Lawyer Monthly Magazine - January 2019 Edition

DEC 2018 133 www. lawyer-monthly .com Legal LIFESTYLE Tailoring your business event to your own preference has never been easier; ask Coca-Cola, who held their event at Wyboston, and responded with: “I [sic] really appreciated the feeling of control that we achieved by using a compact, focused venue with all key areas close to hand and its own external areas…All activities linked extremely well, and the fact that there were no other users at the centre helped our staff to respond and to relax: it was also good to feel that we didn’t have to restrain any activities for fear of disrupting other events!” The Resort has several advantages, the main one being that rooms to rest your head at night are not too far from the main conference suites and rooms, i.e., if you have had a late night and wake up slightly late, you can easily stroll into your meeting on time. With two main centres, and a third one on the way, the Resort can welcome up to 600 people in just one of their conference suites (The Woodlands Event Centre) and home over 300 guests for the night, including desk space for those dedicated employees. It goes without saying that Wyboston offers all the amenities needed for a stay, and of course, their beds will allow you to rest well. Let’s start with The Woodlands Event Centre, which forms part of Wyboston Lakes Training & Events portfolio and is currently the premium event venue. With a total of 16 flexible event spaces, the Resort can truly cater to your needs. Section off rooms to make them smaller, or open them up to make them bigger, you can ensure no team member is left out. The conference space and each of the 65 meeting rooms are well equipped; call me a simpleton, but magnetic walls are a genius way to showcase and pin up your work. But if you are better versed than me, you will be happy to know the rooms include a high definition short throw projector, wireless presentation technology direct from your Apple device, a Blu-ray player, whiteboards and strong internet access. With Wyboston Lakes catering for businesses for over 30 years, they know what a conference suite needs. Previously voted Best Venue for use of Technology by the HBAA, presenting has never been simpler; from sound insulation to an easy to navigate tech hub, you can present videos and snazzy PowerPoints with no issue at all. You can pick natural lighting or theatre stage effects depending on your preference, or can simply call administrative support to help you. The restaurant can seat up to 280 guests or be adapted to create a smaller space for private dining events, depending on your requirements. Both lunch and dinner are served with the menu changing daily and cooked using fresh, locally sourced produce. With three break rooms, there is ample space for relaxing and socialising and for the environment conscious like myself, all coffee is supplied by Paddy and Scott’s, who invest in farm infrastructure and work with local schools to ensure sustainable change for the coffee growing community in Kenya. “Core to our business has always been a strong focus on environmental responsibility and supporting our local community. The Woodlands Event Centre name was chosen to reflect the site, which is set in over 380 acres of rural parkland. Over the last few years we have planted over 4000 trees and are still planting”, share Managing Director, Steve Jones. “We use local suppliers where possible, we selected Paddy & Scott’s as our coffee vendors as they have an incredibly ethical approach with profits going towards schools in Africa where they farm. We have also funded crop development on their coffee plantation.” “We are now phasing out single use plastic and our coffee cups all 100% biodegradable. Plastic straws are also being replaced with paper and we are working towards the Green Tourism Better Business scheme award, which includes installing solar panels on part of the site for greener energy.” The little things here make all the difference; you want to ensure the event runs as smooth as possible, without any unnecessary mishaps. From the pads of paper and pens waiting on the tables for your arrival, to the ample car parking space, Wyboston Lakes makes sure that no stone is left unturned. Prefer the Outdoors? If you prefer not to go from four walls, to a different set of four walls, there is always the option to have outdoor team building activities. Located at the Lakes, there are a range of activities on offer here and they are far from the typical ‘trust exercises’ as other resorts. Fly a Jetlev Jetpack to feel high up in the clouds, or have a quick lesson in water skiing, whatever gets the excitement rushing. Turn your team into adrenaline junkies at the Lakes, where they can bond when trying to conquer the aqua park or their aim at archery; learning a new skill is only an uplifting achievement in itself, but will create a closer bond between employees, when they use their communicational and organisational skills to defeat a different type of challenge! Ride Leisure cater for groups of all sizes and plan every detail of the day, giving you peace of mind that not only will the event be fantastic but it will also achieve your business objectives. If that isn’t enough to convince you, their BBQs (which use locally sourced meat) are apparently ‘legendary’. - AS A PLACE FOR BUSINESS -