An Indiana Jones Boulder Rolling Towards You... by Paul Ellingham

I was speaking with a conference organiser, one of our Sociology academics, the other week whilst we were getting everything ready for their event and he told me something that a senior colleague had told him about organising an academic conference:

"So, I hear you're running your first conference; just think of it this way: there's a huge, Indiana-Jones-style boulder rolling down a hill directly towards you and one day it WILL crash home!"

He post-scripted these cheering words with:

"and when it hits, don't forget you set that boulder rolling!"

I like to think of the Conference & Events Office as the brakes to lessen the impact of the boulder, or maybe a better description is that we take a big chunk of boulder away and deal with it, so there's just a small pebble left to catch!

Find out more about our Event Management or email our team for more information.

Integrated Team Sporting Wealth of Talent - by David Lloyd, Operations Manager for Sport

Having joined the Sport and Physical Activity team at the University earlier this year, I have been continually impressed by the quality and variety of events we have been able to host here.

My previous role enabled me to work with a number of event management companies, hosting a wide range of events, and while we had comparable indoor facilities, the greater extent of the programme offered at the University has been fantastic to see, and great to be involved with this summer. 

This was summed up perfectly last week, as we hosted part of the British Ecological Society Conference throughout the first part of the week, before having less than a day to turn the facility around for a weekend training camp for the Great Britain Boccia team (Gold Medallists from the Beijing Paralympics).  

It has been great to see the flexibility and professionalism of the various teams involved putting these events together, highlighted by our Assistant Director and a manager brought in from another site crawling around the sports hall late on Friday evening ensuring the Boccia Courts were all marked out ready for our Paralympians!  

The restructuring of our services into an integrated Commercial Services team brings sport, catering, conferencing and event management together and has really provided significant opportunities to widen and strengthen an already excellent partnership.  The fantastic new development of The Edge can now add value to customers who come into the university to use our other facilities, offering the chance of an invigorating workout, or a relaxing sauna, steam and swim at the end of the day.  This is already proving extremely popular with conference delegates.

For all our staff the restructuring of the Commercial Services team presents excellent personal development opportunities to get involved in new and varied parts of our business.  Looks like exciting times ahead!

A Burning Question - by Richard Handscombe

The editor of Exhibition News recently posed the question:  “are live web-feeds from building sites really necessary?”.

As a question, I’d guess it won’t feature on Newsnight any time soon - although I can almost hear the cynical tones of Mr Paxman himself looking into the camera and asking the question.

We recently featured on our website, a series of stills showing our new conference asset, Storm Jameson Court, rising from the ground as if by magic.  It was fascinating.  There for all to see was the artistic scaffolding, the mysteriously shrouded delivery trucks, big digging thingies, and occasional glimpses of Bob in his yellow hard hat as he went around building.  

This was stirring, gripping stuff that I’m 100% positive had the whole nation glued to their PC monitors, eager to see what would happen next.  A bit like Eastenders, only much, much more interesting.  Gradually this epic building, an emerging star in the conference universe, emerged from its chrysalis.

And now, that fascinating time is all over, and the building has been revealed in all it’s glory.  Soap fans will have to go back to watching their favourite TV shows, struggling to catch up on the storylines, and sadly missing the Storm Jameson Court Saga.

And just in case national opinion says that building site pics are not in fact necessary, we’ve removed them from the website.

Conference bookings are now being taken for our magnificent new building. Take a look on www.meetinleeds.co.uk/stormjamesoncourt

Catering for the In-Laws! - by Natasha Lockwood

I recently got engaged, which of course is very exciting for a couple of days, until the fear sets in! 

Fear of what you may ask? The commitment? Organising a large event?  Not being able to find the perfect dress? Well, none of the above actually.

I am talking about the fear that next weekend, my parents and my fiancés parents will all be together in one room to talk about the wedding …and I have offered to cook!

I am a resourceful person; my job involves booking many dining events (large and small, three course and buffet, corporate and personal) into our rooms here in University House.  I am SURROUNDED by award winning chefs.  I can’t help thinking there must be an answer for me in here somewhere!

I can cook, but unfortunately so much of my energy is going to be taken up having my hair done and at the same time deciding whether I look better daughter-in-law material in the blue dress or the red top and black skirt, that my imagination is frazzled.  Let’s face it, feminism has brought us ladies a long way, but I can’t help thinking my suitability will be entirely judged on the outcome of this meal.

Mid way through booking in a retirement lunch yesterday I had a (metaphorical) lightning bolt of an idea: I have access to each of the seasonal three course menu’s I have sent out to clients from the beginning of time to this very moment, and knowledge of which of those are popular choices.  Obviously they won’t be up to our chefs’ standards (unless I account for kidnapping – would that be the wrong impression?) but even if I don’t get it right they‘ll surely be more impressive than beans on toast!

So off I go to search for my perfect menu - and let's be honest, who doesn't want a daughter-in-law who serves 'Warm Chocolate & Hazelnut Brownie with Clotted Cream'!

