Those of us who judge the success of a meeting by the quality of food on offer will greet the news that day delegate rates are dropping as a result of the ‘credit crunch’ with a degree of anxiety. It may be good news for the procurement departments but surely lower rates must result in lower standards, particularly to the amount of food on offer? Is the two-course lunch being replaced by ‘lite-bites’? Not at the Wyboston Lakes Conference Centre.
They have just launched The Willows – a ‘premium-price’ conference centre with a day delegate rate at £21.00 and a residential rate at £81.00 plus VAT in both cases. The Willows was a dedicated training centre for the police force and the anti-terror squad with a security system to match. They have just moved out. Wyboston have now decided to promote the freed-up space in The Willows to the corporate market with ‘eye-catchingly’ low rates. It is a marketing ploy with the Willows at the budget-end of the market complimenting their up-scale Robinson Executive Centre and the mid-market Willows Conference Centre. They are all on the same site just off the A1 on the Cambridge/Bedfordshire border.
I went to view the facilities recently and they are very good – once you get past the security system that was still in place at the time. There is a range of fully equipped meeting rooms; good standard bedrooms, all en-suite, with just a few single-bedded ones; complimentary wi-fi throughout and pretty good leisure facilities on the campus including the golf course. It represents very good value for money – and you can get an excellent sea-bass risotto in the restaurant for lunch dispelling any notion of ‘lite-bites’.
