Countryside estates are becoming an ever more popular destination for conferences and meetings. Taking people away from the everyday hustle and bustle can stop distractions and allow them to focus 100% on the task in hand. Open spaces allow for better team building activities or simply for delegates to have a walk after sessions to refresh themselves. Fresh air and wonderful views can certainly add to the ambiance of any meeting, getting everyone in the right mindset from the off.
With this in mind a recent venue like this that i visited was Carden Park. Not many venues can boast the facilities this venue can, which makes it a perfect conference venue.
Have a look around
Situated in leafy Cheshire, Carden Park lies within 1000 acres of an estate which boasts 2 championship golf courses and an awarding winning SPA.
The hotel has 198 bedrooms on offer which makes this a great venue for conferences or events as it can accommodate larger meetings.
So often i have the problem of having to split delegates across a number of hotels which i s never ideal. I really liked the Court yard suites, it was lovely to be able to sit out on my balcony and relax for a while between the day and evening events. The bedrooms were spacious and contained all the mod cons you would expect from a good four star venue.
The largest event space at the hotel is the Carden Suite which can hold up to 400 theatre style and 360 banquet.
The room is served by 2 coffee stations directly outside the room and a main bar that can be opened for an evening function.
The only downside to this space is there is no natural light in the room. This can make it hot and stuffy if there is a lot of lights and people, but if you have enough breaks for delegates to go outside then this shouldn’t be an issue.
The next largest event space is the Shooting Suite. Situated a short walk form the Carden suite this room can hold up to 150 theatre style or 120 banqueting style. This is a great space and with the exposed wooden beams gives it more of an authentic rustic countryside feel, it also has natural daylight. The room could be use for a stand alone event or a break out space at a larger meeting or event.
In addition, the Stable suites houses 8 additional meeting rooms of various size over 2 floors, accommodating smaller meetings or breakout spaces.
If that isn’t enough space for your meeting or dinner then you can take it outside. The font lawn is a perfect backdrop for a BBQ on a nice evening.
I recently attended an event where the weather was good enough to have one of these. I was very impressed, the food was hot, and a mobile bar had been set up so guests didn’t have to walk inside to the main hotel to get a drink. This was followed by a disco back in the Carden suite.
This also allowed plenty of time for the staff to turn the room around from the day session to the evening party.
If team building is of interest then the venue may have exactly what you are looking for. The Event Station are based on site and are team building specialists.
Over all this venue has a lot to offer my main issue was the lunch area wasn’t big enough and lead to long queues for lunch.
It is in a rural location which can put some companies off but i think it worth a 4.5 faulty rating.
Happy Planning
