When choosing a venue for a national or international conference or meeting, many factors come into play, but geographical convenience invariably comes close to the top of the list.
On this score, the quintessential English market town of Newbury scores highly. Situated on the edge of the prosperous Thames Valley and at the main crossroads between London, the West Country, south coast and the Midlands, it also lies about an hour down the M4 from London Heathrow and is served by regular trains from Paddington.
These connections have attracted many multinational companies. Telecoms giant Vodafone employs around 4,000 workers at its Newbury head offices on the edge of the town, while about 100 other mobile telecoms firms operate locally. And in the last few years PepsiCo, Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline and Waitrose have all held meetings in Newbury.
Newbury's surroundings are undoubtedly picturesque but there are many locations in the UK with good transport links and a location close – but not too close – to Heathrow. Where Newbury does stand out from the crowd is the presence of two
rather unusual conference centres: the RBS Williams F1 Conference Centre and the Kindersley Centre.
Opened in 2002, the Williams F1 centre shouts technology and style from every streamlined corner. The venue is situated in the grounds of the Williams F1 headquarters, where the company has been designing and building the cars since 1996. Originally intended as a showcase for the Williams brand, the building was developed into a conference centre and tour venue when the company outgrew its old meeting venue next door.
The leveraging of the Williams F1 brand is immediately obvious. A hedge in the shape of a Formula 1 car welcomes delegates and each meeting room is named after famous Williams drivers or F1-related themes. The centre has 10 conference and meeting rooms that can hold up to 250 guests, including the Alan Jones cocktail lounge, which can be adapted as a reception or bar area. The Ayrton Senna conference room is the largest of the meeting areas and accommodates 80–250 people, with three AV screens capable of running individual or synchronised presentations.
But with dozens of conference venues nationwide offering comparable facilities, why choose Williams? Marsha Goodwin, sales and marketing director for the venue suggests: "If you want to combine a meeting or conference with the chance to get up close to the world's largest private collection of Formula 1 cars, then this is the only place to do it. Delegates can take part in the tour, visit the trophy room and learn more about the company's illustrious history, before sitting down for that all-important meeting."
Team-building activities have a super-charged twist here. The "pit stop challenge" gives delegates the chance to don overalls and change the tyres of a real Formula 1 car against the clock. Companies can also hire quad bikes, radio-controlled cars or an F1 simulator for the day. The venue even offers race day packages where delegates can enjoy a live telephone link to Sir Frank Williams from the racetrack, before sitting down to watch the race in the Ayrton Senna Theatre.
Claire Williams, press officer for the centre, says the experience and expertise of the Williams team has undoubtedly helped in creating a modern, well-equipped conference venue. "The philosophy of using cutting edge technology in our cars has been transferred to the running of the conference centre. In this regard, all of the equipment used at the venue is a product of state-of-the-art technology."
Just a few miles down the road in Lambourn, however, the pace and ethos of life changes completely. The Kindersley Centre, owned by publisher and environmentalist Peter Kindersley, is situated in the middle of the 2,000 acre Sheepdrove Organic Farm. Opened in October 2003 with the aim of marrying an eco-friendly environment with the needs of corporate firms, the centre has attracted companies seeking a meeting with a difference.
Every aspect of the conference centre has been built with the environment in mind.
The main timbers of the building, which is capable of housing up to 200 delegates across five rooms, are made of sustainable wood sourced from the UK, while one of the main walls is made of chalk recovered from the foundation excavations. Even the toilets are eco-friendly, with the cubicle partitions made of recycled toothpaste tubes and the basins of crushed CD cases.
But being environmentally friendly doesn't mean the centre has skimped on technology, and the Kindersley Centre has all the facilities of a corporate conference centre, including plasma screens, wifi access and interactive whiteboards. All the meeting rooms have an abundance of natural light with the added advantage of looking out onto the fields of the farm. The largest of the conference areas, an impressive room with the appearance of an upturned Noah's Ark, is capable of accommodating up to 200 delegates, and its skylights can be shut electronically for projection purposes.
