Warwick Conferences new £5.3m venue on target for autumn opening

Warwick Conferences new £5.3m dedicated meeting venue on the University of Warwick campus in Coventry and Warwickshire is progressing on schedule with the first concrete pour of around 270 cubic metres (almost two double decker buses) taking place earlier this month.

Demand is looking strong for the new standalone facility, which sits adjacent to two of Warwick Conferences’ existing training and conference venues, with business leads reported as far ahead as December 2017.

Along with the new opening, Warwick Conferences has reviewed its strategy and the experience it delivers to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the industry. Conference, training and meeting needs are constantly evolving and it is not just about delivering four walls, a flip chart and some food, it is about delivering an experience. This involves providing the space to debate, engage, resolve, share, challenge and learn in a way which is individually tailored to the customer and their objectives.

Rachael Bartlett, head of sales and marketing at WarwickConferences, says: “We recently reviewed our strategy and how we deliver it to ensure that we continue to respond to the needs of the changing world. As part of this process, we are updating the way we look and our communications to better reflect who we are and what we can deliver to our customers.  Ultimately, it is business as usual, but better. The improvements across our brand and communications reinforce the ethos that at Warwick Conferences we take the time to understand our customer’s needs and objectives and respond by giving them a completely unique experience that is tailored to them.

“This year is set to be an extremely exciting one for Warwick Conferences with our new venue opening in the autumn. Work is progressing on schedule and we are already in a strong position in terms of enquiries for the new space. We look forward to continuing to break new ground with our training and conference solutions by delivering an experience where anything is possible.”

October 30th, 2015

Research conducted by imago is being used to help shape the way its event management team assists clients in delivering successful meetings.

Conducted in conjunction with Loughborough University and The Right Solution, the research asked event organisers, delegates, graduate and undergraduate students what they felt were the main benefits of meeting face to face in a learning environment. The results found that the biggest benefits of attending a meeting were to learn from industry experts and to listen to speakers who inspired new ideas, challenge the norm and initiate change in every day thinking.

imago is using the results from the research to ensure its event management service provides clients with all the resources and knowledge to deliver a return on investment from their meetings.

The research also revealed there was a gap in the value event organisers and delegates placed on networking opportunities, both in terms of building relationships and meeting peers in a similar field from other businesses. Event organisers (92%) ranked networking as the most valuable element of face to face communication, whilst it ranked third for those attending events both from a delegate (84.4%) and student (74.6%) perspective.

Emma Boynton, head of sales and marketing at imago, commented:

“The research is having a real impact on the event management service we offer. The aim is to be able to work alongside clients and provide them with all the tools they need for a successful event, not just sell them a meeting space. This includes working out how they can best use their time so delegates get the most out of their day out of the office.

“The research showed that delegates rated listening to speakers who inspire new ideas, challenge the norm and initiate change in every day thinking as the most valuable element of face to face learning whilst students rated learning from industry experts first hand as most valuable. Through our links with Loughborough University we can source speakers which will be of genuine interest for both event organisers and those attending. And it is interesting that networking was rated highly by event organisers but not seen as such a valuable opportunity by those attending the event.”

The final research paper is available from go.welcometoimago.com/meet-the-future. Follow the debate and share thoughts about the research on Twitter via #futureF2F.

The research was undertaken by Loughborough University and imago. The Right Solution provided methodology, analysis and validation of the research which was conducted amongst 779 respondents using a mixture of focus groups, online and face to face questionnaires.

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.

Burleigh Court shortlisted for VisitEngland Awards for Excellence

imago’s four star conference centre and hotel Burleigh Court has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Large Hotel of the Year category at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2014.

Burleigh Court is part of imago’s portfolio of venues, offering business and leisure guests 26 meeting rooms, 150 square metres of exhibition space and 225 en-suite bedrooms with a range of facilities to suit all needs. Other on-site features include a well-equipped gym complete with swimming pool, sauna and a spa offering a range of relaxing treatments.

The venue is mobility three accredited, which is part of the National Accessible Accreditation Scheme run by VisitBritain, with dedicated disabled parking bays located close to reception and training rooms, restaurant, lounge area and 13 bedrooms all designed with improved accessibility in mind.

