everyone says that service and efficiency are also decisive factors: friendly smiles and well briefed staff should be second nature in the hospitality business - as should be making doubly sure AV equipment is working, decent coffee is being served, and there’s no scrimping on the biscuits!

Despite this, “there is an oversupply of mediocre venues,” says Anthony Lishman of Conference Centres of Excellence, “offering low rates and even lower levels of service, which, while seeming attractive at first, do not provide good value or a good experience for customers”.

So it seems that there are more fundamental issues, and when you talk to some of the largest, most prestigious and most successful conference industry leaders, most believe that long term success has to be built on much more than just price. So what do those leaders think makes a difference?

Alastair Stewart, Managing Director of the rapidly expanding etc.Venues brand, absolutely agrees. “First impressions” he says “are incredibly important. It’s what we call the ‘arrival experience’, and we really invest in getting it right”, Anthony Lishman, Executive Director of Conference Centres of Excellence, thinks that “particularly with training venues, poor environments have a huge impact on learning outcomes”.

Despite this, many venues seem to underestimate the importance of providing interiors that not only work for organisers and delegates, but also ‘feel right’. This is an almost indefinable quality, and is not just about the right colours and furniture styles. It’s about how the ‘space’ works and how it makes you feel. The best spaces inspire you, and you just know when it’s right - although it’s hard to put your finger on what it is when something is wrong. This is not simply some ‘arty’ attitude because it undoubtedly has a direct impact on winning – and losing – business.

Alastair Stewart has a very clear view that it’s these sorts of factors that drive their success: “we work hard to create a fantastic experience for our customers – above all, it should be fun. For us, interior design is vital - our whole approach is design led. Our venues are contemporary, fresh and designed to give our clients a thoroughly enjoyable experience”.

“What our designers have achieved for us is outstanding” says Managing Director John Carson. “It’s nothing like what we had anticipated – and so much better. They talk about inspirational spaces – and that’s exactly what they’ve designed. ”

So how can conference centres get inspirational spaces at ‘sensational’ prices? It’s all about working closely with clients, involving them, not keeping them ‘out’, of decisions. As John Carson, Managing Director of Ashorne Hill Management College, says “we began with quite an open brief, they intuitively understood what we were looking for - and wowed us with an exciting design proposal”.

“A full service Interior architect practice has the ability to assess the results not just on the grounds of artistic merit” or “inspirational” design, but on whether they improve the bottom line of the venue. We recognise this is not about “creativity”. It’s about what makes business sense – and that’s why we say that really inspirational design makes you money - not costs you money. Says Tony Matters of Heterarchy
Anthony Lishman says “our members recognise the fact that if you don’t invest in your venue you soon get left behind. In this Newsletter there are further examples of significant investment in development taking place across the group”

The problem for sub-standard venues relying on cheap deals is that there’s nowhere to go but down in price. They get a reputation for being cheap, not “good value”, and their perception in the market diminishes. Delegates just don’t want to go there – especially when everyone is so brand conscious these days. Customers are increasingly ‘choosy’ about their brands - whether it’s clothes, cars or conferences centres. Get the wrong brand reputation, and it can damage your revenues significantly - and take years to put right. Have no identity, and you get lost in the crowd completely.

Rather than getting it wrong, meetings and conference buyers increasingly choose nationally recognised brands, or highly respected local venues. For major national companies, that means they have to deliver at least as well as competitors, and for independent venues it means they have to up their game to national standards. What people remember and like about a brand is not usually the price, the service, or even the food. It’s that indefinable ‘impression’ of what it was like, and how they felt about being there. What good interior architecture should do is make those spaces as attractive as possible – for as little cost as possible.
Anthony Lishman says “our members recognise the fact that if you don’t invest in your venue you soon get left behind".

"You can’t build something that is perfect in an imperfect environment"

2011-07-26T08:33:00.000+01:00

DEVELOPING TOP PERFORMING TEAMS, WHY ENVIRONMENT IS IMPORTANT

Ron Dennis of the McLaren Group recently said “You can’t build something that is perfect in an imperfect environment”.

Conference Centres of Excellence, the UK’s leading consortium of specialist meeting venues, would agree with this statement wholeheartedly.

Where a positive return on investment is expected - purpose built facilities and industry expertise are the optimum solution for any company that expects to achieve the best results. Just as it is for McLaren’s performance, key business events need the best possible environment to achieve a productive and profitable outcome.
When businesses make compromises, results are often compromised as well.

