43
Under the Microscope
Venue review
facilities. The walls of the main hall are
adorned with portraits of leading medics
from previous centuries, lending an air
of formality which may not be right for
every event, but certainly add to the sense
of occasion! I was directed firstly to the
Council Chamber. This was far too big for
the requirements of my ‘event scenario’,
but I was impressed by the sophisticated
illumination – natural daylight flooding in
from hidden skylights! Slightly taken aback
by the £750 charge for the hire of the
room (including VAT but excluding extras
such as food and equipment), I discovered
that a smaller room for 30-40 people
would be available for the slightly more
affordable sum of £500.
A glance at the customer satisfaction data
shows that RCP excels in a number of areas
• Flexibility & responsiveness (91 per cent)
• Friendliness & helpfulness (91 per cent)
• Food and beverages (84 per cent)
• Technical facilities and support
(83 per cent)
• Business services (81 per cent)
The ‘x’ factor
• Maintenance & upkeep (79 per cent)
The venue’s only weakness appears to be
Some venues just naturally have that extra sparkle
disabled accessibility, for which its ratings
are quite significantly weaker than the
that helps them reach the top in customer satisfaction
national average (although still better than
some other venues in the capital).
surveys. Matt Costin at the BDRC takes a ‘mystery
shopping’ tour at the Royal College of Physicians
In conclusion, the Royal College of
Physicians is not a cheap option for your
and finds out how it accommodates those looking for event, and it is worth checking to make
something special
sure that the needs of any less able-
bodied delegates can be catered for.
However, it offers impressive facilities
that are delivering unparalleled levels of
A
ny business that can boast that
called in on the venue (with no prior
98 per cent of its customers are
appointment). The staff member
satisfaction and recommendations from
extremely satisfied must be doing
at front desk was immediately able
event hosts. If you attach high value to
something right. Since the beginning
to tell me that, unfortunately, my
flexibility and responsiveness for your
of 2008, this is precisely what the Royal
preference for a date in August could
needs and to staff service in general, this
College of Physicians (RCP) has achieved
not be accommodated due to the
is a venue that is worth considering for
with its meetings and events business, as
entire operation being closed for your next event in London.
measured by BDRC Venue Verdict – the
refurbishment for the month. Clearly
customer feedback and performance
this annual closure is something of an
benchmarking service. The most commonly
inconvenience for a regular organiser
BDRC Venue Verdict is a real-time event-
cited reasons for selecting RCP for an event
of events, but I was impressed that the
host feedback and benchmarking service
are its location, the size and layout of the
staff member was alert to the situation providing all the information you need to
facilities on offer, its image and reputation,
and persuaded me to consider an
improve customer experience and drive
and the level of staff service expected.
alternative date in September.
business retention.
For an informal discussion about any
Keen to see for myself what the RCP had
I only had to wait five minutes for the
aspect of BDRC’s work in the meetings
to offer and also to test how well they
Business Development Manager to market, call Matt Costin on 020 7400 1004.
responded to an ‘in person’ enquiry, I
meet me and give me a tour of the
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