In the PA Life Autumn 2025 Issue’s Spotlight on the Midlands feature, we hear from Gail Tomlinson-Short, Head of Business Development at Warwick Conferences about what drives corporate events at the moment and why her venue is an exceptional choiceโฆย
How long have you been at Warwick Conferences and what do you most enjoy about working at the venue?
Iโve been at Warwick for 29 years. I enjoy the fact that it is a progressive organisation that constantly evolves our products and services, taking the time to understand the challenges our clients face, providing them with solutions that meet all of their event objectives.ย
What key trends are witnessing in corporate bookings across meetings and eventsโand how are you, as an academic venue, adapting to meet evolving needs?
Thereโs been a noticeable shift toward experience-led events, with clients placing greater emphasis on engagement, wellbeing and sustainability. Popular features among corporate bookers include:ย
- Insightful speaker sessions, hands-on workshops and tailored social elements that create a more memorable event experience.ย
- Wellbeing-focused options, such as walk-and-talks, energiser session and use of our Sports & Wellness Hub.ย
- Sustainability-conscious planning, with increased demand for low-carbon menus, ethical sourcing and practical tools like our Carbon Calculator.ย
How is Warwick Conferences supporting clients in meeting their ESG goals for their events and stays?
We have a strong focus on ESG to ensure our business operates sustainably and responsibly. We have clear sustainability goals and targets and are a living wage accredited employer and embrace inclusivity.ย
We hold EcoSmart Platinum status from Greengage Solutions, plus are IACC Green Star Certified. We were awarded second place at the miaList Awards 2024 in recognition of our commitment to sustainability, and also won the sustainability award at the Coventry and Warwickshire Business and Community Awards 2025.ย
Kafoodle, our online recipe database that stores all our food and drink menus, calculates carbon ratings and supports sustainability efforts, and our Carbon Calculator Tool allows clients to measure their eventโs carbon footprint.ย
What value-added services or incentives are proving most popular with corporate bookers right now?
Here are some of the most popular choices: Inspirational speaker sessions led by experts from the University of Warwick; team-building activities, including esports, sculpture trail, climbing wall and MTa kits; access to a world-class sports and wellness and gin tasting experiences featuring local suppliers like Shakespeareโs Distillery.ย
What are your three top USPs
- Our central UK location makes us easily accessible from across the UK and the world.ย
- Our wide portfolio of event spaces- we can accommodate anything from a meeting for two people to banqueting for 400 guests.ย
- Our people set us apart. As part of the University of Warwick, we have direct access to a network of leading academics and industry expertsโbringing insight and innovation to any event.ย
For more information and enquiries, please see Warwick Conferences