The VisitEngland Awards attracted 368 applications and finalists were chosen based on key criteria such as customer service, commitment to excellence, staff training and development, accessibility, marketing and promotion, quality improvement and development and sustainability.

The awards ceremony will take place at Cheltenham Racecourse on Monday May 12, 2014, when Burleigh Court will find out it if it has received a Gold, Silver, Bronze or Highly Commended Award.

Guy Hodge, Operations Director at Burleigh Court, comments: “It is fantastic news that Burleigh Court has been shortlisted as a finalist for the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2014. We are committed to providing our guests, whether they are here for business or pleasure, with the best possible service. Being recognised for such a celebrated award is recognition of the hard work of the entire team.” 

James Berresford, Chief Executive of VisitEngland, said: “I would like to congratulate all those nominated as finalists for this year’s VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.  We receive hundreds of applications each year of an extremely high standard, so it is a tremendous achievement for Burleigh Court to become a finalist and to represent the top five in their category in England.  I wish all the finalists the very best of luck for the Awards Ceremony in May.”

Launched in 2003, imago unifies Loughborough University’s conference and events venues under one brand, offering high quality meeting spaces, venues and accommodation alongside excellent sports and leisure facilities.

Gold for imago from Investors in People

imago has reached another milestone in its pursuit of achieving the highest standards of service. The conference arm of Loughborough University has been awarded the Investors in People Gold standard. imago is one of only a handful  of venues from the meetings industry to achieve the standard. 

Employing 180 people across the four venues, Investors in People is particularly important to imago, and it places a high value on providing its staff with excellent working conditions which it believes contributes to its success. 

Investors in People is the UK's leading accreditation for business improvement through people management, and provides a framework to help businesses get the best from their people. To achieve the standard, imago worked with an Investors in People specialist from emb-x; the organisation that delivers the Investors in People service for Central England.

Tatjana Walker, Front of House Manager at Burleigh Court, says: “The Investors in People framework has always been an essential external benchmark which exhibits imago’s commitment for growth, support and engagement of every member of our team. Over the years it has become quite clear that our people are our success. Their contributions and dedication has enabled imago to grow and go from strength to strength.

“It has been a team effort involving members from all areas of our business and a real journey which makes this Gold award all the more important. Through this accreditation we have improved our business processes, communication and most of all staff engagement in establishing and embedding best practices in everything we do. Our plan for the future will ensure that we further develop our strategies and plans in order to continually review, evaluate and improve performance. The core Investors in People principles – Plan, Do, Review - will push us to a whole new level within the market place.” 

Emma Boynton, Head of Sales and Marketing at imago, says: “imago values its staff and is committed to the continual improvement of our employees. Excellent customer service is central to everything we do, and our success depends on staff consistently providing the best level of care. By investing in our staff and working to the Investors in People framework we can help our staff grow and achieve their full potential. Attaining the Gold standard is recognition of the systems we have in place and demonstrates our ability to deliver excellence to customers.”

imago unifies Loughborough University’s conference and events venues under one brand offering high quality meeting spaces, venues and accommodation along with excellent sport and leisure facilities. It’s portfolio of venues includes Burleigh Court, Holywell Park, Loughborough University’s conference and events facilities and The Link Hotel. 

An executive decision: Warwick Conferences confirms key HBAA appointment

Chris Nagle, Agency Relationship Manager at Coventry-and-Warwickshire-based Warwick Conferences, has been appointed to the Training Chair of the HBAA Executive Committee.

Chris will replace Rose McDonald with immediate effect, not only chairing the Training Committee, but also taking a seat on the HBAA Executive Committee.

As the trade association for the hotel booking agency and venue community, the HBAA has been helping businesses and individuals within these sectors to strive for ever higher professional standards. The HBAA runs a schedule of training, meetings and networking events for the sector throughout the year. This schedule is overseen by the Training Committee, whose role is to plan the training course calendar and coordinate the delivery of the induction online and the HBAA Customer Service NVQ.

Chris Nagle comments: “I am delighted with this opportunity to assume the Training Committee Chair, and to continue the great work started by Rose in 2013.

“Focussing on delivering training that meets the needs of our membership will be key for the Committee in 2014. I look forward to working to deliver another exciting year of training and development.”

