meetingsclub

Woburn House – London

FEBRUARY 2019

Woburn House - Entrance Sign

Location

Great location in the centre of London and just a 5minute walk from London Euston and Kings Cross Stations.  Tube to Russell Square or Euston Square.

What's on offer

Great value meeting and event space in the shape of 8 rooms for between 10 and 200 delegates.  Perfect for small meetings and training courses through to conferences, award ceremonies and exhibitions.  The foyer a super networking and reception area, close to other meeting space so little chance of delegates getting lost.  Audio visual inclusions are extensive and come with the great benefit of onsite technical support to give reassuring piece of mind.  International themed food available, together with healthy event favourites. 

Why Book?

Location, Location, Location.You can’t get much better than a few minutes from mainline train and tube services.  And when you factor in DDR rates that start at around £50+VAT this really is exceptional value considering the standard of rooms, food offered and AV equipment which comes as standard.  General Manager Richard Bull a whirling dynamo of passion, enthusiasm and customer first attitudewhich transcends to all staff.  Owned by Universities UK all profits are ploughed back in to the venue and this educational charity.

STARTER FOR 10:

First impressions do count.  Whether it’s meeting somebody for the first time or that feeling you immediately get when you walk through the entrance of a venue you’ve not been to before.  Step forward Receptionist and all-round nice guy Hamid Rahman.  Beaming smile and friendly disposition it’s no wonder Hamid recently won a Certificate for Exceptional Service following some great reviews meetingsclub have received. 

The friendly family feel is evident everywhere you go in the building and much credit must go to the leadership and management of General Manager Richard Bull, who in the last three years has instilled in every member of his team the notion that service truly is the secret.  It’s clearly a winning recipe as the number of returning clients to Woburn House is high and continues to grow.  

I just want to thank you for an excellent day, the food was wonderful and it’s the first time at a conference I even thought we should tip! 

It’s a classic marketing success story.  The right product at the right price, delivered to the right market of corporates, educational organisations and public sector clients. 

But don’t run away with the idea that the great customer service on offer is simply a “cover” for disappointing “tired” meeting rooms or a poor food offering.  Far from it.  All meeting space is bright, recently refurbished and designed very much with meetings in mind.  Rooms from 10 to 200 are all close by and well signed with little chance that delegates can get lost.  Big plus is the array of onsite AV and technical equipment which is professionally maintained and operated by an in-house tech team that are always in the right place at the right time.

Woburn House - Main entrance
Woburn House - Hamid Rahman 1 - Exceptional Staff
Woburn House - Main Hall Event

WHY SO SPECIAL?

This is not a large venue as London venues go.  There are 8 meeting and event spaces.  The building is easy to navigate and because the maximum potential number of different events onsite is 8, the staff get to know all clients very well.  There is also little chance of a breakdown in communication between the sales and operational teams as they sit right next door to each other and dovetail perfectly as part of the initial “meet and greet”.  General Manager Richard is a visible GM, who always seems to be there even when he’s not.  This reassurance of a team right on the game ensures that last minute requests or changes are dealt with quickly and with no fuss.  

Very much the hub and focal welcome point is Woburn Foyer. Natural light gushes through the windows from busy Upper Woburn Place and events certainly grab the attention of pedestrians passing outside. A great space for registration, arrival coffee, buffet lunch or exhibition, the foyer also doubles as a post event evening reception area, with changing uplighters creating a completely different look and feel.  The added bonus of a built in PA system is something that should not be overlooked with large presentation screens available to maximise branding. 

Right next door to the Foyer is Woburn Hall a truly impressive large conference and event space.  A bright and airy room thanks largely again to the natural light, the tall ceiling gives the room real presence.  Clearly recently refurbished the new stage and digital lectern are included in the room hire rate.  Special mention of the lectern which allows graphics or images to be displayed – excellent for photo shots of the main speaker.  Powerful front projector, colour changing mood lighting and rear entry access options for late delate arrivals. Woburn Hall offers total flexibility.  A conference or AGM for 180 theatre style, an evening dinner for 120 or an event which utilises the adjacent Foster and Bloomsbury rooms for break out purposes with the Tavistock Room for exhibitions. 

But not all space is large, one of the reasons why smaller meetings, training courses and seminars are bread and butter business to the venue.  Great views are afforded from the higher floors.  The UUK Board Room comfortably seats 30 and benefits from dual aspect windows overlooking Tavistock Square.  LCD projector, flip chart and glass whiteboard are all included. Air conditioning an important must have, with complete privacy when booking the adjacent Tower Room for catering.

Woburn House - Board Room set up
Woburn House - Foyer Networking
Woburn House - Main Hall Theatre

GOOD TO KNOW!

  • Woburn House Conference Centre is the commercial arm of Universities UK, the collective voice of 136 universities and the home of member vice-chancellors and principals.  Specifically, in-tune with the educational sector, much of the space lends itself as a base for examinations. 
  • Delicious fresh food is prepared onsite by resident Head Chef Ivan Ward and his team. With 20 years in the industry, Ivan trained at The Savoy and experience includes time onboard prestigious cruise ships where he developed his flair for international cuisine.  This is particular useful as many of the delegates attending events at Woburn House are from overseas.  
  • Right in the heart of London, you could be forgiven for thinking that traffic noise would be a problem.  It isn’t, with secondary double glazing cutting out all but the loudest emergency service sirens. 
  • Prices for a Day Delegate Rate (DDR) start at just £50 + VAT which is a great price for a venue that offers so much value in terms of production and AV facilities and as well as being slap bang in the centre of London.  Many inferior venues charge twice as much.
Woburn House - Foyer drinks reception
Woburn House - Entrance Sign
Woburn House - Buffet ready to be served

BEAR IN MIND…

  • There are no onsite bedrooms, but the good news is that there are many local hotels close by offering a range of accommodation from 2-star budget to 5 star luxury. 
  • Sadly, no car park, but this is London and the vast majority of guests and delegates arrive by public transport.

ANYTHING ELSE?

  • Skype and video tele-conferencing systems are available to hire with some rooms providing ceiling mounted microphones to ensure every word is captured.   
  • Consider hiring at weekends or in the evening as the venue is now open during the week until 11pm. With its convenient central location, Woburn House makes a great choice for evening classes or training courses for students and other professionals.  
  • Got a spare hour to kill?  Both the British Library and British Museum are within walking distance. 
  • Beautiful Tavistock Square with its well-tended garden is literally just across the road.  Get some fresh air between sessions with a quick stroll. 
  • Need a coffee fix en-route?  The Woburn House staff swear by the Fleet River Bakery.
Woburn House - Tavistock Square
Woburn House - Camera
Woburn House - Cabaret from Above

IT’S A WRAP – SERVICE IS THE SECRET

It’s lovely as a conference organiser when you stumble over a hidden gem.  It gives you a rather smug feeling and the secret hope at the back of your mind that it will remain undiscovered from other bookers.  So, we’re sorry in a way to give Woburn House the muchneeded credit it richly deserves through this editor’s destination!  One thing that does remain secret though is the service offered by a great group of venue professionals.   The meeting facilities are excellent.  The food very good.  The location you couldn’t get better.  But the staff make it.  Hamid and Magda to name but two are great customer facing ambassadors and it gave meetingsclub great pleasure to present their exceptional service awards as recognition of their work.  Check out the video below and see these two stars for yourself.

Woburn House - Magda Graszka - Exceptional Staff
Woburn House - Hamid
  • FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WOBURN HOUSE & THEIR EXCEPTIONAL STAFF