Westminster Venue Collection appoint a new Chair of the Board of Directors

Westminster Venue Collection are pleased to announce they have appointed a new Chair of the Board of Directors, Barbara Wutte.

Following the start of Westminster Venue Collection’s new membership year, the Board of Directors and members came together for their Annual General Meeting at the beautiful Inner Temple last month.

Kindly hosted by Stacey Barber and her team on 20th September 2022, the meeting provided a great opportunity to give members an update on the recent news and exciting initiatives planned for the organisation’s coming membership year.

It was announced that Barbara Wutte, Head of Conferences at The Royal Society, will take over from Rachel Azzopardi who has been Chair of Westminster Venue Collection for the past four years.

Rachel was warmly thanked for her hard work and dedication, especially through the pandemic, and the Collection wish her well for her next ventures.

During her time on the Board, Barbara Wutte has been a key figure in the membership’s vision and growth, so her appointment came as a natural transition following Rachel Azzopardi’s resignation as Chair.

This year, the Board have decided to appoint a new position of Vice Chair for the organisation. To allow contingency planning, it was also agreed that the role of Vice Chair will then become Chair after a year of tenure.

The new position of Vice Chair will be held by Paul Martins, New Business Development Manager at Make Venues Broadway House, who has championed the collective using successful case studies. The next Vice Chair will then be elected in turn at the next AGM.

Progressively, WVC has launched a new Member Engagement and Events Committee, consisting of Kay Davies of the Houses of Parliament, Marina Papadopoulou of Church House Westminster and Jonathan Chohan of One Great George Street.

Rhiannon Thomas of Central Hall Westminster will head up plans for The Meetings Show and Thomas Mauch of the QEII Centre will continue to direct IT and website development.

Barbara Wutte, Chair of the Board of Directors for the Westminster Venue Collection says: “Member engagement is our top priority. The new WVC vision must be to increase the number of members and to strengthen our brand. This will allow us to market all our member venues with further activity nationally and then beyond”.

The WVC Board encourages venues in the Westminster region who would like to be represented to join this prestigious collection and help shape an exciting new chapter into 2023.

BAFTA 195 is recruiting for a new events administrator

BAFTA 195 Piccadilly is expanding its events department with the recruitment of a new events administrator.

Located in London’s West End, the home of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts is available for private event hire including screenings, conferences, meetings and weddings.

The full-time role will include event administration, sales support, marketing support and managing all internal BAFTA-hosted events. The successful candidate will join the events team at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly on a one year fixed-term, with a competitive salary.

To find out more about the events administrator role, please contact Tissem Lansac on [email protected].

Join Cavendish Venues as Event Sales Executive!

An exciting opportunity has arisen to work for the award-winning Cavendish Venues, experienced events professionals with seven central London properties.

Job description: Events Sales Executive

The Event Sales Executive’s role will be to proactively represent, promote and sell Cavendish Venues’ facilities to the corporate markets as well as industry agents. You will liaise closely with the Director of Sales in optimizing the promotion of all the facilities available within Cavendish Venues.

Cavendish Venues will work with the successful candidate to make sure that flexibility to maintain a constant flow of information is upheld on the database for reporting and that sufficient training is given to develop in the role and succeed.

Working hours will vary according to business demands, predominantly based on a rotation basis in one of three central London venues either in the West End by Oxford Circus or in the City by Tower Hill.

Generally though, a 40 hour week, 9am-5.30pm, however flexibility in covering the administrative offices is required and time off in lieu will apply.

It is envisaged that with new found business, those clients would expect the Event Sales Executive responsible for bringing in that business to be present initially to ensure a successful event.

Package:

  • Competitive starting salary negotiable and dependent on experience, regularly reviewed
  • Individual financial incentives subject to achieving agreed Key Performance Indicators and targets
  • Bonus incentive payable subject to meeting company financial targets
  • Hot Fork Buffet Lunch option available to all staff every day when at venues
  • 21 Days Holiday Leave plus 8 Bank Holidays
  • BUPA cover after and subject to passing probationary period (3 months)
  • Pension option after and subject to passing probationary period (3 months)
  • Opportunity to learn and develop career with a company with a track record of encouraging staff to achieve and to be successful for the firm and personally

Responsibilities:

