The cream of Worcestershire’s attractions, venuesand events services were showcased to guests at athemed Country House Party at stunning HagleyHall, in the north of the county.

Visitors enjoyed a range of activities, including FunPoker sessions from Serious Fun Events, Laser Clayshooting from Marksman Leisure, virtual golf fromAard Act Events and a winetasting workshop from TheWorcester Wine Company.

A relaxing pampering roomwas created in Hagley Hall’s

sumptuous Lyttelton Suite. Visitors were treatedto luxury seated massages from Moto’s MobileMassage and the Chillout Zone and manicures bythe Elms Spa Hotel and Phoenix Rose.

A ‘best of Worcestershire’ lunch prepared by TheBelle House, Pershore, featured seasonal local produce.It was served in true English style, on the lawn under

a marquee from HopyardClassic Events and followedby a game of croquet.

continued over...

Michaela back at WestMidlands Safari Park

‘TurningJapanese’at TheDormy 3

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12 www.conference-worcestershire.org www.conference-worcestershire.org

conferShowcase special issue

Worcestershire showcases itstop venues & support services

Marksman Laser shooting

“What a great day out, particularlyfor us ‘city slickers’ who rarely

get to sample the delights of ourlocal countryside and associated

activities.” Zahida Shah

‘English’ lunch by The Belle House Philip Serrell, Lord Cobham

and Emma RobinsonHagley Hall hosted our showcase

Michaela Strachan and Bob Lawrence, Director of Wildlife at West Midlands Safari Park

September saw thefirst garden touraround the newlydesigned Japanesegarden at the DormyHouse in Broadway.The garden wasdesigned by JulianDowle - the only gar-den designer to everwin 3 gold medals atChelsea Flower Show.

Delegates were shownaround the garden byJulian himself and hadthe chance to hearexpert tips on how tomake a garden into ashow garden.

The tour also coincidedwith the launch of thenewly built GardenSuite. It featuresunder floor heating,scene setting lighting,free WiFi and accessto a garden area.

Ever since her ‘Really Wild Show’ and‘Owl TV’ days the West Midland SafariPark has been a favourite location ofMichaela Strachan. Last year the CH5series ‘Michaela’s Zoo Babes’ includedan hour long episode on the park.Filming was ‘around the clock’ andfocused on the birth of many rare andendangered species. The programmefeatured innovative concepts such as‘keeper cam’ (a camera mounted onthe Director of Wildlife’s tranquiliserrifle) to achieve a unique view ofmany of the procedures involved andbecame the series biggest hit.

Although now based overseasMichaela returns regularly to the UK

and the West Midland Safari Park forfilming. Another series of CH5’s‘Animal Families’ featuring Michaelaand pupils from Moffats School at thepark is due to be screened inSeptember. The children will beseen brushing down an elephant,inspecting ‘creepy crawlies’, feedingthe country’s biggest group of rarecheetah and receiving a kiss from asea lion!

Michaela and the parks Director ofWildlife, Bob Lawrence (pictured) haveknown each other for over 20 yearsand, if viewing figures are anything togo by, are a smash hit!

www.wmsp.co.ukwww.dormyhouse.co.uk

Emma Robinson, of conference-worcestershire,said: “The event was the ideal chance for our membersto showcase their many benefits and for us to reallydemonstrate to visitors what a diverse andwonderful place Worcestershire is – perfect forholding memorable events.

Local television personality, auctioneerand antiques expert Philip Serrell andentrepreneur Viv Hudson were keynotespeakers on the day, giving inspiring andinsightful speeches about their successfulcareers and their love of Worcestershire.

The event was also a great chance tonetwork. West Midland Safari Park, TheElms Hotel, Sixways rugby ground,Worcester University, Eckington ManorCookery School and Go Ape! aerialadventure course were just some of the

conference-worcestershire members with represen-tatives on hand to chat to visitors. Jen Webster,Xpress Events commented “It’s been a wonderful day,well organised and a great networking opportunity”.

