 In the first of a new series of features looking behind the scenes at a range of key organisations in the conference and meeting industry, myvenues spends a day at Woodside, Sundial Group’s dedicated conference centre in Warwickshire, in the company of general manager Paul Williams.
Woodside is an Edwardian country house set in attractive grounds near Kenilworth, where Sundial Group has been offering comprehensive conference services and delegate accommodation for 10 years. The immediate impression on first entering the front door is one of calm organisation and efficiency – along with the distinct feeling that you’re in highly experienced and capable hands. This is perhaps due to the fact that the majority of the staff have been at Woodside for years, and are not only very familiar with their day-to-day responsibilities but also well practised at dealing with queries and requests of every nature.
 As Paul Williams explains, this professionalism is the public face of a huge operation and a constant need for the staff to exercise their logistical skills. With 10 separate conference and meeting rooms in the property, there is much organisation to do, especially when – as is often the case – the venue is fully booked.
Perhaps surprisingly, there is a total of 56 staff at Woodside – including seven in the kitchen, a platoon of housekeepers, the conference services team, conference managers, four sales staff, four receptionists, maintenance personnel, and two groundsmen to look after the 32 acres of land around the house. Every member of this small army of employees – thanks to the constant, low-turnaround nature of Woodside’s staffing levels – seems to be fully aware of what they’re supposed to be doing, and cheerfully getting on with the job in hand.
 The day at Woodside begins very early, as the kitchen staff prepare breakfasts for as many as 75 residential guests. Very often, conference organisers, tutors and speakers will also arrive reasonably early, usually at 7.30 or 8am, to check that everything is organised and set for a successful meeting. Paul or a member of the team will greet the organisers on arrival and run through the details of the day ahead, and check that any equipment required for the meeting is present and working as it should be.
This is usually some time before the delegates arrive – but when they do it’s action stations in the reception area, as each delegate is greeted personally by a member of the conference services team, and asked to sign in. When there are a number of separate events happening at the same time, as is very often the case, individual groups are easily identified by the colour of their ID lanyard – a system that has avoided much confusion in the past.
 This is a highly important stage of the day, because as Paul Williams knows well, first impressions are crucial. ‘It’s not just checking people in,’ he explains, ‘it’s also about being friendly and warm. We get a lot of repeat business here at Woodside, and as a result we often get to know everyone from an organisation – from a chief executive to an office junior. By being friendly and accommodating, building a rapport and getting to know what people want, we can make sure that people come back.
‘So I like to get to know the regulars and talk to them – find out what they really want to get out of the day, and what they expect. Sometimes I’ll get the head chef to come out and talk to them, find out what they’d like to see on the menu. All of these details make it a highly personal service.’
On the day myvenues visited Woodside, there were several different clients occupying most of the 10 conference spaces. Most of the clients were regular buyers, and the list Paul reeled off included some high-profile names. The largest group came from a national power company, whose 20 delegates were undergoing a training session. Most of the other groups were about 10 people – one of which was comprised of Sundial Group staff, who were partaking in an internal professional development programme.
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