Driving Sales at Woodland Grange

EEF Venues’ Woodland Grange venue in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire has secured bookings for several major classic car club events this year, as well as another for 2017.


From 29th April to 1st May, the Talbot Owners’ Club will hold its annual AGM at the AIM-gold accredited venue. The Club was originally formed in April 1934 and focuses on all Talbot cars manufactured at the London factory of Clement Talbot Ltd between 1903 to May 1937.

June sees the return of the highly successful HERO Summer Trial event from 17th – 19th June when classic car enthusiasts will gather from all over Europe at the venue. The Summer Trial is a round of the 2016 HERO Cup, supported by EFG Private Bankers and ZENITH Watches, and is an ideal introductory event to the world of classic rallying.

When re-booking the event, HERO event director, Jeremy Dickson, said: “Having held the event at Woodland Grange last year, we know it is a perfect location, with ample parking and easy access from the motorway for a fun weekend’s rallying on Warwickshire’s leafy lanes.“

The venue has also secured a booking for the Austin Healey International Weekend for July 2017.
Ian Chaplin, EEF Venues’ General Manager of Woodland Grange said: ”Our reputation for customer service excellence continues to drive venue sales.”

David Vaughton is appointed to the mia board

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, has been appointed to the Executive Board of the Meeting Industry Association (mia).

A Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality and a serving board member of Conference Centres of Excellence (CEE), David has over 25 years’ experience within the hospitality sector. Over the last seven years, he has launched and consolidated the EEF Venues brand, with responsibility for the strategic direction and growth strategy for the group’s three AIM-gold accredited venues: Broadway House (Westminster), Woodland Grange (Leamington Spa) and Engineers’ House (Bristol).

Having already served twice on the mia Council, this latest commitment from David Vaughton underlines his on-going support for the association and its work. 

He said: “It is an honour to be part of the strategic thrust of the association and to join such talented and experienced industry professionals on the mia’s Executive Board to help raise awareness of this respected trade association and the work it does to raise industry standards.”

Mark Chambers, chairman of the mia and group managing director of the Eden Hotel Collection, said: “We welcome David Vaughton’s strong commercial focus and his insight into the challenges and opportunities within the sector. His first-hand experience of the impact AIM accreditation can have on a hospitality business makes him ideally placed to support our strategic objectives. “ 

Woodland Grange takes silver at the National Apprenticeships4England Awards

EEF Venues’ Woodland Grange conference centre in Leamington Grange, Warwickshire has been awarded silver under the ‘25-100 Employer Awards’ category at the Apprenticeship4England Awards 2016 for the team’s outstanding work with apprentices and for the provision of training to staff.

Matthew Parsons, executive chef, (Mentor of the Year in the National Apprenticeship Awards 2015 and Apprenticeship Ambassador with The Apprenticeship Ambassador Network) and Ailish Griffin, originally an apprentice but now a commis chef at Woodland Grange, attended the award ceremony at the Emirates Stadium in London on Thursday 25th February. They were presented with their award by Sharon Walpole, CEO of Walpole Publications Ltd.

This national awards programme showcases and rewards outstanding examples of quality, best practice, innovation and excellence in apprenticeship delivery.

Working closely with Stratford-upon-Avon College, eleven apprentices have been trained at Woodland Grange over the last nine years, all of whom have gone on to take up positions within the hospitality sector, with five taking up permanent positions at Woodland Grange.

Ian Chaplin, general manager at Woodland Grange, said: “We are grateful to Stratford-upon-Avon College for putting us forward for this award and we are delighted to receive this national recognition because we genuinely celebrate young talent and value what they bring to the business.  

“Investing in training and development at all levels of the business plays a key role in our strategic objectives. It continues to impact positively on our performance and on our reputation for customer service excellence.” 

The news comes in advance of National Apprenticeship Week starting on 14th March. #NAW2016

Bryan Anderson, Apprenticeship Team Leader at Stratford-upon-Avon College, said, “I’m very proud of our relationship with Woodland Grange. They are an exceptional apprenticeship provider and offer outstanding training. During their apprenticeship reviews with the College, learners have often commented on the support they receive from Woodland Grange, the high expectations that are set and the time devoted to them by the staff to help them not only meet but exceed their own personal expectations.”

EEF Venues forecasts further growth for 2016

Following incremental revenue growth of 5% year on year for 2015, EEF Venues is forecasting a further 5% year on year growth for 2016, with a projected annual turnover target close to £6 million for this financial year.

Over the last two years the group behind three AIM Gold accredited venues; Broadway House, (Westminster), Engineers’ House (Bristol) and the group’s residential venue, Woodland Grange (Leamington Spa), has achieved 19% consolidated growth, adding £900K to its turnover over the two-year period.

