David Vaughton is appointed to the mia board

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, has been appointed to the Executive Board of the Meeting Industry Association (mia).

A Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality and a serving board member of Conference Centres of Excellence (CEE), David has over 25 years’ experience within the hospitality sector. Over the last seven years, he has launched and consolidated the EEF Venues brand, with responsibility for the strategic direction and growth strategy for the group’s three AIM-gold accredited venues: Broadway House (Westminster), Woodland Grange (Leamington Spa) and Engineers’ House (Bristol).

Having already served twice on the mia Council, this latest commitment from David Vaughton underlines his on-going support for the association and its work. 

He said: “It is an honour to be part of the strategic thrust of the association and to join such talented and experienced industry professionals on the mia’s Executive Board to help raise awareness of this respected trade association and the work it does to raise industry standards.”

Mark Chambers, chairman of the mia and group managing director of the Eden Hotel Collection, said: “We welcome David Vaughton’s strong commercial focus and his insight into the challenges and opportunities within the sector. His first-hand experience of the impact AIM accreditation can have on a hospitality business makes him ideally placed to support our strategic objectives. “ 

EEF Venues forecasts further growth for 2016

Following incremental revenue growth of 5% year on year for 2015, EEF Venues is forecasting a further 5% year on year growth for 2016, with a projected annual turnover target close to £6 million for this financial year.

Over the last two years the group behind three AIM Gold accredited venues; Broadway House, (Westminster), Engineers’ House (Bristol) and the group’s residential venue, Woodland Grange (Leamington Spa), has achieved 19% consolidated growth, adding £900K to its turnover over the two-year period.

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues attributes this performance to EEF Venues’ focus on customer service excellence and quality.

He said: ”While price was a driver throughout the recession, we have seen an increased appetite from buyers to select on the basis of value rather than price. This is indicative of companies being more solvent and wanting a more quality experience for their staff.  An improved business landscape means there is a growing demand for business travel so we expect further strong growth in our business residency sales at Woodland Grange.

“2015 has also seen us penetrate new markets such the associations sector and we have seen tangible improvement in the Christmas party market – again an indication of a more confident corporate scene.”

The group’s sales and marketing strategies have also impacted on performance, as David Vaughton explained: ”We have invested in sales and we have been fortunate to attract many awards and accolades  throughout 2015, such as winning the Business Tourism category of the Visit England Awards for Woodland Grange, but that doesn’t mean we rest on our laurels.  

“New business doesn’t come on a plate; you have to go hunt for it so we will be seeking entry into new business markets to diversify our client-base. As ever, our critical focus will be on serving the customer. Achieving ‘world class customer service’ is an aspirational target across the business and we see this as being built into our DNA.  We are constantly innovating and developing to meet the changing needs of our customers.”

According to David Vaughton, staffing will continue to be an issue for the wider hospitality sector.
He said: ”2016 will continue to be a candidates’ market so our goal is to retain our staff by incentivising them to be the very best at what they do to protect our standards, consistency of service and quality - and to provide succession planning. 

“We view investing in talent as key to our on-going success and will continue to appraise, develop, mentor and reward our teams to encourage loyalty and performance. I firmly believe that we have an obligation to help people to grow. Happy staff means happy delegates. In return, we get greater stability, consistency and loyalty which impacts positively on our business performance.”

EEF, the parent company behind EEF Venues, has set a rolling capital investment budget of £500K for 2016/2017 to support the group’s aspirations ahead.

David Vaughton concluded: ”We will continue to invest in what we see as the three most important core elements for any delegate: leading edge technology, great food and people as these have most influence on our business. 

“Given our growth over the last two years, we are confident that 2016 will be another great year for EEF Venues.”

Broadway House supports Sparks Charity

EEF Venues’ Broadway House in Westminster hosted a post 2015 Virgin London Marathon event at the venue on 26th April to welcome participants running in the marathon in aid of Sparks, a charity that raises money to fund pioneering children’s medical research.

The charity supports clinicians and scientists in finding cures and treatments to help the 1 in 30 children born in the UK with a condition which may affect them for life.

