Our team is celebrating after being shortlisted for three awards by the UK’s only consortium dedicated to academic venues, Academic Venue Solutions (AVS). This includes two nominations for the Rising Star award for Ryan Duffy, Assistant Manager, and Thomas Parker, Junior Chef de Partie, as well as a venue nomination for Excellence in Environmental Sustainability.

AVS is well-recognised within the industry for its work as the leading collection of academic venues, focused on connecting event organisers with unique, high-quality meeting spaces and learning environments across the UK. This year AVS announced its inaugural awards ceremony, recognising the ‘best of the best’ across academic venues and celebrating the sector leaders who are making a real difference.

Ryan Duffy, Assistant Manager at Warwick Conferences, has been named as a finalist for the ‘Rising Star’ award. Since joining the team 13 years ago, Ryan has gone from strength to strength within his career, progressing to the positions of Conference Assistant, Duty Manager and now Assistant Manager within the Operations team.

Within his role Ryan is attentive to the needs of every customer and always endeavours to deliver quality events that achieve their objectives. His proactive approach and problem-solving skills not only enhance the customer experience but also contributes to Warwick Conferences reputation for delivering outstanding service.

Alongside Ryan is fellow Warwick Conferences nominee, Thomas Parker, Junior Chef de Partie. Thomas, 21, joined the team in December 2022 after completing levels 2-5 NVQ in Food at University College Birmingham. Thomas has since made great progress in his role, developing his culinary skillset and ability to cater for a diverse range of events, including large dinners for up to 350 delegates across all four Warwick Conference venues.

Indicative of his ability Thomas was recently crowned Junior Chef of the Year at his first ever competition, and recently took part in the Europe Copper Skillet Final at the Europe Knowledge Festival in Denmark.

Warwick Conferences has also been shortlisted for the ‘Excellence in Environmental Sustainability’ award. Working alongside colleagues at the University of Warwick, the team has been focused on tackling the climate emergency across all areas of operations. This is reflected throughout the recently launched Sustainability Roadmap which outlines ambitions to achieve net zero emission targets by 2030. Efforts are already well underway including energy and water reduction measures, an enhancement of biodiversity and processes for fostering zero waste.

Reflecting on the triple award shortlisting, Paul Bartlett, Director of Conferences at Warwick Conferences, said:

“We are delighted to receive three shortlisting’s for the AVS awards. This is a wonderful achievement, and I am extremely proud of the efforts of the entire team at Warwick Conferences who have helped made this possible. Our progress towards a more sustainable future is only the beginning, and we’re excited to continue to lead the way within our industry.

“As for Ryan and Thomas, they are outstanding individuals that form a key part of our excellent team at Warwick Conferences. Ryan is instrumental in pulling the daily operations together and making it a success, while Thomas continues to impress us and our customers with his culinary expertise. Congratulations both!”

Warwick Conferences and its Rising Stars will learn whether they have been victorious at the awards evening on 7th December at Nottingham Venues.