The 21st Century Spring Clean

And so the team is setting to work in preparation for the 360 Google Business Photo Shoot and it is a case of all hands on deck. Weather dependent our target date that we are working towards is the 19 December, so let’s hope the snow doesn’t visit South West London again!


Grounds staff have been booked to clean up the winter leaves and move the goal posts.

Window cleaners are scheduled and cleaners are preparing to get into every nook and cranny in the building with carpets being earmarked for cleaning too! Whilst some paint work may need a touch up, it is never so simple with a Grade I listed building, which Parkstead House is. Painting comes under conservation and so we have to seek the guidance of English Heritage and ensure that colour matches are maintained.

We are in discussions with some of our industry partners and are looking forward to working with Mobile Music who have agreed to provide us with some lighting for the shoot. www.mobilemusiccompany.co.uk

Flowers are next on the list along with storm lanterns and we need to choose colour schemes for the dinner set-up in the Bessborough Room http://www.parksteadhouse.co.uk/rooms/bessborough.htm
We are currently debating racing green table cloths with gold napkins and warm autumnal up-lighting (What do you think?) and need to book these this week.

We have got the go-ahead for printing new stationery and so look forward to having that in time for the shoot too along with our new conference organiser’s tool kit. We have some ideas of what should be in there but maybe you do too – do let us know. We will be keeping a close eye on our twitter @parksteadhouse for your feedback.

Watch this space for more updates.........

Ellen's First Taste of Conference Roehampton

So here I am trying to write my first blog but being regularly distracted by more interesting conversations happening in the office around me; how much people in the team love/hate the stationary cupboard, being offered mini tea cakes and with great self control turning them down and trying desperately to get out of having my picture taken to be uploaded on the Conference Roehampton blog and failing miserably!


Day one of my new job as a conference co-ordinator for Conference Roehampton has been anything but boring! After being shown around my new place of work, introduced to lots of people and dropping off my important documents to HR, it was time for a small, skinny, vanilla latte from Starbucks (they’d run out of Gingerbread syrup). Whilst enjoying my coffee, I sat in on a planning meeting for a Christmas party my manager is organising and entered a debate on bowl food, would it work at events and if so what types of events? Does catering need to purchase more bowls? Are staff correctly trained to serve bowl food? The list goes on and around in circles....

Almost as soon as my cup was empty, it was time to meet the rest of the team for lunch in the canteen (I have quickly learnt that the Conference Roehampton team enjoy their food!) After my Chicken Tikka Masala, I was shown around the beautiful campus, (it has a grotto!) introduced to more people and had my ID card made.

My next point of call was back at the office where I was shown my in-depth induction plan – colour coded and everything! After asking the questions I had accumulated throughout the day, it was back to my desk to write my ‘First Day on the New Job’ blog.

So here we’ve come - full circle. I’ve really enjoyed my first day at Conference Roehampton and look forward to many more to come and to sharing the highs and lows with you over the coming months.

The 18th Century meets The 21st Century

The team at Conference Roehampton are incredibly excited to have made the decision to use the Google Business Photo service for Parkstead House. This new marketing tool that uses the same technology as Google street maps, enables clients to both view and explore the venue, giving a much better feel than brochures, for what the venue offers.

Philippa & Susan met last week with Kellie Spicknell, a Google Trusted Photographer, to discuss the possibility of creating Business Photos for Parkstead House. Kellie, an experienced photographer, has worked with Google on this new concept on restaurants, shops and children’s play parks such as Hobbledown’s in Epsom.

We took a tour around the site and discussed the various set-ups that we were proposing and Kellie advised us on how many 3600 shots (30) and where were the best places to take them. Our beautiful Cluttons corridor will have five shots taken the length of the corridor displaying the Parkstead archive window display, the Courtyard, the stairwell, and the Burne-Jones windows as well as the corridor itself.

We will take this opportunity to do a bit of a ‘spring clean’ that will include, some painting, cleaning, window-washing and of course, at this time of year, exercising our ‘Billy Goat’!

Philippa Davies, Head of Conferencing Services, said “The great thing about this tool is that the tour opens up Parkstead House to the public, enabling them to see more of a Grade I listed house and its decorative features. The House is not normally open to the general public and throughout the tour the William Chambers’ original ceilings are displayed in their full glory in the first of his residential villas, including one in the catacombs”.

