|
|
Downing College is one of the 31
colleges that make up the University of
Cambridge. The College has a unique and magnificent
setting amid 20 acres of lawns and trees, yet is
in the very centre of town. Its buildings,
predominantly neo-classical in style, were
designed around a great quadrangle or court and
convey a sense of elegance and spaciousness,
enhanced by harmonious proportions, graceful
columned porticos and delicate pink and yellow
stone.
In recent years the College has developed its
conference facilities, adding the Howard
Building as the main conference venue in 1987. |
 |
|
It now hosts many events, including weddings, on
the extensive grounds.
To handle so much conference activity, the
College decided to replace its
manual booking system. Conference Office Manager
Jon Rook, who joined the
College in 1999, and his team compared three
different systems for ease of use
and adaptability. They chose Rendezvous, the
next generation browser-based
conference, meeting room and catering solution
from NFS Hospitality. The
system went live in early 2004. |
|
|
|
“We found that Rendezvous scored high on our criteria and we liked the
fact that it is a diary-based system,” Jon says. “It also gives us other
advantages, enabling us to search more quickly for details and maximise
our use of space and we like the activity feature as it helps us chase
booking forms and deposits.” |
|
|
|
Jon currently uses Rendezvous for event planning, diary
and function sheets but will eventually use the
marketing module as well. “All in all I am very
impressed with the system,” he says. “It helps us
provide a quicker, more professional service. We are
saving a lot of time.” At present, he and two other
staff members control the system, with other staff
having read-only access. |
|
|
|
As Downing had some particular charging and
tax requirements, Rendezvous has been
customised to deal with the College’s service
charge and VAT issues. Jon says that he has
been impressed with the customisation and
also with the support he gets from NFS.
“Their 24-hour helpline is excellent.” |
|
|
Facilities at Downing include The Howard Building, a
stately edifice created specifically for
conferences and providing a main base and meeting
centre. The ground floor has a large reception area
with a bar and is suitable for registrations,
receptions, exhibitions, coffee/tea breaks and
buffets. The reception area opens out on the West
Lodge garden. The first floor provides
a fully equipped 160-seat lecture hall.
The West Lodge and Maitland Room are located next to
the Howard Building and also open onto the West
Lodge garden. These two adjoining, multipurpose
rooms are suitable for smaller seminars of up to 40
in each and up to 60 if joined. They are
particularly suited to company presentations,
private dinners up to 50, receptions and parties or
breakout rooms...
The College Hall is truly superb, seating up to 180
in a grand classical interior with large marble
columns and finishes. This is a very flexible space
that lends itself to all forms of catering, from
cafeteria style meals to formal dinners and wedding
receptions.
To serve its conference visitors, Downing offers a
range of accommodation, with a total of 204 rooms.
All rooms are located within the domus of the
College away from busy roads. In an indication of
how conference facilities are being developed across
the university, Downing College is a member of the
Conference Managers Committee, a forum that includes
all of the University of Cambridge colleges. The
committee offers an opportunity to share ideas and
experience. |
|
|
|
Going forward, Jon will rely on Rendezvous to provide better customer service and compete successfully in
the university conference arena. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| Contact us to learn more about our solutions |
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| USA |
: 917 210 8205 |
| |
| UK |
: 0800 731 8451 (Free
phone) |
| |
| Ireland |
: 01 6127090 |
| |
| SA |
: 011 394 9554/6/7 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
