Holywell Park recognised by BDRC Continental VenueVerdict

One of imago’s flagship venues has been recognised in the latest BDRC Continental VenueVerdict results. 

Holywell Park has achieved BDRC Continental VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation for Q1 2016. The standard is given to 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 April 2015 to March 2016. Furthermore, each of the four calendar quarters is required to contain at least ten responses. 

It is the ninth time in total that the Loughborough venue has achieved the BDRC Continental VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation and demonstrates its commitment to maintaining high standards. 

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. BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict is based on responses from people who have experienced everything Holywell Park has to offer which makes this type of accreditation even more valuable and we are delighted that it has once again achieved the highest standard.” 

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, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2016, manages Burleigh Court, Holywell Park, Loughborough University’s conference and events facilities and The Link Hotel. 

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.”

EEF Venues takes the title for the third consecutive year

For the third year running, EEF Venues has been named ‘No 1 Small Group’ and ‘Best Value for Money Group’ in BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict Awards 2015 – the only industry awards programme based entirely on the voice of the customer.

In addition, Engineers’ House, EEF Venue’s Bristol venue, has been named ‘No 1 Overall Venue’ and ‘No 1 Conference Centre’ for the second year running.

This year's results are based on 20,003 individual responses throughout 2015 from event planners across a pool of over 375 participating venues nationwide.

EEF Venues was ranked in top place within key people-related areas of the customer journey such as understanding client priorities, friendliness & helpfulness of staff, flexibility & responsiveness and meeting & greeting performance. Other areas also scored top marks such as technical facilities, Wi-Fi speed & connectivity and meeting room size, comfort and temperature.

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: "People skills and engagement are vitally important issues for customers on their journey with us because that is what they remember so to have gained this important accolade three years in a row shows the consistency of our standards and satisfaction levels. 

“Achieving world class customer service is an integral part of our business model and it continues to reap sustainable business benefits such as trust, loyalty, repeat business, increased revenue and recognition such as this. We couldn’t ask for a better start to the year."

The results underline a recent report by the Institute of Customer Service on 2016 trends which highlight that focusing on the customer experience impacts positively on business outcomes.

“It’s all about people”, said David Vaughton. “If you have passionate people who embody your values, it is bound to impact positively on return of investment and on the bottom line. That is why we place so much emphasis on growing talent through our apprentice and trainee management schemes to instil our values for succession planning.” 

Over the last two years EEF Venues achieved 19% consolidated growth and forecasts a further 5% year on year growth for 2016, with a projected annual turnover target close to £6 million for this financial year.

EEF Venue’s three venues have also scooped gold standard accreditation in the VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation 2015, with a combined Net Promoter Score of +86.8 from customers in comparison to a national average of just +55.1.

James Bland, director of the Hotels and Hospitality team at BDRC Continental, said: “Our role at BDRC Continental is to ensure impartial, unbiased calculation of results to ensure the VenueVerdict Awards and Accreditations are determined entirely by the customer feedback properties receive.  That means that Gold Standard Accreditations are genuine hallmarks of the service and product that meeting and event hosts can expect to experience.  

“To achieve the high standard required to achieve these Accreditations requires hard work and dedication, but above all an unwavering focus on the guest experience.  EEF Venues are to be congratulated for the consistently excellent standards they maintain.”

Gold Standard Accreditation demonstrates consistent quality standards for venues

Conference Centres of Excellence is delighted to see member venues once again achieve a number of BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict accreditations and commendations at the end of Q4 2014, based on a customer’s ‘likelihood to recommend’ using feedback across a number of key areas.

These accreditations, particularly the top level Gold Standard Accreditation, demonstrate the high standards required by the membership group to provide consistently superior standards in service and facilities for all customers.

Just under 21,250 individual pieces of feedback were collated to determine the VenueVerdict results, providing a completely independent assessment of experience. In choosing a venue where customer feedback and in particular the ‘likelihood to recommend’ has been measured in this way, customers can rest assured that they are in safe hands.

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 2014. 

The Conference Centre of Excellence gold accredited venues are:

• Broadway House (EEF Venues), London

• Engineers House (EEF Venues), Bristol

• Farncombe Conference Centre, Cotswolds

• The Møller Centre, Cambridge

• Nottingham Conference Centre, Nottingham

• The Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre, Glasgow

• Woodland Grange (EEF Venues), Warwickshire

Highly commended venues also include CCE members:

• Imago @ Burleigh Court, Leicestershire

• Scarman Training & Conference Centre, Warwickshire

• Stirling Court Hotel & Conference Centre, Stirling

• Wyboston Lakes, Bedfordshire

Commended venues include CCE members:

• Ashorne Hill, Warwickshire

• Eynsham Hall, Oxfordshire

Amanda Stacey, Marketing Manager of Conference Centres of Excellence commented: 

“Our members consistently strive to maintain the highest possible quality standards in the meetings, training and events industry, and there’s no better endorsement than that from independently monitored customer feedback. As a consortium which measures quality standards in terms of dedicated facilities, exceptional food, superior staff expertise, and overall event experience, we are delighted at the consistent quality standards our venues achieve year after year and congratulate those members in particular who achieve the gold standard accreditation.”