Amanda Sutton, venue manager at Broadway House, said: “There was a warm welcome awaiting the participants, their families and friends at Broadway House where they were able to take rest and refreshment after the event and share their experience with us.  We replenished their batteries with delicious finger food and plenty of juice and water and had  rooms set aside for massage areas for the participants.”

Todd Harris, challenge events executive with Sparks, said: “We had 75 runners participating in the marathon this year for Team Sparks and we expect to raise in excess of £165,000. In amongst those 75 runners we had former Olympian, Ian Stark; Phil Brown, current Southend United Manager, and Sarah-Jane Mee, Sky Sports Presenter. This is a major fund raising event for us and we were delighted to have had the support of EEF Venues at Broadway House.”

Quality Standards remain top of the list for CCE Venues

Conference Centres of Excellence is delighted once again to see member venues achieve a number of BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditations at the end of Q1 2015.

The VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation is the top level accolade issued to venues, based on independent customer feedback including their ‘likelihood to recommend’ Net Promoter Score.

Our venues consistently demonstrate the high standards required to provide an outstanding event experience for customers, across a number of key areas including service, facilities, food and accommodation. For those who take part in the BDRC VenueVerdict programme, achieving these accreditations on a regular basis independently confirms the excellent ongoing service delivery.

Just under 21,000 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 April 2014 to March 2015.

The Conference Centre of Excellence gold accredited venues are:

• Broadway House (EEF Venues), London

• Engineers House (EEF Venues), Bristol

• Scarman Training and Conference Centre (Warwick Conferences), Warwick

• The Møller Centre, Cambridge

• Nottingham Conference Centre, Nottingham

• The Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre, Glasgow

• Woodland Grange (EEF Venues), Warwickshire

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

“At a time when service delivery and customer experience are once again becoming a priority factor for event bookers, rather than low pricing and reduced rate packages, we’re delighted to see that our members are consistently being rewarded with the highest level of customer feedback. BDRC VenueVerdict is a well-recognised industry standard and our venues can rightly be proud of their achievements.”

EEF Venues invests in growth strategy

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

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

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

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

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

ISO18001 for EEF Venues

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

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

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

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

Meet the team: Silvia joins Broadway House

Silvia Furuglyasova joined Broadway House eight months ago as conference and events co-ordinator. 

Since then, she has been kept on her toes at this busy Westminster venue, where her role involves actively building and maintaining exceptional client relationships to ensure happy and loyal clients.

As well as proactively pursuing sales and promoting packages, her job requires a huge amount of client liaison, as Silvia explained:”The most important aspect of my job is nurturing relationships so that people not only book, but that they return.”

With Silvia’s hotel background, she is well aware of the importance of great customer service.

“Every client is different but expectations are always high so we do our utmost to ensure that they are happy and satisfied,” she said.

Before joining Broadway House last June, Silvia worked with The Strand Palace, London, for five years, starting out as a receptionist before becoming an event coordinator with the four star hotel. Before that, she was receptionist at The Thistle Hotel, Hyde Park.

“What I love about working for EEF Venues at Broadway House is the personal and caring approach to staff,” said Silvia. “We all feel valued and our opinion matters, and that is so important as it ensures a motivated and inspired team who will always go that extra mile to secure customer satisfaction.”   

EEF Venues creates new sales post

EEF Venues has appointed Nicholas Williams as director of sales for the group’s three AIM Gold accredited conference venues: Woodland Grange in Leamington Spa, Broadway House in Westminster and Engineers’ House in Bristol. 

 He officially started the role on 5th August and is now responsible for business development and marketing strategy across the group.

Before joining EEF Venues, Nicholas was director of sales and marketing for Fawsley Hall Hotel in Northamptonshire, where he achieved record sales and profit targets during a challenging economic climate. Prior to that, he was director of sales with Dunchurch Park Hotel and Conference Centre in Rugby. He brings with him more than twenty years of experience within the hotel and conference sector.

Commenting on his appointment, David Vaughton, venues director for EEF Venues, said: “We take a very pro-active approach to sales and marketing, with an emphasis on relationship building and customer care excellence. We are confident that with Nick’s experience and expertise we will continue to attract and retain a diverse and satisfied client-base across the business.

