Conference Aston

The 2012 Academic Venue Show is fast approaching and we at Conference Aston are getting ready to exhibit our venues and facilities at this fantastic event. We will be on stand number 17 where you can come to meet the Conference Aston team and learn more about how we can cater for your events. We’ll be demonstrating our brand new iPad App which features a wealth of information about Conference Aston and our conferencing facilities and services.

The Conference Aston App will provide delegates with all the information they need to know about Conference Aston prior to their arrival. With information about all three of our conferencing venues, along with details of our delegate rates and how to find us, this comprehensive guide will allow delegates and event planners to gain a wider knowledge of Conference Aston. The App will provide full details of all the facilities and services we provide, with links to our website for further details. Users will be able to scroll through the various image galleries, floor plans and information pages get to know the facilities inside and out. We aim for this App to be a useful tool for conference organisers and event planners in making their decision on where to host their events.

Come along to stand number 17 to see this fantastic conference and events tool for yourself and experience the App which will make booking your next event even easier than before! The Conference Aston team will be on hand to demonstrate the App’s functions and answer any questions you may have regarding Conference Aston. Although the App will be in demo mode at the exhibition, we are keen to get conference organisers’ views on how it’s shaping up. The App will be available to download for free from the iTunes Store by 1st June.

If you are unable to attend the Academic Venue Show but would still like to know more about holding your events at Conference Aston, contact Suzanna on 0121 204 3292 to discuss your requirements.

For further information, please contact Conference Aston Head of Sales and Marketing, Christine Page who will also be attending the Academic Venue Show.

Telephone 0121 204 3098 c.page@aston.ac.uk www.conferenceaston.co.uk

Aston University’s new sports centre is now open after a £5m refurbishment.

The Doug Ellis Woodcock Sports Centre is open to staff and students of Aston University in addition to delegates and guests at Conference Aston.

Facilities include:

• A new 120-station fitness suite with latest cardiovascular machines and weights

• A new two-storey facility with martial arts, fitness and dance studios

• A refurbished sports hall and swimming pool

• A new sauna, steam room and changing rooms

• Improved badminton, basketball and netball facilities

Conference Aston and the Environment

Conference Aston is dedicated to complying with ISO 14001 and we aim to reduce our impact on the environment by using less resources and recycling where possible. We strive towards better management of our environmental impact and continue to improve our practices in order to increase our sustainability.

Our environmental policy inspires us to meet, support, influence and raise awareness to reflect latest environmental practice. This will be through the implementation of an environmental management system in pursuit of sustainability and continuous improvement. We are committed to ensuring our operations have a minimal impact on the environment.

One of Birmingham’s leading conference centres has reinforced its sales team with a pair of key appointments.

The recruitment of two sales development managers underlines Conference Aston’s commitment to future growth through dedicated account management in all areas of the business.

Cahla Fields and Suzanna Reid Barreiro Da Silva will be working as part of a nine strong sales team, led by head of sales and marketing Christine Page.

Christine said the pair, both from Birmingham, were recruited because of their strong experience in the industry as well as a great awareness of what clients were looking for when organising events and conferences.

“Both Cahla and Suzanna have many years of experience working with top hotels and venues across the UK and I am delighted to welcome them both to Conference Aston,” she said.

“Their appointments reflect a continued focus and commitment to all of our clients, ensuring that from their very first contact with us that they receive the best possible service and support in managing their events.

“It’s a significant period of growth for us as we’re seeing increasing demand from customers who are looking beyond hotels for a venue which is not only cost effective, but also delivers a return back into the community.

“I’m proud that we can offer an excellent venue with staff who understand the client needs and don't compromise on quality and I am confident Cahla and Suzanna will help us to deliver on that.”

Cahla is responsible for sales of banqueting and corporate entertainment at the Lakeside Centre, accommodation, local Birmingham business and the promotion of the newly launched school prom masterclass package.

She joins the sales team from Bosworth Hall Hotel in Leicestershire, where she held a similar role.

Cahla has also worked with hotels in Birmingham and Coventry, as well as a period working in recruitment.

“Conference Aston is a fantastic venue in the very heart of Birmingham, with some of the best facilities in the region,” she said.

“I was delighted to be offered the role, as it gives me an ideal opportunity to use my knowledge of Birmingham and of the industry.”

Suzanna is the key contact for national accounts, management training and conference agencies and will be drawing on more than a decade’s experience in the hotel and conferencing industry.

Her recent experience includes a business development manager role at Kents Hill Park and sales experience with Novus Leisure.

“It’s a great time to be joining Conference Aston, which is one of the best conference and management training centres in the midlands,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to focusing on the benefits academic venues can offer and ensuring we deliver the best possible service to our clients.”

Conference Aston welcomes more than 54,000 people a year to Birmingham for training, residential conferences, for weddings and to stay in its high quality hotel facilities and on site campus accommodation.

It sits at the heart of Aston University, which is a long established research-led university known for its world-class teaching quality and strong links to industry, government and commerce.

A leading Midlands conference centre is planning to plough hundreds of thousands of pounds back into education in the region as part of a unique gifting scheme.

Conference Aston is aiming to return up to 23 per cent of its turnover in 2010 to support research and teaching at Aston University as part of a unique partnership.

The conference centres and hotel is a limited company, which is owned by Aston University, but it donates any profit generated back into the university.

The funds are then used within the internationally renowned university to develop facilities, invest in research and continue the provision of high quality teaching to students.

This initiative has become part of a cycle of investment for organisations using Conference Aston’s facilities, according to Fiona Foster, Director of University Catering and Conference Services.

“It’s a great selling point for businesses and groups that they can use our state of the art facilities for training and conferencing and at the same time be investing in the teaching of students who could become their future employees,” she said.

“Clients using our facilities range from major high street supermarkets and retailers to smaller local companies looking for a convenient attractive venue in the heart of Birmingham’s technology and innovation quarter.

“But whether small or large they are all donating to the future of education in the city and through our graduates, further afield.”

The scheme has been running since Conference Aston, which includes the Lakeside Centre, Aston Business School Hotel and Conference Centre and Campus Conferences, was established as a limited company in 2008.

Conference Aston welcomes more than 54,000 people a year to Birmingham for training, residential conferences, for weddings and to stay in its high quality hotel facilities and on site campus accommodation.

It sits at the heart of Aston University, which is a long established research-led university known for its world-class teaching quality and strong links to industry, government and commerce.

Ends

For further information please contact Jenni Fryer at Ward Lovett on 01543 501111 or email jenni@wardlovett.com.