The Practical Guide to Organising Events

Ever have that sinking feeling when your boss asks you to arrange a conference or a party? Well, have no fear, Wivenhoe House based. Edge Hotel School lecturer Philip Berners has written a comprehensive guide to organising events.

The Practical Guide to Organising Events, published by Routledge, is a useful step by step guide for anyone tasked with setting up events.

Of course all the students at Edge Hotel School are benefitting first hand from Philip’s in depth knowledge and perfecting their essential skills that are put to instant practical use when they work as part of the busy Conference and Events team at Wivenhoe House.

With award-winning Conference and Events manager Sarah Bowman at the helm, and a superb team behind her, it’s a win-win situation.

Philip enjoyed a high-flying career in the events management industry before heading down the teaching path. He worked on every genre of occasion in the UK and abroad, including corporate events at Thorpe Park, parties for Her Majesty the Queen, London Fashion Week and major fund-raisers for the British Red Cross.

His book includes straightforward tips to ensure your event runs well.

  • Give yourself at least three months lead in.  It gives you time to source the ideal venue for your needs and gives you the best chance of ensuring availability.
  • If you are touring a selection of venues check they are available on your chosen date before visiting.
  • Try to get a good idea of numbers before confirming a venue. You don’t want to be rattling around in a huge ballroom or crammed into a tiny function suite. Does the venue have flexible space in case of last minute changes?
  • Make sure everyone attending the conference would have a good line of for any presentations. You don’t want the MD to be hidden behind a pillar!
  • Is the venue easy to find and is there plenty of parking?
  • Ask the venue events team to tell you about similar conferences they have hosted, so you know they have relevant experience.
  • Make sure you return the paperwork to the venue, and pay any deposit required, promptly. No event will be taken as a definite booking if it is not signed and sealed.

WHERE WE ARE

find us, however you travel
By car:

Whether approaching Wivenhoe House from London and the South or Ipswich and the North via the A12, take the exit marked Colchester (A133). Follow the A133 towards Clacton, ignore the entrance to the Knowledge Gateway, continue along the A133 then take the B1028 for Wivenhoe before turning right into Boundary Road, then right again into Park Road. The entrance for Wivenhoe House is shared with the University of Essex but Park Road leads you through Wivenhoe Park and you will be able to see the glorious house from the road.

For Sat Nav please use CO4 3FA.

Download our PDF Map

By train:

Colchester station, Colchester Town station, Wivenhoe station and Hythe stations are all between 10-15 minutes from Wivenhoe House by car. Trains run between London (Liverpool Street) and Colchester station every 10-20 minutes. The journey takes around an hour. Also connect with Colchester from Norwich, Ipswich, Felixstowe & Harwich. Some trains from London (Liverpool Street) also stop at Wivenhoe Station. When travelling from the Clacton/Walton direction, alight at Wivenhoe or Hythe Stations.


By plane:

Stansted airport is approximately 45 minutes from Wivenhoe House by car. Helicopter pad coordinates are 603200/223900.