Thank you for helping us raise over £230 for Breast Cancer Care during October’s Pink Fridays!
Well done to those of you that managed to dress in something pink and thank you for all your donations during the month.
Venue News
The Inbetweeners and Pink Fridays
Most of our clients think of the venue as a Monday to Friday daytime business venue, but we’re also busy with other types of events both during week-days and evenings/week-ends. We’re usually open seven days a week from 8am in the morning to at least 8pm at night and earlier/later if required.
During the Edinburgh Festival we get requests to run all types of events, (not many of which fit in with our business mix 
) In 2008 the Inbetweeners asked us if we could host their fringe show called “The Meeting” as they wanted to run it in a business environment.
The show ran in room 3.5 to full houses houses and 5 star reviews. The Inbetweeners were super, friendly, pleasant and down to earth. You can now see them on the big screen in their film “the inbetweeners movie”. It’s already topped the UK and Ireland box office for four weeks and counting!
Pink Fridays. During the course of the year we support a range of charities and in October we plan to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a series of Pink Fridays http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/fundraising-events/events/pink-fridays.
If you’re in the centre during a Friday in October and want to take part all you need to do is wear something pink and make a donation to the charity, we will then make a matching donation up to a total of £500. Here is a picture of our Director of Fun – Sarah Hedges checking out just a few items from her pink wardrobe to decide what she’ll be wearing on our Pink Fridays during October.
September 2011
Technology, Technology, Technology
There has been a quiet revolution in technology at the venue. And as fast as we’re upgrading our equipment, you’re jumping at the opportunity to use it!
From PC’s that can run virtual environments, to increased bandwidth for your Internet connectivity, to cameras for recording role plays and interviews, making them infinitely more effective training techniques.
Recording your Event
Using video cameras to record role plays and interviews is a technique being used by an increasing number of you. And we can remove all the hassle of set up so you can just get on with the benefits of using it!
We will:
· Supply and set-up all the equipment for you,
· Supply the blank DVDs ready formatted for you to record,
· Brief you on how to use the cameras,
· Be on hand throughout the day if you require any assistance,
· Record your video onto USB sticks if that format works better for you.
Some clients record the role play in a separate room whilst the group watch from the main room using the data projector. Other courses break into small groups, record their role plays and then share them with the whole group back in the main room.
Most clients have the cameras set up on tripods but you can use them hand-held too if that works better for your event.
And at the end of the day you can take away the recordings on DVDs or USB sticks and review them whenever you need to, including any follow-up training.
Securing your Internet Connectivity
Again the demands on the bandwidth continue to grow as events in the Venue are increasingly using the Internet for video streaming, file sharing, virtual meetings and the like.
Not only have we increased our bandwidth over time to cope with the upsurge in usage, we also have three separate connections coming in to the Venue so that if one fails for any reason, we can still deliver the connectivity you need!
PC’s Significantly Upgraded
We have had a new arrival of PC’s in the last three months, all delivering up to 16Gb of memory with a 64 bit operating system.
But these PC’s can now run Virtual Machine too. So if you need to set up complex virtual environments with multi-operating systems, servers and individual users, you can do that.
They really are all singing, all dancing machines!
If we Can, we Will!
Lastly, just a small reminder that our mantra is ‘If we Can we Will’, so if there’s anything we could be doing to make your events more successful please drop me a line or give me a call.
Mike Glaire
Going Green at Our Edinburgh Conference Venue
Here at The Edinburgh Training and Conference Centre, we’ve gone green!
We have always applied a green policy in our Edinburgh conference venue – but now we realise it’s
more important than ever – so we’re shouting about it. As a socially responsible business, we believe
that it’s our duty to spread the news and promote our green policies.
Here are a few things that receive the green stamp of approval in our Edinburgh conference centre:
- Coffee – we can offer you free coffee, but best of all, it’s Fairtrade product.
- Light bulbs – we’ve replaced our light bulbs with high efficiency bulbs which use
up to 56 less energy than ordinary ones. - Heating / cooling – our recently installed air conditioning uses the latest eco friendly gas.
- Waste – we recycle our paper, toner cartridges, plastics, and just about anything else
that can be recycled.
Go green and choose us as your next Edinburgh conference venue!
