EMCC ATTRACTS RENOWNED CHEF FOR EVENT

International Chef, Restaurant Owner, Book Author and T.V Personality, Anthony Worrall Thompson took to the podium as the guest speaker at a recent event at the East Midlands Conference Centre (EMCC), held by the Learning and Skills Council.

The event, Committed to Work: The Case for Employing Ex-Offenders, was aimed at businesses in the East Midlands and focused particularly on sectors which are known to be experiencing skills shortages including Construction, Hospitality, Logistics, Rail Track Engineering and Utilities.

 Michelle Lobo, Account Manager at Holland Alexander UK organised the event.  "The main focus of the event was how the region can tackle skills shortages in certain sectors.  To encourage delegates to attend we decided that celebrity endorsement would be an attractive incentive.  We chose to work with Anthony Worrall Thompson, as he has worked with ex-offenders in the past and would be able to support the case for working with ex-offenders.  Hospitality is also a sector that is suffering from shortages in the workforce."

When looking for a venue to host the event, location was high on the list of priorities.  Michelle Lobo said: "We were searching for a venue in the East Midlands that would be easily accessible to all of the delegates, regardless of which area they were travelling from.  The East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham was in the perfect location. In the heart of the East Midlands and only one mile from the M1, and only two miles from Nottingham Train Station, it was in a great position for all the businesses that attended.  Initial feedback from the delegates about the location of the EMCC has been excellent."

Over 300 delegates attended the event, so size and the capacity to hold this number of delegates was another factor that was taken in account when Holland Alexander were searching for the right venue.  During the morning session, all of the delegates needed to be seated together. This was arranged in the newly-refurbished Conference Theatre where they were able to take full advantage of the extensive upgraded A/V equipment along with the new comfy seats. In the afternoon, the delegates broke down into groups for workshop sessions and these were easily accommodated in the four conference suites.

Michelle Lobo said: "When we went to the EMCC we were struck by the suitability of the venue.  It had the perfect layout for the event, and it was flexible too."

 Delegates were also very impressed by the standard of the lunch provided by EMCC.  Sheran Beasley is Executive Chef for EMCC.  "With a world class chef visiting the venue, we decided to offer the organiser an alternative way to present the buffet they had already ordered.  We put together mini plates of food that had a selection of our favourite buffet items from the core menu."

Michelle Lobo said: "The delegates loved the mini buffet plates.  We were happy with the original menu that was offered to us but EMCC decided to rework the selection and come up with some innovative ideas.  We were really happy with the suggestion of the mini plates as they were great for what we wanted - quick, easy and no fuss for the delegates."

Michelle concluded: "Overall our experience of using the EMCC for the event was excellent.  The location, layout and catering was fantastic and we would not hesitate in using the venue again, or recommending the venue to others."

Sheran said "Based on the positive feedback to the mini-plates, we will now be offering them to conference organisers for consideration at their next events at the East Midlands Conference Centre."