Weather dependent we are planning to shoot the House the week before Christmas and we would like to share this creative journey with you over the next few weeks. Watch this space.............

Wacky Winter Wear comes to Conference Roehampton

The green fingered ladies in the conference office have just returned from their Green Impact team meeting bursting with amusing ideas to raise awareness of environmental issues across campus with today’s focus being heating. I nearly fell of my chair when I found out our annual utilities bill was nearly £1.4 million, but what can our little group do about this we all muttered…“lots” Anna our team leader encouraged us.

After gobbling up Alina’s Jamie Oliver chocolate brownies (with fairtrade chocolate of course) we began to brainstorm. Finally, after lots of giggles, gasps and ‘I am not doing that(‘s)!’ the team decided to join forces with AgeUK who are running a campaign called ‘spread the warmth’ and at Conference Roehampton we intend on doing just that.

The idea is; instead of turning up the thermostat in the office to ward off the cold winter weather everyone has to wear something warm and in our case something fun. We are calling it “wacky winter wear”. It’s a simple idea that I am sure is going to provide lots of laughs. We are going to combine this with a afternoon bake sale to raise some important pennies for AgeUK.

This is the opportunity I have been waiting for to buy a onesie, now I just have to decide if it will be a Spiderman one or an dinosaur… choices, choices, choices! Our Assistant Director pipes up in the meeting that he already has a onesie - “it’s called a wet suit!” as long as it’s warm Tim, I can’t wait to see you rock it!

Don’t you worry there will be plenty of onesie photos coming your way.

Competition Time

It has been a busy few weeks here at Conference Roehampton after making the decision to enter our two fabulous venues Parkstead House and Grove House as well as our wonderful ‘Grove House Fairy Godmother’ Carla Simmons into The 2013 Wedding Industry Awards.

After a grand total of 30 weddings over the past 12 months it seemed like a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the relationships we have built with all of our newlyweds, and relationships we have certainly built! The support we have received from all our couples from the past twelve months has been fantastic and after realising that our emails were not spam(!) our Brides and Grooms came on board and we are so grateful that they all took the time to give us their vote.

As all of our 30 couples approach their first Christmas as Mr & Mrs we would like to say for one final time “congratulations and we are so glad you chose to create such happy and important memories at our historical venues”. A big thank you also from our Grove House Fairy Godmother Carla Simmons and her little pumpkin. It was lovely to see that you think she is as brilliant as we do!

Watch this space for more news on how we do in the awards. Forget ‘Battle of the Bands’ its all about ‘Battle of the Venues’ as our sister sites Grove House & Parkstead House go head to head!

Take A Spook At This...

Things have been getting a little bit scary in the Conference Roehampton office this week, Renata only popped out to make her lunch but as she sat down to eat there was a scary surprise waiting to eat her!


Luckily it turns out that it was not a terrifying ghoul but just Emma’s friendly little monster Alfie paying the office a visit during half-term and thankfully he prefers the taste of pumpkin pie to conference co-ordinators!

We hope you all have a spooktastic Halloween and for those of you lucky enough to get one- enjoy the half term break!

Don’t Vote X Factor, Vote Grove House

Maybe it was our picturesque rose gardens, the grandeur of The Portrait Room or the delicate elegance of The Terrace Room, or maybe it was our infamous ducks! Whatever the reason here at Grove House we would like to say a massive thank you to the 18 newlyweds who choose our venue for their big day this year. It has made for a fantastic wedding season and we are delighted to have had the opportunity to host your wedding.


We loved seeing how happy you were on your wedding day and we know that beautiful Grove House as the setting was a big part of that.

Having reflected on how wonderful the year has been we have decided to enter The Wedding Industry Awards. We are inviting our couples to give us their vote FOR US FOR ‘Wedding Venue of The Year’ simply by visiting the website:

http://www.the-wedding-industry-awards.co.uk/vote/london-and-south-east/venue/grove-house

Thank you to those who chose Grove House over the last 12 months, it has been a fantastic wedding season and really was a pleasure. If you could imagine making your own happy memories, at a place filled with so many, then do get in touch!

We look forward to welcoming you.

Kind Regards,
The Grove House Ladies

For The Love of Dogs

Doctor Doolittle, Paul O’Grady – move over, there’s a new kid in town!