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

Double win for Warwick Conferences at CCE Chefs’ Challenge

Warwick Conferences found success to be twice as nice at the weekend when two members of its catering team were awarded recognition at a highly competitive industry contest.

The CCE Chefs’ Challenge is a competition run by Conference Centres of Excellence to find the best of the chefs in the UK conferencing industry. Ryan Dare and Natalja Saveljeva—from Warwick Conferences’ Ninety One restaurant at the Scarman venue—both brought home awards on the night of the final, which took place on Saturday 9th November at Stratford-upon-Avon College. 

This year marked the 15th annual CCE Chefs’ Challenge and brought together 12 outstanding chefs to battle it out in the race to become 2013’s culinary champion. 

The final saw the top 12 put their skills to the test to produce a three-course fine dining menu in accordance with certain criteria. This year, the dishes served needed to be suitable for an end-of-conference dinner for a large group, and beef was required to be served as the main.

After careful consideration, Ryan was announced as the joint winner of the Bronze Chefs’ Challenge award for his menu. He comments: “I’m honoured to have been awarded joint Bronze in the CCE Chefs’ Challenge. It’s a competition which sets out to recognise and reward the best in the industry, so I’m absolutely thrilled that my menu seemed to impress the judges.”

Natalja, who supported Ryan in the competition, picked up the Best Food Service Skills award. She was tasked with preparing, serving and clearing a table for two people, suggesting appropriate wines to match Ryan’s menu, while demonstrating food service techniques and excellent customer service.

Natalja adds: “I’m over the moon to have been awarded the Best Food Service Skills award in this year’s challenge. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the opportunity to compete in the company of such a talented group.”

Alan Robinson, Director at Warwick Conferences, also comments: “We are absolutely delighted with Ryan and Natalja’s success at this year’s CCE Chefs’ Challenge. They are both very skilled at what they do and are a credit to Warwick Conferences. 

“It’s a real achievement to have been recognised by such a prestigious judging panel, especially considering that this was their first national competition, and we couldn’t be more proud. I have no doubt that they’ll continue to impress in the future.”  

Conference Centres of Excellence is the leading national consortium of specialist conferencing venues. Its annual CCE Chefs’ Challenge has proved to be a stepping stone for young chefs to go on to higher profile competitions nationwide and is endorsed by the British Culinary Federation.  Each chef receives a certificate and one year’s free membership to the BCF.

The awards dinner was attended by 110 guests from CCE member centres, including a number of the conference industry’s leading figures.  

imago invests £25,000 in AV control systems at Burleigh Court

imago has invested £25,000 on upgrading the AV control systems at Burleigh Court to enhance the delegate experience during meetings and conferences. 

Working with Innovations Audio Visual, Burleigh Court has installed a Crestron control system so all AV equipment is connected and controlled via in-room iPads. Burleigh Court has also benefited from the installation of ceiling mounted HDMI projectors, projector screens, Blu-ray players, Digital Freeview and additional speaker system. Delegates can easily access connection points using almost any laptop, tablet, phone or other device without the need for cables. 

Tatjana Walker, Front of House Manager at Burleigh Court comments: “Conferences and meetings are becoming ever more interactive. As a venue it is important for us to deliver reliable technology to help clients meet delegate expectation which is why we have made significant investment in state-of-the-art AV equipment and an easy to use control system. It also places Burleigh Court at the forefront of meetings and conferencing technology. We have worked with Innovations Audio Visual for a number of years and this investment will allow us to continue expanding our IT and AV capability as technology evolves.”  

imago unifies Loughborough University's conference and catering activities under one brand. Burleigh Court is one of the UK's leading residential conference centres and provides the ideal environment for training and conference events.

imago joins forces with Enterprise to improve access for international event and conference delegates

imago has entered into a partnership with car rental specialist Enterprise to make it even easier for international delegates to travel to and from the venue. 

Under the partnership, delegates and organisers coming to events at imago can hire vehicles from as little as £22 per day (plus petrol). 

Enterprise is one of the UK’s leading car rental companies. With locations at East Midlands and Birmingham airports as well as Loughborough itself, delegates travelling to the region will find it easier than ever to get to the venue. 

imago will be showcasing the partnerships with Enterprise as well as its superb access and Leicester wide event management offering at EIBTM 2013 on stand B50.