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

EEF Venues takes the title for the second year running

For the second consecutive year, EEF Venues has been named ‘No 1 Small Group’ and ‘Best Value for Money Group’ in BDCR Continental’s VenueVerdict Awards – the only industry awards programme based entirely on the voice of the customer. 

In addition, EEF Venues’ Bristol venue, Engineers’ House, has been named No 1 Specialist Venue and Overall Venue for 2014.

This year's results are based on 21,250 individual responses throughout 2014 from event planners across a pool of over 375 participating venues nationwide.

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: "These awards are an acknowledgement of our people, our performance, our investment in product and service and the relationships we hold with our customers. The credibility and brand recognition we gain from this award programme cannot be underestimated, particularly because of its transparent process as it is based entirely on direct customer feedback. This is a great motivational start to the year and we view it as an opportunity for increased confidence and further growth ahead.”

James Bland, director of the Hotels and Hospitality team at BDRC Continental, said: "Based entirely on genuine, verified customer feedback, these accolades reflect the cream of the nation’s meetings providers.”

2014 was an exceptional year for EEF Venues, with 13% year-on-year revenue growth across its three venues: Broadway House in Westminster, Engineers’ House in Bristol and Woodland Grange in Leamington Spa.

EEF Venue’s three venues have also scooped gold standard accreditation in The VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation Programme 2014, with an aggregate Net Promoter Score of 89.0 from customers, in comparison to a national average of just 54.2. 

In 2014 EEF Venues also achieved AIM gold across the group in 2014, as well as a second TripAdvsior Certificate of Excellence for Woodland Grange, which was also named ‘Business of the Year’ in the Pride of Warwick Awards.  

David Vaughton said: "Customer service excellence drives this business so achieving these accolades endorses everything we stand for. Repeat bookings account for 70 per cent of business across our three venues so keeping our customers happy and satisfied is vital as it has a direct impact on our performance as a group. It is truly humbling that our efforts have been acknowledged in this way.”

Golden year for the Beardmore

The Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre have secured their fourth consecutive Gold Accreditation from VenueVerdict. 

The prestigious accreditation is based on feedback from approximately 370 venues all across the UK, taking into account more than 22,500 pieces of feedback from customers in the fourth quarter of this year. 

The market research agency BDRC Continental award the Gold Standard, to only those venues achieving 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 Hotel and Conference Centre, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to receive our fourth consecutive VenueVerdict Gold Accreditation. We are constantly looking for new ways to develop and expand our services to deliver the highest possible standard of service in the fast paced world of modern conferencing, and this accreditation is a testament to this hard work.”

James Bland, Client Services Director at BDRC Continental, congratulated the Beardmore on its achievement saying: “The team at the Beardmore should be extremely proud of this accomplishment. Our criteria are very selective and require organisations to meet a diverse and specialised series of objectives, demonstrating consistent dedication to improvement and delivering excellence across the organisation; to have accomplished this for the fourth time is a fantastic achievement.”

Bronagh added: “Continuous improvement and investment is vital in all dedicated hotel and conference venues. We believe it is essential to develop those all important added extras, as well as guaranteeing attention to detail and personalisation to all of our customers. Having recently invested in our Wifi to ensure all clients have fast, reliable, internet access and opening our new Innovation Centre, we are now moving forward and looking into the remodelling of our 168 bedrooms to create the ideal guest room as we work towards our 2020 strategy.” 

The Beardmore has had a very successful 12 months, receiving the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence, as well as becoming the only Scottish venue to be accepted into the prestigious International Association of Conference Centres (IACC).

Golden times for EEF Venues

EEF Venues’ three venues have achieved BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict Gold Standard for the third consecutive quarter this year.

Accreditation is based on approximately 22,500 individual pieces of customer feedback. The lead measure used by VenueVerdict is the Net Promoter Score, derived from the rating given by customers when asked how likely they would be to recommend the venue. Those scoring higher than +70 are awarded the VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation.

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: “To consistently achieve the highest ranking across the group is a great endorsement of our customer satisfaction levels and the emphasis we place on quality.”

Gold Standard Accreditation demonstrates independent venue excellence

Conference Centres of Excellence member venues have once again achieved a significant number of BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation at the end of Q3 2014, based on a customer’s ‘likelihood to recommend’ using feedback across a number of key areas.

