News & blog

Icebreakers - The Scariest Moment of Your Life

Trust is important.  Some give it freely but for others it must be earnt - and who we choose to place it in and why can be revealing about a person.
But while the level of trust you have in a colleague would not typically be comparable to that of a close friend or family member it is still a vital part of being an effective team that will work together and not in spite of each other.

5 Ways To Engage Your Audience From The Conference Stage

In a world filled with distractions, engaging your audience during presentations and talks is becoming more and more difficult. You only have a few minutes to get your audience on your side before they start thinking about checking their Facebook feed..

How To Avoid Death By PowerPoint

PowerPoint is great. There. We’ve said it. Despite numerous free and freemium versions of presentation software being released into the market, Microsoft’s offering still continues to dominate the market.
The main reason for this is largely familiarity but it is likely to do with the robustness of the program too. Because of its market share, it is largely supported by Google and bloggers where you can find a solution to any issue you’re having nice and quickly. 

The 'Feng Shui' of Conference Rooms

The ancient art of feng shui is said to bring balance to a room and to aid the flow of ‘chi’, or ‘life force’ around it. Simply by knowing where to position furniture and other objects in the room, you can enhance your positive energy and thus improve productivity and spark inspiration. Whether or not you believe in the notion of feng shui, there is a lot to be said for planning the layout of your room, both in your own office and at a conference venue. Making the most of the space you have available to you can help streamline the day’s logistics and help your delegates feel comfortable and ready to work.

Presentations - Understanding Your Outcomes

Think back to presentations you have seen. There will no doubt be some which stick in your mind as being truly fantastic, while others simply diminish from your memory, never to be thought of again.
Having clearly defined outcomes can make the process of delivering an unforgettable presentation much easier and inform not only the content, but the way this content is presented.

Icebreakers - Living Histories

Think back to the last team building event you attended. You were likely there with colleagues that you work day in and day out with, colleagues you speak to and email on a daily, if not hourly basis, colleagues you know… or do you?

There is a common misconception that the person we interact with on a daily basis is the whole person. On average we spend around 50% of our waking day at work (allowing for 8 hours of precious sleep) so does the half really equal the whole?

The way to your delegates' hearts is through the buffet

No matter how insightful your keynote speaker is known to be, or how informative your training notes are, the most memorable aspect of a conference for the majority of delegates is the catering. Provide mediocre coffee or a bad lunch and you might as well pack up early and leave. Here’s how to cater for all tastes.

Team Building Should Be More Than Raft Building

When you think of cooperate team building your mind may wander to the clichéd notion of Jan in accounts and Dave in HR trying their best to attach two plastic barrels together using nothing more than twine rope and a plank of wood. Their looks of steely determination, hiding their knowledge that they are about to spend 5 minutes in a cold lake after their craft – “Rafty McRaftface” – collapses… a meter and a half off the shore.

What a trainer needs from a conference facility?

As a trainer, choosing a venue to host your next training event, especially over several days, can be a tough decision. Cost, location, catering, space and the technical facilities available at the venue all play a part in making the right choice.

The future looks bright

Some bittersweet news today from Lane End Conference Centre as we say good bye to Anisha Kishore but welcome Sharon Booker in her place.

Lane End provides perfect platform to promote and encourage employee engagement

According to Gallup.com, a company that provides data-driven news based on U.S. and world polls, only 13%  of employees worldwide are engaged at work. In other words, about one in eight workers – that’s roughly 180 million employees in the countries that completed the study - are committed to their jobs, and likely to be making positive contributions to their organisations. In hi-level summary, the data from the survey which was carried out in 2011-2012, revealed that 24% of employees were actively disengaged, 63% of employees were not engaged at all, leaving just 13% of staff engaged. 

Lane End Conference Centre research reveals few event organisers enquire about private hire venues 

Latest research carried out by Lane End Conference Centre, a facility that is available for private hire in Buckinghamshire, has revealed that only 15.57% of event bookers ask if a venue is available for exclusive use when making an enquiry. The research, which was carried out using a sample of 122 event professionals, revealed that 7.38% of bookers said that they assumed that it was not at all possible, with 48.36% confirming that they ask occasionally, depending on the type of event and their requirements.