LEADING BRAND
Conference Centres of Excellence is established and acknowledged as the country’s leading brand for dedicated business venues. It has achieved this as a result of continued reliability and a consistent assurance of quality. Anthony Lishman, Executive Director for the Consortium explains “When planning an event with a member of Conference Centres of Excellence, clients can have total peace of mind. There are no hidden extras and everything that’s needed is on site, but it is not just the location and a high standard of facilities that help things run smoothly. Equally important, if not more so while an event is taking place, is the level of service and technical support clients can expect to receive - it really is second to none”.

Situated in a variety of the country’s finest and most sought-after locations including major city centres and country estates, Consortium members are required to maintain the highest professional standards in the meetings industry and are assessed according to the BDRC Continental Venue Verdict rating scheme. Unsurprisingly, members of Conference Centres of Excellence repeatedly win hospitality awards for outstanding facilities and levels of customer service and it is this unswerving and committed focus that gives tremendous confidence to event organisers nationwide.

Anthony continues “Once an event is taking place, unlike multi-purpose venues where there may be plenty of distractions or incompatible events running alongside, our members are only focussed on supporting business activities and can respond skilfully to customer needs with the minimum of fuss. Crucially, this means clients risk no shortfall in service when efficiency and results matter most”.

Conference Centres of Excellence continue to drive quality standards forward within the meetings industry and have recently added several new venues to the portfolio - visit www.cceonline.co.uk for further information or call the Hotline venue finding team on 0845 230 1414.

News: Building up to the Olympics with The Missenden Games

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To co-inside with the build up to the 2012 Olympics Missenden Abbey have launched “The Missenden Games” a teambuilding challenge event run by our on site Facilitator’ Morale Solutions.

The challenge for your team is to tackle 5 separate team activities within 2 hours. (or if you’re pushed for time, try the Mini-Missenden Games – 3 activities in 1 hour only)

The activities have been specifically designed to test a variety of team and individual skills – but in a light-hearted and fun way;

• Communication
• Problem solving
• Creativity
• Leadership and planning
• Co-operation and trust

For more information about Missenden Abbey call 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Special offer: The summer sunshine has gone to our heads!

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For one month only, we are pouring cold water on our prices at Cotswold Conference Centre. Any new event booked to take place during August will qualify for any of THREE special offers.

Only new events qualify for our HOT off the press rate. Existing bookings do not qualify. To grab your August bargain, call the Hotline on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk .

Offer 1
Reduced Day Delegate rate of just £20+VAT. Includes training room hire, projector and screen, 3 course lunch, unlimited tea and coffee, free wifi and parking

Eyes Wide Open Offer 2
2-for-1 on teambuilding. Our “Eye-Openers” help you break the ice, challenge your wits and discover your strengths. During August, you can experience two eye-opener teambuilding activities for the price of one.* Visit our brand new teambuilding website to see what's on offer www.cotswoldteambuilding.com

*All Eye-Openers except Kanw are included in this offer

Offer 3
Just £90+VAT for a 24-hour stay. Includes training room hire, projector and screen, free wifi and parking, 3 course lunch, unlimited tea and coffee, 3 course dinner, accommodation and a full English breakfast.

Important verdict for Conference Centres of Excellence

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BDRC Continental is the UK’s largest independent market research agency. Established in 1991, the company has built an unrivalled reputation as a full service consultancy with specialist expertise across a number of sectors including business to business, financial services, hotels, meetings & hospitality, media & advertising, internet & telecoms, Government & not for profit, culture & leisure and tourism, travel & transport.

BDRC Continental is staffed by highly experienced researchers with great reputations in their individual fields as well as in the market research industry. The company is renowned for its consultative approach and ability to add value to clients’ businesses by bringing insights from multiple markets to the research. This cross-disciplinary approach enables BDRC Continental to provide intelligence that is informed by a deep understanding of the client’s issues and the wider market context. As well as undertaking bespoke research for a wide variety of clients, the company conducts a number of syndicated studies and has developed proprietary techniques including AdForensics and ZMET Visionary Thinking.

Conference Centres of Excellence is to adopt the acclaimed BDRC Continental VenueVerdict customer satisfaction management scheme - designed to benchmark and raise standards in the industry.


Richard Harrison

Richard Harrison, Chairman of Conference Centres of Excellence and General Manager of Scarman House – at Warwick Conferences said,

“Our goal is to continue to offer our customers the best possible experience when they enquire or make use of our training and conference facilities. We wanted an independent source of assessment and BDRC Continental's VenueVerdict offered the best fit for that assessment, in our view.

Our venues continue to invest significantly in their facilities and we all need to know that we are getting the best return on that investment - and success is about how well we train our staff and how they respond to the challenges of a very competitive market.

