IET London: Savoy Place crowned with Best Venue Customer Service accolade at the London Venue and Catering Awards 2022

IET London: Savoy Place has seen success in consecutive years at the London Venue Awards, this year winning Best Venue Customer Service.

In addition, the venue received recognition with a bronze award in the Best Venue for Hybrid Events category, competing against highly respected powerhouses in supplying seamless hybrid meeting spaces.

Hosted at the, now regular, Kia Oval in London on Friday 11 November, the awards and their respective judges acknowledged Savoy Place for its approach to developing a strong culture through its quality customer service and adapting to significant change.

Savoy Place has continued to welcome many high-profile visitors and events in London with the team securing strong relationships built through accessibility, consistent staff training as well as a genuine interest in the STEM clients.

Savoy Place is a venue promoting the constant development of a strong culture and innovative solutions to all event needs. With a 626-guest capacity across two lecture theatres, 14 further event spaces comprising of three floors and a roof terrace overlooking panoramic London views, customers are catered for, via various means.

Celebrating with the team on the day, Sean Spencer, Head of IET Venues and Facilities said: “It’s very rewarding to be recognised for a second year running for both the venue facilities and the outstanding team behind them. During a period of such significant change, it’s no easy feat to deliver so consistently with exceptional customer service across all manner of events, industries and capacities.

“We have such a tenacious and well-structured team, always going above and beyond for each client, which plays a significant role in securing our repeat business. Our best in class service is hard-earned through comprehensive staff training and the strong focus we place on wellbeing, so we’re very proud to receive this prestigious award recognising what we can achieve for our clients when we invest in our people.

“The day was an excellent chance to be amongst some illustrious talents throughout the industry and we congratulate all worthy winners and finalists.”

Explore Savoy Place’s facilities to find out more about hosting your next event at this award-winning London venue.

Regent’s celebrates success at London Venue Awards

Regent’s Conferences & Events has been recognised for its unique outdoor space and flexibility, winning the Bronze Award for Best Venue with Outside Space in the London Venue Awards 2022.

The awards, which were presented at The Kia Oval, London on Friday 11 November, aimed to recognise and reward outstanding achievement in London-based venues and catering companies.

The accolade comes after a record-breaking summer of success at Regent’s, as the team evolves its outdoor events offering year-on-year. The past 12 months has been no different. Due to the increasing demand for excess space, the lawns have proven to be incredibly sought after. The venue was virtually booked out by April 2022, but even after inevitable COVID dropouts, rail strikes and cancellations, it still saw 90% occupancy – 30% above target.

The outdoor space is unique in its versatility for events.  Perfectly positioned for balancing convenience with secluded privacy in the heart of London, the four acres of gardens are just a few steps away from the city’s hustle and bustle. The expanse of landscaped lawns, paired with a hidden, gated Secret Garden offers a fairy-tale-like setting with wildflowers, lush greenery, and excellent views of the city’s horizon. Concealed by foliage, the hidden space is accessed via a walkway covered by a beautiful pergola.  

Responding to the award success, Rafael Azzopardi, Interim Head of Catering and Events said: “To pick up another prestigious award for our summer party offering is testament to the consistency in service and facilities over the past few years. It’s brilliant to have the team’s extraordinary effort over the past 12 months recognised, as they continue to produce outstanding events in our outdoor space, despite all sorts of challenges thrown their way. We are quite fortunate to have such a large, private outdoor area in such a convenient location in London, and visitors are frequently astounded by the venue’s rural setting despite being only a short distance from the bustle of the city.

“It’s undoubtedly a fantastic motivation for the team to deliver another season of memorable outdoor events in 2023, as demand for the summer has already picked up.”

Find out more about Regent’s event space.

IET London: Savoy Place shortlisted for double London Venue Awards accolade

IET London: Savoy Place has been shortlisted for both Best Venue Customer Service and Best Venue for Hybrid Events in the London Venue Awards 2022.

Amid recognition of outstanding customer service, the venue has been celebrating the loyalty of its staff, with four of the senior team having dedicated over a decade of service to the IET and its clients. Due to the consistency and expertise offered at Savoy Place, the venue has had over 60% repeat bookers for events over the past 12 months.