Again though, it is the added extras that make this venue unique. Delegates dine on food using ingredients sourced on the farm, drink water drawn directly from a well 90 metres below the fields, and can tour the farm's organic facilities. Team-building exercises include falconry, cookery and willow weaving, while the Rook's Nest breakout room, a cosy circular room housed in the top of the main tower, has huge bean bags made of sheep's wool instead of chairs.
Throughout the building, quotes such as "Grub first, then ethics" (the words of German poet and playwright Berthold Brecht) remind you that Peter Kindersley's vision for the centre is much more than just a place where delegates come to meet and do business. He points out that more and more companies are putting sustainability on the corporate agenda, and believes they are bearing this in mind when looking for conference venues.
"We wanted to create a truly inspiring meeting space where free-thinking and new ideas can flourish," he says. "The Kindersley Centre concept is based on principles we hold dear: sustainability, consideration for the environment and organic food."
There is no question that both the Williams and Kindersely centres offer unique alternatives to the usual conference circuit, but their main drawbacks are not being
in the centre of town and not having accommodation on site. Peter Kindersley plans to add hotel facilities to the Kindersley Centre in the future, but for now delegates
are left with the option of travelling directly to the venues, or staying in one of the hotels in and around Newbury.
Choices include the five-star Vineyard, which has a luxury spa and Michelin-starred restaurant; the four-star Donnington Valley Hotel and Golf Club, which next year will double its capacity to 111 rooms; and Courtyard By Marriott, the three-star hotel chain located between Newbury and Reading town centres. All the hotels offer preferential rates for delegates using either of the centres, and transport can be arranged to and from the venues.
Companies looking for a centrally located conference centre, with accommodation on site and an established events brand name, will probably bypass Newbury in favour of large hotels offering the entire package under one roof. But those searching for a venue with character and the chance to combine business with pleasure, could do far worse than head down the M4 to experience a meeting with a difference.
FACT BOX
The Williams F1 Conference Centre
tel +44 (0)1235 777 900; williamsf1conferences.com
The Kindersley Centre
tel +44 (0)1488 674 737; thekindersleycentre.com
The Vineyard at Stockcross
tel +44 (0)1635 528 770; the-vineyard.co.uk
Donnington Valley Hotel and Golf Club
tel +44 (0)1635 551 199; donningtonvalley.co.uk
Courtyard By Marriott, Reading
tel +44 (0)1189 714 411; marriott.co.uk
Five other meeting venues an hour from Heathrow
Hilton Newbury Centre
Situated just a mile south of Newbury town centre, the hotel has 109 rooms, and 15 conference and banqueting suites accommodating between two and 150 delegates. It also has a Livingwell Health Club for the use of delegates.
contact +44 (0)1635 529 000; hilton.co.uk
The Business Centre
Located within the landscaped grounds of Reading's Green Park, this conference centre has 12 rooms accommodating between eight and 160 guests. Rooms can be hired from an hour onwards, and a shuttle bus runs from Reading train station to the business park every seven to eight minutes.
contact +44 (0)118 9450 212; businesscentre100.co.uk
Newbury Racecourse
For larger meetings, the 100-year-old racecourse on the edge of town has meeting rooms with capacities for between 10 and 1,100 delegates with
over 40 breakout rooms. There is also parking space for up to 3,000 cars, and race day packages are available.
contact +44 (0)1635 400 15; newbury-racecourse.co.uk
The Newbury Manor Hotel
This Georgian Grade II listed hotel is situated in nine acres of meadows
and woodland. On the outskirts of Newbury, it has 33 guestrooms and five conference rooms, which can hold between eight and 60 delegates.
contact +44 (0)1635 528 838; newbury-manor-hotel.co.uk
Kirtons Farm Hotel Reading
Spectacularly located on the edge of a 33-acre lake, this hotel (previously the Hanover International Hotel and Club Reading) is 15 minutes from Reading. It has 81 rooms and 14 meeting rooms with capacities ranging for up to 100.
contact +44 (0)1189 500 885; millenniumhotels.com
