Neil Chappell is the social media and website officer at the Congregational Federation. As part of his role, he oversees the marketing activity and engagement at Cleaves Conference Centre, one of our exceptional event venues here in Nottingham.
How long have you been in the role and what does your typical day look like?
“I’ve worked for the Congregational Federation – which manages and runs the Cleaves Conference Centre and Cleaves Hall Student Accommodation – for 10 years now. I’m the Social Media and Website Officer, and I collaborate with all aspects of our business.
I manage, maintain and update our 5 different websites, I keep an eye on our socials, I run different campaigns to raise awareness of our work and provide training opportunities for our team.
Days are spent in meetings, writing content and editing content from others, working on eye catching designs and campaigns, and drinking vast quantities of coffee. One of the real bonuses of this job is that no two days are ever the same. One day I can be planning a months’ worth of socials and the next meeting with people to train them to create their own socials or build their own websites”.
What’s the maximum capacity for an event or conference at Cleaves Conference Centre?
“Whilst the Cleaves Conference Centre might be a small venue, one of its strengths lies in the fact that it is a very flexible space. It can easily accommodate 45 people in seated theatre style, 28 seated in rows with tables, 20 boardroom style or 24 seated cabaret style – or a variety of other layouts.
The Cleaves Conference Centre boasts fast broadband Wi-Fi, computer projection facilities, hybrid meeting integration and sound system, and is capable of coping with all manner of business meetings, presentations and conventions. There are two break out rooms, and the possibility of creating another via partitioning in the main room.
There is a small kitchen and plenty of facilities for making and serving drinks. The Centre has a connection with a number of local catering firms to provide simple lunches or even full 3-course meals.
In recent months the Conference Centre has been used for many different business purposes, for celebration and presentation events and for annual general meetings in a theatre style format. We can work with clients to style the room to meet whatever requirements they may have”.
What are the sustainability and environmental benefits of holding a conference or event at Cleaves Conference Centre?
“We are constantly reviewing and revising our practises and policies to make sure that Cleaves Conference Centre meets the highest of standards. We are working hard, like many others, on our waste reduction – amongst other things trying to encourage our clients to use digital materials for their events. This also includes offering sustainable catering which offers local and seasonal food and plant-based options.
We are taking steps on our energy efficiency throughout the whole of our facility, and not just in terms of economic savings. We are well into our implementation of energy-efficient lighting, heating and cooling, and working with our energy providers to opt for plans powered by renewable energy. We also have proposals to install solar panels in the near future.
We are working on ways to reduce our carbon footprint, including offering clients the opportunity to make their event hybrid so guests and delegates don’t have to journey into Nottingham to join in. We also encourage visitors to use public transport to get to our venue – which we hope would also benefit the wider Nottingham economy”.
What does the rest of 2024 look like for Cleaves Conference Centre, and do you have any event predictions?
“We have a steady stream of clients who use our facilities on a regular basis – and they give the most glowing reviews for our facilities! But we would like to increase our client pool, giving the opportunity for people to visit us and see for themselves what we offer.
An exciting new venture this spring and summer was for us to partner with a local College to hold examinations in our business space. It worked really well, and it just shows how versatile and adaptable Cleaves Conference Centre is”.
Is there anything else you’d like people to know about the venue or the team who work there?
“In April of this year, one of our longest serving employees retired. He worked in the Housekeeping Department and at his retirement presentation there was a full table made up of clients of the Cleaves Conference Centre who have appreciated his hard work down through the years.
We pride ourselves in making good relationships with our clients, providing exactly what they need. This is teamwork, and we are fully committed to ensuring that the high standards we have set are maintained”.
If you would like to find out more about the spaces available at Cleaves Conference Centre and enquire about booking the venue for your next conference or event, get in touch with our team of event experts today by emailing us at conferences@visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk or calling 0115 962 8320.
Posted on 06 August 2024
