Warwick Conferences achieves VenueVerdict Gold Standard

Warwick Conferences is celebrating their venue Scarman achieving the BDRC Continental VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation.

The VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation is given to those venues recording a twelve-month Net Promoter Score of +70 from 40 or more business event hosts responses in 2015 and is testament to the team’s dedication to providing a first-rate meeting experience to every customer. 

Richard Harrison, Head of Conference Centres at Warwick Conferences, says: “We are delighted to receive the prestigious VenueVerdict Gold Standard from BDRC Continental. The staff at Scarman always go the extra mile to understand and implement the details valued by our customers and it is fantastic that this is being recognised. There really is no better testimony than positive customer feedback so we are thrilled to receive this accolade.” 

James Bland, Director of the Hotels and Hospitality team at BDRC Continental, says: “Warwick Conferences should be very proud of their venue Scarman. Net Promoter Scores can range from -100 to +100 so to achieve and sustain a score of +70 requires consistently excellent customer service. It’s a very discerning measure and that’s why only 39 venues have achieved it this time around.”

imago venues recognised by BDRC Continental VenueVerdict

Two of imago’s venues have been recognised in the latest BDRC Continental VenueVerdict results. 

Holywell Park has achieved BDRC Continental VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation which is given to those properties recording a twelve-month Net Promoter Score of +70 or higher from 40 or more Business Event Host responses in the twelve month period January to December 2014. Furthermore, each of the four calendar quarters is required to contain at least ten responses. In the last two years, the dedicated conference centre in Loughborough, Leicestershire, has achieved BDRC Continental VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation on four occasions.

In addition to Holywell Park achieving Gold accreditation, Burleigh Court – its four star conference centre and hotel - achieved Highly Commended under the scheme. 

Emma Boynton, head of Sales and Marketing at imago, comments: “Feedback from clients is extremely important to imago. It helps us to build a strategy which allows us to continually improve our customer service. Being awarded BDRC Continental VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation is recognition of the high standards we are achieving at Holywell Park. As it is calculated by responses from people who have attended events held here the accreditation is even more valuable. It is also pleasing that Burleigh Court has achieved Highly Commended and we look to build on this in future.”  

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

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

The Manor House Gains Gold Once Again

The Manor House, the independently owned meetings venue in Godalming, Surrey has been awarded another prestigious accreditation.

The Manor House received a VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation for 2013 from BDRC Continental, who collect feedback to measure how likely the Manor House’s meetings customers are to recommend it. There were around 360 hotels and venues nationally who took part in the VenueVerdict scheme in 2013 and of these only 31 got the net promoter score of +70 or more necessary to win the Gold Standard Accreditation. The Manor House is the only venue to win in the Surrey area.

“It’s great news that the Manor House has received the VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation for the second year on the trot” says Centre Manager Howard Canning, “and we feel as if gold is running through our veins these days! In October we learned we had also maintained our Green Tourism Gold Award for environmental awareness for the second time too. The BDRC Accreditation is a fantastic endorsement for new or potential customers as it’s is an indication that many others are happy to recommend the Manor House’s meetings facilities and services.”

About The Manor House:

The Manor House is an independently owned conference and training centre in Godalming, Surrey, where the traditions of hospitality, comfort and friendliness are blended with first class facilities to produce a unique, professional business environment.  With ten flexible meeting rooms and 31 bedrooms, the venue is set in the beautiful Surrey Hills yet is within easy reach of the A3, M25, mainline stations and international airports.

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

WARWICK CONFERENCES STRIKES GOLD AGAIN IN BDRC CONTINENTAL ACCREDITATION WINS

Warwick Conferences is celebrating its venues achieving BDRC Continental VenueVerdict accreditation for a third consecutive year, including Gold and Highly Commended for its Radcliffe and Scarman venues.

