Case Study: Residential Training Course

How our expert venue finders helped

The trainer provided a comprehensive plan of the training room required including dimensions, daylight, equipment and the set-up of the room in terms of seating and furniture, so we used this as the basis for our venue finding.

Attendees would be driving to the Milton Keynes area from locations in the south of England, so it was essential that the venue was close to good road links and have ample free parking.

The lead time for this request was just 3 weeks, and although many venues in the Milton Keynes area were already fully booked, our venue finders were able to use their contacts to find suitable available space matching the trainer’s room model, and negotiate discounted B&B and delegate package rates. As it was a short lead request we were also able to negotiate extra value such as room upgrades for VIPs, complimentary private dining room and use of the lawns for outdoor activities.

Space at the available venues was provisionally held by us and information was presented to the client in a comprehensive proposal including full cost analysis and training room specs (location, dimensions, capacity, daylight, special features etc.), images and floor plans to demonstrate how the proposed spaces would work.

From our proposal the trainer identified a Milton Keynes venue that they had previously worked at, so were happy to proceed with booking it without the need for a site visit. The training room at the chosen venue was perfect for them – it was a spacious, standalone building in the hotel grounds, with a large main naturally-lit room, breakout space for catering and direct access onto a patio and lawns ideal for outdoor team activities.

Having secured the venue and negotiated terms for payment, we helped and advised the trainer on all other aspects of the booking.

The training programme included outdoor team activities to encourage leadership, delegation and collaboration, so using our event supplier contacts we were able to recommend an event company for the trainer to work with.

The trainer also wanted a relaxed social dining event at the end of day 1, so we advised having a private dining room set with a bar and lounge furniture to create a more relaxed atmosphere. For pre-dinner drinks we arranged buckets of cold drinks and pre-poured wines so guests could help themselves, and we also recommended a bowl food menu which was more informal than a seated meal.

Continuing as the client’s single point of contact, we liaised with the venue in the run up to the event to communicate event timings, final numbers, rooming list (and subsequent amendments) and dinner arrangements, reviewing the function sheets on the client’s behalf to ensure no details were missed. After the event, the final invoice was checked by us so the client could be confident that it accurately reflected what was booked.