Anthony Lishman, Executive Director of Conference Centres of Excellence
It’s fair to say there is a great deal more optimism than a year ago, and from a Conference Centres of Excellence perspective, enquiries are on the increase. We are investing in additional resource to meet this new demand, and also growing our collection of specialist venues across the UK to meet customer requirements in terms of venue size and location. We are strengthening our membership at every level, through sophisticated marketing activity, building up an increasingly loyal following who have come to expect great service and excellent facilities as standard, with dedicated event packages and no nasty hidden extras. We look forward to embracing excellence throughout 2014.
“We are focused on a continuous program of improvement for the property - we've undertaken extensive refurbishments to our main function rooms, catering for the wedding market, as well making over many of the bedrooms in the main hall. Work will continue into 2014 and beyond and we are dedicated to our goal of being the hotel of choice for the corporate and leisure market in Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds. So far there has been a £200k investment.”
“Following the investment of £17million I believe College Court is entering the market place at a good time as there are positive signs of confidence coming back into the sector. While we have all experienced the “rate war” and understandably the customer will continue to look for great value for money it has been my experience that the greatest benefit for a successful long term relationship between customer and venue is Trust, Flexibility, and Investment in both venue and the team. Today’s customer take as a given that the facilities, food and service will be first class. I believe we are increasingly in the business of putting a smile on people’s faces and this is often achieved by the attention to detail and small personal touches that will make us stand out in an increasingly competitive arena. After only 3 months of trading and excellent customer feedback College Court enters 2014 with great optimism.”
“It’s been a very successful year for CEME Conference Centre. We have exceeded budget and grown the business by 34% this year. We’ve also increased the Conference Centre occupancy by 40% and the forecast for next year is that we will continue to grow our business by about 23% for 2014!
Our achievements include not only membership of CCE but CEME Conference Centre was also awarded the prestigious ‘Accredited in Meetings’ AIM Gold standard by the Meetings Industry Association.”
“There have been major changes at Farncombe Conference Centre in the past 12 months, including a new name and brand, CEO and Commercial Director. The creation of a dedicated Sales & Events team, working across all our businesses for corporate and leisure bookings, is a cultural change that helps us to maximise sales.
We are making huge investments in 2014. We are spending £2.2m in a stunning exclusive-use venue for meetings and events at Foxhill Manor, our Grade-II listed manor house. We are also refurbishing the Coach House, to give us three ultra-modern, high-spec meeting spaces.
All bedrooms will get an upgrade: new beds, coffee machines, bathrobes and slippers. And we are creating four new bedrooms for trainers.
We predict that there will be more unique/bespoke events in the New Year, with clients demanding funky and unusual spaces to hold them. We are ready to take them on!”
“2013 has been an incredible year! Everyone, both staff and visitors cannot help but be blown away by the changes that are sweeping across the Welcome Trust Conference Centre. June saw the completion of our Restaurant extension, increasing the capacity to 300. November then witnessed the completion of 64 new bedrooms. Designed to an incredibly high standard, the Mulberry Court now takes our room total to 134. Then finally, in the past couple of months we have received planning permission to build a luxurious space that will cater for a wide range of audiences. This project, known as the Kitchen Garden Enclosure, is reminiscent of the famous glass ceiling in the British Museum and will include a new exhibition centre, modern meeting rooms and a bar. Ground breaking for this major project will begin in January 2014 and is due to be completed by December 2014. Aside of the investment and despite numerous build projects, the Conference Centre has also witnessed its highest sales in November since 2010. We are all incredibly excited about the future, 2014 may have some restrictions, but we are already taking those important 2015 bookings!”
“2013 has re-enforced our strategy of widening the choice and service we offer to our clients and their delegates. Following a site-wide £4 million investment, we now include the level of ITC and AV that is found in the smartest and most efficient of offices. Total connectivity – whether using a tablet, iPhone, laptop, BlackBerry or downloading entertainment after an event - make Wyboston Lakes the natural choice for a booker that wants dedicated and efficient support! But it hasn’t only been about investment in facilities: we’re forging ahead in yet another new direction having launched our own range of high level learning and development solutions through our Wyboston lakes Academy. We have created the very best, non-academic learning and training environment to take us into 2014. Dedicated venues can move at the pace of and in anticipation of their clients’ needs. This ‘fleetness of foot’ combined with a dedicated and long-serving, professional team will always give us the edge. The challenge is to get our total package of benefits understood by bookers!”
“2013 has been another good year for EEF Venues. We have seen positive year-on-year revenue growth right across our three venues and greater penetration of buyer markets through effective marketing strategies. Major milestones include gaining AIM Gold status across the group and being ranked top group in the BDRC Net Promoter Scheme - a great credit to our passionate, stable and high performing staff. A £1.5 million capital investment in refurbishment and technology was another major highlight of 2013 and a reflection of our commitment to clients. Regarding 2014, we predict a good year ahead as our 2014 order book is already 11% above this time last year, showing increased corporate confidence.”
“Commissioning our independent ‘Value of Satisfaction’ research was a particular highlight of 2013. Exploring attitudes to customer service on an industry-wide national scale, the finished report provides us with a solid, objective tool which we can use to help our clients get the most out of our events.
One of the leading conclusions brought to light by the research was that—above all else—people deliver satisfaction. Despite the ongoing trend for driving prices down, the lure of the low-cost still can’t compete with quality interaction when on-site at an event.
In 2014, we therefore believe there will be a growing need to keep close to our customers and to invest in our staff. Venues must work hard to nurture the customer/supplier relationship, and to remember and respect the unrivalled value of customer service. “
Following another very successful year in 2013, The Møller Centre anticipates even further growth in 2014. Our long term strategy to remain a venue committed to exceptional quality and purity, exclusively servicing the conference, training and executive education market, continues to deliver. Significant capital investment in the form of additional bedrooms, catering areas, meeting and training facilities over the coming year, is further evidence of both the demand for our services and our confidence in the market continuing to improve.