”This latest appointment reflects the renewed corporate confidence we are now seeing in the meeting & conference sector, which is impacting positively on our performance right across our three venues. Year-to-date growth figures show that EEF Venues has grown by 15 per cent year-on-year, putting us 12 per cent ahead of our budget for 2014.” 

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

EEF Venues reports robust first quarter sales

EEF Venues’ first quarter trading results show a 12 per cent increase in sales revenue over YTD figures for the same period last year. The increased sales are right across the group’s three AIM-Gold accredited venues; Broadway House (Westminster), Engineers’ House (Bristol) and Woodland Grange (Leamington Spa). The double digit growth significantly surpasses UK GDP growth for the first quarter of 2014.

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: ”We usually use GDP growth rate as a bench-mark as we find that improving performance and optimism in the manufacturing and construction industries can impact positively on the conference and venues market. To have out-performed British economic growth is beyond our expectations, and we predict similar success throughout our second quarter.”

David attributes the strong trading results to a combination of several factors. He explained: ”Increased corporate confidence, coupled with sharper and more proactive negotiating skills and better levels of engagement have all impacted positively on our results this quarter.”

Named ‘No 1 Small Group’ and ‘Best Value for Money Group’ in the BDRC VenueVerdict Awards earlier this year, EEF Venues reports these significant increases across multiple income streams including residential  and non-residential conference bookings.

Broadway House to support the PSP Association

Broadway House, EEF Venues’ dedicated conference and meetings venue in Westminster, will host a post-Virgin London Marathon 2014 event on 13^th April to welcome participants running in the marathon in aid of the Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Association. 

The PSP Association offers advice, support and information to people living with the degenerative brain diseases, PSP and CBD, and supports research into treatments for those conditions. 

Amanda Sutton, venue manager at Broadway House, said: ”There will be a warm welcome awaiting the participants, their families and friends at Broadway House where they can  take rest and refreshment after the event and share their experience with us.   We will be replenishing their batteries with delicious finger food and plenty of juice and water and there will be rooms set aside for massage areas for the participants.”

Jean Kelly, fundraising manager with The PSP Association commented: “We have 70 supporters running on behalf of the charity in the 2014 Virgin London Marathon. The PSPA is a small charity and the event is its biggest fundraiser. There is no cure for PSP, a degenerative neurological disease, or any effective treatment, but there is still a lot PSPA can do and the money raised will make a huge difference. It will go directly towards helping those living with PSP, be it through funding our Specialist Care Advisers, holding more local Support Groups, or funding research into the causes, treatments, and eventually, a cure for PSP.

“We are looking forward to hosting our post-race reception at Broadway House and greeting our amazing runners and their friends and families. All that is left to say is good luck PSPA runners!”

Christmas arrives early at Broadway House

EEF Venues’ Broadway House has appointed a new events co-ordinator, Katie Christmas. 

Originally from Christchurch in New Zealand, Katie was previously a cabin supervisor with Virgin Australia. She brings with her a keen understanding of customer service and a genuine interest in putting clients’ needs first.

For Katie, who also has a degree in performing arts, great customer service is not only about meeting but exceeding customer expectations by going that extra mile and being friendly, efficient and approachable.

She said:” My colleagues at Broadway House are very good at knowing what our clients want and I am delighted to be part of such a successful venue which continues to attract and retain a very loyal and satisfied client-base.”

Hot Sales for EEF Venues

Temperatures weren’t the only thing soaring in July as EEF Venues reports a 16 per cent increase in sales on last year’s figures for July 2012. In fact, it was the group’s strongest performing July to date, placing EEF Venues’ sales for the month ten per cent above its projected target.

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: ”Historically, July is usually an average month with regards to sales, particularly the last two weeks once schools have broken up for the holidays, but we have seen a significant rise in bookings this year  across our three venues: Broadway House in Westminster, Engineers’ House in Bristol and Woodland Grange in Warwickshire. We received 800 business enquiries throughout the month, with a high conversion rate of between 60 and 70 per cent. 

“Although still a challenging market, I think this shows increased confidence in the private sector to commit to meetings and conferences. It is also a strong reflection of our reputation for great customer service and demonstrates that our sales and marketing function is thriving,” he said.

“To have achieved ten per cent above our expectations is quite an achievement.  Forward projections are also looking good for well into October.”

