Posts
The MEETinLEEDS events team are proud to be hosting the University of Leeds Suppliers Easter Fair 2015.
Where: The University of Leeds Exhibition Centre
When: Tuesday 22nd March, 10:00 – 15:00
The Suppliers Easter Fair 2016 takes place in our Exhibition Centre and all staff at the University are invited for an opportunity to speak to over 50 exhibitors; including colleagues from MEETinLEEDS, Great Food at Leeds, The Edge and The Print & Copy Bureau who are all on hand to answer questions about their support and services.
The Suppliers Fair has been a successful, well attended event in the University’s calendar for the last 15 years, and is one of the largest events of its kind within the UK. Organised by MEETinLEEDS, the University of Leeds’ conference service, and in collaboration with the Finance & Procurement Department. The event provides a unique opportunity for staff to speak to suppliers directly enabling them to highlight, explain and showcase their products and services in a tailor made forum.
Once again this year we will have local suppliers selling treats and gifts so please bring along your bags and wallets and perhaps you can treat a colleague or pick up an Easter gift.
We look forward to seeing you there!
On the 1st and 2nd February MEETinLEEDS welcomed the Society of Evidence Based Policing to the University of Leeds for the SEBP 2016 Winter Conference.
The event, “Policing: Evidence as the Driver for Change”, saw the society, which is made up of police officers, police staff, and research professionals discuss how to raise awareness of, advocate and implement evidence based methodology part of everyday policing in the UK.
The main sessions were hosted in the Great Hall, our prestigious venue which focus for the University’s ceremonial activities. Parkinson Court provided the arena for catering and exhibition stands, including the key conference sponsor Axon Public Safety.
MEETinLEEDS worked alongside Clifford Stott, Principal Research Fellow at the University of Leeds School of Law to organise and host the event in collaboration with the N8 Research Partnership. Collaborating with Schools and Departments remains a key goal for MEETinLEEDS, as we seek to aid the University’s strategic plan of interdisciplinary working through a commitment to creating and enhancing collaborations in education, research and innovation.
The Event Managers Katrina Dickens and Anthony Lowe had an eventful few days over the course of the event, but the work started many months ago, says Katrina:
“Though the SEBP 2016 event initially appeared to be a straightforward 2 day conference we quickly realised that aspects of the event would require all of our problem solving abilities. Communicating with delegates and confirming attendance were our main challenges, as complexities of payment, communication and late registration are inherent in dealing with police organisations. The final numbers did increase in the days leading up to the event, which meant a reconfiguration of the room layout and catering, as well as a quick one-hour-turnaround of the Great Hall (see the video below) from its guise as the main session meeting room to that of the evening reception and dining area.
However, it was great to work with Clifford and the SEBP team, with the attendees having an enjoyable and informative stay at the University of Leeds.”
Clifford Stott said: “I would firstly like to thank MEETinLEEDS for their assistance in hosting the Society for Evidence Based Policing Conference on 1st & 2nd February. The event went very well and I think all the delegates and the organisation left with a positive experience that will reflect well upon the University.
We began planning the event later last year and began to organise this through the School of Law. We initially met some difficulties given our lack of experience in organising events of this scale and nature. In this regard I was delighted when I first had the opportunity to meet with MEETinLEEDS to discuss the planning and arrangements. It was from that point onward that the organisation for the event became effective and manageable. There was a very real sense of ‘ownership’ provided by MEETinLEEDS which gave me confidence the organisation was committed to the delivery of a very high quality event. Moreover, the team held regular meetings with us at which we were able to gain updates and discuss any issues that were relevant. The team were also important in handling the late changes and liaison with the SEBP executive as we approached the conference itself. On the day of the event the team were on hand to deal with registration and help resolve issues and the conference was delivered without complication.
In short I was very pleased with the excellent service provided throughout and would have no hesitation – indeed already have – provided the strongest recommendation for getting in touch with MEETinLEEDS when hosting any major event at the University.”
We are experts when we are organising your conferences and events, but how would we get on with our staff away day? Find out here…
Every January the staff members in the commercial arm of the University of Leeds get together to celebrate the successes of the previous year, give out the Spotlight Awards for outstanding contributions to the services, and most importantly play some games!
Obviously, it is the responsibility of the experts at MEETinLEEDS to organise the event; from booking the guest speaker and marketing the event to arranging the delicious lunch prepared by our talented team of chefs.
