Eat Seasonably at Kents Hill Park

East Seasonably helps everybody enjoy fruit and vegetables at their seasonal best.  As part of Compass UK, Kents Hill Park is proud to partner this fantastic non-profit campaign.

Eating seasonably means: 

Better taste – top chefs agree that fresh seasonal produce is best 

Better value – our research has shown that a basket of fruit and veg bought in the summer can be as much as a third cheaper than the same basket bought out of season 

Better for the planet – growing in season requires lower levels of artificial inputs than at other times of the year

Every month we will have new information for you to take away in our restaurant, from seasonal recipes and menu ideas to tips on growing your own fruit and vegetables.  We also have monthly focus on food issues that are important to us. From supporting British Farmers and Fair Trade to tips for a healthy life style. 

For instance: Did you know active bodies crave carbohydrate for energy. But how do you get the most from the meals and snack on the right food at the right time? 

Get healthy habits up and running: 

• Regular sports demand regular, well balanced meals and plenty of fluids before, during and after training.

• There is no need to rely on supplements if you are eating a balanced diet.

• Know when to snack, and what on, to reduce fatigue and maintain blood sugar and carbohydrate levels

What to eat and when:

• 2-4 hours before exercise try:

• 2 Portions of fruit
• 1 slice of whole meal bread with topping
• 2 Weetabix with skimmed milk 

• If you are exercising for more than an hour top up your energy stores every 15-20 minutes. Try:

• 125-150ml isotonic sports drink
• 2 handfuls of dried fruit

• After exercise to replace lost energy and help with recovery, eat carbohydrates within 20 minutes of finishing.  Try:

• 1 cereal bar
• 2 large bananas
• 1 bowl of wholegrain cereal with skimmed milk

For more details visit Kents Hill Park on our website > or call us on 0845 230 1414

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.

Møller Centre builds for growth

The Møller Centre has been granted planning permission by Cambridge City Council to expand their premises at Churchill College, Cambridge, which will support the growing demand for its residential meeting facilities and executive education programmes. 

Having completed a pre planning and formal planning application, and consulted local residents and the collegiate community, The Møller Centre’s modest extension to its main building will provide an additional 21 bedrooms, increased catering space and enlarged state of the art meeting and office space.  The project has been phased over a period of months to ensure that the Centre can continue with “business as usual” throughout the build.

“The extension intentionally compliments the original building design” says Stuart Websdale, General Manager of The Møller Centre. “On completion, the new facilities will blend effortlessly into the original building using precise design detail and matching materials.  The commitment to detail has meant ongoing consultation with members of the original Henning Larsen Architectural practice in Denmark. The benefits to clients will be vast, providing greater flexibility, increased variety in training room sizes and additional capacity for our loyal client base. The build will enhance The Møller Centre’s commitment to sourcing high quality, environmentally friendly and sustainable materials.  We are delighted to be using local contractors and suppliers to help support the regional economy.   Meticulous planning and collaboration with various stakeholders will ensure that the construction goes smoothly, allowing us to continue our focus on our customers.”

The Møller Centre was established in 1992 after a generous donation by the A.P Møller & Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation, a Danish institution that makes contributions to good causes, especially those involving national heritage, shipping, industry, education and science. Mr. Møller envisaged The Møller Centre to be a “Centre of Excellence” - bringing together the worlds of academia and industry. 

Today, The Møller Centre is a very successful business that employs over 100 skilled and motivated staff working exclusively in the fields of Management Training, Customised Executive Education and Conferencing. Conducted in bespoke, state of the art facilities, this very pure learning environment is also appealing to international delegations.  All profits from the Centre are then donated to Churchill College for educational support.  

The Møller Centre build project will start in December 2013, with a view to opening the new facilities in the spring of 2015. To follow the project’s progress, please follow #mollerbuild 

Nottingham Conference Centre achieves leading industry accreditation

Nottingham Conference Centre has recently received the Accredited in Meetings (AIM) Gold standard award. AIM is the nationwide Kitemark for venues and service providers in the meetings, conference and events industry.

Administered by the meetings industry association (mia) and endorsed by Visit Britain, Visit England and the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers, AIM is awarded to venues that have met or exceeded 50 criteria including customer service, quality of facilities, compliance with codes of conduct and corporate social responsibility.