Judged by customers over the course of 2013 as part of the VenueVerdict Accreditation programme, Warwick’s venues are among just a handful of conference and meeting venues in the UK to be awarded these prestigious accolades. Warwick Conferences has held BDRC Continental accreditation at venues within the group since 2011, and achieved the standard yet again in 2013, despite the substantial renovation work carried out at Radcliffe training and conference centre during this period.

Rachael Bartlett, head of sales and marketing at Warwick Conferences said: “We’re thrilled to have been recognised again by BDRC Continental.  Reaching this standard is in itself an achievement, and maintaining it on a consistent basis is a challenge for any venue. At the time customer feedback was gathered, refurbishment was being carried out at our Radcliffe location. We hope to maintain this standard, indicative of the outstanding customer service we continually pride ourselves on delivering, for a long time to come.”

James Bland, senior client services manager at BDRC Continental added: “This quarter, only 31 properties 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.”

Warwick Conferences, part of the University of Warwick, is one of the leading providers of conferencing space in the UK.

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

Major industry awards for EEF Venues

EEF Venues has been named ‘No 1 Small Group’ and ‘Best Value for Money Group’ in the VenueVerdict Awards 2013 – the only industry awards programme to be based entirely on the voice of the customer. 

Venues and groups are benchmarked on a number of measures, and the groups recording the highest headline scores for the year are independently recognised as providing the best customer experience for meetings and events. 

This year's results are based on 22,000 individual responses from event planners across a pool of over 360 participating venues.

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: "We couldn’t ask for a better start to 2014. To be recognised in this way is a fantastic endorsement of our teams who consistently exceed customers’ expectations across our three dedicated venues – Broadway House in Westminster, Engineers’ House in Bristol and Woodland Grange in Warwickshire.” 

James Bland, client services director, BDRC, said: "Over the seven years that we have been running this programme, we have seen a consistent increase in quality standards from the many participating venues.  Their participation in independent external accreditation is evidently repaid by closer customer relationships resulting from the better service they are able to provide. The awards are split into three groups; recognising the different operational challenges that face groups of different sizes.” 

EEF Venue’s three venues have also scooped gold standard accreditation in The VenueVerdict Accreditation Programme, a comprehensive measure of service standards – again based entirely on the voice of the customer. 

Administered by BDRC Continental, an independent third party market research agency, and judged by real customers over a 12 month period, the VenueVerdict Accreditation programme is completely unbiased and so a true reflection of customer satisfaction levels. 

David Vaughton said: "Repeat bookings account for 70 per cent of business across our three venues so keeping our customers happy and satisfied is everything as it has a direct impact on our performance as a group. Retention and loyalty drive this business so it is truly humbling that our efforts have been acknowledged in this way.”

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

Nottingham Conference Centre achieves leading industry accreditation

Nottingham Conference Centre has recently received the Accredited in Meetings (AIM) Gold standard award. AIM is the nationwide Kitemark for venues and service providers in the meetings, conference and events industry.

Administered by the meetings industry association (mia) and endorsed by Visit Britain, Visit England and the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers, AIM is awarded to venues that have met or exceeded 50 criteria including customer service, quality of facilities, compliance with codes of conduct and corporate social responsibility.

AIM Gold is the highest level of the accreditation and demonstrates a venue's compliance with a more stringent set of criteria, completing a self-assessment, producing a portfolio of evidence in support of its application and receiving a visit from an independent assessor.

Jennifer Canto, Nottingham Conference Centre business development and sales manager, said: "We believe this is an important accreditation within the industry, showing customers the level of standards we are operating at.

"As an AIM accredited supplier we are committed to making our clients' events a success and by using our expertise we strive to exceed the highest standards."

Jane Longhurst, mia chief executive, added: "AIM is a mark of reassurance to meetings buyers; a demonstration that a venue is compliant, competent and capable. When a venue has achieved AIM Gold, buyers know the facilities will be of the highest standard and that they will receive service that is second to none with exceptional catering and hospitality."