Savoy Place’s modern conference facilities with robust IT infrastructure have allowed it to facilitate filming and streaming to multiple rooms. Additional hybrid filming and streaming services supplied to commercial clients by in-house AV specialists, IET.tv, are on track to grow in value by 300% for 2022, compared to 2021.

As the IET’s central London event venue, the building is well used by science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) businesses as well as clients from broader industries championing CSR because of its sustainability credentials, including its most recent Greengage Platinum ECOsmart accreditation. With many high-profile visitors and events, Savoy Place is proficient in client privacy, NDA content and full-service packages to provide security. The venue’s Operations Manager also has House of Commons security experience.

On being shortlisted, Sean Spencer, Head of IET Venues and Facilities said: “It’s brilliant recognition of the hard work the team has put in over the past 12 months to constantly adapt our client offering while continuing to deliver above and beyond when it comes to customer service. We’ve worked hard to develop a strong culture and thorough training scheme, educating staff on the importance of exceptional operational standards.

“Congratulations to the entire Savoy Place team for being recognised in two categories that highlight both technical prowess and outstanding delivery.”

Explore Savoy Place’s hybrid facilities to find out more about hosting your next event here.

Central Hall Westminster awarded ECOsmart Platinum Award for outstanding green standards

Central Hall Westminster, (CHW) part of Central Hall Venues group, recently announced it has been awarded the ECOsmart Platinum Venue Award for outstanding green credentials. CHW joins a select group of just 12 venues in the country, seven of which are in London, to receive the accolade.

The industry-standard accreditation programme is run by Greengage Travel and Event Solutions which recognises and supports eco-friendly hotels and conference venues throughout the UK that demonstrate an environmentally conscious approach and the adoption of eco-friendly measures. Awards range from entry-level Bronze to Platinum, the highest possible standard.

Central Hall Westminster has long been a sustainable venue, having previously won the Eco-Smart Gold Award and several other environmental accreditations over the last seven years. However, having gone the extra mile to reach the highest possible standards of environmental sustainability, the venue underwent a rigorous audit from Greengage Solutions to reach Platinum, an award which recognises leaders in hospitality who have considered sustainability in all aspects of their business.

Alongside the existing measures carried out over the last five years including reducing water waste, ensuring zero waste goes to landfill, introducing catering sustainable practices and installing ECO LED lights in all rooms, CHW undertook several additional measures to achieve Platinum including:

  • Providing LED lighting in all event rooms
  • Monitoring energy usage on a daily basis
  • Actively encouraging recycling in all meeting rooms
  • Donating furniture and equipment to local charities
  • Encouraging green meeting practices by providing conference organisers with a list of eco recommendations
  • In conjunction with on-site catering partner, Green & Fortune, – giving preference to local and seasonal produce with vegetarian and vegan options; providing Fair Trade coffee, tea and sugar; offering organic wine as an option; and giving excess food to those who need it
  • Filtering and bottling water on site
  • Achieving the Platinum Award for its eco approach by Westminster Council
  • Vetting suppliers to ensure they operate in line with the principles of the organisation

The venue’s dedicated green team of sustainable champions from across all staff areas helped drive these initiatives forward and implement over the last two years.

In addition, CHV’s Head of Communications, Anna Glazebrook, has been invited by Greengage to join its Platinum Inner Circle who meet regularly to discuss ideas and make recommendations to the events industry on sustainability measures.

Andrew Perolls, CEO of Greengage Travel and Event Solutions, comments: “We are delighted that Central Hall Westminster has worked so hard to take further measures on sustainability since they won the Gold Award and have now gone on to achieve Platinum. It is incredibly difficult to reach this outstanding top level and we were impressed with their long-term commitment to introduce green initiatives in all areas.”

Sarah Ainsworth, CEO of Central Hall Venues which runs Central Hall Westminster, adds: “As an organisation which exists to provide funds to maintain this beautiful historic building and donate to charitable works across the world, running a sustainable venue is incredibly important to us. Our Green Team and on-site partners have worked tirelessly to ensure sustainability is included in all areas of our operation and we are very proud to have achieved Platinum.”

Find out more about this sustainable venue here.

