Unusual Venues | ConferencesUK | Issue 11

Unusual Venues Booking Unusual Venues Top 6 Unusual Venues The Conferences Team Key Trends in 2015

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Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United Football Club is the perfect place to hold a truly memorable and unique event.

Delight your delegates in the Theatre of Dreams, one of the North West’s leading conferences and events facilities, with 24 suites holding up to a maximum of 1,100 people. Our famous stadium has an additional 154 meeting rooms with fantastic views of the hallowed turf.

We have a wealth of experience hosting a wide range of events including exhibitions, product launches, conferences, seminars and meetings. Our range of highly adaptable, blank canvas spaces are perfect for both large and small events and are easily accessible. www.manutd.com/unitedevents united.events@manutd.co.uk 0161 868 8000 (option 3, option 1)

Inside this Issue...

Editor’s Letter

4. N EW TEAM MEMBER & STAFF

In this Autumn edition of our magazine we focus on unusual conference venues, picking out some of the more interesting venues we work with, as well as offering some tips on how to book a venue that is a little bit different.

8. G UIDE TO BOOKING UNUSUAL VENUES 12. T OP 6 UNUSUAL VENUES 16. E MERGENCY CHRISTMAS PARTY PLANNING 18. KEY TRENDS IN 2015

However it wouldn’t be Autumn if we didn’t make at least a passing reference to the forthcoming festive season, as well as looking ahead to 2015. While we covered Christmas in depth in the last issue, we have included some ‘last minute’ tips for those of you who are yet to resolve plans for your company’s Christmas event.

2014 has been a great year for Conferences Group and hopefully it has been for you too. Now the clocks have gone back, it feels timely to look ahead to next year and take a brief look at some of the emerging trends that will shape the sector in 2015.

Most importantly, though, this edition is packed full of amazing venues!

I hope you enjoy reading our magazine and I will catch up with you again… in our New Year edition.

In the meantime, do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any feedback or comments.

Simon Thompson Managing Director

New Team Member & Staff

New Team Member & Staff 2014 has been a very busy year for the team at ConferencesUK, with a large growth in the number of organisations seeking our expert help in finding the perfect venue for their event. To help meet that increased demand we welcomed a new member of venue finding team recently.

NEW TEAM MEMBER Joan Uttley Joan joined Conferences UK as a venue finder recently and brings to the team a wealth of experience across a broad range of sectors. In addition to her venue finding experience Joan has a background in PR and has run several successful businesses.

If you are looking for the perfect venue for your meeting or event you can contact Joan on 08453519917.

MEET THE REST OF THE TEAM Simon Thompson, Managing Director.

Simon set up Conferences UK in 2005 and is the driving force behind the continued success and growth of Conferences UK. Jane Winstanley, Venue Finder.

Jane has worked in the events industry for several years and is passionate about finding a venue that matches her client’s requirements Carl Brindley, Venue Finder.

Carl joined Conferences UK in 2011 from a large corporate agency and over the years has gained vast knowledge of client needs and venues.

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STUNNING HOTELS. OUTSTANDING RESULTS.

Holiday Inn Doncaster

Holiday Inn Plymouth

Crowne Plaza Glasgow

QMH Hotels is the name behind some of the most impressive hotels in the UK. We are immensely proud of a portfolio that includes 1 Best Western, 7 Holiday Inn and 3 Crowne Plaza hotels, all in amazing locations. Over many years, we have been highly successful in organising all types of conferences, meetings and events. All our hotels have flexible, stylish meeting rooms and conference facilities, and you can choose from our day and 24 hour Delegate packages or we can create a bespoke package just for you.

Mix business with pleasure All our hotels ensure our guests can wind down and relax after a successful conference, meeting or event. We have fantastic new menus to tempt your taste buds and as the evening draws to a close, our bars and lounges are the perfect place for a night cap. Taking you straight through from day to night, our hotels really are the perfect place for business and pleasure.

Crowne Plaza Nottingham

Holiday Inn Stratford-upon-Avon

Visit qmh-hotels.com

Crowne Plaza Chester

New Team Member & Staff

Call our team of experts today on 0845 351 9917.

Vanessa Steel, Venue Finder.