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues attributes this performance to EEF Venues’ focus on customer service excellence and quality.

He said: ”While price was a driver throughout the recession, we have seen an increased appetite from buyers to select on the basis of value rather than price. This is indicative of companies being more solvent and wanting a more quality experience for their staff.  An improved business landscape means there is a growing demand for business travel so we expect further strong growth in our business residency sales at Woodland Grange.

“2015 has also seen us penetrate new markets such the associations sector and we have seen tangible improvement in the Christmas party market – again an indication of a more confident corporate scene.”

The group’s sales and marketing strategies have also impacted on performance, as David Vaughton explained: ”We have invested in sales and we have been fortunate to attract many awards and accolades  throughout 2015, such as winning the Business Tourism category of the Visit England Awards for Woodland Grange, but that doesn’t mean we rest on our laurels.  

“New business doesn’t come on a plate; you have to go hunt for it so we will be seeking entry into new business markets to diversify our client-base. As ever, our critical focus will be on serving the customer. Achieving ‘world class customer service’ is an aspirational target across the business and we see this as being built into our DNA.  We are constantly innovating and developing to meet the changing needs of our customers.”

According to David Vaughton, staffing will continue to be an issue for the wider hospitality sector.
He said: ”2016 will continue to be a candidates’ market so our goal is to retain our staff by incentivising them to be the very best at what they do to protect our standards, consistency of service and quality - and to provide succession planning. 

“We view investing in talent as key to our on-going success and will continue to appraise, develop, mentor and reward our teams to encourage loyalty and performance. I firmly believe that we have an obligation to help people to grow. Happy staff means happy delegates. In return, we get greater stability, consistency and loyalty which impacts positively on our business performance.”

EEF, the parent company behind EEF Venues, has set a rolling capital investment budget of £500K for 2016/2017 to support the group’s aspirations ahead.

David Vaughton concluded: ”We will continue to invest in what we see as the three most important core elements for any delegate: leading edge technology, great food and people as these have most influence on our business. 

“Given our growth over the last two years, we are confident that 2016 will be another great year for EEF Venues.”

Shaken, Not Stirred at Woodland Grange

David Jenkins, assistant food & beverage manager at Woodland Grange conference centre in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, has won first prize for his cocktails at the Conference Centres of Excellence’s Chefs’ Challenge 2015 at Cambridge Regional College on Saturday 24 October.

The 23-year-old competed with Woodland Grange chef de partie, Ian Sutton, as a new element to this year’s competition was a ‘Cook and Serve’ style approach, where each chef was
accompanied by a waiter or waitress who served the food, beverages and made cocktails for two invited guests. The duo competed with thirteen Conference Centres of Excellence (CCE) teams from throughout the UK to showcase Woodland Grange’s high quality food and service standards.

David took first place for his cocktails – a blueberry and ginger mojito and a Paddington Martini made from vodka and marmalade and featuring orange candy floss. He received a trophy, a certificate and a bottle of champagne for his creative efforts.

He said:”I am absolutely over the moon and never expected to win! There was some outstanding talent there and I am really grateful for the opportunity to compete with such skilled hospitality
professionals.” David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, the group behind Woodland Grange, said:”It was great to see junior talent acknowledged and celebrated in this way and to give young hospitality professionals an opportunity to shine. This latest success for Woodland Grange shows the emphasis we place on acknowledging every team member’s contribution to our reputation for excellence.”

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.”

On Friday 13th March, EEF Venues hosted the annual EEF Customer First Performance Awards at Woodland Grange in Leamington, where EEF staff members and their partners gathered for a champagne and canapé reception, followed by a four-course gala dinner and an awards presentation.

The EEF Customer First initiative operates across EEF’s entire business to ensure consistent levels of customer service excellence. Led by a director-level steering group, which includes David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, the scheme has ‘Customer First Champions’ at each of EEF’s operations nationwide, each of whom is responsible for communicating initiatives and news throughout all levels of the business.

A major part of the initiative is the awards programme which invites EEF staff to nominate colleagues for their out-standing customer service performance. The steering group chooses three winners each quarter, who go through to the finals.

Caroline Gumble, chief operating officer of EEF, the manufacturers’ association, said:” We received a total of 95 customer service nominations from all EEF locations nationwide. The quality of nominations was exceptional which made judging the national winners a challenging task. Congratulations to those who were successful in winning a national accolade.”