We Know How to Throw a Fam Trip (& cook corned beef hash!) - by Natalie Ruecroft

I’ve learnt a lot whilst I’ve been working for Richard Handscombe, our Head of Sales & Marketing.  Last week he taught me two things: firstly, how to make Corned Beef Hash and secondly, that the chef in the Teppanyaki restaurant doesn’t throw the Egg Fried Rice into your mouth, just pieces of sliced potato!  I’m hoping that over the next few months I’ll learn a lot more, specifically about Event Booking Agencies.

‘Let’s tackle agencies’ Mr Handscombe said to me shortly after I started my role here in the Conference Sales Office.

‘Venue finding agencies play a huge part in the Conference and Events industry and we need to make sure that the University of Leeds is a venue that agencies are aware of. Let’s invite them to the city and show them what we can offer!’

A great idea, I thought, from my Head of Sales and Marketing. This is going to be a fun project that I can really get my teeth into (much like the Corned Beef Hash) – I’m looking forward to this!

The plan is to host a ‘weekend break’ for agency staff where Richard and I will show the guests around the city of Leeds and also give them a tour of our impressive campus meeting space. A tour of our brand new accommodation development Storm Jameson Court will also be on the cards. With overnight accommodation being offered at Weetwood Hall, a deluxe 4star property owned by the University and lunch at one of Leeds’ fine restaurants, I’m sure we’ll get a fair few people interested!

We’ll be putting the final details together pretty soon so invites will be sent out in the next month or so. Exciting!

The main aim of this project is to put our University on the ‘agency map’ and make the University of Leeds the first place agents think of when looking for a conference or event venue in Leeds. I’ll be working pretty closely with Richard on this project as he has many years of experience working with agencies – I’m hoping that he’ll pass some of this knowledge on to me!

Food Safety A Waste Of Time? - by Geoff Tooley

"Food Safety - what a waste of time!! - my granny lived off out of date food and raw sausages and lived to be 108" - So said a colleague in the non too distant past.

Possibly true, but if you continually stroll across Blackpool Prom with your eyes shut, you`ll eventually get squashed by a tram - just ask Rita Fairclough.

Food poisoning does exist and will happen - 92,000 confirmed cases in England and Wales in 2007 - and this is just the people who can be bothered or have enough strength in their buttock cheeks to actually get to the Doctors.

The good news is that good food hygiene standards are not difficult to achieve (contrary to what some called Celebrity Chefs think - thank you Antony Worrell Thompson) The other positive thing is that food hygiene standards for the majority of local authorities are now available on a national Website www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk. Leeds City Council for example give a score from 5 down to 0.

I am very pleased to say that all our University run food outlets, kitchens and Halls have achieved the top 5 star rating. Well done to all the staff concerned.

I`m now off to Blackpool - look left, look right.......................

A small team, with a BIG heart - by Harriet Boatwright

“Write a blog” Matt said………

I have always considered myself a bit of a laggard really when it comes to new fads and crazes especially in the world of technology - almost through blind stubbornness rather than fear of the new and unknown or inflexibility of self.  However, when Matt ‘encouraged me’ (take this as you will!) to get on board with our blog I was surprised by the cathartic nature of the exercise.  Although I did wonder at first ‘what do I have to say….’ As it turns out, you can say what you want – within the realms of decency and interest!

I would like to share with you a piece of writing, authored by someone I often liken to Marvin from ‘Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’, but on a good day I refer to him as my very own Dad:

“If tha’s Northern, tha talks a lot like this and tha philosophy goes summat like this, ‘If ever tha does owt for nowt , do it for thasen’.  Tha wears a flat cap and ‘as a whippet  wi’ no name. Tha smokes wafer thin rollups through nicotine stained ‘ands and tha drinks warm beer wi’ an ‘ead on it. Tha’s got our lass indoors boilin’ up t’tripe and onions and watchin’ o’er t’twelve bairns. To thee t’internet is summat  tha does wi’t fish owtat canal and t’world wide web is summat t’spider leaves ower t’door o’ t’outside lavvy o’erneet.”

Anyone familiar with this idea? Bloomin funny if you ask me but it does act as a vehicle for a more heartfelt message – the meaning of being a Northerner, and a proud one at that!

“If you’re Northern you have pride, not the sort that comes before a fall, but pride that enables you to see through the paucity of understanding and the insularity of those who would perpetuate the myth of the Neanderthal Northerner. A pride that enables and encourages you to embrace and celebrate family and friends.  A pride that shines through your life and the lives of those around you. A pride that grows and flourishes as your family grows and flourishes. A pride that gives understanding that small deeds in life can make for large changes and that we all of us make a difference somewhere, sometime.”

Arthur Sargeant (Son of a Northern Lass and an Essex Lad)

Pride is something so fundamental to the Northern way of life, and here at MeetInLeeds I like to think of our team as a mere microcosm of the northern heart. Some may still think that we ‘talk a bit funny’ but you know what – variety is the spice of life!