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.”   

CCE expands geographical footprint with two new venues

Conference Centres of Excellence has welcomed two additional venues into membership to increase its geographical footprint in 2015.

Broadway House in the heart of Westminster, and Engineers’ House in Bristol, both part of the EEF venues group, have joined the marketing consortium for dedicated meetings and conference venues, taking the membership numbers to 31. 

Broadway House is a six-storey Edwardian building directly opposite St James’ Park tube station, and within walking distance of three mainline stations making it an excellent position for London city meetings. The technology throughout is state of the art, with 12 well equipped meeting rooms and an exceptional team of people committed to providing superb facilities and catering.

Engineers’ House is a Grade II listed conference centre in Clifton Down, a prestigious suburb of Bristol. It is just three miles from Temple Meads Station and easily accessible from the M4 and M5. Whilst the venue itself is steeped in history, the IT and conference facilities are absolutely state of the art. With 9 well equipped meeting rooms, the venue can provide tailored packages for up to 170 delegates all underpinned by a consistently warm and friendly service.

“We are delighted to welcome Broadway House and Engineers’ House back into membership. Having previously been part of the group, we know both venues deliver the exceptional levels of facility and service required for all Conference Centres of Excellence venues, and expand our geographical footprint to provide a wider range of meeting and event venues for our clients”, commented Amanda Stacey, Marketing Manager at Conference Centres of Excellence.

Having met the requisite quality criteria for facilities and customer care, joining Conference Centres of Excellence enables both venues to benefit from the group’s marketing activities, providing customers with a single route to booking nationwide venues, with consistent quality standards.

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: “All three of our venues are now part of this quality-driven organisation which promotes best practice and a shared ethos of quality and customer care excellence. CCE gives independent players like EEF Venues enhanced marketing resources, as well as strength by numbers. The Consortium brings like-minded, specialist venues together under one umbrella to provide a targeted solution for discerning meetings buyers.”

155 Bishopsgate extends London Capacity for Conference Centres of Excellence

Etc.venues 155 Bishopsgate, located next to Liverpool St Station in London, has joined Conference Centres of Excellence as its newest member.

155 Bishopsgate is a 20,000 sq ft purpose-built conference and event venue, offering three conference suites with the largest accommodating up to 550 people, all adjacent to an exhibition space that can accommodate up to 35+ exhibition stands.

The striking, multi-function ‘galleria’ can be used for exhibitions, networking, catering or dining.  Break out space is provided with two further ‘suites’ with movable walls for ultimate flexibility. This is the perfect environment for a range of corporate and tech-based events, as 155 Bishopsgate has all the latest AV and IT systems, including superfast WiFi and video conferencing.

The vibrant Galleria area is supported by a series of stylish coffee points and break out spaces - with food prepared in the on-site kitchen by their own team of chefs.

The venue is situated in the heart of the City in the hugely impressive ‘Broadgate’ development virtually on the platforms of Liverpool Street main line and underground stations.

Amanda Stacey, Marketing Manager of Conference Centres of Excellence said “We are as committed as ever to maintaining our quality standards for membership, whilst inviting new venues into our nationwide group. Etc.venues 155 Bishopsgate delivers perfectly on these quality standards and increases our London venues to deliver an excellent event experience to our clients.”

Having met strict criteria in terms of facilities and customer care, joining Conference Centres of Excellence enables 155 Bishopsgate to benefit from the group’s marketing activities, providing customers with a single route to booking one of our nationwide venues, with consistent quality standards.

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!”

Conference Centres of Excellence brings Nationwide Venues to London

Conference Centres of Excellence, in conjunction with MyVenues.co.uk hosted an exclusive client event recently to showcase the group’s Nationwide Venues.

Corporate event organisers from London and National organisations met with 20 of the group’s venue teams during the evening event, hosted in the ‘Illuminate Suite’ at etc.venues, Prospero House.