AIM Gold is the highest level of the accreditation and demonstrates a venue's compliance with a more stringent set of criteria, completing a self-assessment, producing a portfolio of evidence in support of its application and receiving a visit from an independent assessor.

Jennifer Canto, Nottingham Conference Centre business development and sales manager, said: "We believe this is an important accreditation within the industry, showing customers the level of standards we are operating at.

"As an AIM accredited supplier we are committed to making our clients' events a success and by using our expertise we strive to exceed the highest standards."

Jane Longhurst, mia chief executive, added: "AIM is a mark of reassurance to meetings buyers; a demonstration that a venue is compliant, competent and capable. When a venue has achieved AIM Gold, buyers know the facilities will be of the highest standard and that they will receive service that is second to none with exceptional catering and hospitality."

Gold Award Hat-Trick for the Beardmore

The Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre has once again received the Gold Award for Green Tourism for the third year running.

First receiving the accreditation from the Green Tourism Business Scheme in the summer of 2010, the Beardmore were recognised again in July last year. Following a recent inspection of the four star residential venue, the team at the Beardmore are celebrating as they receive the prestigious honour for the third straight year, achieving a score of 86%: their highest score to date.

The Beardmore takes pride in its Green Team, which is represented by every department and meets regularly to come up unique and innovative ways to improve their eco-friendly status and encourage guests to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Gary Rice, General Manager of the Beardmore, said: “We are delighted to have received the Gold Award once again. Our team work extremely hard all year, and it is an honour to have our dedication to reducing our impact on the environment recognised by the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

“From the fundamentals of sustainable practices, such as recycling and monitoring energy consumption, we are constantly trying to adapt new ways to encourage our guests to be eco-aware, to re-use linen and towels, and help us make a difference.

“We have many innovative schemes in place, many of which have come from our own staff: such as growing our own herbs to use in the Beardmore kitchen to complimentary bikes for our guests.”

The Gold Award comes just weeks after the Beardmore was recognised as the top Eco Hotel in Scotland and third in the UK at the AA Hospitality Awards in London.

Commenting on the success, Gary said: “Here at the Beardmore, we try to go above and beyond to make a positive difference to the environment. We even offer a Green Conference Package to encourage event organisers to hold sustainable events.

“This package encourages them to use less paper and take public transport to name a few. It’s important to remember that all of this takes place in our upgraded, state of the art auditorium. It’s the complete package.”

Further support needed for SLAP

David Vaughton, director of venues for EEF Venues, has raised £1,400 to date for the Sri Lanka Aid Project (SLAP) by running in Cardiff’s Half Marathon on 6th October, coming in 7,751 out of 19,000 runners. 

He is hoping that a charity auction on Saturday 23rd November will help to meet his overall target of £5,000 to build a new classroom for the children of Bondupitiya School, victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami disaster.  

Meetings Industry Meeting Needs (MIMN) charity is supporting him in his fund-raising efforts.

 David Vaughton said: “My deepest thanks to all who supported me in the Marathon. We are hoping that the auction will help us to reach our £5,000 goal and we would be very grateful for any donations of prizes.”  

For further details please contact David on 01926 310504.

Conference Centres of Excellence confirms charity partner status with MIMN

Conference Centres of Excellence, the UK’s leading quality consortium of specialist meeting and event venues has received charity partner status from Meetings Industry Meeting Needs (MIMN) due to consistent fundraising efforts over the last four years.

MIMN is a registered charity founded by leading figures in the UK conference and events Industry to raise funds for worthy causes relevant to the events industry which may not have the resources to raise sufficient funds without additional contributions. Many needy causes do not have access to public funding and MIMN can provide financial support to these types of organisations through various fund-raising initiatives and activities.

For a number of years Conference Centres of Excellence has raised funds at the Annual Conference, and Annual Chefs’ Challenge competition dinner, with members contributing fantastic raffle prizes. Last year the group raised £1,335 for MIMN and with the 2013 Chefs’s Challenge competition just around the corner in November, we hope to exceed this figure to further support the organisation.

“As a leading venue organisation with 21 years of working in the events sector, it is right that we should support a charity partner that is close to our industry, and as such it is a privilege to be associated with the excellent and vital work MIMN carries out each year after year, taking care of people less fortunate than ourselves” commented Anthony Lishman, Executive Director of Conference Centres of Excellence.