PA Life explored top venues for corporate events in Reading

Our 24-hour FAM Trip on September 10-11th, with 14 event organising EAs, PAs and Office Managers, was a great way to experience the corporate event offerings in Reading. Our hosts, REDA and their partner venues and suppliers had put together a fantastic itinerary of venue visits and experiences. We also got to meet all the businesses before the visits on the evening of our arrival at the Meet Reading Venues Showcase.

Reading is an undiscovered and often underestimated destinations for many London based event organisers. The FAM Trip was planned to change that and to show us the fantastic event spaces, accommodation and experiences available less than hour from London.

Most of us arrived by the fast Paddington to Reading train service that took just 20 minutes. The Elizabeth Line is also a great option, and connects Heathrow to Reading in under 50 minutes. Being just off the M4 motorway, driving is also a quick option for delegates to reach Reading, where ever they are coming from.

Our 24-hour visit to kicked-off with Reading Venues Showcase

The showcase was conveniently hosted by Novotel, located just minutes from the station. In fact most of the town centre venues and hotels are a short walking distance from the station making it easy to keeping the travel CO2 emissions low, and transfer times minimal.

The evening was a lively networking format where local businesses welcomed buyers and organisers from the area as well as our PA Life Club members. We we first welcomed with a glass of delicious English sparkling wine by Stanlake Park Estate in Berkshire. They are one of the oldest vineyards and wineries in England with many award-winning wines in their range.

It was then time to mingle and meet the 20 businesses who had set up ‘mini-stands’ on the 8th floor. The variety was fantastic – we spoke to hotels, venues, experience and activity providers, Thames river cruise staff and many more before it was time to move from Novotel to Malmaison, a few minutes away for a showround and dinner. Malmaison, a former station hotel, has been reimagined as a contemporary property offering great meetings rooms and accommodation to impress. We particularly admired their spacious split-level suite.

The buffet dinner was served at the Chez Mal brasserie & bar, a vibrant space serving modern British cuisine with a French twist, with global influence thrown in for extra spice.

We tested three hotels for overnight stay during corporate events in Reading

To experience more than just one hotel during our fam trip, our group was split between three town centre hotels. The Novotel Reading, Penta Hotel and Roseate.

The Novotel rooms benefit from neutral decor and touches such as hardwood flooring, lovely Rituals amenities, Nespresso coffee maker, glass-panelled double door to the bathroom – some come with a bathtub too, make your stay feel more than ‘just another night at a hotel. The rooms have also plenty of room for a sofa bed, even in the standard room.

The Penta Hotel offers a value option for stays. They pride themselves as a green hotel with sustainable amenities, rainwater showers, and encourage guest to take the stairs instead of the lift when possible, plus skip the daily room clean for short stays. All rooms and Junior Suites come with large and comfortable beds, tea and coffee making facilities, free Wi-Fi and desks for those wishing to catch up with work.

The event spaces are conveniently on the ground floor, offering a fresh alternative to your standard hotel options. Most rooms have plenty of natural light and colourful interiors that invite guests to relax, or  have a bit of competitive fun in the games room. The bar is also a great space to connect with other guests and event delegates.

The Roseate Reading was originally Shire Hall for the Berkshire County Council and spans across two beautifully designed buildings ‘Roseate’ and ‘House’. The Hotel is known for its spectacular attention to detail that ensures a bespoke, luxurious experience for its guests. The Roseate are known for their excellent Reading Room Restaurant & Bar with its philosophy based on SLOW – seasonal, local, organic and wholesome foods.

The classic Roseate Rooms and three categories of suites are sumptuous and elegant, with exquisite colours and silk interior touches. Inspired by India I’m guessing where you’ll find Roseate Hotels in New Delhi and Rishkesh too. The House Rooms are a striking contrast in their clean white and minimalist contemporary styling.

Meeting and private dinging room are equally impressive and a safe choice when booking for your C-Suite execs and important clients. You’ll also find a cinema room in the hotel, perfect for presentations and launches.

Our second day was filled with site visits and activities

After breakfast and a tour of the event spaces at Penta Hotel, we jumped on a coach with Holiday Inn Reading South as out first stop. The Holiday Inn has a beautiful event setup called the Academy Suite and their rooms are great value. After the showround we enjoyed delicious smoothing, fruit and pastries before we took part in a fun beeswax candle making workshop with a local events company TAG Events. This would be easy to offer during  lunch breaks or after work, and at events as an activity.

Back on the coach fro a short transfer to Hilton Reading for tour of their large property, taking in their ballroom and their Performance Suite of two gyms, a fitness studio and pool with a sauna. The hotel has a luxury feel and look and is immaculately maintained – great for awards, conferences and celebrations.

We also had a buffet lunch at Hilton – at their OXBO Brasserie & Bar. This is a large, stunning space with plenty of personality. Also featuring a private dining room at the back, perfect for meetings of up to around 20 when you want a break from a typical meeting room.

Outdoor activities are easy to organise in Reading

Next up in our itinerary was a visit to see Green Park Conference Centre. This is part of the 195 acre Green Park business park of 60+ companies that offers incredible facilities and activities foo people who work there. We took park in an axe throwing session organised by H15 Events who can offer a number of experiences and corporate activity days, and also operate an open water swimming and water sports centre in Reading.  We were split into three groups and had two types of axe to try our hand at – needles to say it got very competitive. The experience was exhilarating and great fun.

Our last stop was at the historic De Vere Wokefield Estate

Our very pleasant and event-rich introduction to some of the top corporate event venues in Reading ended at De Vere Wokefield Estate – a 250 acre estate with a PGA standard golf course located a 10-15 minute drive from the town centre. There are  two very different properties on the estate. We started with the contemporary Wokefield Place conference centre and hotel which offer large event spaces and modern meeting rooms.

Wokefield House is a grand 18th century mansion house with a rich history is a wonderful setting for corporate retreats, executive meetings and celebrations. We enjoyed a sumptuous afternoon tea with a glass of bubbly at one of the beautiful drawing rooms overlooking the vast lawns.

Many thanks to REDA (Reading’s Economy & Destination Agency), part of Visit Reading,  for organising such a wonderful fam trip to PA Life Club members. The Club is free to join for EAs, PAs, Office Managers and other business support professionals.

Find out more about what Reading has to offer in the Meet Reading short film.