Vanessa joined the business in 2013, after working as a freelance conference co-ordinator and an event coordinator for the National Trust.

Richard Newman, Regional Account Manager.

Richard joined the team in 2009 and is responsible for building relationships and partnerships with new and existing venues. He joined with a background in senior positions in sales and operations within the sector.

Stan Posner, Regional Account Manager.

With Conferences UK since 2008, Stan works alongside Richard in building our relationships with venues.

Stan joined the team with a background in hotel sales management.

Julie Humphrey, Administrator.

Julie is the first person many of the visitors to our offices get to meet and supports our busy team by providing invaluable administrative support.

Sam Dickinson, Accounts Assistant.

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Sam joined the business after completing her Masters in Environmental Science and is responsible for the financial administration of the business. In this she works alongside Clare Webster, who is the Financial Controller.

etc.venues are delighted to announce that our newest City venue is now open at Monument.

Prime location just minutes away from Monument

Full of natural daylight

Designed for groups up to 240

Dedicated floor options

10 rooms of varying size

On site restaurant and lounge

Theatre style kitchen and chefs serving a variety of food styles

Interior design

by Franck Rosello

This fantastic location, a few minutes away from the “Walkie Talkie” building and Monument Station, will offer 14,000 sqft of space over 2 floors with the largest room accommodating 240 theatre style with an additional 9 rooms of various sizes.

As with all our venues, etc.venues Monument looks fantastic with the same contemporary design and high standard of meeting, training and conference space Why not take a look for yourself and we’ll treat you to a glass of bubbly!

Contact Barbara at brobson@etcvenues.co.uk and arrange a Champagne Showround to view this venue in style!

To book visit our website, call Barbara on 020 7014 3405 or brobson@etcvenues.co.uk

Guide to Booking Unusual Venues CREATE IMPACT, INSPIRE AND IMPRESS Think outside the box with your choice of venue and your event will create impact and inspire and impress your delegates.

Demand for unusual and alternative event space is growing. Many event organisers are looking to more unusual venues to turn their event from ‘run of the mill’ to a special occasion boosting attendance levels and creating that ‘wow factor’. This means that many more previously unused facilities are now opening up to event organisers to book their space as a unique venue.

As an event organiser this inevitably causes some challenges and this guide will help you ensure your event is memorable for the right reasons.

CONFERENCES UK TIPS Firstly consider using a specialist venue searching agency as they can help you find that perfect venue that you may not had even thought of trying. Secondly ensure that the event is in the right location. This is influenced by factors and constraints including cost and facilities but the right location can be the difference between your event succeeding and failing.

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Decide on the overall experience you want your delegate to have - the right choice of venue can help your event to succeed and can be used as a marketing tool.

SITE VISIT Once you have chosen a potential venue ensure you carry out a site visit and see for yourself that the space meets all of your requirements and objectives. Some challenges just require creative solutions.

Remember if you choose an unusual venue that is rather remote, consider how your delegates will get there and whether or not they will need accommodation or travel arranging.

Equally for larger events it will be important to understand if it will be easy for your contractors, suppliers and delegates to access the venue.

EVENT FLOW If, for example, your catering and networking spaces are in different buildings or on different floors, consider the impact this will have on the flow of your event and the timings.

You will need to ensure you factor in delegate movement to your timeline or you might find that there is not enough time for coffee or delegates are late for the start of sessions for example.

FOR ON LY

£29pp + VAT

DDR Winter Offer!

Book a meeting in November-February PACKAGE INCLUDES: • Room hire for main room

• Pads & pens

• Rolling tea, coffee

• Dedicated meeting host

• Winter Lunch (Soup & Sandwiches)

• Free WI-FI

• West Ham bottled water • Projector & screen and flip chart

• Conferences for up to 600 • Pitch view boardroom for up to 20

Boleyn Ground is located a short distance from Central London in the North East with easy rail links from the city.

To find out more or to book your DDR (Day Delegate Rate) call 08443

758200 opt 2 or contact us at eventbookings@westhamunited.co.uk Offer ends the 28th February 2015, subject to availability and T&C apply

Guide to Booking Unusual Venues

THE PRACTICALITIES

CASE STUDY

WANT TO BOOK YOUR EVENT?

