Well Met, the conferencing office of Leeds Beckett University, sets out its strategy for 2019, following a strong performance in 2018.
Clare Vidler, conference manager at Well Met, said: “Last year was something of a litmus test for us, particularly our standalone conference venue, Cloth Hall Court, which celebrated its first year in business during August 2018, following a £4.5m redevelopment.
“We’ve been delighted by the response to the city centre venue, the Grade II listed building has real appeal and we are already seeing a healthy number of repeat bookings for this space. Now that we have a full year of performance data, it is an opportunity to plan our strategy for the future.
Well Met will have three key areas of focus for 2019:
Keep It On Campus: As an organisation with close academic ties (Well Met is the conferencing office of Leeds Beckett University), it is looking to launch an academic ambassador scheme. It will offer favourable rates for academics to encourage organisations they are associated with to partner with Well Met for conferencing and events.
Agents and Independents: Well Met will be working closely with agents and independents in 2019 and sees this as an important development opportunity and securing quality connections with other event professionals at events such as the Independent Venue Roadshow.
Local Business Community: Cloth Hall Court is home to The Unity Club, a city centre meeting place for Leeds’ business community, Well Met is keen to develop relationships with members and develop opportunities with the local branch of Institute of Directors based there. The recent redevelopment which transformed what was Leeds Law School into three floors of high-end conferencing suites that can cater for 10 to 300 delegates at a time, is in the heart of the city’s professional service sector. Just a two-minute walk from the train station, it is perfectly placed to offer flexible conferencing and meeting spaces to the local business community.
As well as the three areas of focus, Well Met is pleased to start 2019 with repeat business such as the return of Teach First, Bsides and the British Triathlon Association which returns for the 2nd year with its volunteer training programme in readiness for the Leeds Triathlon (8 – 9 June).
Clare Vidler explains: “We’re proud of the repeat business we generate. When customers come back to us, that’s the best indication that we’re doing things right and that we’re looking after our clients.”
