Kay England, Chief Executive of imago at Burleigh Court International Conference Centre, is to become the new Chair of Conference Centres of Excellence, the consortium of 41 of the UK's leading dedicated venues.
Kay has been at Burleigh Court, based in Loughborough, since it was founded in 1991. Beginning as a business development manager, she progressed to become Chief Executive in 2001. A languages graduate, before moving to Burleigh Court Kay was an event manager at Fisons, the international pharmaceutical company.
Burleigh Court is currently in the final stages of a major expansion programme to increase capacity to 225 bedrooms, create larger syndicate and meeting rooms, and extend its private dining, lounge and leisure facilities. Kay is also responsible for the neighbouring Holywell Park conference facility.
Conference Centres of Excellence, now in its fifteenth year, is the UK's leading group of dedicated venues, each of which provides a completely focused environment for meetings and events. Its members – which include some of the country’s best recognised names – have all achieved stringent audited quality standards in terms of conference and support facilities, accommodation and customer care. The group provides specific support services for event organisers and conference agents.
“Our objective will be to continue with carefully controlled growth in membership, without in any way compromising the quality and service standards we have established," commented Kay: “We will also seek to enhance awareness of the advantages of dedicated conference provision, establishing CCE as a standard bearer for best practice across the whole conference and meetings sector.”
Kay will take up her new role CCE’s Annual General Meeting on 21 July. She currently chairs the consortium’s marketing committee. CCE office holders carry out their roles in a voluntary capacity.
CCE has also announced that its latest member is the Beeches Conference Centre, located in Bournville, south of Birmingham city centre. The Beeches has 68 bedrooms and 22 conference and seminar rooms.
For more information contact:
Michael Kennedy at MGK Communications 0121 605 4048 or michaelkennedy@talk21.com
Gill Smillie at Conference Centres of Excellence 0845 230 1414 or info@cceonline.co.uk