While the venue might be visually stunning, you will need to remember the basics. Room size and layout are particularly important and you might need to take account of things such as visual and physical obstructions to staging or meeting layout.

Conferences UK spoke to Kate Davies, a project manager with a leading agency who recently project managed a large awards ceremony at the Science Museum in London.

Are you interested in booking a venue with a difference? We have packed this edition of the magazine with a selection of amazing venues to give you a head start. If you would like to make a booking or need any help in finding a venue call the Conferences UK team today on 0845 351 9917.

At a more basic level, there must be more than adequate mains power to ensure there is both light and sound. Furthermore, it is important to understand whether the venue can the venue meet your technology requirements. Even for the smallest meeting access to free Wi-Fi is considered a minimum requirement now and the larger your event the more complex these requirements become.

Finally, determine what catering facilities are available. If there are none onsite you will need to make alternative arrangements to provide your catering, which can present another logistical challenge.

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“The event was a showcase event for an important client in the Information and Technology sector and the Science Museum was their first choice as venue. This venue had a number of challenges given its uniqueness. The awards were held amongst one of the exhibitions and the location of the staging and the tables took some creative planning.

There had to be a certain number of tables to seat the guests, adequate space between all the tables to ensure the catering staff had the space to serve the food and there had to be a reasonable view to the stage from the tables. Another huge challenge was that the building was open to the public and the ‘turnaround’ from exhibition space to awards ceremony had to be done in less than an hour. Other considerations were hiring a catering company and the management of them, plus production access issues given the venue is in central London. Working around these challenges was difficult, but produced an amazing event, meeting the client’s needs in a venue with the ‘wow factor’

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Book now for special rates on meetings from January to March 2015* Email mande.marblearch@thistle.co.uk Call 0207 514 2612 thistle.com *Book before 31st December 2014. Subject to availability and change.

Top 6 Unusual Venues

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Unique Venue, Unique Experience at the Heritage Motor Centre, Warwickshire.

Combine your meeting with an unforgettable off-road Land Rover Experience or tour world’s largest collection of historic British vehicles.

The Heritage Motor Centre is a unique conference venue located in the Midlands, minutes off junction 12 of the M40; it is also home to Land Rover Experience, Gaydon, and to a Motor Museum with over 200 British vehicles on display. | 25 purpose built meeting rooms for 2-600 delegates | | Exhibition Space | FREE Wi-Fi | FREE Parking | 65 acres of external event | FREE entrance to the Museum is standard for all day delegates, with rates starting from ÂŁ39+vat.

For more information about meetings at the Heritage Motor Centre and our unique experiences contact the conference team on 01926 645040 or conferences@heritage-motor-centre.co.uk

www.hmcconferences.co.uk

Six of the Best Unusual Venues for Your Corporate Event

1. LONDON ZOO

2. WARWICK CASTLE

3. CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB

Not just a fun day out for the family, London Zoo has eight stylish meeting rooms, some of which can seat up to 350 guests. What better way to inspire and engage your valued guests than by seating them in meeting rooms that overlook the incredible animals of the Zoological gardens? Plus, by holding your event with London Zoo you will be contributing to a charity that supports the global conservation of animals and their natural habitats.

For spectacular award ceremonies or exquisite banquets look no further than Warwick Castle. On offer are authentic feasts, medieval team building and the opportunity to dine in their opulent State Dining Room (HM Queen Elizabeth II once dined there!). Their largest meeting room can accommodate up to 70 guests and the Castle itself is within easy travelling distance of Birmingham International Airport.

Chelsea FC has it all – 24 function rooms and 60 syndicate rooms offer something for everyone, no matter how big or small your event will be.

Inspire your guests by presenting to them in a room overlooking the pitch where top footballers like John Terry and Cesc Fabregas perform every week.

Located in central London, Chelsea FC offers 281 bedrooms making it perfect for 2-3 day conferences.

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4. NATIONAL SPACE CENTRE

5. HMS BELFAST

6. THE CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS

The National Space Centre in Leicester is a venue that is truly out of this world. Stimulate your audience by presenting in front of the 42 metre rocket tower, with two full size rockets suspended above. This is sure to give your guests the WOW factor.