Susan in our team here, did her good deed for the day...week and no doubt year this weekend by picking up a stray whippet and taking it to the safe haven of Crawley Dog Warden.

Driving up the A22 from the M25 on Sunday afternoon, a whippet dashed out from hedging onto the dual carriageway nearly causing an accident. Susan, being the dog lover that she is, stopped the car and coaxed the dog over, only to find that as any dog does in the countryside, it had rolled in her favourite fox pooh!

Undeterred, Susan, got her in the car and headed up to the emergency vet in Caterham, only to find that the dog wasn’t chipped – Sacré Blue! So, after a few phone calls, a trip to the Crawley Town Hall was the agenda for the day but only after a trip home, a quick bath in the garden (the dog not Susan!!) and a bite to eat. Both were very keen on the last of the Hotel Chocolat chocolates on the kitchen worktop and it was a bit of a fight to see who would get to them first but Susan reigned supreme!

Later that afternoon the whippet was dropped off into the capable and experienced hands of Crawley out of hours Dog Warden and we all hope here that she has found her way home after her adventure.

The moral of the story is that the Conference Roehampton team will always be prepared whether it be on the M25 or at one of our venues!

Something’s buzzing at Conference Roehampton…

The lucky ladies in the Conference Roehampton office have been the first to taste the honey produced from our very own bees. After hearing from our environmental manager on all the remarkable green initiatives that have taken place over the last year and brainstorming ideas on how we can become even more green in the coming year, the girls sat down to sample the honeybees delights. 

I must admit, I am no big fan of honey and I certainly don’t know my manuka from my tupelo but not one to shy away from trying something new, I dipped in my spoon. I don’t know if it was the fact that this honey came from our own hives or if our beautiful grounds produce the most delicious nectar for the bees to feast on. Whatever it was, this was the best honey I have ever tasted. Now I know why they call it “the drink of Gods”.

We must say a huge “thank you” to Jonathan who allowed us all to take some honey home, we’re heading straight back to the office to make some scrummy honey lemonade. It’s so easy to make, why don’t you have a go yourself? We are going to use this recipe we found on ‘The Food Channel’.

Ingredients

• 1/3 to 1/2 cup honey

• 1 1/2 cups steaming hot water

• 1 cup fresh lemon juice

• Ice cubes for serving

Preparation

1. In a heatproof 1-quart pitcher or bowl, combine the honey and hot water and stir until the honey is dissolved. Stir in the lemon juice. Let cool for at least 10 minutes or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Pour into ice-filled glasses.

I hope we have some more honey to share with you very soon, but you must all bee good!

The Grove House Fairy Godmother

It may seem a little early for the pantomime season but Carla Simmons has been transformed from events and conference co-ordinator into the Grove House Fairy Godmother after holding thirteen fantastic weddings at the venue over the past 12 months. Busy as a bee, organising conferences throughout the year, Carla never faltered at providing that Cinderella moment for all our newlyweds. In fact, Carla made the day seem so magical that there were rumours that it was more a case of the classic Cinderella syndrome that our events needed to finish by midnight than anything to do with our venue license! Magical moments aside, Carla is a practical and professional events co-ordinator whose skills and expertise have resulted in thirteen happy memories that will hopefully last even longer than the Grade II venue at which they were made. It has been a busy year for Carla and we are sure you will agree that she is an invaluable part of Grove House, particularly as we prepare to wave her off on her maternity leave (turns out it’s not a pumpkin she’s been storing)!!!


We are now looking for a suitable way to say thank you to our Grove House Fairy Godmother, and what better way to say farewell (for a while) and thank you, by voting for Carla as Venue Co-ordinator of the year at The Wedding Industry Awards. If you were one of Carla’s couples then we know you will agree with us that she is award winning material, so do keep those votes rolling in

In turn we will keep you updated on the outcome of the awards and her little pumpkin!

Best Wishes,
The Grove House & Parkstead Ladies

A Conference Team's Best Friend

The events team at Conference Roehampton are doing their bit for Guide Dogs for the Blind

It is Guide Dogs for the Blind Week this week and the conference team are doing their bit to promote GDBA by holding a sale of Christmas cards and gifts in the University Library today during lunch time.
UR is proud of its pro-active approach to ensuring access to all, which is highlighted by the fact that we have an ‘Access for Roehampton’ team that includes Pauline McInnes, a registered Guide Dog owner, who advises students and visitors alike from a first-hand perspective of life at Roehampton, PLUS she keeps us on the straight and narrow access path!

