Warwick Conferences new venue takes shape as ground works are completed

Warwick Conferences new £5.3m dedicated meeting venue on the University of Warwick campus in Coventry and Warwickshire is beginning to take shape with the completion of the ground works and substructure. 

With the steel frame in place, work has now begun on the timber frame, which will be exposed within the main conference space. The idea for the new venue is to create a beautiful pavilion that sits on the edge of the lake offering a calming backdrop to events.    

Kevin Scott, Senior Architect at Associated Architects, says: “The structure of the new venue is really starting to take shape now that the ground work and steel frame have been completed. The next stage is to complete the installation of the timber frame before work can begin on lining the roof and forming the roof lights serving the rear of the conference space.”    

“Close collaboration with Warwick Conferences has been integral in this project, particularly when it comes to utilising their knowledge and understanding of working in these types of venues on a daily basis. The input of the Warwick Conferences team in each stage of the build from the design process, technical side and now on site has created a more refined and streamlined design.” 

Richard Harrison, Head of Conference Centres at Warwick Conferences, adds: “It is fantastic to see the venue progressing so well. We have already received £3,586,060 worth of enquiries for the new space with over four months to go before opening, which is a great indication of the demand for the venue.

“The need for high capacity, high quality and flexible event space is rising and there are few venues that currently meet these requirements in Central England. We are looking forward to being able to offer an uncompromised, contemporary and striking space for tailor-made and bespoke event experiences when our new venue opens this autumn.” 

Offering 650sqm of contemporary and highly flexible event space with capacity for 350 delegates seated, the new venue will be available on an exclusive use basis so it can be customised to meet individual needs.

Warwick Conferences Sets Its Sights on Gold

Warwick Conferences is in the running to continue its awards success in 2016 after being shortlisted in four categories at this year’s Meeting & Incentive Travel (M&IT) Awards.

The collection of meeting venues – based at the University of Warwick – has been nominated for four awards in total: Best UK Conference Centre, Best UK Management Training Centre, Best Academic Venue, and Best Conference and Banqueting Staff.

The M&IT Awards are the oldest established awards programme in the industry. Voted for solely by event organisers and the readers of M&IT magazine, they serve to reward excellence in the meetings and events sectors.

Rachael Bartlett, head of sales and marketing at Warwick Conferences, comments: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted in four categories at this year’s M&IT Awards. The awards are a real highlight on the calendar, and as a reflection of the valuable opinions of event industry professionals, are also extremely important to us as a business.

“2016 is set to be an exciting year for us, and we’re exceptionally proud that our facilities and services have been recognised amongst the best in the industry. On behalf of all the team at Warwick Conferences, I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to vote for us.”

Multi-Million Investment Will See Warwick Conferences Open Fourth Venue in Coventry

Warwick Conferences has unveiled plans to invest £5.3 million in opening a fourth dedicated meeting venue on the University of Warwick campus in Coventry and Warwickshire.

The new venue – which will open in September 2016 – will offer 650 square metres of contemporary and highly flexible event space from a brand new standalone facility adjacent to two of Warwick Conferences’ existing training and conference venues.

With a single flat-floor space capacity of 350 seated, expansive ceiling height and reinforced flooring, the venue offers bookers a completely new option in Warwickshire and the West Midlands, and extends Warwick Conferences’ capability significantly.

Richard Harrison, head of conference centres at Warwick Conferences comments: “This is an important investment for both Warwick Conferences as a business and the region as a whole. Demand for high capacity, high quality, genuinely flexible event space is rising and there are few venues that can meet all these requirements in Central England currently – and even fewer that can do so without compromise.

It therefore should go without saying that we are thrilled to be making this announcement today. As a completely new development, our new venue will offer an uncompromised, contemporary and striking space that will give clients a complete blank canvas for their event. And, alongside our existing facilities, the new space will help to showcase our local area, bringing more business events and generating greater footfall to Coventry and Warwickshire.”

Designed to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating, utilising highly sustainable construction standards, the new building will feature large expanses of glazing and exposed timber glulam structural elements. Surrounded by trees and landscaping, and in a lakefront location, the venue will also feature a striking full-length glass wall, opening onto a suspended deck that overlooks the water.

The new venue is available from September 2016.

For more information, visit www.warwickconferences.com.

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.”