  • Representing, promoting and selling Cavendish Venues by establishing contact and developing relationships with prospects; recommending solutions
  • Maintaining and developing relationships with existing clients via meetings, telephone calls and emails
  • Arranging and carrying out site visits and visiting potential clients for new business as appropriate
  • Making accurate, rapid cost calculations, and provide clients with quotations on proposals
  • Negotiating the terms of an agreement and closing sales
  • Representing Cavendish Venues at trade exhibitions, events and networking occasions with and when the Director of Sales is not available to do so
  • Identifying venue improvements or new packages by remaining current on industry trends, market activities, and competitors
  • Identifying business opportunities by identifying prospects and evaluating their position in the industry; researching and analyzing sales options
  • Reviewing your own sales performance, aiming to meet or exceed agreed Key Performance Indicators and targets
  • Providing feedback from clients to enhance product performance and service delivery
  • Preparing weekly sales activity reports to be sent to Director of Sales & CEO
  • Ensuring effective internal communications both within the Sales Team, Diary Team, Operations Team and across the organization
  • Maintaining quality service by establishing and enforcing organization standards
  • Maintaining professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; benchmarking state-of-the-art practices; participating in professional societies as required
  • Contributing to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed such as operational assistance where required
  • Updating special offers on online platforms and suggesting ideas for Marketing such as contributions for Social Media promotion
  • Attending Monthly Company evening meeting

The ideal candidate should have:

  • Some experience of working in the hospitality, event, venue, sales or catering sector, holding a sales/coordinating related position for approximately 1 year, ideally London based but not essential
  • Have a target driven mentality with the desire to win and retain business
  • Be articulate and have a proactive approach to sales
  • Be sales focused with an ability to think on your feet, have the confidence to negotiate and close business successfully and consistently
  • Be able to prioritize and be highly-organised with exceptional time management
  • Strong administrative and coordination skills
  • Commitment to delivering a high level of customer service
  • Self-motivated
  • Team player
  • Degree qualification (preferable but not essential)
  • Be passionate about sales and hospitality in events
  • Be smartly presented
  • Ability to drive an advantage
  • Have previous experience of using NFS Rendez-Vous System or similar

If you feel you have all the above qualities and would like to join and contribute towards a privately-owned, award-winning company which takse pride in personable service and people development, Cavendish Venues would love to hear from you.

Email your CV with salary expectations to [email protected].

Westminster Venue Collection appoints Diane Waldron as chair

Westminster Venue Collection is delighted to announce Diane Waldron, director of sales and marketing at the QEII Centre, has been appointed as our new chair.

Under Diane’s expert leadership, which is drawn from a number of years in the sector, she will be implementing in a range of new initiatives designed to make the collection of 34 venues more visible and accessible to event buyers.

Following hot on the heels of our appearance at The Meetings Show last month, we will be exhibiting at Square Meal Venues and Events Live at Old Billingsgate on 20-21 September, which offers another fantastic opportunity for us to meet organisers face-to-face to discuss your current and future requirements.

Diane takes over from Clare Arouche, former head of business development at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, who has now joined Royal Museums Greenwich as head of sales and events.

If you would like to find out more about us, what we do, and how we can make venue finding faster, easier and more efficient, click here.

Westminster Venue Collection appoints Diane Waldron as chair

Diane Waldron, director of sales and marketing at The QEII Centre, has been appointed chair of leading consortium Westminster Venue Collection (WVC).

An active board member of WVC since 2015, Diane takes over the position of chair from Clare Arouche, former head of business development at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, who has now joined Royal Museums Greenwich as head of sales and events.

Extremely well-suited to the role of chair, Diane brings a wealth of hospitality and events experience to the position having held previous roles at the Honourable Artillery Company, Natural History Museum, Searcy’s at the Barbican and at the Tower Thistle Hotel.

On her appointment, Diane Waldron said: “Clare has been a truly fantastic chair for WVC and has guided the collection through our full rebrand, including the launch of our intuitive new website, over the last 12 months. Having been on the board for two years, I have seen the positive changes made under Clare’s leadership and am looking forward to continuing this, and developing new initiatives, in the months to come.”

Commenting on her departure from the board, Clare Arouche said: “Although I will of course miss working with my colleagues on the WVC board, I am delighted to be handing over to Diane and know she will do fantastic job continuing the growth of the collection. I have immensely enjoyed my time with WVC and look forward to watching it develop and progress under Diane’s expert leadership.”

The next big event in the collection’s calendar will be Square Meal Venues and Events Live at Old Billingsgate on 20 and 21 September. Taking a stand at the show, which brings together 250 of the UK’s best venues, is one of Diane’s key new initiatives which will offer both valuable exposure for the membership and increased visibility for the new name and branding.

Supporting Diane on the Westminster Venue Collection board is Victory Services Club’s Rosa Davies; Cavendish Venue’s Paul Martins; IET:London’s Clare Davies; One Great George Street’s Jayna Patel; Lansdowne Club’s Lucy Mannering and London Film Museum’s Rob Chambers.

Chef de Partie & House Steward vacancies at One Great George Street

Do you know a Chef de Partie or House Steward who is looking for a new opportunity within a great team based in Central London? If so, let them know about One Great George Street’s latest vacancies.  

One Great George Street is an award-winning conference, event and wedding venue just off Parliament Square, close to many of London’s major landmarks and attractions.