March 2011
Improving the Venue for you
The feedback from our most recent client survey was that you would like to know more about what’s happening at the venue in Edinburgh . So the plan is for this to become a regular section of the newsletter and if there’s anything specifically you would like covered please let us know.
Food & chairs!
First an update on the items mentioned last time. Once again more new chairs have arrived – you will see them being used widely in the meeting rooms throughout the Edinburgh venue.
And the cakes served mid morning have always gone down well, so we’ve decided to up the anti by introducing home baking for the morning break and this is clearly getting approval as this informal feedback confirms. Similarly, our homemade soup has been a hit at lunchtime so we’ve introduced new flavours, with ‘Sweet potato, carrot and chili’ being a winner by a mile. This gives everybody a healthy eating option.Delighting you!
Meanwhile you will be interested in our commitment to customer service, whether you’re the budget holder, event booker, event leader or delegate. You all have different measures of what makes a good Edinburgh venue. No matter what type of meeting, training or conference event, our mission is to delight every one of you, every time you interact with us.
During the past year we’ve made lots of changes to improve your experience …
Budget holders: Prices have been held for the last two years to help you make your squeezed budgets go further and the Daily Delegate Rate (DDR) is fully inclusive to make sure that there are no unexpected extra costs.
Event bookers: Your invoice has been changed to mirror the booking form, using the same line items and making it a lot easier for you to check that your invoice is correct and exactly matches what you’ve signed for. Remember, it’s covered by our No-quibble Guarantee.
Event leaders: During the last year, more than half of the rooms have had more powerful projectors installed, giving a brighter image and doing full justice to your presentation material. Also the free wifi network has been upgraded in the third floor rooms to provide a stronger signal and improved reliability.
Delegates: The Internet Cafe has been upgraded to five PCs so so there’s less waiting for access, see boost-to-internet-cafe.
That’s all for now. By the time you get our next newsletter we will be further ahead with our program to upgrade rooms, further improving your experience at the venue … so watch this space!
March 2011
Your Examination Station: Edinburgh Conference Venue
When you need to test your employees on their new-found knowledge, you want to ensure
that the money you invested in their training has paid off. Examinations held in hotel
boardrooms or other rooms in your office could hinder the progress of your employees during
testing time as noise and other distractions can prevent them performing at their best.
Here at the Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue, we understand the importance of
accurately testing your employee’s knowledge when you have budgeted for training for the
benefit of your business. That is why we offer a comfortable environment for your employees
to successfully complete training and tests.
With our Edinburgh conference venue, our quiet rooms with,air conditioning and natural
daylight allow your employees to comfortably perform to the standard that is required of
them. We can even provide experienced invigilators to monitor your staff during their test to
ensure accurate test results and on-hand assistance.
To find out more about our facilities at our Edinburgh conference venue, browse our range of
features and complimentary services online today.
February 7 2011
Communication is the Key to a Successful Conference
When you are trying to organise a corporate event, seminar or Edinburgh conference venue;
it can be difficult enough as it is to put everything you need in order. But when your venue
is too busy to handle your requests, breakdowns in communication can start to crumble your
plans for a successful conference.
Here at the Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue, we believe communication is
the key to your event flourishing. That is why we go the extra mile to ensure our lines of
communication and strong and resounding. We make sure you deal consistently with the
same point of contact throughout so that you can rest assured your event needs are fully
understood and met.
From the staff members that meet you on arrival to the on-hand assistance at every corner;
you can feel confident that your corporate conference will go swimmingly when you out-
source all the fiddly bits to us. And if you are still concerned, we will even throw in some
walkie-talkies for on-the-go communication with us and your VIP delegates.
If you want to know more about the services we offer, read about our Edinburgh conference
venue online today.
February 7 2011
A Warm Welcome for All Delegates – Edinburgh Conference Venue
When it comes to choosing an Edinburgh conference venue there are a few things that
you should take into consideration. The venue you select should have all the facilities
you need to run a successful business event, it should have excellent services such as
staff to help with technical equipment and general setup issues, and the venue should
make delegates feel comfortable and welcome.
Here at Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue we are well aware of the
importance of all these things and we make a special effort to make delegates feel
welcome when they arrive on our premises.
