26 July 2017

Conference facilities: what to expect as a delegate

When choosing a conference venue in the Midlands, the facilities available to delegates and speakers really can be the difference between a well-executed, well-organised event that is enjoyed by everyone, or an underperforming conference that doesn’t quite measure up to expectation.

Conference facility necessities

Firstly, it’s important that your organiser has taken all possible measures to ensure that you have been catered for as a valued delegate. How an organisation values and nurtures your training and interests is important and having a learning environment that is much more than four walls and a roof is extremely important for personal growth. A great conference facility will have the following amenities as standard:

• Delicious catering services – By nature, conferences have a large number of attendees and it is not uncommon to find the quality of food to be below the expected standard. This can be for a number of reasons such as a tight budget or a lack of suitable facilities which could hinder the venues ability to be able to prepare fresh food on site.
• Superfast Wi-Fi – Even though you’ll have your out-of-office on, it’s always helpful to have access to your emails throughout the day. Not only is it important that you can stay connected with your work, but with your personal devices too. Many venues offer excellent internet connectivity, that is, until 300+ delegates arrive (all with 3 devices each). Then, all of a sudden, your internet connection isn’t so great. A great venue will allow you to simply call in and connect and have the ability to support many devices with no excuses.
• Free car parking – You’ve finally made it off the motorway after enduring traffic for hours. Nevertheless, you’ve made it to the venue and you’ve just about managed to get there on time. You get to the car park and are confronted with steep parking charges. You have just enough change for an hour but your conference is running throughout the day and your first workshop is…now. Trust us, it’s happened to the best of us. That’s why free, easy-access car parking is a necessity.

An even better, high quality conference facility will have…

• On-site residential comforts – It is common that conferences take place over the course of a few days. After a full day of speaking to many people who share the same interests as you, it’s important to have a place to unwind and get away from the hustle and bustle of the day. Yarnfield Park have the facilities to sleep over 400 guests and, more than that, we pride ourselves on creating a comfortable environment while you’re away from home.
• Superb accessibility – Here at Yarnfield, we love the fact that no two people are the same and welcome the opportunity to invite anyone and everyone to our venue. After all, that’s the great thing about conferences – they bring different people together from all corners of the world. We have adequate facilities to cater for hearing impairments, wheel chair access and unisex toilets and are happy to provide assistance throughout your stay.
• Excellent quality Costa Coffee – Bringing people together over a strong cup of coffee is what we do best. With on-site Costa Coffee facilities, we offer high quality hot drinks that will be sure to keep you going through your conference. We even offer a 10% Costa Coffee discount! And when it’s time for a break we have coffee and tea stations for that much needed cuppa!