Just before Christmas one of our regular clients approached us for assistance in organising their January conference. The event would be attended by the Sales and Marketing teams and would include the launch of a variety of new products.
The client brief looked something like this:
- Sales conference
- There would be approximately 45 delegates attending
- The event would take place over two days
- Privacy and absolute confidentiality during the event was paramount
- A main meeting room, as well as two further meeting rooms were required
- A private and informal venue was needed for dinner in the evening
- The venue should be of at least 4* standard and have a modern, relaxed atmosphere
- Single occupancy overnight accommodation was needed for all delegates
- Venue should be a maximum of 1 hour travel time from the client’s office
Once we had a good understanding of the client brief and what they were looking to achieve during the event, we were able to select a variety of venues that we thought would work well and meet all of the clients’ requirements. The fact that the client would be staying overnight at the venue and that they were willing to travel opened up a good selection of potential venues for this event.
We initially shortlisted 5 venues for the client to consider and then arranged site visits at three of these so that the client could get a better feel for how the event would run, and also what the venues were able to offer first hand.
5 Star Meeting and Event Venue
After much deliberation, the chosen venue was Coworth Park in Ascot, Berkshire. Coworth Park is part of the Dorchester Collection of hotels and is a superb luxury event venue located close to London. Firmly seated in the 5 Star category, Coworth Park offers a range of fantastic meeting spaces as well as beautiful public areas and stunning guest accommodation. Couple this with warm, friendly, and attentive staff and it is easy to understand why this venue was the eventual winner for our client.
Coworth Park by its very nature, is a private and relaxed venue with 70 guest bedrooms spread throughout the estate. In the Mansion House there are three beautifully modern meeting rooms (including the unique “Oval Suite”), the main restaurant, and two relaxed lounge areas. There is also another completely private meeting space called The Tower House located a short walk away. This has been set up specifically for meetings and has AV equipment and its own syndicate room upstairs which is ideal for tea/coffee breaks and refreshments.
The size of the venue worked perfectly for this client and meant that they would have a majority of the property to themselves for the duration of the event. The client had use of two of the meeting rooms in the main house (which were totally segregated from the rest of the property), as well as the Tower House. This combination worked brilliantly and certainly ticked the privacy and confidentiality box for the client.
The Barn at Coworth Park
The Barn Restaurant is part of the Coworth Park estate and is situated just 2 minutes’ walk from the Mansion House itself. The Barn is split into two levels and is a more informal restaurant which fitted in perfectly with the relaxed style the client was looking for. By hiring this facility exclusively the client was able to utilise the upstairs mezzanine level for reception drinks and canapés, before moving downstairs to the main restaurant area to enjoy their meal. Some live jazz added to the atmosphere throughout the evening and guests were able to mingle on both levels following dinner.
Coworth Park worked brilliantly for this event and is a superb luxury 5 star Berkshire venue for meetings and events. With 240 acres of outdoor space, Coworth Park also offers plenty of opportunities for outdoor team building activities in the warmer months (or the winter months if you are feeling brave), and also boasts equestrian activities for smaller groups.
There are a variety of options in terms of meeting space, all of which are flexible and well appointed. The Tower House works brilliantly as a private board meeting venue whereas the Garden and Oval Suites are ideal for larger numbers.
I can’t talk about Coworth Park without mentioning the team that they have working there. Nothing is ever too much trouble for them and you are always greeted with a smile and a warm welcome – every single one of them is a credit to the hotel and are a major part of what make it such a great meeting and events venue!