Broadway House explore the true value of gold

Following Broadway House’s recent Gold award in BDRC’s VenueVerdict Accreditation Scheme, Amanda Sutton, venue manager at EEF Venues’ BDRC and AIM Gold-rated Broadway House, shares insight into how achieving gold benefits events and return on investment.

A warm glow

Great customer service starts with tuning into needs and wants. It’s also about being warm, welcoming and anticipating clients’ requirements. A gold rating is based entirely on the voice of customers, so showing a venue’s absolute commitment to making the customer journey enjoyable and memorable. Delegates will remember how they have been treated. If you want a venue partner driven by customer service excellence, go for gold.

Shiny, happy delegates

The quality of the food at a venue can have a significant impact on overall satisfaction levels – and can even compensate for other weaker elements of the experience. If it is poor, there is every chance that it may bite you right back by word of mouth.  Share your vision with the venue team to give a clear specification of your expectations so that they understand your ethos and standards. By choosing a gold-rated venue you can expect well thought-out, balanced menus that reflect the seasons and contemporary eating trends. Find out if the venue uses farm assured meat and if the fish served comes from sustainable sources.   Traceability, due diligence and health & safety kite marks all tell a story of a venue with high food standards.

A glittering performance

You should be looking for proactive support, advice and attention to allow you to get on with delivering your event without having to be concerned with any administrative or technical issues. Industry benchmarking schemes like AIM and BDRC ensure consistently high standards and best practice, from the expertise and professionalism of the venue team to the quality of the facilities, technology and the overall venue experience.

Worth its weight

A little due diligence before making a booking could make a big difference to your budget and ROI. Ask about any hidden extras. For example, at Broadway House, flipcharts, projectors, laptops and microphones are all available on a complimentary basis. Again, it’s all about world class customer service. But the return of investment on your event goes far beyond net profit. It covers everything from client and delegate satisfaction to reputational awareness and enhancement. If you are looking for better control of the outcomes and less risk, choosing gold is invaluable because peace of mind is everything.

Well done to all member venues’ staff shortlisted in miaList 2017

We would like to extend a well done to all staff who were shortlisted for an miaList award and  congratulate Charlotte Best, event manager at Westminster Venue Collection’s member venue QEII Centre, for receiving highly commended for conference and events.

The prestigious miaList 2017 awards celebrate the outstanding and passionate individuals from the meetings, hospitality and events industry who go above and beyond the call of duty. Awards were announced at a lunch event at Park Plaza Victoria, London on Friday 6 October 2017.

Victory Services Club retains mia’s AIM Gold accreditation

Victory Services Club has achieved the mia’s AIM Gold accreditation for a fourth consecutive time, building on the accolade of being the first London venue to achieve the award in 2008.

The conference and events venue has once again achieved the highest possible level of accreditation from the UK’s nationally recognised standard for service providers in the meetings, conferences and events industry, after a panel of independent industry assessors scrutinised the venue against a robust checklist of criteria.

All AIM-accredited venues undergo a vigorous process to ensure they are fit for purpose and implement decent and ethical operations. Covering everything from facilities and legal compliances to performance against a strict code of conduct, to achieve the Gold level accreditation, venues must display superior service throughout the entire customer journey.

Victory Services Club, which is based in Marble Arch, has seven event spaces, 202 bedrooms and can cater for events up to 300 in the Carisbrooke Hall which is now open following an extensive £1.5 million refurbishment. The club was found to be a well-organised, administered and managed operation with each aspect of the business supported by detailed policies, processes and procedures.

The mia also noted the club’s dedication to staff training, with even casual and agency staff put through an induction programme and permanent staff continuously developed. Sustainability is also high on the club’s agenda.

Over the past five years Victory Services Club has undergone a £7m refurbishment. In addition to the Carisbrooke Hall, the club boasts the El Alamein and Trafalgar Suite that seats up to 200 theatre style – and separates into two rooms: the Trafalgar Room seating up to 80 theatre style and the El Alamein Room seating up to 100 theatre style. The Club also has four other meeting rooms for smaller meetings, breakout sessions, seminars and private dinning.

