48
The Liddington
Venue review
The Liddington conference and business hotel at Foxhill
Forming good
regrettably we didn’t need. The venue is
expansive, and my only criticism is that
such grand surroundings might not get
used to their full potential.
impressions
Lunch involved a great choice of a hot or
cold buffet, or waitress service meal, in a
friendly restaurant that has an air of an
For a formal gathering of delegates, it’s good to go
executive dining about it. If the weather
had been better, we could have taken
formal with the conference centre too. Sue Pycroft
advantage of the quadrangles, which are
rich with plants and water features, but the
gives a review of her perfect venue following her
British climate dictated that we took breaks
in the spacious bar and kept up with the
presentation at a media training session latest drama in global economics via Sky
News instead.
T
his was going to be my first time at from junction 15 of the M4, so everyone
the front of a lecture theatre, and I found it easily, and the attractive parkland The delegates went away happy and with
must admit I felt a little apprehensive. setting was a welcome alternative to most a better idea of how to deal with ‘Paxman
I deliver media training to professionals delegates’ urban offices. wannabes’ and as for me, I left thinking I’d
who will be spokespeople for their certainly use The Liddington again.
companies when journalists want a great I arrived about 45 minutes early to set up,
sound-bite, however I usually take small as per usual for a lecture, but really didn’t The Liddington is set in 150 acres of its
groups in an informal setting. need to – the centre’s dedicated IT manager, own private parkland. Its amenities include:
Richard, already had the white boards out
When I was asked to deliver a series of and the data projector was up and running. • 45 meeting, conference and training
training sessions to a larger cohort with What’s more, the theatre was fully kitted out rooms for up to 320 delegates
a wide range of experiences, it seemed a with stationery and refreshments. • Two lecture theatres
good time to get a bit more formal. This is • 198 en-suite bedrooms
why I opted for one of the lecture theatres In fact all of the venue staff were extremely • A fully equipped gymnasium
at The Liddington conference and business efficient and still warmly welcoming. • Outdoor facilities such as an astro pitch,
hotel at Foxhill, near Swindon. The lecture theatre proved to be an tennis courts, full sized football pitches,
excellent choice. The Herman Miller chairs a sports pavilion and a lake
It was originally built by Zurich Insurance are supposed to remain comfortable • Private free parking for 320 vehicles.
as a central training centre for its staff, but for eight hours, and true enough there
was bought by the Petersham Hotel Group wasn’t a fidget from anyone throughout
Sue Pycroft is Head of Media at Vox PR.
earlier this year. The new owners bring my session. The art lighting and acoustics
For more information about The Liddington
plenty of experience as they also own two as well as the high-quality screen lent the visit
www.liddingtonhotel.co.uk or call
nineteenth-century hotels in Surrey and sessions a certain formality too, which
+44 (0)1793 791 000. For more venue ideas,
Hampshire, which specialise in conferences suited the training material well. I was
visit the CCE Pavilion at the World of
Learning 2008.
and events. It’s only a few minutes’ drive offered break-out rooms nearby, which
learningmagazine.co.uk
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