Emma Boynton, Head of Sales & Marketing at imago, says: “Our venues are easily accessible by road, rail and air. But the new partnership with Enterprise makes it even easier for delegates, particularly those travelling from international destinations to arrange transport. We offer full event solutions and do everything we can to help event organisers and attendees, and this extends to travel arrangements too. The partnership will offer great benefits to delegates and we hope they take advantage of the service they offer.” 

Launched in 2003, imago unifies Loughborough University’s conference and events venues under one brand which offers 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. 

Burleigh Court retains silver standard for service

The multi-award winning team at imago’s international conference centre Burleigh Court has retained the prestigious VisitBritain Silver Award for the second year running.  

Awarded for exceptional standards of hospitality including customer service, catering, housekeeping and the quality of bedrooms, the Burleigh Court team achieved an impressively high rating of 83 per cent. This was a three per cent improvement overall on the previous year; with service up by 18 per cent, and housekeeping by 16 per cent. 

In addition to the Silver rating, VisitBritain again presented the ‘Breakfast Award’ to Burleigh Court. This accolade is given to venues which offer a high-quality and extensive breakfast, supported by service and hospitality that exceeds the requirements expected of a four star rating.

Guy Hodge, Operations Manager at Burleigh Court, said: “The whole Burleigh team is immensely proud to retain the prestigious Silver status, which couldn’t have happened without the support and enthusiasm of our expert staff. 

“As in previous years, positive comments about the team give me the greatest sense of satisfaction and pride. They reflect both their highly motivated and upbeat attitudes, which were highlighted by VisitBritain. We’re particularly pleased to have improved on our previous score and will strive to do the same next year.”  

Burleigh Court is located near to junction 23 of the M1 on Loughborough University campus. It has 26 air-conditioned meeting rooms and a total of 225 en-suite bedrooms, with a range of facilities to suit all needs. Other on site features include a well-equipped gym complete with swimming pool, sauna and a spa offering a range of relaxing treatments. 

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

Youth Sport Trust Donation Marks Finale of Burleigh Court Anniversary

Following a year full of events and activities in celebration of its 21st anniversary, four star venue Burleigh Court has presented the Youth Sport Trust with a cheque for over £2,500 which will go to sporting programmes for young people in Loughborough. 

In its 21st year, the Loughborough University based hotel and conference venue celebrated with a gala dinner, special discounts for customers and a trek across the three peaks in Yorkshire, which was so successful that it raised half of the final total. Burleigh Court also welcomed Team GB as the University campus became the team’s official preparation camp ahead of the London 2012 Olympics, adding to the excitement felt around the whole building during its anniversary year.  

On presenting the cheque, Guy Hodge said: “2012 was a unique year for Burleigh Court and a really exciting time for the whole team - we wanted to celebrate by giving something back to the community. The Youth Sports Trust seemed like the perfect fit due to our link with Team GB and other major sporting events.  We know that this donation is going to a great cause and will help children get a ‘sporting start’ in life. We hope to see some of them using the world-class sporting facilities at Loughborough University in the future!” 

The Youth Sport Trust is an independent charity devoted to changing young people's lives through sport. Established in 1994, the trust helps young people to achieve their full potential in life by delivering high quality physical education and sport opportunities.

Warwick Conferences leads the way at industry awards

Warwick Conferences has cause for celebration this week after once again scooping a host of prestigious industry accolades at the Meetings & Incentives (M&IT) Awards.

The M&IT Awards, which exist to reward excellence within the meetings and events industry, are voted for solely by event organisers and the readers of M&IT magazine. 

As well as winning gold in the Best Value for Money Conference Centre category and silver in the Best UK Management Training Centre category, its Conference Park won gold in the Best Academic Venue category – the 18th time in the awards’ 25 year history. 

These latest awards are a tremendous boost for Warwick Conferences following on from achieving gold AIM accreditation earlier this year for all three of its training and conference centres. 

Rachael Bartlett, head of sales and marketing at Warwick Conferences said: “We are hugely proud to have once again come away from the M&IT awards with two golds and a silver.  

This is a fabulous result and credit is due to everyone who has worked so hard to make Warwick Conferences the world-class collection of venues it is.The fact that the awards are the result of votes cast by event organisers is all the more gratifying. It’s the most credible endorsement a business in this industry could wish for.”