Chief executive of the mia Jane Longhurst said: “The AIM process encourages continuous improvement and can take a venue to the peak of service excellence at Gold level. We’re delighted to see Victory Services Club once again rewarded for their commitments towards operational excellence. AIM Gold provides event buyers with the assurance of the highest quality.”

Mark Field FIH, operations director, Victory Services Club said: “The preparation for assessment is demanding but achieving Gold again is the ultimate benchmark of quality. We view it as a vote of confidence in our facilities, our high standards across what is on offer, and particularly, in our staff. We have a dedicated in-house team who take every measure to ensure an event runs as smoothly as possible and are on hand to deliver the flexibility, knowledge and expertise for every step of a client’s journey with us”.

For more information about AIM and AIM Higher Accreditation, visit www.mia-uk.org/aim.

RIBA, QEII Centre and One Great George Street win at London Venue Awards 2017

Three Westminster Venue Collection member venues triumphed at the annual London Venue Awards, which bring together the best of London’s events industry and celebrate the diverse range of options available to event buyers in the capital.

We would like to congratulate QEII Centre, One Great George Street and RIBA, who won their respective categories at the awards, which were held at The Brewery on Friday 20 October:

  • QEII Centre – ‘Best Venue Customer Service – over 500 attendees’
  • One Great George Street – ‘Best Wedding Venue’
  • RIBA – ‘Most Versatile London Venue (1000 attendees or less)’

Congratulations also goes to Broadway House for receiving a bronze accreditation in the ‘Best Venue Customer Service – under 500 attendees’ category.

Awards success for WVC members

August has been an extremely successful month for our venues in both the 2017 London Venue Awards and Hire Space Awards.

We are delighted to announce that eight of our members have been named as finalists in the 2017 London Venue Awards in the following categories:

Best Historic Venue of Livery Hall: The Royal Horseguards Hotel

Best Catering at a Venue: One Great George Street, QEII Centre

Best Venue Customer Service – Under 500 (Reception): Broadway House, IET:London, One Great George Street, Victory Services Club

Best Venue Customer Service – Over 500 (Reception): QEII Centre

Best Wedding Venue: One Great George Street

Best London Event Venue – 500-1,000 attendees: IET:London

Most Versatile London Venue (1,000 attendees or less): Cavendish Conference Centre, RIBA

Most Versatile London Venue (over 1,000 attendees): QEII Centre

In total, 96 venues have been recognised for excellence and best practice by the awards and all will go through to the finals on Friday, 20 October at The Brewery in London when the overall winners will be announced.

In addition, London Transport Museum and Cavendish Conference Centre have been shortlisted in the 2017 Hire Space Awards in the Best Conference Venue and Greenest Venue categories respectively. The winners will be announced on Friday, 24 October at Landing Forty Two at the Leadenhall Building.

We wish all our member venues the very best of luck in their respective categories.

To find out more about all these venues, click here.

Church House strikes Gold with AIM for the second time

Church House Westminster has once again achieved the highest level of venue accreditation – AIM Gold.

Securing the nationally recognised accreditation for a second time cements the venue’s position in an elite group of venues and it also demonstrates Church House Westminster’s commitment to capability, compliance and competence.

To achieve the Meetings Industry Association’s AIM Gold, the venue underwent a rigorous independent auditing process which saw a panel of independent industry assessors scrutinise the whole customer journey and business processes including resources, creating the customer environment, service delivery and continuous improvement.

Church House Westminster’s general manager Robin Parker said: “We have always taken pride in delivering a consistently high quality of customer service in all areas of our business. To achieve AIM Gold for the second time is an outstanding achievement that the entire team should be proud of as we are assessed on every aspect of our customer’s journey – from the moment they book and event to the time they leave.”

Jane Longhurst, chief executive of mia, said: “AIM Gold is awarded to venues which offer first-class facilities matched by exceptional catering and the highest levels of customer service. The judges were particularly impressed by the enthusiasm of Church House Westminster’s staff who continually identify ways to improve services to exceed customer expectations.”

Church House Westminster is one of London’s most versatile event venues offering 19 flexible event spaces, which can accommodate between 2 and 664 guests, and host a wide variety of events including meetings, conferences, awards ceremonies, gala dinners and receptions.

For more information, call 020 7390 1590 or visit www.churchhouseconf.co.uk.