Win one of our‘country house’picnic coolbags

If you’d like to hear aboutfuture events and havechance to win one of ourpicnic bags (we’ll even throwin a few goodies!)*, log ontoour website, enteryour details andcode: confer8

Graham Robinson learns aboutteambuilding through cookery

Modular marquee supplied by

Hopyard Classic Events

2

Fun and sunshine at‘country house party’

- conference-worcestershire’s themednetworking and showcase event

3

“It was great tomeet so manypeople and gatherinformation aboutWorcestershire.I haven’t stoppedraving on aboutthe event and theknowledge whichI gained from it!”Zahida Shah

Malvern Showground’s John Wilesmithchats to Tony Sallis, Coherent Systems

www.conference-worcestershire.org*prize will be drawn on

31/10/09. See website forTerms & Conditions.

Lord Cobham chats to guests

Our keynote speakers were

Philip Serrell & Viv Hudson (pictured)

Graham Robinson learns about

teambuilding through cookery

Emma Evans welcomes guest

Margaret Gray, M Gray Consulting

Spectators watch laser shooting

from the balcony

Justine Patterson from Interfloraenjoys a wine tasting class

‘cashless’ poker

Ragley Hall was the perfect venue forthis year’s Capita Challenge, an annualactivity event for all abilities, whenteams from Capita’s businesses, as wellas their clients and suppliers, cometogether and compete for the covetedCapita Challenge Trophy. Fundraising isa key part of the event, with a specialprize for the team that raises the mostmoney for Macmillan Cancer Support.

When asked why he chose Ragley asthe venue, Paul Magner, EventOrganiser, said; "With hundreds ofcompany employees taking part fromall corners of the UK, Ragley Hall's

location and accessibility was a greatplus and matched by the wonderfullyvaried and interesting terrain.”

The event involved teams taking partin a series of challenges, including ori-enteering, canoeing and tackling aclimbing wall.

The event made full use of Ragley’sstunning Parkland, including thewoods and lake and the House andGardens provided the perfect backdropfor the participants to relax followinga hard day’s competition.

Activity Challengeat Ragley Hall

Worcester’s acclaimed Glasshouse re-openedrecently with a sparkling new look followinga refurbishment.

Tim Churchman is The Glasshouse’s GeneralManager who explains: “The Glasshouse hasunveiled a really dramatic new layout and style tothe downstairs which has been re-designed into aLounge Bar, and now has something extra to offer,in addition to our fantastic food. We hopecustomers will enjoy the expanded, new range ofcocktails, champagne and premium beers, some ofwhich are exclusive to us here in Worcester.

A new category for 2009. In response to the needfor venues that cater for the small local meeting,often booked by the hour or half day. These venuesoffer quality room hire perhaps in addition totheir core business – check out JustRooms listingon the website and in the guide.

www.ragleyhall.com www.sixwaysevents.co.uk

2 www.conference-worcestershire.org4 5www.conference-worcestershire.org

Sparkling newlook for TheGlasshouse

www.theglasshouse.co.uk

We are particularly excited about our ‘edible cock-tails’ – we are the only bar in Worcester to offerthese and we think they look and taste fantastic!”he smiles.

The Glasshouse also offers a self contained, stylish& airy meeting room for up to 14 people board-room. For more information please visit our website.

Players at Worcester Warriors arenormally used to throwing theirweight around in the GuinnessPremiership – but the top flightrugby club showed some flowerpower recently when they welcomedthe National Association of Flower

Arrangement Societies (NAFAS) to Sixways Stadium.

The Indoor Centre at Sixways was transformed intoa kaleidoscope of colour and symphony of scentsfor a special 50th Anniversary celebration.

Over 500 members attended the event guidingthose with a love of flowers to open up a world of

creativity, including demonstrations & competitions.Everyone enjoyed a special lunch menu, with thenational president of the NAFAS also present.

Laura Bader, Events & Hospitality Executive atWarriors, said: “The event was a great successand we have had lots of positive feedback… withinterest shown for future events."

“Hosting an event for the NAFAS once again show-cases the wide variety of options we have atSixways Stadium and how we pride ourselves on aflexible, creative and innovative approach to allour guests.”

Warriors so ‘Glad-i-oli’to welcome NAFAS!

Get your FREE copy of Worcestershire's brand new ‘little blackbook’. Your guide to JustRooms and other county venues aswell as events professionals. To order, log onto:www.conference-worcestershire.org

‘little black book’ launched for 2009/10

justrooms

www.conference-worcestershire.org

Outdoor TeamBuilding witha difference...

The kitchen garden and the old greenhouse atThe Elms have been revitalised to provide a widerange of organically cultivated herbs, fruit andvegetables (including many specialist varieties), foruse in the hotel kitchen.

