2019
Location
Located on the outskirts of Reading, just 5 minutes from Junction 11 of the M4 and with bags of free parking. Currently a 10 minute bus/taxi ride from Reading Railway Station. But good news! Green Park Train Station is due to open in 2020, just a short walk away from the Conference Centre. Or catch one of the free buses that run around the park to speed your journey.
What's on offer
Set within a Business Park, Green Park Conference Centre (GPCC) has 3 event spaces that hold 8-250 delegates. Ideal for one-to-one reviews, team meetings or an annual conference, the bright fresh contemporary conference suites are flexible for a variety of events. GPCC has all the in-house AV bases covered. Built in projectors, screens, video conference facilities and PA systems with microphones are all available with a plug and play speaker control system to manage lighting and sound levels. Catering teams offer comprehensive and good value menus with the ability to serve anything from a working buffet to a BBQ or reception canapés.
Why Book?
Green Park Conference Centre is a popular, cost effective meeting and event centre which offers so much more than you may expect. The whole ethos of the surrounding Business Park is one of creating a working and social community rather than simply the provision of soulless office blocks linked by tarmac. The good news is that any delegates or guests attending an event at the GPCC can take advantage of an array of activities from participation in a food festival, local book club or nature walk. Event Organisers are actively encouraged to get their groups to take a break and get involved. Rowing boats and electric cycles always prove popular, particularly as these activities are free of charge to delegates.
STARTER FOR 10:
As you make your way down the wide drive with trees and a lake lining your way, suddenly you feel the stresses and strains synonymous with busy working lives lift and disappear. Welcome to Green Park and The Green Park Conference Centre. This is no stuffy, cramped, inner-city meeting space. Instead say hello to tall ceilings, natural light that floods in and views of the lake and surrounding park.
Nothing is too much trouble for the staff. As recent meetingsclub exceptional staff winners, it’s clear to see why reviewers have been so complimentary. Friendly team members are always willing to go that extra mile to ensure events run smoothly and delegates maximise their available time to get the best out of the Green Park community initiatives.
Special mention of the atrium within the conference centre which is a great spot for a pre-conference coffee or a freshly baked cake from café Byte. Look a bit further and see the Hive a meeting spot designed very much with “working” delegates in mind and an excellent space for busy executives. And if you ever find yourself travelling between Bristol and London and need a stop off point, pop in to the Hivecomplete with “cosy pods” and quick Wi-Fi connections
WHY SO SPECIAL?
Creating a Community
Green Park’s number one focus is developing a thriving business community of which the Conference Centre is very much an integral part. Their philosophy is one of work life balance. Yes, delegates and guests are attending for a reason be that a meeting, away day or reception. But when work is done or perhaps during a lunch break there’s the chance very much to get involved. And there is much on offer with an extensive programme of over 450 different sporting and social activities with the aim of building a collective community. And if your organisation takes corporate responsibility really seriously, go one step further, return and get involved in their charity programmes including the Giving Tree for Connect Reading when local disadvantaged children write their wishes for Christmas and the Green Park community funds their presents. Different, thought provoking and genuinely making a difference.
Food glorious food
You won’t be stuck for healthy food choices at GPCC. The catering teams very much have front of mind the need to ensure delegates after lunch don’t fall asleep and are instead revitalised and alert ready for important afternoon sessions. Menus are nourishing, well-balanced and creatively produced. Choose a picnic, artisan lunch or street food accompanied with homemade lemonade or rhubarb & elderflower fix. Want to have all three? No problem! Flexibility is a by word and groups can mix and match. But if a fine dining experience is preferred, head on foot or by the free bus to the other side of the park to find Zest, a smart unpretentious brasserie style restaurant.
Wellness and Well being
As more and more emphasis is being placed on wellness and wellbeing, it’s good to see the Green Park Conference Centre and their community partners taking this subject so seriously. Two of the new offices in the Park are being built with ‘well certification’ – a leading tool for advancing wellbeing. And it can’t be many hotels, conference or meeting centres where on your lunch break you are actively encouraged to go and row a boat on a lake or cycle round a park! Delegates may just be onsite for the day but that doesn’t stop the caring spirit amongst staff and a genuine appreciation of wellbeing and the benefits of a positive state of mind.
GOOD TO KNOW!
- GPCC will provide AV and technical equipment using tried and trusted local partner relationships.
- Green Park’s partnership with Reading buses ‘Green Way’ allows you to travel for free within the business park.
- Byte – The café in the atrium – is due for an exciting refurb’ in 2020.
- Get on your bike! The Number 23 National Bike Route runs from central Reading to Basingstoke past Green Park.
BEAR IN MIND…
- The main conference suite can be sub-divided into smaller rooms but there’s no specific meeting room for 20-30 delegates.
- GPCC does not have bedrooms, however the Millennium Madejski Hotel and Premier Inn are close by.
ANYTHING ELSE?
- Check out what rates best work for you. Each meeting room can be hired for a room only rate or as part of a day delegate package.
- Pick your own veg! Depending on the time of the year, why not nip out to the veg patch and take home some natural goodness for your dinner?
- Whilst on your nature walk, check out the insect hotels, hedgehog houses and beehives.
IT’S A WRAP – SERVICE IS THE SECRET
meetingsclub was delighted to present an Exceptional Staff Award to Conference Centre Manager Maddison White following a recent great review. Maddison to us personifies everything that is right with the Green Park Conference Centre and is a key member of their team that delivers day in, day out whether hosting a training session, small meeting or evening reception. Service certainly is the secret and a great reason to book the GPCC. But this editor’s review has focused not just on the venue but also the wider sense of community, well being and myriad of activities available. An exemplar for venues of the future? We think so and that’s why we believe the GPCC should be on top of your wish list should you be looking to hold an event in the Thames Valley.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT GREEN PARK & THEIR EXCEPTIONAL STAFF