This year’s M&IT Awards were held on Tuesday 19th March at Battersea Evolution. 

Burleigh Court team deemed best in the business at top industry awards

Burleigh Court, imago’s four star conference centre and hotel at Loughborough University, has taken home not one but four awards at the Meetings & Incentive Travel (M&IT) Awards 2013. Judged on customer feedback and votes, the venue received Gold in the ‘Best Conference and Banqueting Staff’ category which supports its on-going objective of having the most customer service focused team in the business. 

Mhairi Newman, Head Receptionist

Following recognition of its outstanding staff, Burleigh Court also went on to claim Silver in the ‘Best Training Centre’ and ‘Best Academic Venue’ categories in addition to winning a Bronze title for ‘Access Excellence’.  

This is the fourth year running that Loughborough-based imago has taken home a host of trophies at the M&IT Awards and follows a momentous year which saw Burleigh Court celebrate its 21st anniversary and welcome Team GB as part of the official preparation camp for London 2012. 

Kay England, chief executive of imago, said: “We’re extremely proud of the entire Burleigh Court team and this award is testament to the fantastic job they do on a daily basis, from assisting every overnight guest to supporting each delegate who visits us for an event, meeting or conference. Recognition of our dedicated staff proves that we are providing the right level of service to our customers; something that continues to be valuable in a difficult economic climate. 

“The M&IT Awards are particularly important to us as they are voted for by customers, so we’re sincerely thankful for all their support in helping us achieve these fantastic accolades.” 

Fantastic February Offer at Woodland Grange

Woodland Grange 4* conference centre set in the Warwickshire countryside has a fantastic 24hr rate of £130.00+VAT per delegate for 50+ delegates in February and March

24 hour delegate package- SPECIAL OFFER -  £130.00 

•         Guest registration and dedicated event manager

•         Main meeting room with air conditioning & natural day light

•         3 course hot & cold buffet luncheon in restaurant

•         Unlimited tea / coffee served with biscuits and fresh fruit platters in all our coffee breakout areas

•         Free wireless internet connection throughout the building

•         OHP and screen

•         In room PC

•         LCD data projector, video, dvd, flipcharts & stands, dry-wipe boards, jotter pads, pens and pencils

•         Boiled sweets, mineral water and cordials

•         Fresh fruit baskets in all meeting rooms

•         CCTV – monitored car park

•         Overnight accommodation

•         3 course Dinner in the restaurant – or private dining can be arranged

•         Full English or Continental breakfast in the restaurant

•         Use of our leisure facilities, including sauna jacuzzi and fully equipped gym

*All the above rates are exclusive of VAT

Woodland Grange, Leamington Spa

At the heart of the Midlands motorway and rail networks, Woodland Grange Conference Centre’s blend of elegant style, rural tranquillity and exceptional facilities make the centre an outstanding environment for conferences, meetings and events. With 26 hi-tech meeting rooms and 114 four-star ensuite bedrooms the venue can cater for every size event. The gym, spa, and Internet Café with games room make Woodland Grange an all round premier venue; winner of the Coventry & Warwickshire region Godiva Award for ‘Best Conference Venue’ and recently awarded ISO 14001.

FULLY EQUIPPED GYM, SAUNA, JACUZZI, GAMES ROOM WITH POOL TABLE, X BOX CONSOLE, SIXTEEN ACRES OF GROUNDS FOR TEAM BUILDING AND WALKS.

Call us for more information on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Cotswold Conference Centre Claims Tourism Awards

Cotswold Conference Centre continued its amazing year of awards after winning one category and being highly commended in a second at the Worcestershire Welcome Awards.

The ceremony, held on Thursday night at Sixways Stadium, saw the best businesses from across Worcestershire come together to celebrate the county’s visitor attractions and tourism industry.

Cotswold Conference Centre – part of the Farncombe group of businesses, near Broadway – won the Business Tourism Award for the second year in a row and was also highly commended in the Sustainable Tourism category.

The event was organised by Destination Worcestershire and each finalist was selected on the basis of customer nominations. 

Nick Vincent, Chief Executive at the Three Counties Showground, judged the Business Tourism category.

He said: “I was particularly impressed with the website, facilities, policy of supporting and promoting local suppliers and the external methods of obtaining customer feedback. I had no idea Cotswold Conference Centre also won this award last year.”