Customers give Beardmore the Gold Standard

The Beardmore Hotel and Conference centre are delighted to announce that they have once again achieved the VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation. 

The Accreditation is awarded based purely on customer feedback and the Beardmore is one of only 3 venues in Scotland and 33 across the UK, out of 400, to have achieved this honour.

The market research agency BDRC Continental, announced the venues which have achieved Gold Standard, awarding this only to those that had 

a twelve-month Net Promoter Score (NPS) of +70 (scores range from -100 to +100). NPS is a progressive measure of customer service performance which acknowledges the power that excellent service has when it comes to driving positive word of mouth for a brand.

Bronagh Bell, Director of the Beardmore, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to have received the VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation for the second time. For conference and meeting venues around the UK this is the key distinction to receive and demonstrates our commitment to providing excellence to the events sector. 

“We pride ourselves on providing a personalised, professional service for every client, with attention to detail underpinned by an infrastructure to meet the needs of the specific conference. 

 “Our team have worked extremely hard to ensure our customers have the best experience possible; to have such positive feedback from our clients that we secure a spot in the top 33 is fantastic. 

“With the Commonwealth Games fast approaching, we are excited to continue enhancing our client experience through innovation, enriching our client experience and constantly striving to improve throughout 2014 and beyond.” 

James Bland, Client Services Director at BDRC Continental, is responsible for the programme. Congratulating the Beardmore on its achievement, James said: “Achieving the Gold Standard Accreditation once is difficult enough, so the Beardmore should be very proud of having retained the accolade at the end of this most recent period.  To do so represents fifteen months of consistently excellent customer hospitality to meet the very specialist (and often varied) needs of meeting and event hosts”

Gold, Silver and Shiny Stars at the Manor House

It’s been a summer of success at the Manor House Conference Centre in Godalming which has accumulated gold, silver and shiny stars over the summer. 

At the start of the season, it achieved a VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation from BDRC Continental for the second quarter 2013, which ended in June. 

BDRC Continental collect feedback to measure how likely the Manor House’s meetings customers are to recommend it. Of the nearly 375 hotels and venues nationally who took part in the scheme in the quarter, only 33 got the net promoter score of +70 or more necessary to win the Gold Standard Accreditation. The Manor House is the only venue to gain the accreditation in the Surrey area. 

In July, following an unannounced inspection from officers of Waverley Borough Council's Environmental Health Department, The Manor House’s five star food hygiene rating was re-confirmed.

The inspectors checked all aspects of the food production process from the delivery of raw ingredients to the time it is served to customers, giving it a big thumbs up. The official score will be recorded as part of Scores on the Doors, the national scheme that allows diners to see the ratings of every establishment that makes and sells food in the UK.

In August, the Manor House learned that it had retained its VisitEngland 4 star Guest Accommodation rating and Silver Award for quality. “This was really the icing on the cake,” remarks Centre Manager Howard Canning “as we had no inkling that a rating visit was due.”

“It’s been a great summer. We had our busiest month ever in July and we’ve accumulated all these plaudits as well!”  says Canning, who is also waiting to learn whether the Manor House will be shortlisted in the Beautiful South awards, run by Tourism South East. “For those staying, the 4 star Guest Accommodation rating is a real indication of quality and hospitality” he continues. “For diners, 5 star food hygiene means knowing that their meal has been safely produced, whilst the Gold Standard Accreditation is an indication that many others are happy to recommend the Manor House’s meetings facilities and services.”

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

Major award for Bristol Venue

Engineers’ House in Clifton Downs, Bristol has won the BDRC VenueVerdict Award for Excellence at the Conference Centres of Excellence Awards 2013, held on 18th July.

Conference Centres of Excellence  is the UK's only marketing consortium to represent specialist, quality conference and training centres in the UK.