We are also inviting students and staff to donate their Andrex toilet roll wrappers to help aid the cause! Kimberley Clark are partnering with Guide Dogs to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Andrex puppy to provide funds and resources for GDBA, so everyone can do their bit by bringing along their unwanted Andrex wrappers!

http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/supportus/fundraising/fundraising-appeals/andrex-promotion/

The Dazzling Dozen

This past year Parkstead House has been proud to host some twelve weddings, each as spectacular as the previous and most importantly each newlywed couple as happy as the last! It has been a busy time and we would like to say a huge thank you to all for choosing Parkstead house for your wedding.


We organise events all year round and both love and know our House inside out but having a fresh pair of excited bride-to-be-eyes has seen our 14 acres transformed into twelve venues, personal to each bride, highlighting Parkstead’s flexibility. We have been your blank canvas and you have certainly experimented with a range of colours and themes to create the perfect picture for your special day.

Having hosted all these fabulous days we would like to recognise all of our staff’s efforts and are entering The Wedding Industry Awards. We will be approaching all concerned to nominate Parkstead House as ‘The Best Venue’. This involves a judging process following on from our Bride’s evaluation of selected criteria including; customer service and value for money.

For those of you who have just got engaged, unfortunately we can't take your vote this time but do get in touch and perhaps next year you could help us have another fantastic wedding season and be one of our dazzling dozen couples!


Best Wishes,
The Parkstead House Team

New Girl: Life as a Conference Host

I am a 21 year old creative writing graduate and at the start of June I made the switch from student to staff as I began work for The University of Roehampton. I fell in love with the university as soon as I heard the first of the many campus ducks quack by the side of Froebel Lake and three years on I was even more attached, so when I heard about a summer job with conferencing I was eager to find out more.


When I met with the events manager of Conference Roehampton and she described the role we both realised a lot of my volunteering and work experience related to the job and so I became a conference host as part of the Conference Roehampton team.

The worst thing about my job is keys. As conference host I check that the rooms are ready before our guests arrive; you will never have opened as many doors in your life and it’s a sad moment when you begin to recognise key codes!

The best thing about my job for me is weddings. You get to see somebody’s apprehension at their initial show around develop into excitement as their big day looms closer and you’re there at the end of the evening to see their relief that everything ran smoothly.

Being a conference host is tiring and by tipping your toe into the world of hospitality you wash away the idea that working full time means 9-5 but the work is worth it when you see the events and conferences come together and it is always achievable because Conference Roehampton is big on support and while it may be small the team is strong.

Come Rain or Shine, Grove House Never Fails to Impress!

The beautiful rooms inside Grove House meant that the April showers went unnoticed as Duygu and Sam exchanged their wedding vows in the Portrait Room, enjoyed bubbles and beautiful canapés in the Terrace Room and finally danced the night away after their seated dinner back in the transformed Portrait Room!

Come and join us for some "quacking" fun at the Emirates Stadium!

Come and visit us on Stand 7 at the Academic Venue Show on 16th May 2012 at the Emirates Stadium, London. In honor of the many ducks we have in residence at our venue we will be holding a fun "duck" competition with lots of prizes and discounts to be won! Entry is free if you register at http://www.academicvenueshow.co.uk/ .... what are you waiting for!

A match made in March

It was the first wedding of the year for Grove House. Jennifer and Mark may have had one of the most glorious sunny days in March for their wedding. Jennifer looked absolutely breathtaking and Mark, in his burgundy cravat, looked very stylish. The Portrait Room was decked out in ivory with 400 red, purple and white tulips for 90 guests who enjoyed the evening with magnums of champagne and a three course feast.

The Perfect Romantic Wedding Grove House

Congratulations to Elizabeth and Simon who had a lovely wedding day at Grove House. With the sun shining they look advanage of having lots of photographs in our gardens overlooking a lake before holding their wedding breakfast in the beautiful Portrait Room. Just so romantic!

Thank you to James Davidson for these amazing photographs - we just love them! See www.jamesdavidson.co.uk for more info.