We have a comfortable coffee lounge that people are taken to on arrival until the rest
of their party has arrived, or delegates can go to out restaurant for a complimentary
breakfast to give them some energy for the day ahead.
An Edinburgh conference venue should be a warm and welcoming place, and
Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue certainly is.
Survey winner chooses Help for Heroes
Thank you again to all those of you who filled in our survey recently. Everyone who completed the survey was entered into a prize draw to win an iPad or a £500 charity donation.
The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, chose to make a donation to Help for Heroes … and here is the cheque that went off! So congratulations to our winner and we’re sure that Help for Heroes will make very good use of the donation.
Meanwhile we’ve been very busy going through all your responses to the survey and prioritising actions to make your experience even better when you come to the Venue. Watch this space!
To see the image more clearly, click on the image … and then when you have been taken to the next screen shot, click on it again.
November 2010
An Edinburgh Conference Venue that Cares
When you hire an Edinburgh conference centre it is nice to know that it is not only a
professional and efficient organisation, but also a thoughtful one. Here at Edinburgh
Training and Conference Venue we can assure you that we strive to be as green as
possible.
Energy Efficiency
There is a lot of importance placed on energy efficiency today and this Edinburgh
conference venue is certainly trying to do its bit. Our light bulbs are all energy-
efficient models to conserve energy and our air conditioning system is one of the
latest eco-friendly versions so that you can stay cool with a clean conscience.
Fair Trade
We even try to care with our choice of coffee, which is delicious Columbian fair trade
produce. This means that you can enjoy a refreshing cup of coffee in the knowledge
that its producers in developing communities around the world will have been paid
fairly for it and will work in humane conditions.
For a conference centre that cares, come to Edinburgh Training and Conference
Venue.
October 30 2010
Improved Signage
Following several suggestions put forward in our survey last year to improve our signage both inside and outside the building, we’re delighted to announce those improvements are now complete.
You’ll now find much clearer and more modern signs throughout the building, indicating where you are and directing you to the appropriate destination. There is also new, brighter external signage to help you find us more easily.
Let us know what you think of the new signage. And a big thank you once again to those of you who took the time to respond to our survey.
April 01 2010
Handrail Fitted
If you use a wheelchair, you’ll be pleased to know a new handrail has been fitted along the ramp leading into the restaurant. Not exactly exciting we know but nonetheless a useful aid if you prefer to hold a rail.
March 08 2010
Boost to Internet Cafe
By popular demand the Internet Café has now been refurbished and extended. There are now 5 PC’s available for you to use, all of which have new, wall-mounted screens and excellent broadband delivery.
And as if that isn’t enough, there are five extremely comfortable chairs to go with the five speedy, modern PC’s. Perhaps it’s all just too good in fact …
January 10 2010
3-Week Menu here to stay
Our menu used to go through a 2-week cycle of daily changes. We’ve now moved to a 3-week cycle, which means seven more hot meat dishes and seven more hot vegetarian dishes over the three weeks and more desserts too! Highlights include a new Lamb Tagine, and Beef Bourguignon on the meat side and a linguini pesto pasta and mushroom stroganoff on the vegetarian side.
Why? Some of our National Service Scotland (part of the NHS) delegates were in the unfortunate position of facing the same menu every other week when they came in for their course. We couldn’t let that situation continue, and so the three-week menu was born and it’s been so well received that it’s here to stay.
September 30 2009
New Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs!
As part of our continued journey to go as green as possible, our old style light bulbs are in the process of being replaced with modern high-efficiency tri-phosphor tubes, which use between 34% and 56% less energy, without losing any actual light! In addition, the modern tubes have more than double the life span, so the number of tubes being disposed each year has more than halved.
We’re always on the lookout for new energy efficiencies that help to reduce our carbon footprint!
For more information visit Edinburgh Training Centre is going green!
September 15 2009
Is the Writing on the Wall?
Well not in that sense! The ‘Walltalker’ is a new development that turns a whole wall into a whiteboard and projector screen combined. So now you can really put your creative juices to the test and write all over the wall without getting a detention!
You just use dry wipe pens as you would for a traditional whiteboard and now you can develop a presentation or brainstorming session right across the wall without having to switch flip chart paper or rub out a whiteboard for more space.
Give it a try!
June 01 2009
