Center Parcs Conferences & Events has celebrated its one-year anniversary since reawakening its Woburn Forest venue in September 2022, following a period of closure and extensive £2.5m refurbishment.
Over the past 12 months, The Venue welcomed 10,064 delegates from 162 different companies – including 2,500 in the first two months. Across the same period, 3,832 delegates stayed overnight at the self-catered apartments, executive lodges and treehouses.
Over 2,500 activity slots were booked for companies looking to combine business and teambuilding and make the most of Woburn Forest’s extensive leisure offering, which includes archery, laser tag and tree trekking.
A wide range of industries held events at The Venue, but IT companies lead the way in terms of spend, accounting for 26% of total revenue since Center Parcs’ corporate events relaunch, up from just 8% prior to the pandemic – and 13% of total confirmed bookings.
The banking and financial industry, and the automotive industry demonstrate the largest appetite for corporate events, accounting for the largest portion of total bookings, namely 10% each, Center Parcs reports.
Julia Green, Sales & Commercial Manager at Center Parcs Conferences & Events said: “This past year, it’s been incredible watching delegates pour back into Woburn Forest, visibly excited to resume in-person events, connect with colleagues, and enjoy our hundreds of acres of woodland. We’re firm believers in the importance of building strong workplace relationships through a nature-rich getaway, and the feedback we’ve received from delegates has only served to reaffirm that belief.
“Looking ahead to the coming year, we can already predict that the IT sector will continue to be a big contributor in year two of Woburn Forest – but the Education & Training sector has emerged as a contender, with the largest number of enquiries for September onwards to date. High demand for our corporate events one year into our reopening leaves us optimistic for the future, and excited for the reopening of our second dedicated conference and events venue at Sherwood Forest in early 2024.”
Edward McCann, executive assistant for research and development at pharmaceutical company Sanofi Cambridge UK, said: “Centre Parcs Woburn was by far the best location for our company offsite. It was amazing for our teams to switch off amidst natural surroundings, with spa and wellbeing facilities at our fingertips. The events team were super organised and in constant communication with us, which made the whole event run smoothly.”
The Venue at Woburn Forest, at 811sqm, sits within 365 acres of woodland and can accommodate up to 600 delegates.