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

A golden hat-trick for EEF Venues

Broadway House, EEF Venues’ conference venue at the heart of Westminster, has achieved Gold in the stringent Accredited in Meetings (AIM) assessment – the nationwide 'kite mark' for accredited venues and service providers in the UK meetings, conference and events industry.

All three EEF Venues now have AIM Gold status: Broadway House, Engineers’ House in Bristol and Woodland Grange in Warwickshire. 

Broadway House, which features twelve distinctive meeting rooms, with a maximum room capacity for up to 120 delegates, is the final venue in the group to join AIM’s elite group of 17 UK venues to have been awarded gold status to date.

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues said: ”AIM has embedded itself into the industry as the ultimate benchmark for quality so we couldn’t ask for a better endorsement of our quality and service standards. 

“AIM gives essential, third party credibility - which is crucial for client confidence. Customers know straight away that there is a certain standard, and when that standard is gold, they know that their event will be impeccable. It’s about providing peace of mind and that’s an incredible advantage to have in a highly competitive sector.”

Amanda Sutton, venue manager at Broadway House said:” AIM Gold is the best accolade any venue could wish for. It is the ultimate benchmark of quality so to have achieved this gives us an incredible advantage over other venues in Westminster. We are absolutely thrilled and view this as a vote of confidence in our facilities, in our service levels and our people.”

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

£1 million refurbishment investment for EEF Venues

EEF Venues is investing £1 million in a major refurbishment project at its Westminster venue, Broadway House, and at its Woodland Grange Conference Centre in Warwickshire. 

The company has commissioned Coventry-based McCarthy Interiors, leading specialists in corporate refurbishment and space planning, to manage the project, which is due to start on 4th March 2013. 

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: "This refurbishment project is a considerable milestone for us. We view it as a huge vote of confidence in EEF Venues and also in the marketplace itself, which despite challenging economic times, is still buoyant.  Competition from other venues, particularly within the Westminster area, is strong. However, as approximately 75 per cent of all of our business comes from repeat bookings, this drives the business during difficult times. But there is no room for complacency; it’s vital to keep improving facilities and investing to meet increasingly high delegate expectations."

At Broadway House, a six-storey, Edwardian building in the heart of Westminster, EEF Venues is up-grading all of the public access spaces and conference areas within the building. This will include lighting, décor and new carpeting throughout.

The project will also involve a complete refurbishment of the 114 en-suite bedrooms at EEF Venues’ Woodland Grange in Leamington, Warwickshire. 

David Vaughton continued: “We will be completely stripping out the bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms to provide more contemporary and stylish facilities for our delegates and guests, in keeping with our four star accommodation standards. This will include everything from changing the flooring, tiling and sanitary ware to décor, bed linen and soft furnishings. We are not just looking at the aesthetics, but have focussed on the design element from a practical, housekeeping viewpoint also, such as having wall-mounted toilets and sinks for ease of access for cleaning.”

Roger Day, general manager of McCarthy Interiors, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be working closely with EEF Venues on this exciting and substantial contract. For the past six months we have worked very closely with the team to help realise their vision. One key element of the design process has been a ‘demo room’ at Woodland Grange where we have refurbished one of the bedrooms as an example of how the rooms will look. We now look forward to taking our concepts to completion at both of these impressive venues.”  

EEF Venues appoints Kanga Marketing

EEF Venues are pleased to announce the recent appointment of Kanga Marketing to help drive their business development, increase sales and realise marketing targets for the foreseeable future. 

Woodland Grange, Warwickshire

With three outstanding conference and meeting venues in London, Warwickshire and Bristol EEF Venues have a great reputation within the conferencing and events industry and a passion for hospitality and exceptional service. Kanga Marketing have been commissioned to build awareness of these venues and develop fresh business opportunities in new market sectors.

Kanga Marketing have worked with some of the biggest and most successful venues in the UK and will work alongside EEF Venues to help deliver the plan, which will use both traditional and digital marketing. With their many years of experience in business development and a great marketing team, Kanga will work on a campaign which will push the PR in a new direction, utilise new and patented technology previously unused in the events industry and work closer with EEF’s sales teams to create a more integrated approach.

Broadway House, London

Karl Neal, Kanga Marketing Client Director, said “We’re very proud to be working with EEF Venues. Having met many members of the EEF team at all three UK locations we have been hugely impressed by their commitment to outstanding customer service and their obvious desire for growth; we are really looking forward to taking the company to the next level. We have already completed our initial review and we can  see a number of opportunities that will impact in their business on a big way, really making a difference to bookings both on B2B and B2C.”

David Vaughton, EEF Venues Director, said “We are thrilled to have appointed Kanga Marketing to help us drive and deliver a bigger and better plan for the future. The growth of our business is an important factor and we’re positive about the changes we’re making. Our current clients can be assured that they will still receive the same exceptional service we pride ourselves upon. We are looking forward to opening our doors to some fresh new faces and welcoming back familiar clients at our venues.“

Engineers House, Bristol

For more information please call the Conference Centres of Excellence Hotline 0845 230 1414 or email info@ccceonline.co.uk

EEF Venues 3 day flash sale

For 3 days only, claim exclusive and generously discounted day delegate rates when you book any JUNE 2012 event at an EEF Venue.

We have 4 acclaimed venues in 4 top UK business destinations:


WOODLAND GRANGE, Warwickshire
FLASH SALE DDR: £35.00
Maximum room capacity: 200

ENGINEERS' HOUSE, Bristol
FLASH SALE DDR: £24.50
Maximum room capacity: 170

BROADWAY HOUSE, Westminster
FLASH SALE DDR: £42.00
Maximum room capacity: 120

BROOMGROVE, Sheffield
FLASH SALE DDR: £25.00
Maximum room capacity: 90

Sale begins: 9:00am, Wednesday 23rd May
Sale closes: 5:00pm, Friday 25th May

To book your event contact the Hotline today on 0845 230 1414 or info@cceonline.co.uk

Don't be an April fool - pay just £42pp for a full day at Broadway House this April

You'll have a spring in your step at Broadway House this April if you're quick to secure our very special day delegate rate of just £42.

Available across a selection of April dates, this £42pp full-day conference and meetings offer is superb value for premium facilities, exceptionally warm and efficient service and an incredible location just inches from the entrance to St James’s Park tube station, on the District and Circle lines.

Broadway House is a six storey Edwardian building at the heart of Westminster, making it a very popular choice for ministerial meetings and press conferences. It’s only a 10-minute walk from Victoria, Waterloo and Charing Cross stations, so couldn’t be any more convenient for City meetings.

There are 12 well equipped meeting rooms, with the Stephenson Room and the Council Chamber accommodating up to 110 theatre style. The Council Chamber and Westminster Suite are fitted with full PA and recording facilities and all rooms benefit from stationery, flipcharts, phones, photocopying facilities and whiteboards, included entirely as standard, so you’ll never be charged any hidden extras.

Enjoy complimentary high-speed WiFi throughout the building and stay perky with unlimited refreshments, homemade cakes and biscuits. We’ll also satiate your appetite with a tasty finger buffet of your choice.

We will give you all the help and support you need to arrange your conference, team building session, training day or corporate event. We can also cater for evening meetings should you need to organise an event out of working hours.

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

All four EEF venues are now Conference Centres of Excellence!

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.

Special Offer from Broadway House London - Conference Centres of Excellence

Book your event through this website and save money

Broadway House is a six storey Edwardian building at the heart of Westminster, making it a very popular choice for ministerial meetings and press conferences. In fact, it is directly opposite St James’ Park tube station, and a ten minute walk from Victoria, Waterloo and Charing Cross - so it couldn’t be any more convenient for City meetings.

EEF venues are offering a preferential day delegate rate when you book a conference or meeting via Conference Centres of Excellence between January and April 2011.

Enjoy a day delegate rate of just £45.00 at Woodland Grange in Warwickshire and Broadway House in London.

Enquire to 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk to enjoy this superb discount and to hold your meeting, conference or event at either of these outstanding venues.

Special Offer from Broadway House London - Conference Centres of Excellence:

The New EEF Venues website is here!

The new EEF Venues website is now live and full of information about the facilities at four outstanding conference venues including Broadway House and Woodland Grange.

Visit the New EEF Venues website here