The winners were:

• External Customer Service Excellence Award: Paula Venn, Woodland Grange
• Internal Customer Service Excellence Award: Darren Muxlow, Birmingham
• Excellent Colleague, Collaborative Working Award: The Holiday Pay Team
• Venues’ stars of 2014: Matthew Parsons, Simon Widgery and Simon Spencer
• EEF’s Highest Training & Consultancy Income Generator 2014: Garry Platt, Sheffield
• Lead referral ‘Winner of Winners’: Caroline Clarke, Bristol
• Customer First Star of 2014: Isabel Graham, Sheffield
• Long Service Award 2014: Rhonda Nisbett, Birmingham
• Overall Customer Service Excellence award: Darren Muxlow

EEF Venues invests in growth strategy

EEF Venues has strengthened its sales operation by appointing Anna Barton as national sales manager. 

Anna joined on 2nd March and is now responsible for developing business across EEF Venue’s three AIM gold accredited venues; Woodland Grange in Leamington Spa, Broadway House in Westminster and Engineers’ House in Bristol.

Anna brings over twelve years’ experience of working in senior sales roles within the conference and event sector. Prior to joining EEF Venues she was a director of sales for the QHotels group, responsible for account managing a portfolio of key clients and generating new business opportunities.

Commenting on her appointment, David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: ”This latest investment is an indication of the confidence we feel in the market. Our order book is already 20 per cent ahead of expectations, and with the economy continuing to recover, we are in a strong position to seize further opportunities. We place great emphasis on building relationships with our clients, and with Anna’s skills, experience and commercial focus, we hope to make 2015 a record year for EEF Venues.”

Anna Barton said: ”I am thrilled to have joined EEF Venues, a group that has such an exceptional reputation for delivering seamless meetings and events. My aim is to build on the foundations that already underpin the success of the individual venues by driving new business opportunities and growing incremental revenue through diversification into new markets and generating opportunity across a wider range of industry sectors.”

ISO18001 for EEF Venues

EEF Venues has attained occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) 180001 certification across the group’s three venues.

This internationally recognised hallmark of excellence promotes a safe and healthy working environment, as David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, explained:”ISO18001 provides a framework that helps organisations to identify and control health and safety risks, reduce the potential for accidents, aid legal compliance and improve overall performance.

“This achievement places EEF Venues in an elite category of businesses who strive for the very best for their staff and customers through robust health & safety standards. It highlights our culture of health & safety responsibility and that we take a proactive approach, continually seeking improvement to minimise risk and maximise the venue experience for our teams and our delegates.”

For more information about the EEF Venues please contact us on 0845 230 1414 or email info@ccceonline.co.uk

Woodland Grange team bowled over by August results

This year’s Bowls England National Championships were held in Royal Leamington Spa, attracting an estimated 20,000 visitors to the area.

While players from across England competed for the top prizes in lawn bowls on Victoria Park’s famous five green arena, the venue team at Woodland Grange were also in top form, welcoming hundreds of supporters who stayed at the AIM-gold accredited venue during the Championships.

Historically a quiet month for the venue, August saw visitor numbers soar by 61% year-on-year during the event, as Ian Chaplin, general manager of Woodland Grange, explained: ”Woodland Grange was buzzing as a result of a targeted marketing campaign leading up to the event. The location of the venue within 16 acres of parkland, our leisure suite and restaurant facilities attracted this very welcome leisure market.”

Golden times for EEF Venues

EEF Venues’ three venues have achieved BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict Gold Standard for the third consecutive quarter this year.

Accreditation is based on approximately 22,500 individual pieces of customer feedback. The lead measure used by VenueVerdict is the Net Promoter Score, derived from the rating given by customers when asked how likely they would be to recommend the venue. Those scoring higher than +70 are awarded the VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation.

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: “To consistently achieve the highest ranking across the group is a great endorsement of our customer satisfaction levels and the emphasis we place on quality.”

Kirsty rates ‘location, location, location’ of Woodland Grange

One of the key considerations for anyone booking a conference is location. Is the venue accessible to all major motorway, rail and air links? 

Facilities are also important, but making the right choice of venue goes far beyond just having the right address or kit. It’s a holistic approach covering everything from assessing a venue’s ethos, standards of care and technology to the quality of its food.

When Kristy Peake, Chair of the CAPBT, the COAPE Association of Pet Behaviourists and Trainers, was looking for a venue for the organisation’s annual conference this May, she took a practical approach and checked out Woodland Grange for herself before committing to a booking.

She explained: ”Last year, while attending an event at Stoneleigh Park, my colleague and I were looking for accommodation. My Google search came up with Woodland Grange and while there, we asked for a tour of the facilities and we were very impressed. My colleague and I decided that Woodland Grange would be the perfect venue for us.