Their conference rooms, The Shuttle Suites, offer ground floor locations, natural daylight and seating for up to 200 delegates with flexible seating options. The conference rooms can also be subdivided into four rooms making excellent breakout rooms.

Steeped in history, HMS Belfast is a truly astonishing venue. Having played a leading role in the Normandy Landings and the Battle of North Cape, in 1971 she was saved for the nation as a unique reminder of Britain’s Naval Heritage. Now permanently moored between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast has become a popular tourist attraction and corporate events venue. It offers four function rooms, two decks, fantastic views of London, and tons of history. It is a great venue for a variety of events whether you have 15 guests or 450 guests.

Recognised as one of Britain’s greatest Prime Minister’s, Winston Churchill’s ability to inspire millions is unparalleled. It was in the Cabinet War Rooms that he ran the country, waged war, and led the Allies to victory. If you choose The Churchill War Rooms, then your guests can walk down the very corridors that Churchill walked, peer into the War Cabinet Room at the scene left as it was when he last met there, and marvel at the complexity of the map room. With an auditorium seating 150 theatre style and modern audio-visual facilities, your guests are sure to leave feeling inspired.

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“Conference Room” with a view at The Lincoln Hotel Situated in the heart of Lincoln’s historic Cathedral Quarter, The Lincoln Hotel offers conference and meeting rooms with idyllic views of Lincoln Cathedral.

• A choice of 6 private meeting rooms, all of which benefit from WiFi and natural light for up to 100 delegates • Tailor made day delegate packages • Dedicated Event Coordinator • The AA Rosette, Green Room Restaurant caters for working breakfasts, corporate lunches, buffets or private dining • 71 bedroom hotel offers accommodation packages inclusive of dinner, overnight stay and a hearty full English breakfast • Complimentary and secure onsite parking for delegates The Lincoln Hotel benefits from an ideal city centre location with excellent road and rail links that is easily accessible from the A46 ring road.

Conference & Events Manager – Elizaan Mowbray The Lincoln Hotel, Eastgate, Lincoln, LN2 1PN www.thelincolnhotel.com 01522 520348 conference@thelincolnhotel.com

Emergency Christmas Party Planning

Left it to the very last minute to organise the Christmas Party? Fear not, follow our top tips for organising the last minute Christmas Party and all need not be lost.

SET THE DATE Okay, it is late, but you need to set a date as soon as possible while taking into account the availability of your colleagues. Conduct a quick email survey with your colleagues asking which date they would prefer. This will allow you to choose the best possible available date and construct a rough idea of your guest list and therefore your numbers as quickly as possible.

BUDGET: The size of your budget will determine what type of party you can organise. You will also need to establish what your budget includes.

In particular you will need to decide whether it is a free party or if staff will need contribute to any aspect of it.

Your email survey will help you get a feel for minimum and maximum numbers, however it is worth building in a small contingency for any unexpected extras.

Once you are armed with your date, an estimate of numbers and your budget you are ready to go!

SOURCING YOUR VENUE The start point is to find the right venue. Start by making a shortlist of venues or by contacting the Conferences UK team to get a shortlist of venues that meet your criteria.

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You will need to check the venues availability and whether it can cater for the type of party you want within budget. When you have your quotes from your shortlist check that they

include everything you need and for any hidden extras.

This is where the Conferences UK team can really make a difference – particularly in making sure you get the best price for your event.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER Location is very important. If the venue of your choice is not in the centre of town near public transport then you will have to consider the costs of coach hire or pay for taxis.

A free Christmas party may lose its appeal if it costs £50 taxi to get home.

In some cases you may need to provide accommodation for your guests, particularly for those that live the furthest away, regardless of the location of the venue.

AFTER THE EVENT – FEEDBACK Whilst the event is still fresh in everyone’s minds email a short survey to gain feedback – positive and negative. This will help you get a head start and avoid a last minute panic if you get tasked with the organisation next year.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS Consider a post December Christmas event. Venues in January and February often offer great deals, in what is traditionally a quieter period. If this sounds like a great solution for you give our venue finders a call on 0845 351 9914 – they can provide the perfect venue for you.