Martyn Bowen, venue manager at Engineers’ House, said: “This award is the best endorsement we could ask for because it is based on customer service performance. To have won this independently judged category is a real vote of confidence in our quality standards and in our commitment to customer excellence.”      

Engineers’ House is part of EEF Venues, a group of three quality meetings venues. The elegant 19th century building is set in picturesque grounds overlooking the Clifton Downs and Avon Gorge. It has nine distinctive meeting rooms, quality on-site catering and capacity for up to 170 delegates per day. 78% of business at Engineer’s House is repeat business.

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues said: "Conference Centres of Excellence is a quality-driven organisation, promoting best practice throughout the sector and allowing members to market themselves on a shared ethos of high quality standards.  For EEF Venues to be positioned so strongly within their portfolio of venues is a wonderful achievement.
"This award for Engineers’ House is a real reflection of the levels of customer service and impeccable standards achieved by Martyn and his team.” 

Conference Centres of Excellence members achieve excellence with Gold Standard Accreditations

Conference Centres of Excellence member venues have once again achieved a significant number of BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation.

Since the consortium was founded in 1992 the focus for each venue has been on flexible, dedicated facilities and providing excellent quality standards, ensuring customers can be confident about the smooth running and success of their event.

Conference Centres of Excellence is the only marketing consortium to use the BDRC Continental VenueVerdict scheme as the benchmark for its ongoing quality assurance, ensuring standards are consistently maintained and measured to provide an excellent business meeting experience at all times.

In choosing a venue where customer feedback and in particular the ‘likelihood to recommend’ has been measured, customers can rest assured that they are in safe hands.

Conference Centres of Excellence is delighted that so many of our member venues have achieved the top level Gold Standard Accreditation, demonstrating that in the 21st anniversary year, quality remains at the very core of their businesses and our consortiums desire to promote excellence across our industry.

Nine Conference Centres of Excellence member venues have achieved the BDRC Continental VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation following ongoing assessment of customer feedback during the year from July 2012 to June 2013. 

The Conference Centre of Excellence gold accredited venues are:

• Broadway House, London

• Engineers House, Bristol

• Maple House, Birmingham

• Farncombe Conference Centre

• Scarman Training and Conference Centre, Warwickshire

• The Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre, Glasgow

• The Manor House, Surrey

• The Møller Centre, Cambridge

• Wyboston Lakes Executive Centre

Anthony Lishman, Executive Director of Conference Centres of Excellence commented: 

 “Conference Centres of Excellence has been promoting best practice and the highest level of quality standards for 21 years, which enables our customers to have a clear route to booking a successful event venue. BDRC continental helps us in promoting this message to our customers, being an independent accreditation based on genuine customer feedback, and as always, we are delighted to see so many of our venues achieving the Gold Standard Accreditation.”

Conference Centres of Excellence measures up the meeting experience

Conference Centres of Excellence member venues continue to measure customer experience and once again a significant number have achieved BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation.

Conference Centres of Excellence is the only marketing consortium to use the scheme as the benchmark for its ongoing quality assurance, ensuring quality standards are consistently maintained and measured to provide an excellent business meeting experience at all times.

Customers are faced with an increasing choice of venues for business events, with wide ranging levels of expertise, facilities and service, and it can therefore be hard for customers to be confident about the smooth running and success of their event.

In choosing a venue where customer feedback and in particular the ‘likelihood to recommend’ has been measured, customers can rest assured that they are in safe hands.

Conference Centres of Excellence is very excited that so many of our member venues have achieved the top level Gold Standard Accreditation, demonstrating that quality remains at the very core of their businesses and our consortiums desire to promote excellence across our industry.

Seven Conference Centres of Excellence member venues have achieved the BDRC Continental VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation following ongoing assessment of customer feedback during the year from April 2012 to March 2013. 

