Christmas Parties should be Fun not a Chore

Whether you love it or hate it, the summer has flown and THAT time of year is approaching fast, and I don’t mean the annual salary review. It’s only a matter of weeks away now until the Christmas Party becomes the talking point around the office! It can be great fun for those who come along to enjoy themselves. but quite a stressful time for the poor soul who has the responsibility for organising it. Colleagues will be expecting you to provide the perfect event; as will your boss, but you have to fit it in with your usual heavy workload.

At all the Chartridge Conference Company venues, we’ve had years of experience organising very successful Christmas Parties, so we’ve put together a few tips to help keep the run up the Christmas stress free.

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Take your time when choosing the right venue for the most important day of your lives!

So, you are getting married.  Congratulations!  Organising your wedding can be a thrilling and exciting experience but it can also be extremely stressful if you don’t plan it properly.  Second only to finding ‘the dress’, your choice of wedding venue can make or break your big day.

Before you even start to look at venues, you must decide what your wedding will look like.  How many guests are you inviting?  Do you want children at the wedding or is it just an adult’s only occasion? Do your guests have to travel a long way and need overnight accommodation?  Do you want a venue which has a licence for a civil ceremony as well as providing the perfect location for the reception?

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How to unlock the hidden talents of your workforce

For a business to succeed and grow the bottom line must show continual growth in efficiency, productivity and profitability, and this is even more important in difficult economic climates.  We all know that the greatest asset of our business is our staff so we must maximise this precious resource, not just to improve productivity and efficiency for the company, but to ensure job satisfaction and enjoyment for the staff.  But how many times have you invested time and money in training a person only for them to leave you and move to another company who will reap the rewards of your training?

But this doesn’t have to be the case. Have a look at your own business; many of your staff may have untapped skills which go unrecognised, or they aren’t given the opportunity to develop their full potential so they get frustrated and leave.  But there is a way to unlock and nurture these hidden skills and that is through team building events.

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Great Business Values or Just Hype?

I’m a firm believer in giving value for money and being the best there is in our hospitality industry. Quality is important, as are our peoples’ skills, and don’t forget the good food that really defines a great conference experience. AIM sets the standard for our team to build on with quality delivery and at the risk of repeating myself, excellent cuisine is the cherry on the cake.

Not wishing to rest on my laurels though, I read many adverts and promotional pieces relating to our sector, eager to glean a competitive edge. In doing this, I am regularly bemused by the highlighting of the most basic items, such as free WIFI and data projector included, just an example of those things which quite frankly are a basic requirement in today’s business world. And as for those sterile “packages” that multinationals and hotel brands seem to think are the answer to flagging conference sales, they really are not the magic bullets that head office marketing people think they are.

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Why is sitting such a pain in the neck?

When you’re planning a meeting, how much thought have you given to the seating plan? There are loads of options, including theatre style, horseshoe, boardroom, cabaret, but which is the right one for you? Do you need to get as many people in as possible; is the comfort of the delegates paramount, or is it more important that the layout looks aesthetically pleasing?

Most people believe that rows of seats in theatre style is best for getting the most people seated, but it’s not actually the case. Rows across the room actually creates dead space, especially in the optimum location for the audience, according to Dr Paul Radde of the Thrival Institute.


Think about it. There is usually an aisle down the centre so people can access their seat easily, yet this is the best place to sit and see the presenter. The people on the end of each row have to turn their head up to 80 degrees to see centre stage, and after about 15 minutes this causes discomfort and neck ache. If the seats are laid out in a curved arc, everybody is looking directly at the presenter without having to strain.  Slightly wider gaps between each row rather than central aisles provides easier access but it also means you can actually seat far more people in comfort.

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Training trends in 2011

How has the training market place been affected by the last 3 years of recession, lack of credit and general stagnation of the economy? 

As one of the leading groups of dedicated conference venues, Chartridge Conference Company (CCC) has seen first hand how companies both large and small have tackled the issue of investment in developing their most valuable resource – their staff.

Market situation

With the economic downturn, many of our regular customers have dramatically changed the way that they deliver their training.  Like many factors in business, there is a complete spectrum. There are those who rush in with a knee jerk reaction to cut those overheads that they feel they can do without. This usually has marketing and training heading the list, as it’s an easy option. There are others like us that saw this as an opportunity to actively increase development of staff skills, so we can offer better service in difficult times and get ahead of the pack in readiness for the new future.

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Will the Bribery Act see the end of Corporate Hospitality?

The Bribery Act came into effect on 1^st July 2011, with penalties of 10 years imprisonment and an unlimited fine for those caught acting like a politician!

But is this a sledgehammer to crack a nut?  Will it be another example of the law of unforeseen consequences? What are the ramifications for the meetings industry where entertainment and hospitality have long been regarded as a legitimate activity?

In the hospitality industry, entertaining potential clients, hosted dinners and overnight stays have played a key role in hooking clients who have a choice to make. 

It is estimated that corporate hospitality is worth £1bn annually in the UK and certainly plays a big role in the profits of hotels, restaurants and caterers nationwide

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A few tips to make your Christmas Party a Success

Even in ‘difficult times’, the firm’s Christmas party can be one of the highlights in the annual calendar.  It’s an excellent way for the company to say “Thank You” to the staff for all the hard work they put in over the year, and a great way for the staff to develop team spirit and bond with colleagues.

But the Christmas ‘do’ can be a daunting task for the person who has the task of arranging it, What format should it take and where should they hold it? Everyone looks forward to the Christmas party and it should be a night to remember, but is it drinks and a buffet in the office, a visit to somewhere different like the theatre or a traditional party?  Is there such a thing as the ideal Christmas party?

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Top Ten Tips for selecting the Ideal Meeting Venue

When arranging meetings, there are so many options available, from an in-house meeting room to a generic business centre, from a hotel room to a dedicated conference venue. Even though we’re in difficult economic times, daily rate is not the most important consideration, especially if you have to pay for additional services such as IT equipment that you believed was included in the original price! Without doubt, choosing the right environment for your conference, meeting or training event can be as important as the content.

To help bookers identify the key criteria when selecting their meeting venue, I have prepared a short guide based on feedback from our customers,

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Why the dedicated conference venue will always win over hotels

Despite the need to tighten their corporate belts during this grim economic climate, many companies are still opting to hold their conference and training events at dedicated conference venues rather than take the cheaper option of renting a hotel room.

So why is this?

In the eyes of a customer, a successful meeting venue must be able to offer four key factors; environment, people, service and facilities. We know that the needs of our customers are totally different to those of a tourist.   Ambience is crucial, and purposes built venues set in calm and peaceful surroundings provide a 100% business-focussed environment, conducive to learning.”

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