Cotswold Conference Centre is a modern meeting, training and teambuilding venue. It holds dozens of conferences each year and also plays host to Farncombe Courses, which offers a wide range of leisure and activity weekends. 

Richard Howdle, operations manager at Cotswold Conference Centre, said: “It’s been an incredible year for us, winning numerous awards at local, regional and national levels.

Lesley Stretch, Rachael Buttery and Debbie Sarjant collecting their awards

“The staff are rightly very proud of these accolades. As well as a morale boost, entering these categories is one of the ways that we constantly strive to maintain and drive up our performance by looking to improve each year.” 

Cotswold Conference Centre has won four other prestigious awards in 2012, including the Visit England Award for Excellence, which recognised it as the best business tourism venue in the UK.

The three other titles were the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) highlighting the centre’s commitment to sustainability, the Cotswold Tourism award venue of the year and the VenueVerdict Gold Standard for outstanding customer service.

The business is situated on the 320-acre Farncombe Estate between Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon. 

For more information visit http://www.cceonline.co.uk/our_venues/our-venues/Cotswold_Conference_Centre or call us on 0845 230 1416

imago Filmed for Google's 'Business Photos' Feature

Loughborough based imago is one of the first UK businesses to be filmed for Google’s brand new ‘business photos’ feature. 

Expanding on its current ‘street view’ mode, Google will offer 360-degree tours inside a number of businesses and venues.

Chris Jones, on behalf of Google

Four star conference centre Burleigh Court and The Link hotel were the first venues in Leicestershire to be visited by Google, building on imago’s ‘virtual tours’ which are a new feature on its own website.

Emma Boynton, Head of Marketing and Sales at imago, said: “It’s very exciting to be involved in Google’s latest innovation at such an early stage. The internet has become a very important tool for searching and selecting venues in the hotel and conference industry – I’m sure that the added option of seeing inside the venue will assist potential clients in finding the perfect setting for their event.” 

imago Burleigh Court

Burleigh Court is one of the Midlands largest 4-Star accredited residential conference and training centres. Facilities include 225 quality bedrooms including executive suites, 26 top specification training rooms, equipped with the latest audio-visual equipment, a versatile exhibition area, superb restaurant and private dining room.

Burleigh Court is proud to be Mobility 3 accredited, boasting some of the most accessible facilities in the region.

Ideally located in the Midlands, one mile from the M1 and 8 miles from East Midlands Airport.

For bookings and more information on imago Burleigh Court call the Conference Centres of Excellence Hotline 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Bewitching Offers at Ashorne Hill

In the heart of England, set in 35 acres of landscaped grounds and yet only a few miles from the hub of the Midlands motorway network, Ashorne Hill is set around a beautiful Grade II listed building. Ashorne Hill offers a choice of well-equipped facilities to meet training and meeting needs including 13 acres of landscaped grounds - ideal for team building exercises and an array of leisure facilities. Our innovative, award-winning chefs offer a wide choice and variety, all freshly prepared using seasonal local produce. Ashorne Hill also provides a comprehensive range of training solutions in addition to the venue facilities, expert training consultants are happy to discuss both open courses and the design of bespoke training solutions.

Ashorne Hill

For more information about the latest offer from Ashorne Hill call the Conference Centres of Excellence hotline on 0845 230 1414 or email info@cceonline.co.uk

Woodland Grange proves it’s good as gold, despite “very challenging business climate”

A decade after aligning itself with the Meetings Industry Association (MIA), Woodland Grange has sailed through a stringent Accredited in Meetings (AIM) reassessment to retain its clutch on the elite AIM Gold Award – a privileged assurance of quality achieved by just 14 conferencing venues in the whole of the UK. 

Woodland Grange Conference Centre, in Leamington Spa, has been a venue member of the MIA since 2002, first scooping the Gold Award in 2008 with the highest ever score recorded.

In this year’s AIM Higher Accreditation feedback report, assessor David Battersby praised Woodland Grange for exceptional competitor benchmarking, customer feedback monitoring and staff training, combining to create “an extremely impressive venue which displays many examples of best practice”.

“The staff have been well trained, are extremely personable and are thoroughly committed to helping the venue maintain and grow its customer base in a very challenging business climate,” said Battersby.