Set in the heart of our kitchen gardens overlookingthe stunning Teme valley is our superb purposebuilt chefs cookery theatre. Let Daren Bale ouraward winning Head Chef, give you the confidenceto create a touch of magic in your own kitchen. Atwo hour tailor made demonstration, incorporating

delicious local produce from our gardens andsurrounding area, is the perfect opportunity tohave your culinary questions answered and learn atrick or two to take home with you!

This experience is perfect forteam building and can beadded onto any of our residen-tial conference packages for a

unique meeting that will leave a lasting impression.So if you are planning a business meeting with atwist, or just looking for some work mixed withrelaxation and fun, then The Elms Hotel and Spa is theperfect venue.

Entertrain UKraises fundsfor charity

Hillscourt Conference Centre hasjust completed a £500,000refurbishment of its Conferenceblock accommodating theConference Hall and twoSeminar Rooms.

The whole building was gutted and extensively refurbished andremodelled and now offers state-of-the-art conference facilities.

The entrance has been moved to the side of the building and isaccessed by an automatic disabled access door. The foyer has beenmade bigger providing a registration area and a platform lift fordisabled access to the first floor Conference Hall.

The Conference Hall, which seats 200 theatre style, has a raisedfloor which now offers data and power via floor boxes. It hasa new air conditioning system and AV system which can becontrolled via an LCD tablet which can be used anywhere in theroom to control presentations and lighting levels.

In the Seminar Rooms, smart boards have been installed with ceiling-mounted projection facilities. Air conditioning has also beeninstalled and new furniture has been provided in the whole building.

eventsplus+ member organisation, Entertrain UKLtd aided Charities across the region, raising fundsduring the Chamber of Commerce Business Awards2009 at the prestigious Malvern Theatres on Friday17th July.

Entertrain UK Ltd MD, Terry Turnbull was responsiblefor MC’ing and delivery of the Auction proceedingsduring the Awards and successfully raised£6725.00 in front of leading Business owners andDignitaries from across the county.

Lots at the superb Auction included; rare sportsmemorabilia, Magnum of Wine autographed byHollywood couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie,high class jewellery and a trip to swim withDolphins to name but a few.

Terry commented that it was an honour to work atsuch a renowned venue as the Malvern Theatres atan event which celebrates the success of businessand Tourism within the county of Worcestershire.The location was excellent and the event wassuperb and a wonderful platform to recognisebusiness achievement.

Work on Malvern College’s outstanding new sports andconference facilities is now nearing completion andthe College will be hosting a special gala dinner inOctober to celebrate the opening of the new facilities.In attendance will be major sporting celebrities andbusiness personalities including Lord McLaurin ofKnebworth, Malvern College Council Chairman andformerly Chairman of Tescos and Vodafone. CommercialDirector Allan Walker says, “The completion of our newSports Complex and Function Suite marks the beginningof a new era at Malvern College. I am delighted to beable to showcase these facilities to such a prestigiousaudience in October.”

Malvern College is situated in a stunning location on theslopes of the Malvern Hills and provides a beautiful andtranquil setting for any event only one hour fromBirmingham. The College’s new developments includeen-suite accommodation, a state-of-the-art fitnesssuite, 25-metre pool and hospitality suite.www.ents365.com

www.theelmshotel.co.uk

www.conference-worcestershire.org 7www.ents365.com www.malcol.net

Sportingcelebritiesto attendGala Dinnerat MalvernCollege

New lookand feelHillscourt

www.hillscourt.co.uk

www.conference-worcestershire.org6

Focus on...

From the Rococo splendour ofHagley Hall to the beauty ofQueen Anne mansion The Elms,Worcestershire’s historic venues

are the jewels in its crown. From Avoncroft museum- spanning seven centuries, to Malvern College, setin 250 acres of picturesque countryside,Worcestershire is soaked in history and heritage.

Hear the pounding of horses’hooves as they thunder past atWorcester Racecourse, cheer onthe Worcester Warriors rugby

team at their home stadium Sixways, soak up thesounds of leather on willow at WorcestershireCounty Cricket Club or enjoy a round of golf atWharton Park Golf Club – the choices are endless.