The Conference Centre of Excellence gold accredited venues are:

• Broadway House, London

• Cotswold Conference Centre, Midlands

• Engineers House, Bristol

• Maple House, Birmingham

• Scarman Training and Conference Centre, Warwickshire

• The Manor House, Surrey

• The Møller Centre, Cambridge

Anthony Lishman, Executive Director of Conference Centres of Excellence commented: 

“There is no better commendation than that of independently gathered, genuine feedback from customers and once again we are delighted to have a number of venues achieving the Gold Standard. In an environment where customers are presented with such a wide choice of new venues, our members consistently stand out with these accreditations. All of our member venues provide excellent quality standards in terms of dedicated facilities, exceptional food, and superior staff expertise, and this ensures a productive and profitable experience, whatever the business event.  

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

Bristol Venue Takes Gold

Engineers’ House, a Grade 11 listed conference venue in Clifton Downs, Bristol, has achieved gold standard accreditation in the VenueVerdict Awards run by BDRC Continental, the leading hospitality research specialists. The results are based entirely on independent customer feedback taken throughout 2012.

Part of EEF Venues, Engineers’ House is now placed in the top 6% of all of the 400 venues assessed under the Awards scheme.  The elegant 19th century building is set in picturesque grounds overlooking Westbury Park yet has all of the conference facilities one would expect from a contemporary venue such as free Wi-Fi, nine distinctive meeting rooms, quality on-site catering and capacity for up to 170 delegates per day. Its two sister venues within EEF Venues’ portfolio – Broadway House in Westminster and Woodland Grange in Warwickshire – received high commended accreditations in the same Awards.

Commenting on Engineers’ House success, Martyn Bowen, venue manager at Engineers’ House said: “The gold accreditation was based on clients’ feedback – for which we are incredibly grateful.  We are absolutely thrilled that Engineers’ House has achieved gold and   our aim is to continue to strive for excellence.” 

David Vaughton, venues director of EEF Venues said: "Great credit must go to Martyn and his team for their consistent passion and commitment. We have always been very proud to have Engineers’ House in our portfolio and it is truly great to get this endorsement from our clients. The feedback covered all aspects of our service including our in-house catering operation. "   

Engineers' House

Engineers’ House is a Grade II listed conference centre in Clifton Down, a prestigious suburb of Bristol.

It was built in 1831 by Charles Dyer, a leading Bristol architect. The most famous owner of the house was Charles Pinney, who was the Mayor of Bristol during the Bristol City Riots, and although it is sometimes referred to as ‘The Mayor’s House’, it was actually the private home of the Pinney family between 1835 and 1867.

Farncombe Maintains Gold Standard for Fourth Year

A leading UK conference centre, near Broadway, has achieved a top nationwide customer service accreditation for the fourth year running. 

Cotswold Conference Centre secured VenueVerdict Gold for 2012 and maintains its record of gaining the accreditation every year since the industry standard was launched in 2009. It is one of just four UK venues to have achieved Gold every year.

VenueVerdict is based on feedback from customers and only 26 conference venues and hotels – around seven per cent of those who participated – achieved the standard last year.

Richard Howdle, operations manager at Cotswold Conference Centre, said: “It’s an amazing achievement and shows the dedication of all our staff to the very highest levels of customer service. 

“It’s especially satisfying to gain an accreditation based purely on customer feedback. 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 VenueVerdict, an independent customer feedback benchmarking programme for meetings and events. Its quarterly accreditation framework is based on responses from more than 20,000 customer surveys across UK venues. Conference centres and hotels are assessed over rolling 12 month periods and must record ‘consistently excellent’ results to secure Gold.

James Bland from VenueVerdict said: “Congratulations to everyone who achieved the prestigious Gold Standard and especially to those, like Cotswold Conference Centre, who have done so every year since 2009.

“Maintaining this standard requires excellent service delivery, hard work and real customer satisfaction so it’s a great stamp of approval for the venue.”

Cotswold Conference Centre is part of leading hospitality business Farncombe, which also includes the luxury Dormy House Hotel and popular residential learning centre Farncombe Courses.