Areas covered will include everything from overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend (incorporating the Net Promoter framework), through the entire customer journey; including, the knowledge and helpfulness of venue staff, quality of facilities. perceived value for money. The programme also allows subscribers to benchmark their scores against those achieved by competitors.

Measuring success can be tricky, but as VenueVerdict will incorporate detailed feedback from event organisers who have actually used our venues we believe this to be the best possible feedback for our members and endorsement of their venues.”

BDRC Continental present awards annually for the top performers in the training and conference industry.
Full details of the process are to be outlined at the first annual conference of Conference Centres of Excellence featuring a host of industry specialists. This is being held at the Lakeside Conference Centre of Aston University on 21st July 2011.

Conference Centres of Excellence has been in existence for over 23 years and is the premier body of its kind in the UK ,with a growing membership that extends throughout England and Scotland.

For more information, go to www.cceonline.co.uk or www.bdrc-continental.com

Following our Summer Conference on Twitter? use hashtag #CCEConf11

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This year’s conference aims to bring together experts of our industry to provide information on how we can improve and prepare for the future challenges in a competitive market at an excellent value for money, whilst offering a great platform for networking and sharing of best practice amongst quality driven operators.

The programme is outlined within this document, providing you with a taste of the event to follow. Click here for programme details.

This forum is open to both Conference Centre of Excellence members and non-members and is aimed in particular at Venue Directors, General Managers and Heads of Sales and Marketing as well as upcoming leadership talent within our industry.

The event will be hosted by Conference Aston Event Venues in the centre of Birmingham, who will also offer overnight accommodation for those who wish to travel to the conference the night prior, and those who will join the Conference Dinner at the end of the event.

Follow us on Twitter @CCEVenuesOnline and using hashtag #CCEConf11

Request a copy of our new Meeting Planner here

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Members of Conference Centres of Excellence are required to maintain the highest professional standards in the meetings industry. This ensures that the customer experiences a consistent and exemplary quality of service and facilities when
using a member property.

In order to join the consortium, new applicants undergo an assessment after which they are visited by a team of industry professionals who vet the property to ensure it meets with Conference Centres of Excellence’s very high criteria for membership.

All existing members are assessed at regular intervals, to ensure they continue to meet these criteria. In the unlikely event of a venue failing to meet these criteria this could ultimately result in membership being terminated.

This constant process of accreditation requires a venue to be focused on the needs of the customer and to adopt best practice in the way it operates.

So when you – our customer – books an event into a member of Conference Centres of Excellence, you can be confident and relax knowing that all aspects of service offered to you and your delegates will be of the highest standard.

To find your perfect venue:
Click: www.cceonline.co.uk
Call: 0845 230 1414

Latest news: £20m eco-friendly hotel for University of Nottingham

2011-07-08T09:55:00.000+01:00

Construction is due to start on a new 200-bed upmarket hotel at The University of Nottingham.

With planning permission already in place, the University’s Council have now given approval for the £20m eco-friendly hotel, which will be built on University Park, adjacent to the East Midlands Conference Centre. The hotel, which will be funded entirely by the University, will be available for use by conference delegates, university visitors, local businesses and the general public.

Contractors BAM Construction have been appointed to start work on site during July. BAM Construction is a top 10 national contractor with extensive experience in building both education and hotel facilities. The hotel is due to be completed for opening by the end of 2012.

Built to the highest environmental standards, the hotel will feature state-of-the-art technology to reduce carbon emissions, as part of the University’s strategy to become an ever more environmentally-friendly institution. It will feature some executive-style rooms, meeting and conferencing rooms, a gym as well as a restaurant and bar.

Architects and interior designers have developed the eco-friendly building featuring accessible rooftop terraces, green roofs and maximum use of natural daylight. Open spaces will provide superb views of The University of Nottingham’s extensively landscaped campus, whilst the latest technology will help to reduce carbon emissions.

Solar photovoltaic panels and ground-sourced heat technology are incorporated, as well as a lower energy assisted-cooling ventilation system.

The hotel will aim to achieve an ‘Excellent’ rating under the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), which recognises low-impact buildings that incorporate the best environmental practice. The University of Nottingham has developed a series of award-winning buildings that have underlined its commitment to sustainable architecture and construction.

Chris Jagger, Chief Estates and Facilities Officer for The University of Nottingham said “The hotel will enhance the existing range of conference facilities provided by the University. It will provide a source of excellent quality accommodation all year round, not only supporting the existing meeting spaces provided by the award-winning East Midlands Conference Centre, but also for visitors to the University.”

For further information visit www.cceonline.co.uk or call 0845 230 1414