Offering first class facilities and service standards, this magnificent four-domed Edwardian building is perfect for any event, whether it is a small meeting for 10, a large conference for over 100 or an elegant gala dinner. There are 19 rooms to choose from, each varying in style and amenities.

For more information on the positions available please email: [email protected]

 

20 Cavendish Square now supporting emerging artists

20 Cavendish Square at the Royal College of Nursing has announced it will be supporting a new emerging artist every two months by exhibiting art in its office.

The fantastic venue will be showcasing a range of exciting styles over the coming months throughout its meeting rooms and office space. The paintings will be available to buy and the it is hoped the changing nature of the exhibitions will inject energy into the workplace, creating a dynamic and stimulating environment.

Art is a subjective topic and changing the works regularly will enable 20 Cavendish Square to cater for a range of tastes. It will provide the opportunity for staff and visitors to enjoy gallery quality art at work, encouraging people to share their opinions, promoting conversation and communication.

Cassandra Henry conference & internal manager, at 20 Cavendish Square, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to give emerging artists a platform whilst also having a positive impact on our space.”

The first artist to be exhibited at 20 Cavendish Square is Mark Fisher. Originally from Canterbury, Mark now works from him studio in Sedlescombe, East Sussex. He was taught to draw and paint from an early age by his mother, winning his first art competition at the young age of 16.

Mark’s collection of London cityscapes, are painted in a distinctive, representational style. Inspired by artists such as J.M.W Turner and Kurt Jackson, he is interested not only in the landscape but in the architecture that sits within it. Using deliberate brushwork, Mark builds the city in horizontal and vertical lines from high view-points to deliver an atmospheric body of work.

20 Cavendish Square is working with Little Van Gogh to bring these changing exhibitions to their London office.

Chloé Adams, director of Little Van Gogh, which works with artists all over Europe exhibiting 7,000 pieces of art internationally, said: “We are delighted to be showcasing our artists with 20 Cavendish Square. They have embraced supporting the arts wholeheartedly and the artwork is going to look fantastic in the space.”

For more information, please visit [email protected].

QEII Centre obtains prestigious Investors in People Silver Award

London’s QEII Centre is celebrating after being presented with the highly-coveted Investors in People ‘Silver Standard’ award.

The Investors in People Standard is a framework of best practice, awarded to well-run organisations that meet set criteria in areas including learning and development, leadership skills, as well as recognition and reward.

To achieve the Silver Standard Award, employees of QEII completed an online survey and members of the team were randomly selected for interviews with the assessor, in which they were asked how they felt about working at QEII and the company’s vision and values.

The Investors in People assessor saw the motivation and enthusiasm of the QEII team shine through, acknowledging the hard work and dedication in delivering the venue’s vision to be acclaimed as London’s finest specialist events venue, with a global reputation for excellence, superb client partnership working and the delivery of successful, creative, professional and innovative events.

QEII was first accredited by Investors in People in 1998. Once an organisation has achieved the Core Standard they are encouraged to strive to reach a higher level of accreditation (silver, gold or platinum) to better themselves by demonstrating further evidence to meet tougher criteria.

Raj Pragji, HR director at the QEII Centre said: “Only 24% of Investors in People accredited organisations achieve Silver or Gold status, so I’m really proud to say that QEII Centre is one of the prestigious few. We’ve worked very hard over the past 24 months to engage staff with our Transforming Together Change Programme and it’s really paid off, resulting in us being in an incredibly strong market position. It’s great that we’ve been recognised for going above and beyond in such a key area of people management.”

For more information about the QEII Centre, visit www.qeiicentre.london.

Chef de Partie Vacancy at ‘London’s Best Private Dining Venue’

Do you know a chef de partie who is looking for a new opportunity within a great team based in Central London? If so, let them know about One Great George Street’s latest vacancy for a chef de partie.

Reporting to the head chef, this role is ideal for a hard-working individual who is not afraid of a busy working environment and who takes pride in providing a flawless service.
Recently crowned ‘London’s Best Private Dining Venue’ at The London Venue Awards, One Great George Street has earned itself an excellent reputation for private dining in addition to banqueting, conference and its on-site Brasserie One and Café Bar cuisine.

For more information please visit https://icegroupjobs.ice.org.uk/VacancyDetails.aspx?FromSearch=True&MenuID=86NAzEEyjlQ=&VacancyID=403.

The Lansdowne Club is hiring a conference and banqueting supervisor

The Lansdowne Club, a private members’ club in the heart of Mayfair, is looking for a conference and banqueting supervisor to join their dynamic operations team.

The successful candidate should have experience working in a busy conference and banqueting environment in a prestigious venue, be confident working on their own initiative as well as being able to lead a team, have great attention to detail, fantastic customer service skills, and experience in cash handling as well as bar experience is a must!

If you are interested in this position and would like to more information, please send your application and CV to Lansdowne events manager, Lucy Mannering – [email protected].