Conference Centres of Excellence is delighted that a number of member venues consistently achieve the top level Gold Standard Accreditation, demonstrating the high standards required by the membership group to provide excellence in service and facilities for all customers.

Just under 22,500 individual pieces of feedback were collated to determine the VenueVerdict results, providing a completely independent assessment of experience. In choosing a venue where customer feedback and in particular the ‘likelihood to recommend’ has been measured in this way, customers can rest assured that they are in safe hands.

Five 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 September 2013 to October 2014.

The Conference Centre of Excellence gold accredited venues are:
• Farncombe Conference Centre, Cotswolds
• Woodland Grange, Warwickshire
• The Møller Centre, Cambridge
• The Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre, Glasgow
• Imago – Holywell Park, Loughborough

Amanda Stacey, Marketing Manager of Conference Centres of Excellence commented:
“We are delighted to see a number of our members achieve Gold Standard Accreditation with BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict. As a consortium which measures quality standards in terms of dedicated facilities, exceptional food, superior staff expertise, and overall event experience, these independent accreditations support our own quality criteria to ensure that customers have the very best experience when using a Conference Centres of Excellence venue.”

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

Another Gold for The Beardmore from VenueVerdict

The Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre has once again achieved the prestigious VenueVerdict Gold Accreditation.  

The VenueVerdict Accreditation is based on customer feedback from 360 venues across the UK, and over 22,000 events. The accreditation is based on the twelve months ending in quarter two of this year.

The market research agency BDRC Continental award the Gold Standard, to only those venues achieving 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 Hotel and Conference Centre, commented: “To have achieved our second VenueVerdict Gold Accreditation of 2014 is an incredible accomplishment, and demonstrates that our commitment to customer service, attention to detail and dedication to continuous improvement is paying off.”

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 for the second quarter of 2014 is a brilliant accomplishment for the Beardmore. Our targets for achieving this standard are rigorous and involves meeting a very diverse and specialised series of criteria to demonstrate a continued dedication to excellence and improvement throughout the organisation; to have accomplished this for the first two quarters of 2014 is a wonderful achievement and the team at the Beardmore should be very proud.” 

The VenueVerdict Accreditation continues a fantastic 2014 for the Beardmore Hotel, having recently been awarded the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence and attaining the prestigious Investors in People Gold Accreditation for the first time. 

Bronagh added: “Everything we do is with the goal of improving quality standards for our customers, clients and delegates. Over the past several years we have continually adapted and upgraded our facilities and technology to keep up with the fast paced world of modern conferencing and events.

“As we move into the second half of the year, we are in the middle of some big changes and developments and are looking forward to what promises to be one of our most exciting and innovative years yet.” 

The Manor House wins Gold... Again!

The Manor House is delighted to have started 2014 with the award of another prestigious accreditation.

The Manor House received a VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation for the first quarter of 2014 from BDRC Continental, who collect feedback to measure how likely the Manor House’s meetings customers are to recommend it. There are around 360 hotels and venues nationally who take part in the VenueVerdict scheme and of these only 29 got the net promoter score of +70 or more necessary to win the Gold Standard Accreditation. The Manor House is the only venue to achieve the award in the Surrey area.

“We're all delighted that the Manor House has received the VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation for  the first quarter of 2014” says Centre Manager Howard Canning, who also points out that this is the ninth successive quarter that the Manor House has achieved Gold Standard Accreditation. "The BDRC Continental VenueVerdict Accreditation is a fantastic endorsement for new or potential customers. Customer feedback is independently measured and verified by BDRC Continental, so the Accreditation is an indication to any meeting booker that their peers are happy to recommend the Manor House’s meetings facilities and services. Customers are assured of a great experience.”

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

Awards and Gold Standard Accreditations for Conference Centres of Excellence members

Conference Centres of Excellence members have won further acclaim in the VenueVerdict Awards 2013 – the only industry awards programme to be based entirely on the voice of the customer. 

The awards and accreditations provide a comprehensive measure of service standards based entirely on the voice of real customers, and this year's results are based on 22,000 individual responses from event planners across a pool of over 360 participating venues.

EEF Venues, whose three conference venues Woodland Grange, Engineers House and Broadway House are all long-standing Conference Centres of Excellence members, have been named ‘No 1 Small Group’ and ‘Best Value for Money Group’ in the Awards.

All three venues have also gained Gold Standard Accreditation again in the VenueVerdict programme, proving consistently excellent quality standards.

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. 

A further four Conference Centres of Excellence member venues have also achieved the highest level BDRC Continental VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation at the end of 2013:

• Maple House, Birmingham

• Farncombe Conference Centre, Cotswolds

• 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. There’s no better endorsement than that from independently monitored customer feedback and we are delighted at the consistent quality standards our venues achieve. ”