Over 20 PA Life Club members were welcomed on overnight showcase visit on March 24th at Warwick Conferences, located within the leafy campus of University of Warwick…
We met our hosts at Coventry station where we hopped on a coach for the 10-15 minute drive to the campus. The train journey from London Euston can be as quick as 54 minutes, so all in all Warwick Conferences is within an easy and short journey for any London-based delegates. It’s ideally located in the Midlands, with Birmingham and Leicester nearby. There is also ample parking on the campus for anyone arriving by car.
What did we experience on our 36-our showcase visit
Upon arrival at the Scarman venue, we were treated to a wonderful afternoon tea with a gorgeous spread of savoury and sweet treats, fresh berry smoothies and even a glass of bubbly to mark the lovely occasion.
After a short welcome address by members of the Warwick event team; Justine Meek – Business Development Manager, Sarah Dietrich – Business Development Manager, Rachel Hamilton-Shaw – Operations Manager for Sales & Events, Ted McGowan – Event Manager, Paula Venn-Iredale – Senior Event Manager we were briefed by Cluego, a corporate teambuilding company, on our treasure hunt team activity. Five teams of five in each set off with iPads to find treasures and solve clues with an aim to gain maximum points within the set 75 minutes. It was a fun activity and we got to take in many of the weird and wonderful outdoor sculptures whilst enjoying fresh air and a walk exploring the campus areas and buildings.
Warwick has fantastic outdoor and creative spaces to inspire visitors. This makes it easy for event organisers to incorporate wellbeing and teambuilding experiences and simply enhance the overall wellbeing of guests.
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- On the campus sculpture trail
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- Arts Centre
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- Cluego – the winning team
Four distinct venues
Warwick Conferences has four flexible conference, meeting & event venues. We offer a range of spaces for 2-1,200 delegates – including traditional style training and meeting spaces, tiered lecture theatres, creative meeting spaces & an exclusive hire venue. Scarman, Radcliffe and The Slate are available all year round and some of the academic buildings known as Central Campus Venues are available during Easter and summer vacation. There is accommodation at Scarman and Radcliffe , 358 hotel-styled bedrooms in total between these two modern and inviting event venues.
We all agreed the facilities and the generous breakfast buffet is equivalent to a 4* hotel accommodation. The bedrooms were smart and contemporary in style, and very importantly extremely quiet. Each has a nice en-suite bathroom with a walk-in shower, smart TV and a very comfortable bed. You can enjoy coffee and tea in the room, there were even a selection of biscuits on offer, and an iron plus a hairdryer. Everything you’d need.
The fourth venue dedicated purely to events is The Slate – read more about it further down.
Gin tasting by Shakespeare Distillery
After a short rest and a quick change for dinner we headed to one of the private dining rooms at the Scarman to sample multi-award-winning gins under the expert guidance of the Shakespeare Distillery’s head distiller Simon. Gin is tasted neat to start with, you can add tonic little by little after that to establish the perfect ratio for your G&T. The three gins we tasted were all very different, ranging from a classic Stratford Dry to rhubarb and also quince flavor gins. The distillery runs tastings in its Stratford upon Avon location, gin tasting cruises and other fun activities. They are also the only UK based distiller making rum from scratch and organise rum tastings too.
An award-winning dinner prepared by Chef Ryan Dare and his team
What an absolute treat is how we all described our three-course dinner, prepared by the award- winning in-house chef Ryan Dare. It was lovely to get to meet Ryan who popped in to welcome us all before he was called back to oversee the busy kitchen.
For started we had the most succulent hot smoked salmon filet, served on a potato scone with chive cream and baby leaves. Simply the best hot smoked salmon I’ve ever tasted!
Our main was a pan roasted breast of chicken rested on orzo pasta, chorizo, tomato, courgette, green beans and finished with an herb oil. This really was a perfect chicken breast and none less than the UK winning dish at the Senior Chef category at the International Association of Conference Centres (IACC) UK Copper Skillet Competition which Ryan has won twice.
A double dessert followed – what a treat to finish our delicious meal with a chocolate delice served with caramel sauce, University of Warwick honey ice cream on a brandy snap.
What are the event spaces like at Warwick Conferences
When we toured the event spaces it was evident that Warwick Conferences is dedicated to transforming the way training, events and conferences are run. We particularly loved the creative design of some of the meeting rooms we saw at the Scarman. It was easy to see the benefit of holding a leadership meeting in one of the informal spaces modelled such as a kitchen where participants sit around an island unit on bar stools. After all, everyone knows that the best conversations take place in a kitchen so this is bound to stir everyone’s creative juices. There are several different set-ups available, we also tested the sofas and armchairs in a cosy living room, no boardroom table in sight there either.
Warwick’s facilities range from theatres and lecture rooms to outdoor and creative spaces to inspire visitors. Endless possibilities are available for organisers, whether it’s conferences, dinners, team building, board meetings or brainstorming sessions. For large-scale operational events, Central Campus Venues can host up to 1,200 delegates. The facilities inspire and enable delegates to flourish. This is achieved by focusing on wellbeing, enhancing the experience.
Our tour took in The Slate – a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rated space for sustainable design, construction and operation. The flexible, fully open, flat and fluid event venue sits by a small lake with floor to ceiling windows granting a beautiful view. There is also a water-side terrace which is perfect for break times. The Slate can be hired for exclusive occupancy and can even withstand a couple of cars or street food vans should you want to bring these in.
Warwick Arts Centre offers creative possibilities at a multi-artform venue. Butterworth Hall is a large flexible space with retractable tiered seating for 1,200. Its 620sqm floor spaces lends itself perfectly for exhibitions.
Overnight guests get access to complimentary gym and swim at the impressive Sports and Wellness Hub. There is also a climbing wall and tennis courts to hire.
Why book Warwick Conferences for your next event
Warwick Conferences is dedicated to transforming the way training, events and conferences are run by providing innovative environments and excellent service. With an impressive range of 300 event and meeting spaces available within three venues, the company is very well positioned to cater to a range of client needs.
PA Life FAM Trips
PA Life Club is free for EAs, PAs, VAs, Office Managers and event organisers to join and we invite our members to register for FAM Trips when they are interested to viewing a venue for their event needs. Please note our FAM Trip registration requirements by reading what’s expected when you register to attend a PA Life event here.