Want a venue witheco-friendly credentials?Cotswold ConferenceCentre has its own on-site water bottling plant,Ramada Kidderminster

has achieved a Green Tourism Award, the Universityof Worcester has been named an Eco campus andWorcester Woods Countryside Centre is designed tobe as environmentally sustainable as possible.

Worcestershire is renowned forits individual, unique venues.Soak up the history at thestately, city centre Guildhall,hold meetings on the waterwith Severn Leisure Cruises,walk on the wild side at WestMidland Safari Park or step

back in time to the world of steam hauled splendourwith Severn Valley Railway.

Britain Talking

www.conference-worcestershire.org8 www.conference-worcestershire.org 9

Encouraging UK businessesto keep communicatingthrough meetings and eventswas the crux of this year’sNational Meetings Week.Emma Robinson explains whyconference-worcestershire isbacking the campaign to‘Keep Britain Talking’.

“The meetings industry has been hit hardby the current economic climate, but as abusiness, it is more critical than ever toensure that you go that extra mile tobuild, maintain and develop relationships.

“According to the latest research fromHarvard Business Review AnalyticServices, networking and face-to-facemeetings are still considered to be themost effective way of conducting business.

“By holding meetings and events, notonly are you helping to cement your ownbusiness relationships, you are supportingan industry that is invaluable to the UKeconomy - bringing in £22 billion andcreating more than 1.78 million jobs.”

“The forthcoming 2012 Olympic andParalympic Games has focused bothnational and international attention onthe UK’s events industry and all thewealth of opportunities it has to offer, sothere is no better time to organise eventsand Keep Britain Talking!”.

Did you know?

l Business visits and events are currently worth more than £22 billion – a quarter of the value of the UK’s £86 billionvisitor economy – in terms of hospitality, travel and otherdelegate expenditure

l This means a tax contribution of £3.85 billion was generatedand paid directly back to the Government last year – the equivalent of employing 141,000 nurses

l 1.78 million jobs are supported by the meetings industryl There are 450 major events held nationally, worth around

£1 billion to the UK economy

l Business visits for meetings and events represent 25% of all overseas visitors. These visitors represent a spend of 28% of all inbound tourism earnings

l Around 80 million people attend 1.5 million conferences and meetings annually

l UK businesses spend £4 billion on meetings and events; ofwhich £3 billion is spent in the UK and £1 billion overseas

l An estimated £100 billion a year of business transactions is made at trade events.

Worcestershire has an abundanceof state-of the art conferencingvenues. Hillscourt ConferenceCentre is fully equipped with the

latest conferencing and meeting facilities, theaward-winning Cotswold Conference Centre isrecognised for its first class training facilities andthe county’s many modern hotels, including HolidayInn Birmingham Bromsgrove and the WestmeadHotel are ready to meet your conferencing needs.

For larger events, trythe 70-acre MalvernShowground, soak upthe great outdoorsamong the 900 acreArrow Valley CountryPark, or hold a show-

stopping event at Sixways rugby stadium, which cancater for business events for 1 to 1,000 delegates.

Historic Sporting

Green Unusual

Modern Outdoor/large

Worcestershire has so much choice... From conferences to team building away days, Worcestershire has anabundance of venues to suit all tastes and requirements.

Keeping

www.keepbritaintalking.co.uk

www.conference-worcestershire.org10 www.conference-worcestershire.org 11

How did you become a business owner?I started HotelshopUK in 1999 with mybusiness partner, Julie. At the time, rockbottom hotel prices were only availablefrom the major groups. So, I spotted agap in the market; a ‘one stop shop’ forprivate hotels and smaller groups.

My ’lightbulb moment’ was in 1996,whilst working for Corus Hotels. Theywere expanding quickly with the pur-chase of 60 hotels. I was tasked withintegrating them smoothly and pro-ducing income as soon as possible!

Generating business quicky required atactical advertising campaign. Withmy team I sourced a media agency, setup a call centre and installed a com-puter system to process bookings.Then we recruited and trained staff.

The response to the first advert wasamazing and made me wonder if thiswould work as a business. I discussed itwith Julie, then wrote a business plan.We called the company Hotelshop but itremained a dream for another 3 years.

A change of management at Corusmeant change for all of us and I wasmade redundant. I decided to go italone; no more corporate life for me. Idusted off the business plan andenrolled on a start up programme.

