Fast & Furious at Farncombe!

New charity run for MICE agents from around the UK

Farncombe Conference Centre near Broadway in Worcestershire has a reputation for great outdoor activities and this September trail running will be the focus, with the launch of a new 5k charity run aimed at meeting and conference agents.

The Cotswolds-based conference and events venue is launching an exciting competitive challenge around its 400-acre estate.  On Saturday 27^th September, up to 300 runners will Join the “all-terrain” Fast and Furious run through the woods and parklands of Farncombe Estate, before enjoying prizes, food and live music at a post-race party.

Fast & Furious is the name of the event, and it’s the result of a new partnership between Farncombe and MIMN (Meetings Industry Meeting Needs), the registered charity founded by leading members of the conference and events industry.   MIMN aims to raise funds for relevant and worthy causes, especially where a tangible difference can be made.  Recent causes include the purchase of adapted audio equipment for six blind people and a £5,000 technical kit to help severely disabled adults and children use a computer.

It costs £50 to take part (or £35 each for teams of a minimum of 3) and all funds go to MIMN charity projects in the UK and abroad.  This will be an opportunity for agencies to embrace their natural competitiveness and not only go for winners’ glory but prizes too – for the individuals and teams who raise the most money for MIMN.

Arrival is at 10am and a warm-up session will be led by leading fitness company Xtreme Boot Camps.  The race begins at 11am and when it’s all over, Farncombe will play host to a post-race party with a live band and BBQ.  Some accommodation will be available at a preferential rate on 26^th and 27^th September.

To register your interest in participating and/or sponsoring the Fast & Furious event at Farncombe, please email marketing@farncombeestate.co.uk 

Meanwhile, follow Farncombe Conference Centre on twitter @meetcotswolds and use the hashtag #fast&furiousrun 

Learning and development failing to deliver

Learning and development failing to deliver for two-thirds of UK organisations, study finds - feature in the Training Journal - Written by Seun Robert-Edomi on 18 July 2014

The top reason for this lack of L&D effectiveness was cited as a lack of support from business unit managers and leaders, reflected in the finding that less than one third (29 per cent) of L&D organisations said it got the investment it needed

Learning and development activity is failing to deliver a lasting impact for two-thirds of organisations in the UK, and is starved of the resources it needs to be effective, according to research conducted by learning and development consultancy Profitability.
Read the full article https://www.trainingjournal.com/articles/news/learning-and-development-failing-deliver-two-thirds-uk-organisations-study-finds

In response ....
by Rachael Buttery, Farncombe Conference Centre

I would dearly love to be able to demonstrate Return on Investment for the many trainers who use our venue and 400-acre estate.  It doesn’t surprise me that “action learning” is rated the most effective – at Farncombe we constantly strive to create highly memorable events that engage the participant through strong themes, physical activity and humour.

Simple examples include pop-up cinema, picnic power lunches and lots of unusual ideas – from climbing trees and human sheep herding to husky dog sledging.  We have also worked with trainers to develop a range of easy-to use L&D outdoor activities we call Eye Openers. 

For trainers, the immediate benefit of action learning is the positive post-training feedback, which makes it easier to justify their training budget spend for the following year.  Delegates take their exhilaration back to work and cascade it through the company – so it touches even those that didn’t attend.  This in terms helps to win support from business unit managers and leaders when it comes to proving the ROI of training budget spend.

There isn’t really a limit to the high-energy approach.  The Return on Investment is that (unlike e-learning) activity learning leaves people feeling rewarded, refreshed and engaged.  It’s hard to put a monetary value on that.

First Class Learning and Development at Farncombe

"Farncombe Conference Centre.  What a great environment for a learning event"  Farncombe is in a beautiful setting but environment is just one element to ensuring memorable learning.  

On the 22 September 2014, Helen Ashton from First Class Learning and Development would like to welcome you to Farncombe Conference Centre. 

Not only will you have the opportunity to the sample the hospitality of Farncombe Conference Centre but you will take away the brain friendly learning principles we use for designing learning that will help you make training more effective.

"Everyone wants value for money from training but I think value is more about what you get for your money than the cost.  The service at the venue needs to be right but for our clients true value for money means people doing things differently back at work - interviewing with more confidence, doing return-to-work interviews and improving attendance, managing more effectively, motivating teams to be more effective and improve profitability and performance, being able to create and use excel spreadsheets, delivering great presentations, doing health and safety risk assessments with a smile and more." - Helen Ashton. 

The programme for the afternoon will be

12 noon arrival and coffee

12.30 - 13.30 Lunch

13.30 - 16.30 Exploring the principles of brain friendly learning

RSVP your free place to mel@firstclass-training.co.uk

Top marks once again for customer service!

We are very excited to share the news that we've been awarded the quarterly Gold Standard award from Venue Verdict for Q2. 

This is the 5th year running Farncombe Conference Centre has been given the Gold Accreditation; an award that is based solely on the feedback of customers. 

The prestigious Venue Verdict Gold Standard Accreditation is reserved for those venues scoring an average of 90 or more (out of 100) for overall performance across the whole of the year and is determined by online benchmarking and feedback system which our customers complete after their stay. 

The Venue Verdict programme currently includes over 200 UK conference venues and hotels, providing them with real-time customer feedback. 

This award follows our recent win for Best Customer Service Venue outside London in the Conference Venue and Supplier Awards 2014.