“This proved to be the case as our speakers and members were subsequently delighted with the venue and its facilities. Interestingly, this year we did an analysis of our membership to find a geographical centre. It turned out to be Leamington Spa so it couldn’t have made a better choice!”

CAPBT, the COAPE Association of Pet Behaviourists and Trainers is the largest specifically qualified association for pet behaviourists and trainers in the UK. Membership offers all pet owners a guarantee of quality when seeking help with the treatment of behaviour problems or in training a dog or puppy.

Throughout the year, the organisation holds many small events around the country, but for its big annual conference, wanted a central location to facilitate its members.

Kirsty Peake said:” We like to ‘push the boat out’ for our annual conference, with speakers from outside our Association, as it helps to raise our profile.

“Location was key for us as many of our members travel to the conference from different parts of the UK and Ireland and we wanted to make it as easy as possible for them. Woodland Grange offers easy access to Birmingham Airport for members from Scotland, Ireland and the CIs.

“The food was also excellent and we were very impressed with the care and attention given to us. I spend a lot of time in the USA where the service industry is respected and valued, whereas here in the UK it is not so much. The level of service provided by the team at Woodland Grange was outstanding. The fact that everything went well and the odd hiccup was dealt with immediately was very reassuring. We will definitely consider returning to Woodland Grange again.”

EEF Venues celebrates market confidence with major refurbishment

EEF Venues has completed a £120K refurbishment project at its Woodland Grange conference centre in Leamington Spa. 

The company commissioned McCarthy Interiors, leading specialists in corporate refurbishment and space planning, to upgrade the venue’s lounge and bar areas. This included new flooring, lighting, décor and furniture.

This latest project follows just one year after EEF Venues made a £1 million capital investment in the refurbishment of bedrooms and bathrooms at the AIM gold accredited venue.

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: ”We have seen a 27 per cent growth increase across our three venues over the last four years. Because of this significant growth, our parent group, EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, made a commitment to invest further.

“Our newly refurbished lounge and bar areas now reflect the diversification of our client-base and their expectations. Softer lighting, more comfortable seating and colourful décor have changed the mood of these areas, providing a calmer and more relaxing environment for people to unwind after a busy conference or training session.”

The coffee lounge features a new Autobar bean-to-cup coffee station, where delegates can enjoy Woodland Grange’s range of hand-made biscuits, speciality teas, fresh juices and fruit.

“Delegates expectations are higher than ever so we now bench-mark ourselves against top quality hotels and conference venues,” said David Vaughton.

“We have dropped the lighting levels, created lower ceilings and added luxury fabrics and contemporary, retro-style seating to create a more chilled environment because we feel that when people are happy and relaxed, they are more productive and energised. Our meeting spaces are still comfortable yet functional but it’s important that break-out areas and lounges have a very different feel.

“This latest investment is about strengthening the total solution for our clients so that their every need is met, from state of the art technology to great food and a warm and inviting after-work ambience.

“It is also an indication of the confidence we feel in the market. August trading results for Woodland Grange show a 61% per cent year-on-year increase. Now that we have completed the refurbishment, we expect further enhanced performance going forward.”

The 114-bedroom venue also features a health suite which includes a Jacuzzi, gym and sauna.

EEF Venues creates new sales post

EEF Venues has appointed Nicholas Williams as director of sales for the group’s three AIM Gold accredited conference venues: Woodland Grange in Leamington Spa, Broadway House in Westminster and Engineers’ House in Bristol. 

 He officially started the role on 5th August and is now responsible for business development and marketing strategy across the group.

Before joining EEF Venues, Nicholas was director of sales and marketing for Fawsley Hall Hotel in Northamptonshire, where he achieved record sales and profit targets during a challenging economic climate. Prior to that, he was director of sales with Dunchurch Park Hotel and Conference Centre in Rugby. He brings with him more than twenty years of experience within the hotel and conference sector.

Commenting on his appointment, David Vaughton, venues director for EEF Venues, said: “We take a very pro-active approach to sales and marketing, with an emphasis on relationship building and customer care excellence. We are confident that with Nick’s experience and expertise we will continue to attract and retain a diverse and satisfied client-base across the business.

”This latest appointment reflects the renewed corporate confidence we are now seeing in the meeting & conference sector, which is impacting positively on our performance right across our three venues. Year-to-date growth figures show that EEF Venues has grown by 15 per cent year-on-year, putting us 12 per cent ahead of our budget for 2014.” 

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

EEF Venues appoints new general manager at Woodland Grange

EEF Venues has created a new general manager post for its Woodland Grange conference venue in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, named ‘Business of the Year’ in this year’s Touch FM Pride of Warwick District Awards. 