Over to Emma, Conference Sales Executive at MEETinLEEDS, with a breakdown of the morning activities:
“This year’s team away day took place on site at the University. Two venues were used over the day – The Refectory and the Rupert Beckett Lecture theatre, which is the main lecture theatre in Michael Sadler Building. These are two of our most popular and well used venues as part of any conference, so we knew the tried and tested venues would serve us proud.
“Excellent energy and enthusiasm from all staff, loved Alex Mcphail’s motivational speech and a great opportunity to meet colleagues from other departments.”
The day started in the Refectory with bacon sandwiches, pastries, fresh coffee and a good selection of fruit for those who hadn’t given up on their diet 2 days after the Christmas break! We then made our way over to the Rupert Beckett lecture theatre and took our seats for the morning. As we work in the conference sales office it is not usual that we get to spend the day in a lecture theatre and we were surprised at how comfy the seating was – everyone also had a great view of the screen and the presenters due to the tiered seating. Between listening to motivational speaker Alex McPhail (highly recommended), updates from management, awards and hearing about the great work we have done for our staff chosen charities, there was time to stretch our legs, grab a drink in the foyer and network with colleagues from other departments.”
Mike, Sales and Marketing Assistant for our partners Great Food at Leeds, said:
“We were spoilt for choice when it came to the catering for the away day with our team of award winning chefs drawing on their years’ of experience as we enjoyed a fantastic selection of dishes.
Preparing three meal options for over 160 people could seem quite daunting but not for our catering team who do this and much more every day! On the day we were treated to three of the new dishes that are going to be appearing on the Refectory menus this term.
The food was definitely one of the highlights to a fantastic event and plenty of us even helped ourselves to a second helping!
Here is the menu for the day, which you could also experience if you book an event with MEETinLEEDS!”
Main Courses
- Cajun dusted Salmon, Pan fried with Sour Cream, Tomato Chilli Salsa & Guacamole
- Chicken wild mushroom & Spinach Stroganoff with Creamy Paprika Sauce
- Griddled Halloumi, Sweet Potato Bhaji, Coriander Dahl & baby Naan Bread
Sides & Salads
- Braised Rice/New Potatoes
- Selection of Green Vegetables
- Plum Tomato & Roast Pepper Salad
- Pesto Pasta Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts
- Mixed leaves with Lemon Olive Oil dressing
Dessert
- Liquorice Crème Brulee with Sugar Shortbread
- Warm Plum, Apple & Blackberry Crumble & Custard
- Fresh Fruit Platter
Find out more about the variety of dishes available on a daily basis in the Refectory on the Great Food at Leeds website.
After lunch the Refectory was transformed into a quiz arena (it is the chameleon of our venue portfolio), where Lisa, also a Conference Sales Executive at MEETinLEEDS, will talk you through her favourite part:
“For the afternoon we were in the hands of the team at Chillisauce, who are also experts at creating fun and engaging team activities, and split us into 20 groups and hosted a version of the Generation Game, which tested our knowledge on just about everything, including how many plums you can fit into a welly!
The afternoon was great fun and it was brilliant to experience an event one of our own venue, as I am normally booking events rather than attending them! It was great to be on the stage that has been graced by some amazing artists over the years. The Who famously recorded “Live at Leeds” here, but to name a few others: Elton John, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, The Rolling Stones, The Clash, The Jam, U2, Kaiser Chiefs, Manic Street Preachers, Kasabian and many more.”
The overall consensus from the attendees was that the event was a great success, with comments such as:
“Excellent energy and enthusiasm from all staff, loved Alex Mcphail’s motivational speech and a great opportunity to meet colleagues from other departments.”
“Really nice to see everyone and network. The food throughout the day was awesome!”
“Being a relatively new member of staff was good getting together out of work with others. Lovely food too!”
“I found the day to be a good balance and a great opportunity for staff to feel valued with the Spotlight Awards.”
“The programme was highly motivational and a great avenue for staff interaction. The whole day showed how highly staff are valued.”
“Brilliant for motivation team spirit. A brilliant day at work!”
We can’t wait for next year’s event – roll on 2017!
Accreditations
News & Blogs
Contact us
We’d love to hear from you.
Contact our team using our enquiry form.
Call us on 0113 343 6100. Or contact us via our social channels:
