Government Business

Bedfordshire is probably one of the most well equipped, excellently located and well serviced districts in which to hold business conferences, sales presentations, team building exercises; in fact a multitude of corporate and personal functions. With so many venues ranging from traditional hotel and conference centres through to country estates situated in scenic grounds or wildlife parks, Bedfordshire has it all. With excellent transport links and an inter-regional location, the county’s venues have the quality and appeal to fulfil all tastes and organisers’ requirements.
    
Bedfordshire’s location is key to organising corporate events as it is only 30 miles north of London, within easy access of the Midlands, and only a 35 minute train journey from London and less than an hour away from Leicester.
    
Wyboston Lakes (The Waterfront Centre) was conceived, designed and built specifically for all types of meetings and conferences. It has 54 air-conditioned meeting rooms for 2-130 delegates, plus 103 en-suite bedrooms. It also has an 18 hole golf course, a health/fitness suite, indoor swimming pool, sauna and spa bath.
    
The Inn at Woburn, part of the Woburn Abbey Estate, is set in the picturesque village of Woburn. Originally a 17th century coaching Inn, it has been tastefully modernised but still retains its old world charm. Three elegant, well-appointed function suites are able to cater for banquets of up to 80 guests and theatre style conferences for up to 60 delegates.
    
Moggerhanger Park is an outstanding Georgian Grade I listed country house. It has recently been restored in keeping with the original design and is set in 33 acres of parkland. Facilities include three executive conference suites, each with stunning views of the surrounding countryside.

Hertfordshire
Venues offering history and culture a plenty and will ensure your conference or meeting is remembered by your delegates. Hertfordshire also offers a wide range of venues specialising in corporate team building, golf days or even spa days.
    
Set in 25 acres of parkland, Bush Hall combines the use of both formal and lawned areas for corporate activities. All conference and meeting rooms are located along the River Lea with bridges leading across to the lake gardens. Many guests enjoy taking a stroll around the gardens during conference breaks or, weather permitting, partaking in lunch on the riverside patio.
    
An unusual place to hold your event would be Paradise Wildlife Park, located in Broxbourne off junction 25 of the M25, Paradise Wildlife Park is a fantastic, fun filled, destination for all the family. With an amazing selection of animals, including tigers, lions, monkeys, zebras, camels and wolves and what makes it really unique is the fact that you can get up close and personal, meeting and feeding many of the animals.  

Kent
The county of Kent, known as the ‘Garden of England’, has breathtaking countryside dotted with orchards, vineyards, hop gardens, castles and more famously the White Cliffs of Dover. Within Kent there is a fantastic selection of backdrops against wich to choreograph events. Combine this with a great range of venues for meetings, conferences or training purposes, and there is something to suit every event.
    
From hotels to castles, modern meeting facilities are combined with the charm of country houses, while the county’s larger hotels offer a stylish alternative. The county boasts several flagship chain hotels such as the Hilton, Holiday Inn, QHotels and Marriott, and there have been recent additions in the boutique hotel sector.
    
Getting to Kent
Getting to Kent, the southeast corner of England, is easy using the M20 or M2 motorways, both connected to the M25 and the national network. London is just half an hour away and France is a short hop across the Channel, not to forget the new Ebbsfleet International Station that can get you to London in 17 minutes.
    
The centre of Kent is little more than 1 hour from the centre of Lille and 1 hour 40 minutes from Brussels using Eurostar making access from Europe incredibly quick and easy, from here Kent offers excellent motorway networks to any part of the UK. Kent also has the busiest passenger ferry port in Northern Europe travelling to and from several countries.
    
Venues
You don’t have to go on a cruise to take advantage of the fantastic facilities in Dover. The cruise terminals are now available to hire and are the ideal venue for any corporate occasion.
    
Cruise Terminal 1- A converted Victorian railway station that was renovated and converted into a cruise terminal in 1996. The departure lounge area provides superb views of the old station architecture and information boards take visitors through the history of the terminal.
    
Cruise Terminal 2- Purpose built as a cruise terminal in 2000 and has a sleek, modern layout. This is the larger of the two buildings and enjoys unrivalled views of the harbour, white cliffs and castle from the first floor departure lounge.
    
The Angel Centre is the perfect venue for a wide range of business functions including meeting, conferences and seminars. Purpose-built, its spacious interior is designed to offer flexible accommodation to suit a variety of different requirements. With six meeting rooms, a function room and a theatre hall to choose from, the centre can accommodate between 2 and 300 delegates.  
    
The Orangery at Turkey Mill is an exclusive use venue, ideal for raising the bar on your corporate events. Day meetings, product launches, evening receptions, awards ceremonies and Christmas parties are just some of the functions that can be accommodated to the highest standard. The Whatman Room is also available for smaller meetings, seminars or presentations to name but a few.

Surrey
With its convenient proximity to London and its ideal situation in the heart of Britain’s most economically vibrant region, Surrey is a great location for meetings and conferences. The road and rail transport links make it ideal to reach from London, locations across the South of England and the Midlands, and both Heathrow and Gatwick airports, which are located on either side of the county.
    
However you choose to spend your time in Surrey, the rich heritage won’t fail to inspire you and delegates to your event. Carpeted with beautiful countryside, Surrey is awash with enticing conference venues.
    
In Guildford there are academic establishments with the latest information technology and hotels in town centre and rural locations with purpose built conference centres. Stately homes, sports, leisure and entertainment complexes provide more unusual settings.
    
You can choose between the Mandolay hotel, which has recently undergone a refurbishment and now offers eight function rooms, with the largest able to accommodate 400 theatre style; the stately home Loseley Park, which offers corporate activity days, including clay shooting and a four wheel drive course; the University of Surrey, which during vacation time can offer up to 1,000 rooms; and Denbies Wine Estate, home to the largest vineyard in England, which can include wine tours in their corporate packages.
    
Personality
The Manor House is situated just south of Guildford in the picturesque market town of Godalming. Each of the ten meeting and training rooms has its own personality, so whether you are running a senior level workshop or training a larger team, you will be sure to find something suitable.
    
Set in 163 acres of grounds, Addington Palace is an exclusive venue with nine individually designed rooms, the focal point being the magnificent Great Hall with its exquisite French chandelier, hand carved architrave and silk wall coverings. Also available is the permanent Royal Marquee, lined with cream fabric, the flexible space can seat up to 750 guests.
    
Barnett Hill is a beautiful Queen Anne-style mansion set in 26 acres of stunning landscaped gardens and woodlands just outside Guildford. It offers an intimate and elegant country house environment with great versatility for a variety of corporate and association events, as well as private celebrations.
    
Dorking Halls offers a range of conferencing services, from a small informal meeting for the solo entrepreneur to a state of the art conference. Built in the 1930s, Dorking Halls has since been refurbished to accommodate all the technology and services needed by today’s business professional. There is a range of function rooms available for use, and all catering is in-house.