Ian Chaplin joined the AIM gold accredited venue on 30th June, where he is responsible for the overall management and commercial success of the venue, including the achievement of financial and customer service targets. 

Prior to his appointment, Ian was operations manager with De Vere Venues at Staverton Park, and before that, operations manager with Principal Hayley Hotels and Conference Venues. 

Commenting on his appointment, David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: “This new role is a significant investment in the business and it highlights the importance we place on looking after our clients and our people. Ian’s strong background within the hospitality sector, and particularly, venue management, will ensure that customer service excellence remains a core value while building further on the business growth witnessed this year.” 

Pride of place for EEF Venues

Woodland Grange, part of the EEF Venues group in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire has won ‘Business of the Year’ in this year’s Touch FM Pride of Warwick District Awards.

From the 150 entries received, the venue was short-listed down to the final three under four categories: Business of the Year, Hospitality Business of the Year, Customer Care Award and Green Business of the Year.

The overall winners were announced at an awards ceremony held on Friday 4th July at The Chesford Grange Hotel in Warwick.

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said:  “We are absolutely thrilled to have received this recognition. The short-listings alone were a great vote of confidence in our customer care standards and business practices. To stand shoulder-to-shoulder with many other exemplary short-listed local businesses and then walk away with this award was truly beyond our expectations”.

“All credit must go to our team at Woodland Grange but also to 102TouchFM for introducing the Pride of Warwick Awards to showcase and acknowledge local business success”.

Woodland Grange short-listed for four Touch FM Pride of Warwick District Awards.

EEF Venue’s Woodland Grange Meeting and Conference Venue in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire has been short-listed under four categories in this year’s Touch FM Pride of Warwick District Awards.

From the 150 entries received, the venue has been short-listed down to the final three under Business of the Year, Hospitality Business of the Year, Customer Care Award and Green Business of the Year categories.

The overall winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Friday 4th July at The Chesford Grange Hotel. 

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: ”We are absolutely thrilled to have received this recognition. The short-listings alone are a great vote of confidence in our customer care standards and business practices. We look forward to the finals when we will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with many other exemplary local businesses. All credit must go to our team at Woodland Grange but also to 102TouchFM for introducing the Pride of Warwick Awards to showcase and acknowledge local business success.” 

Woodland Grange earns 2014 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence

Woodland Grange Conference Centre in Leamington Spa has received a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence award for the second year running.

The accolade, which honours hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor.

It places Woodland Grange in the top-performing 10 per cent of global businesses listed on TripAdvisor to receive this prestigious award.

To qualify for a Certificate of Excellence, businesses must maintain an overall rating of four or higher, out of a possible five, as reviewed by travellers on TripAdvisor, and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months. Additional criteria include the volume of reviews received within the last 12 months.

Commenting on the award, David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, said: “There is no greater seal of approval than being recognised by one’s customers and we feel extremely grateful to them for taking time to give us this remarkable vote of confidence in our service standards and facilities.”

Woodland Grange donates gym equipment to Leamington school

Woodland Grange, a meetings and conference centre in Old Milverton Lane in Leamington Spa, has donated all of its former gym equipment to North Leamington School in Blackdown, Leamington.

Much to the delight of  6th form and GCSE students, the school’s gymnasium is now equipped with high quality apparatus including two additional rowing machines, three cross  trainers, two upright cycle machines and two treadmills.  

John Turpin, group operations manager for EEF Venues, the group behind Woodland Grange, said: ”Our recent £1 million capital investment in our facilities included the replacement of gym equipment in our Leisure Suite at Woodland Grange. We could have sold the old equipment but felt that it would be far better to put it to good use in the local community. We are absolutely thrilled that our equipment has found a good home and that it is of benefit to the school.”

Prior to donating the equipment to the school, the machines were serviced by local company, Newbody Fitness Ltd in Bedford St, Leamington, who will service the equipment for the school free of charge for the next twelve months.

John Turpin continued:”The units were in excellent condition because of our regular maintenance and repair schedule.  It was a logistical challenge though in that the machines had to be broken down into their composite elements, transferred and rebuilt on site. As the school is very close to our venue, this all happened in less than half a day and I am delighted to report that it all went to plan!”

Joy Mitchell, head teacher at North Leamington School, said:”We are delighted with the gym equipment and want to thank Woodland Grange for their generosity. We have a strong PE department and a high participation rate in our GCSE and A-Level PE courses. The additional equipment means that we can engage more of our students in the practical application of the PE courses and increase opportunities to develop healthier lifestyles and attitudes.”   

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

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.