“It is a well-managed and maintained venue with an extensive range of well thought through and robust operational policies, systems and procedures which are regularly reviewed, updated and improved in light of customer feedback. Regular benchmarking activities against different competitor sets show increasing positive trends in results across all aspects of the business.”

In conclusion, the assessor said that Woodland Grange is “a venue with an extremely strong focus on the customer, identifying customer needs and exceeding customer expectations”.

Significant investment has been made into Woodland Grange in the last six weeks, with an extensive refurbishment of the 230-seat Lawns Restaurant, to transform it into a vibrant, stylish brasserie dining environment. It’s a setting that now gels more fluidly with the outstanding menu on offer, courtesy of the venue’s award-winning chef team, led by Matthew Parsons – 98% of customers rated food at Woodland Grange as “Excellent”, “Very Good, or “Good” in March 2012 alone and 99% of all customers would be very willing to host repeat events at the venue as a result of highly positive experiences in all areas of service.

The AIM Standard became available to non-MIA members in January 2009, but still the number of venues effectively meeting the criteria to be deemed worthy of the Gold standard has remained low.

At a Gold level accredited venue you can expect first-class facilities with the very highest levels of service reflected throughout, from your first welcome to your final goodbye. You can expect exceptional catering using the highest quality ingredients and equipment, efficient staff with an eye for detail and pricing that is reflective of the quality of the venue and service.

Speaking of Woodland Grange’s reaccreditation, David Vaughton, Venues Director for parent organisation EEF Venues, said, “By talking to our customers regularly, we feel we’re really spot on with interpreting what they want from a conference and meetings venue and we go the extra mile to exceed expectations, by investing heavily in our staff training. They’re the ones on the front line, delivering. This AIM Gold accreditation is a real credit to the team for making our excellent facilities come to life. We’re only as good as our people and this actively demonstrates that our people and product are best in class.”

Woodland Grange is the flagship of the EEF Venues portfolio. Its location, nestled in leafy 16-acre grounds, offers access to Royal Leamington Spa and its railway station in less than 10 minutes, to Birmingham International Airport in 30 minutes and to the major motorway network (M40, M42, M6 and M69). 

Businesses from near and far find Woodland Grange a perfect fit for conferences, training courses, team building sessions or corporate events. From the outside it is a building flooded with English country house character, yet Woodland Grange has the best of both worlds. Stroll into the spacious, bright reception and neighbouring coffee lounge to be met by slick architecture, etched glass panelling and bold colours.

Its 26 conference and meeting rooms can be arranged to suit your requirements, with the largest suite accommodating up to 200 people. Within these rooms, air conditioning, soundproofing, natural daylight and blackout facilities meet free WiFi access, convenient laptop connections, in-room computers and audio-visual equipment, with technical support always on hand.

Guests can relish in a restful night’s sleep in the 114 homely ensuite bedrooms on site, some with idyllic countryside views, which come complete with double beds as standard, complimentary WiFi, toiletries, a 26” flat screen television with Freeview, data points, telephone, ironing facilities and coffee/tea provision. Woodland Grange also has a well-equipped fitness room, with sauna and Jacuzzi, for use by any customer.

Fabulous spring offers at Ashorne Hill

WARWICK GOING FOR GOLD

Warwick Conferences has cause for celebration after being shortlisted in three categories in the Meetings & Incentive Travel (M&IT) Awards 2012.

Warwick Conferences has an impressive track record in securing top awards in the categories for which it is shortlisted, winning gold in three awards and silver in the fourth last year. It is hoping for a repeat of similar success at the awards ceremony held on Monday 5 March 2012.

This year, Warwick Conferences has been shortlisted for three awards: Best UK Management Training Centre, Best Academic Venue and Best Value for Money Conference Centre.

Rachael Bartlett, head of sales and marketing at Warwick Conferences said: “We are absolutely delighted having been shortlisted for three M&IT Awards.

“The shortlist is a real honour in itself and is a great recognition for everyone who has worked so hard to make Warwick Conferences world class.

“On behalf of the team, I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to vote for us.”

The M&IT Industry Awards recognise and reward excellence, and winners are voted for by conference organisers and readers of Meetings & Incentives Travel magazine, the conference industry’s leading publication.