The £750,000 investment will see a refurbishment of the corridors, themed to bring the outside in, as well as all new signage, carpets and graphics around the venue. In addition to this, 13 of the venue’s meeting and syndicate rooms will be refurbished to meet the current demand for more flexible, adaptable spaces.

Richard Harrison, Head of Conference Centres, says: “The premise behind this project at Scarman is to offer clients a range of different types of spaces to work in that will suit their individual needs and objectives. No longer is it just about offering four walls, and a table and chairs to meet around, it is about providing different types of flexible spaces that can inspire and encourage creativity among delegates.”

As part of the refurbishment, a kitchen unit will be installed within one meeting room and one syndicate room, allowing for the informality of a ‘kitchen table’ discussion. These ‘Let’s do Lunch’ spaces will allow clients to stay within one room if they choose, to both eat and meet in a relaxed environment that will help break down boundaries and foster creativity among delegates.

Two informal boardrooms will also be created providing a lounge base with comfy sofas and armchairs allowing for a relaxed setting that moves away from the formality of a typical boardroom with a table and chairs set up.
Finally, a creative ideas space will be introduced with casual seating such as beanbags. This highly flexible space can be used for breakout sessions, workshops or networking. The rest of the meeting rooms will be lightly refurbished with new carpets and paint to provide a more relaxed atmosphere throughout the entire venue.

Richard adds: “Our focus on service and ability to adapt to ever changing client needs will see us meet the demand for more flexible, adaptable spaces with this renovation project. We are committed to investing in our facilities to meet the needs of our customers, and we are all looking forward to these new spaces being utilised in the future. Many of our customers have indicated a need for these types of spaces and will be using them as soon as they are ready.

“This year has been a very exciting one for us already with the refurbishment of the bedrooms and the announcement of a major refurbishment in 2017 at Radcliffe. Not to mention our new £5.3m venue which is progressing well and is set to open this autumn.”