Initially, convincing hoteliers about ouridea was harder than expected. Mostcould see the idea was good: a bucketshop where they could ‘unload’ surplusrooms without diluting their full-ratedbusiness. Yet all wanted a track record. www.hotelshopuk.com

Undaunted, we continued until finallywe had a break through. A companywith 37 UK hotels wanted a new wayto reach the market. Within 12 hourswe were in London, presenting tothem as if our lives depended on it!

We won the account; on the proviso wewere up and running by October HalfTerm. Julie went very quiet. She is ‘MissDetail’ and I am ‘Mrs we can do anything’.Just 8 weeks later, having installed acomputer and phone system, recruitedand trained staff, we launched!

In your 10 years, what have been thehighs and lows of business?There have been many good things,but I guess the best has been having ourachievements noted as WorcestershireWoman of the Year and Hereford andWorcestershire Business of the Year ‘05.

As for the lows, that has to be the 2007floods. We had over 10ft of waterinvade our premises which causedcomplete devastation. It was the peakof our business to date, generatingrevenues of £20m for customers. Inhindsight, although the flood put usback about 3 years it really made uslook hard at our business and questionwhere we were going. 2 years on, we’rein new Droitwich-based premises andemploying 30 people; it has made us adifferent, much stronger company.

PROFILEconferis produced byconference-worcestershire,a service offeredby DestinationWorcestershire.

To contact usplease write to:

conference-worcestershireCounty HallSpetchley RoadWorcesterWR5 2NPt: (01905)766895e: conference@worcestershire.gov.uk

Informationsupplied by theestablishmentshas been reportedin good faith. Thepublishers cannotaccept any liabilityfor error ormisrepresentation.

Printed onEnvironment-friendly paper.

Viv Hudson, is co-founderof HotelshopUK and ‘MrsWe Can Do Anything’!

Belle House & ‘Hairy Bikers’ chefs promote local ingredients The Hairy Bikers' challenged Steve Waites and Sue Ellis from The Belle House inPershore to a cook-off. Using only local ingredients, the challenge is part of their latestTV programme 'Food Tour of Britain'. To be aired on BBC2 in October.

www.belle-house.co.uk

Refurbishment continues at Cotswolds Conference Centre'Smallbrook', which houses Reception, the Bar and the Dining Room has been completely rebuilt and upgradedinside and out. The upgrade phase for Brook House bedrooms (no more single beds.) is nearly complete andthe Coach House will have 4 new training rooms in 2010. www.cotswoldconferencecentre.com

Worcestershire pedigree herd wins record hat-trick at Royal ShowFor the first time in 170 years, one farm has won all top 3 prizes for the Highlandbreed at the Royal Show, described as the most prestigious accolade for any breed inthe pedigree world. Congratulations to Eckington Manor Farm.www.eckingtonmanorcookeryschool.co.uk

Go Ape + BBQGo Ape, the adrenalin fuelled high wire forest adventure course is now offeringcorporate teams a chance to swing through the trees and then enjoy a tasty BBQ inthe beautiful forest setting.l Available from 7th Sep to 23rd Oct l Min Group Size: 10 l Price: £45Book by calling the Go Ape Tribe on: 0845 643 9314

Odgers Berndtson & Deloittes chooses Hagley Hall for corporate annual dinnerThe international company will hold its annual CEO/Chairman dinner at Hagley Hall this year in October. 80corporate guests will attend the dinner in the Long Gallery with guest speaker Sir Roy McNulty. Sir Roycommences his new role as chair of Advantage West Midlands in September. He is currently chairman of theCivil Aviation Authority and deputy Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority. www.hagleyhall.com

Appointment on the wildside...West Midland Safari Park, has appointed Ian Warrington as General Manager of Spring Grove House which isdue to reopen shortly as a major corporate venue following its multi-million pound refurbishment.

For information on Corporate Events at West Midland Safari Park, please contact: (01299) 406 397

www.wmsp.co.uk

news in brief

Ragley Estate Meats win Fine Foods awardsThey were awarded 2 coveted awards in Heart of England Fine Foods Diamond Awards ‘09l BPEX Gold Award for their Steak & Ale Pie and Lamb & Mint Pie l Highly commended in the Speciality Sausage Awards for their 'Worcester Warriors

Sausages' – available on match days at Worcester Warriors Rugby stadium.

www.ragleyhall.com

conference-worcestershire’s 2009/10 guide is now available.To receive your FREE copy, simply log onto: