Narnia weaves a magical winter spell over Farncombe

It was only an end-of-year conference, but delegates couldn’t believe their eyes when they stepped into a winter wonderland at Farncombe Conference Centre near Broadway in the Cotswolds this week.

For the largest meeting room had been transformed into the fantastical realm of Narnia, complete with Aslan the Lion and giant polar bears.

For one night only, the entrance to the 150-seater conference space was remodelled to resemble two enormous wardrobe doors.  Once inside, guests were amazed to find a snow scene draped in white and sparkling blue light. There was a dashing white sleigh, an “ice throne” photo booth and a winter’s disco. 

“It was fabulous to see our lovely buildings transformed into a magical other world,” says Farncombe General Manager Gillian Roe.  “Just the night before, we were host to a Masquerade Ball. We have such a beautiful setting and the only limit is the imagination.”

Real live reindeer shared the terrace for pre-dinner drinks at the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe theme party.  Guests went on to dine and dance the night away.  But the next morning, as mysteriously as it came, the fabled world of Narnia had vanished into the winter air.

Who Let The Dogs Out…At Farncombe

New Teambuilding Course At  Farncombe Estate

Ever wanted to yell MUSH! while leading a team of husky dogs along a snowy wilderness trail?

Well now you don’t have to travel to the frozen Arctic, as Farncombe Conference Centre, near Broadway, has introduced a new half-day team-building experience with participants learning the expert skills needed to handle a dog sled travelling at speed. 

Sled dog adventure specialist Arctic Quest joins an impressive line-up of teambuilding providers at the centre which also offers a diverse range of course and experience days throughout the year. Corporate and other groups can enliven their events with cupcake decorating and sheep herding, street luging or sushi-making. 

Vickie Pullin, managing director at Arctic Quest said: “Working with huskies is the perfect 

team-building experience.  Along with the sled handler, the dogs instinctively work as a team and respond well to the necessary trust and respect needed to get from A to B.  Participants quickly develop a bond with the dogs, very much akin to colleagues working collaboratively as a team in the workplace.”

For those looking to unleash their adventurous spirit, in just half a day a ‘musher’ will gain a real sense of teamwork and understand what the dogs are really capable of.  That’s all while driving a dog sled across the rolling Cotswold hills.  The day rounds off with a gathering around a roaring fire along with everyone’s tales from the trail.  

Jilly Jones, marketing manager at Farncombe Conference Centre, added: “Arctic Quest and the husky experience is an exciting addition to the already varied team-building programme.  We look forward to welcoming to the centre all those intrepid Arctic adventurers out there.”  

Double Award joy for Farncombe Conference Centre

Farncombe Conference Centre is in the running for Best UK Conference Centre, after being shortlisted as a finalist in the 2014 Meetings & Incentive Travel Industry Awards. 

The centre, based on the Farncombe Estate near Broadway, will be battling it out for the top honour with ACC Liverpool, Central Hall Westminster in London, ICC Birmingham and Warwick Conferences.

Jilly Jones, Business Development Manager for Farncombe Conference Centre said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be a finalist after a very successful 2013, during which we hosted top companies and organisations including GlaxoSmithKline, Ikea and British Red Cross. 

“The awards are the result of voting by the readers of Meetings & Incentive Travel magazine and  to be recognised by our peers in the industry including venue organisers, is especially pleasing.  We are also proud to be shortlisted alongside the likes of Liverpool’s main conference centre and the ICC in Birmingham.”

The Gala Presentation Dinner, for what is the oldest established awards programme in the meetings industry, is on Tuesday 25 February at Battersea Evolution, London. Farncombe will be recognised in front of an audience of around 1,000 industry professionals.

Meanwhile, Farncombe Conference Centre has achieved a new gold award: The VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation for 2013. 

It is the fifth year in a row that the centre has won this award, one of only four venues to do so. 

The accreditation is organised and given by BDRC Continental to properties recording a 12-month score of +70 or higher from 40 or more business responses. Farncombe Conference Centre joins 30 other UK venues who achieved the Gold standard for 2013.

VenueVerdict features around 360 participating meeting venues and hotels in the UK and Ireland annually and derives its results from about 22,000 individual pieces of customer feedback.

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

Sales and events given a new focus at Farncombe

Farncombe Estate, which includes the Dormy House Hotel and Farncombe Conference Centre, has recruited a number of key staff as it approaches the launch of its new House Spa in February. The entire Sales and Events team has been restructured in response to new developments and growing sales. 

Underpinning all the new developments at Farncombe Estate is the new sales,  events and reservations team, who aim to provide a more streamlined service for clients.

Under the direction of Chris Ward, who was appointed to the role of Commercial Director in June, five event managers, three sales managers and two reservationists are now responsible for managing clients who book conferences, courses, events and residential stays across the whole Estate. Key clients will have a dedicated events manager and sales manager. 

Chris said of the new approach: “Traditionally, our sales and events staff have concentrated on specific parts of the business but not really worked across all of our businesses. This has been especially so with the Dormy’s relationship with the rest of the Farncombe Estate.

“We have terrific expertise in the sales and events team and this will help use that expertise more widely and in a more integrated way. It also means we will be better able to promote, for example, leisure courses to our hotel guests, or offer Spa packages to conference delegates.”

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