Farncombe is located in 320 acres of picturesque parkland in the Cotswolds. 

The Manor House wins two awards in a week.

The Manor House Conference Centre, Godalming, has won two prestigious awards in the very first week of 2013.

The first is a VisitEngland Silver Award, which followed from the property’s first star rating assessment, at which it achieved a four star rating. The Silver Award is an additional award, given in recognition of exceptional quality within a property’s star rating or for outperforming a star rating.

Under the rating scheme, the Manor House had to be assessed by an independent inspector, who stayed incognito overnight. This enabled the inspector to rate his stay against rigorous criteria, set nationally. These included not only the Manor House's physical aspects, but also levels of service, hospitality and comfort. The better these are, generally, the higher the star rating. 

In the same week, The Manor House also received a VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation from BDRC Continental, who collect feedback to measure how likely the Manor House’s meetings customers are to recommend it. Of the nearly 400 hotels and venues nationally who took part in the scheme in 2012, only 26 got the net promoter score of +70 or more necessary to win the Gold Standard Accreditation. The Manor House is the only venue to win in the Surrey area.

“We're delighted to win the Visit England Silver Award and VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation and get a 4 star rating all in one week – it’s a great start to 2013!”  says Centre Manager Howard Canning, “for customers, the 4 star rating is a real indication of quality and hospitality, whilst the Gold Standard Accreditation is an indication that many others are happy to recommend the Manor House’s meetings facilities and services.” 

The Manor House

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

Eleven meeting rooms range from the small and intimate to airy and spacious, each with its own character and fully equipped. The tranquil setting offers fabulous views across the surrounding countryside yet The Manor House is very accessible, just 12 miles from M25 (junc 10, A3), 45 minutes from London Waterloo by train and under an hour from Heathrow and Gatwick.

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

Gold standards remain top of the agenda for Conference Centres of Excellence

Conference Centres of Excellence is the only marketing consortium to adopt and promote BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict as the benchmark for its ongoing quality assurance. 

We are therefore delighted that a number of our member venues have achieved Gold Standard Accreditation, re-confirming that quality  remains at the very core of their businesses  and our consortium's desire to promote excellence across our industry.

Seven Conference Centres of Excellence member venues have achieved the BDRC Continental VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation following ongoing assessment of customer feedback during the year from January to December 2012. For the period in question, VenueVerdict featured a fraction under 400 participating meeting venues in the UK and Ireland, and just 26 venues in total were awarded the Gold Standard Accreditation. As more and more Conference Centres of Excellence Members sign up to VenueVerdict we are convinced that our tally of golds will also increase, setting a benchmark by which others will be measured. 

The Conference Centre of Excellence gold accredited venues are:

• Maple House, Birmingham

• Cotswold Conference Centre, Midlands

• Engineers House, Bristol

• Scarman Training and Conference Centre, Warwickshire

• The Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre, Glasgow

• The Manor House, Surrey

• The Møller Centre, Cambridge

Anthony Lishman, Executive Director of Conference Centres of Excellence commented:
“All our members consistently strive to maintain the highest possible quality standards in the meetings, training and events industry, and this is an excellent example of how important it is for us to provide an exceptional experience for our customers, who recognise the importance of using specialist venues.
To have over a quarter of the venues who have achieved this Gold Standard within the Conference Centres of Excellence group is something we are incredibly proud of, particularly as this accreditation is independently gathered, and analysed. And of course it is based on consistent customer feedback, there’s no better endorsement ”

Conference Centres of Excellence is the only sales and marketing consortium in the UK with a wide range of dedicated meeting, training and conference centres, covering a geographical area from the south east of England to Scotland.

Its 33 members, which include many of the country’s most respected providers, all offer staff and facilities dedicated to the process of communications with exceptional value for money packages that are genuinely all-inclusive.

For further information please contact info@cceonline.co.uk or call 0845 230 1414