Growing conference team manages success
A busy year has seen our conference team double in size.
As the conference centre continues to go from strength to strength, we’ve grown our team, engaging new staff, to maintain the same seamless service event organisers and visitors expect.
The addition of the Oak Suite in the Autumn increasing our conference room offering to 5 suites offers one reason 2016 was our busiest year to date.
We’ve not only increased our number of rooms: an ever-increasing number of enquiries and events means we need more staff to manage busy bookings and a thriving venue.
Suzi Dellar joined us just over a year ago after we recruited her from SAPC’s mailing department. Suzi started as cover on very busy days with large groups, or when every room was booked and our attentive conference manager Stef Bell attempted to be in two places at once.
It’s always been a priorty for us to be available for organisers during set up: to arrange equipment, answer questions, and generally just make sure everything is stress-free. We know how much work goes in to planning an event and we want to take care of all the operational bits so organisers and speakers can focus on their visitors.
As bookings increased, Stef was hosting longer days comprising an increasing number of breakfast and evening events.
If you have more than one event in the same room on one day, you’ve got to turn that room around pretty quickly. Sometimes a specific layout requires extra tables and chairs from other floors. When there’s a short amount of time to get a room ready for the next event, you need sufficient staff on hand to get it all done in time.
Kelly Tait joined us in January as a brand new addition to the team and a much needed extra pair of hands. Kelly was looking for flexible hours that suited her family life which is ideal for the type of cover we need for longer days.
Suzi and Kelly ensure events run smoothly at the conference centre and their day to day duties include setting up and clearing down rooms, coordinating refreshments and catering, connecting technology, and interacting with delegates and answering their queries. Not to mention all the behind the scene tasks such as cleaning, stocktaking, shopping lists, and recording required repairs and decorating.
Stef says the conference centre couldn’t function without them.
As valuable members of the team, Suzi and Kelly are one of the reasons the conference centre runs so smoothly. I can’t remember a time without them now. They are my eyes and ears when I am away from the conference rooms answering incoming enquiries, managing bookings, and planning the future of the conference centre.
With bookings booming, it looks like 2017 is shaping up to be another incredible year for us as we’re welcoming more new visitors than ever before.
If you’re thinking of organising an event, contact conference manager Stef Bell to arrange a tour of our spectacular venue (you need to see it to believe it).
We asked Stef to reveal her ideal events assistant:
- Reliable
- Friendly and welcoming with ability to build a rapport with regular clients
- Presentable
- Strong initiative to anticipate what’s needed
- Ability to get on with the job and multitask, working alone on a busy day juggling several events or working as part of a team running large events
- Flexible
- Problem solver for those last minute hiccups
We Are Open for Meetings, Training and Events
St Austell Conference Centre is now fully open with COVID-secure procedures in place. Do get in touch to book your event.