Life Conference and Banqueting Located in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne, Life combines striking architecture with world-class facilities to provide a contemporary backdrop for a range of events, with an optional added spark, courtesy of the Life Science Centre.

With eight suites of varying sizes and with access to the Science Centre, Life can accommodate from 2 to 380 delegates and a wide range of events. The region’s only 4D Motion Ride is an unusual added extra to any event while Times Square is one of Newcastle’s most attractive and largest outdoor spaces available for hire in the city centre.

All of our indoor venues have FREE Wi-Fi available throughout and Life’s award-winning Chef can create exceptional menus for any event.

Life is situated 200m from Central Station and minutes from the A1(M). Discounted parking is available in our 24-hour multi storey car park.

www.lifeconferencing.org.uk Email: enquiries@lifeconferencing.org.uk Telephone: (0191) 243 8216 or (0191) 243 8284 Twitter: @candbatlife

Key Trends in 2015 1 A THRIVING AND GROWING SECTOR

3 C OLLABORATIVE EVENT PLANNING

Despite the growth in accessible technology making virtual meetings much easier, face to face events and meetings will continue to thrive.

There are a number of reasons for this, but the most important one is that they are one of the most effective mediums for bringing buyers and sellers together.

From, at one end of the scale, events which are entirely curated by the delegates through to more traditionally managed conferences, where content is now customised by delegates through interaction via social media, a key trend is for the delegate to shape their own experience. Increased delegate engagement leads to increased satisfaction and better performing events.

Meetings and events are actually the second most effective channel for lead generation (after web traffic).

Since the majority of organisations are always seeking new ‘business’ in whatever form that takes for them, this will continue to ensure the sector thrives in 2015. However, it is clear that the majority of delegates are seeking an experience that is out of the ordinary and events that can meet this demand will have a strategic advantage.

2 INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY There is an ever growing array of technology solutions that can be incorporated into the simplest events to enhance the experience. From the first moment of arriving, delegates are looking for a rapid check in process, to enable them to spend as much time in event as possible. Tablet based tools such as Snafflz are increasingly being deployed to achieve this.

Furthermore, now that research shows that many delegates take three wireless enabled devices to a meeting or events, slide sharing apps, which enable presentations and other in event media to be viewed on hand held devices are increasingly used to enhance the experience.

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4 SOCIAL MEDIA Social Media continues to play a key role in shaping the event and delegate experience. It is generally taken for granted that ‘social’ has a role to play in promoting events and attracting customers, however it is increasingly used to shape the delegate experience. This can be anything from contributing to event content to submitting advance questions to a key note speaker.

At the leading edge, some events are using social seating to enable delegates to choose who to sit next to and meet up with at larger event and conferences. This service was originally used by airlines such as KLM and uses data from networks like Facebook and Linkedin to match delegates with similar interests or requirements.

5 REAL TIME ANALYSIS In today’s ultrafast based environment the traditional feedback mechanisms are becoming redundant. By incorporating technology into events it is possible to get increasingly speedy feedback, research and insight into the delegate experience and make better decisions onsite at the event. Increasingly, there is no need to wait until the next event to make the changes that are required.

The Perfect Venue Corporate Events | Private Celebrations | Party Nights With one of the largest capacity banqueting suites in the North East, we are proud of our local and regional reputation, gained for excellence in delivering professional, large scale Corporate Events, alongside a strong calendar of Public Party Events and Christmas Party Nights, Live Entertainment, Sporting Dinners, Conferences, Christmas Party Nights, Exhibitions, Trade Shows, Charity Events, Weddings and Asian Weddings.

Our Conference and Banqueting facilities can hold up to 1000 guests and we are located close to Newcastle. However your delegates choose to travel, we are easily accessible from the city centre, with 300 free on site car parking spaces.

Whatever the occasion The Lancastrian Suite is the Ideal Venue for your event.

Contact details email : info@thelancastriansuite.com Web: www.thelancastriansuite.com Tel: 0191 4605353 Fax: 0191 4607421

The Old Church, Albert Hill Street, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6RF Telephone: 0845 351 9917