The event was created to raise the profile of member venues, whilst saving event organisers time in travelling for site visits, providing the opportunity to discuss their requirements and event ideas with the dedicated teams from a wide range of venues within the Conference Centres of Excellence group.

During the evening, the event organisers were also able to sample a delicious variety of the excellent quality of food and refreshments provided – a key element of the quality promise offered by all member venues.

“This showcase event was created in response to our member requirements, as a great number of event bookers and head offices for corporate businesses in particular are based in London, in addition to booking events regionally.” said Amanda Stacey, Marketing Manager for Conference Centres of Excellence. “We will now be also be looking at regional showcase events which are tailored to our venues in the Midlands, The North and Scotland, offering more opportunities for all sector event organisers to experience the level of excellence delivered at all of our venues.”

Etc.Venues, Prospero House is situated just opposite Borough Tube in London, offering three floors of flexible conference and meeting space, and is proud to be a member of Conference Centres of Excellence.

For more details or to register for future events please contact marketing@cceonline.co.uk

Labour party leader, Ed Miliband, chose Senate House for the location of his speech on Britain’s banking system on Friday 17th January.

The speech, broadcast live on BBC News at 11am on Friday 17th January, took place in Senate House’s Beveridge Hall.

The Beveridge Hall is a highly versatile space boasting not only a stage and excellent natural acoustics, but also audio-visual equipment. Crucially, it is also imbued with a great sense of history.

Inspiration for George Orwell and backdrop for feature films, television programmes and fashion shows, Charles Holden’s Art Deco masterpiece is a unique proposition: rich in history, atmosphere and – most importantly – the facilities associated with a first-rate venue.

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

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.”

CEME Conference Centre celebrates 10th Anniversary

CEME Conference Centre were delighted to welcome Mark Ovenden, Ford’s UK Chief to join the 10th Anniversary Celebrations at CEME, as Elutec Kicks-Off.

Ruth Umerah ‘broke the ground’ for the commencement of building works for the fantastic Elutec University Technical College (ElutecUTC) for 14-19 year old students who wish to follow a career path into engineering and design. The Elutec UTC strapline Engineering… Education… Employment promises to be an incredible platform to propel our emerging engineers, designers and technicians on their way to a brighter future.

After the ‘ground breaking’ ceremony Mark addressed an audience in the iconic POD auditorium at CEME Conference Centre.

Our audience were also treated to a talk by Richard Noble OBE holds the land speed record in the fantastic Bloodhound SSC or Supersonic Car which and can go faster than the speed of sound! We were all delighted to be able to see the Bloodhound in the circulation area and this was available for everyone to view throughout the day as well as a simulator to enable guests to have a go at driving for themselves.

Pictured: Richard Noble OBE chats with Mark Ovenden, Chairman, Ford of Britain and Bill Williams, CEO CEME

CEME Conference Centre welcome their new Events Manager

CEME Conference Centre is delighted to announce that Ranjith Kumar has joined the venue team as Events Manager.

Ranjith has worked in the hospitality industry for over 6 years having joined from the Warldorf Hilton where he spent 3 years.  He has particular expertise in hospitality and events and in his new role he will ensure that each event is organized meticulously.

Ranjith joins a busy team in the Conference Centre and looks forward to bringing his expertise to the events team at this award winning Conference Centre.

Speaking of his new role Ranjith said “I am delighted to be joining CEME Conference Centre and I am looking forward to contributing to the CEME’s growth and reputation for great meetings and hospitality”

CEME Conference Centre is an award-winning meetings venue offering innovative and flexible solutions for all your meeting requirements from our ‘high-tech’ POD Theatre to small meeting rooms, conference, exhibition and outdoor space.  CEME can host product launches, presentations, awards, training seminars, conferences, film shoots and exhibitions for up to 600 with the latest AV technology, natural day-light and special inclusive rates and is ideally located for London Docklands, City, East London and Essex with excellent underground, train and road links and free parking for 500 cars.

Ranjith is looking forward to welcoming you and ensuring your event at CEME Conference runs smoothly from conception to finish.

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.”