One reason clients use our venue finding and event management service is to save themselves valuable time.
This was the motivation for a prestigious national association that recently turned to Classic Venue Solutions for help.
Our head of events, explains: “Booking a venue may seem straightforward, but doing the research to find the perfect location and finalising all the finer details of an event can take a lot of time.
“The association was keen to work with us because the person in charge of organising their events was now doing a mix of two roles and it saved her from having to take more time out of her day.”
The Brief
The brief for the 2-day residential meeting in August called for a venue close to London with good transport links and meeting facilities for 25 delegates.
“We had been given 2 dates to work with and contacted over 15 venues to look at availability. We held dates at a selection of properties, including The Lensbury in Teddington.”
The Venue
The client selected The Lensbury after being impressed with its business-orientated facilities. The 4-star property, located on the banks of the River Thames, has invested £8.5m into refurbishing its conference facilities, which now consist of 33 meeting rooms catering for up to 250 people and 25 new executive bedrooms. A further £14m has been spent on the ground floor of the hotel and upgrading bedrooms in the Ascot building.
The resort’s Executive rooms
Says our head of events: “They liked that there was a separate conference centre. Although it’s attached to the hotel, it has a separate entrance and dedicated lounges so they could pop out and get refreshments whenever they wanted during the day.
“It also offers a dedicated guest relations manager, meaning there was always someone on a desk for them to call down to if they needed anything. IT equipment was inclusive in the price, too, and as the client wanted to use videoconferencing during the meeting it represented extra value.”
Another value-added factor that helped sway the client’s choice was the free shuttle bus service offered from Teddington Station to the hotel.
Says our head of events: “The location of the hotel was ideal because it wasn’t too far from their offices in central London and meant that the delegates could go to work in the morning and then take a short commute. In addition, because not everyone was staying overnight, it meant those delegates could easily get home.
“The hotel is a 15-minute walk from the train station but because there were complimentary shuttles going throughout the day it meant they wouldn’t have to spend extra money on taxis.”
The Result
The meeting took place in The Lensbury’s Barker Room, with lunch in the Thames View Suite. With its huge picture windows and sun-deck terrace overlooking the landscaped grounds, the team could make the most of the break and enjoy a spot of August sunshine. The event also included a private dinner in the Lloyd Room, which kicked off with a Pimm’s reception.
The Thames View Suite
Says our head of events: “The feedback about the conference centre was that it was a very fresh environment for them to work in with lots of natural daylight. They also enjoyed the views onto the grounds and the River Thames beyond.”
As well as being ideal for meetings, The Lensbury has broadened its appeal for incentive events in recent years by adding impressive sports and leisure facilities. These include a water sports centre, allowing delegates to get out on the Thames in sculling boats, kayaks, canoes, small motorboats and a choice of sailing dinghies.
There’s also a racquet club, with 19 tennis courts and 2 squash courts presenting a choice of playing surfaces. Meanwhile, there are 2 heated indoor pools, a huge fully-equipped gym and a spa offering a range of Dermalogica treatments.
According to our head of events, these facilities represented an added bonus for the client: “One of the people heading up the meeting got to the venue early to set up and then had a couple of hours before it started. They were able to use the time productively by squeezing in a gym session.”
Sailing on the River Thames
The Feedback
Overall, the client was delighted with the service provided by Classic Venue Solutions:
Client Testimonial
Classic Venue Solutions has been an absolute godsend! They saved me time by sourcing venues for me which met my requirements. They kept me updated with everything, and nothing was too much trouble for them. I strongly recommend them and will be using their services again in the future.
Concludes our head of events: “For PAs, secretaries and other busy professionals who organise events as a secondary part of their job, using a service such as ours can save them an enormous amount of time and effort. We are working with venues up and down the country every day so we can easily recommend the most suitable and best-value options for all sorts of events.”