The event
Software company Cronofy’s ‘All Hands in Person’ residential conference was held at Leeds Castle in Kent in November 2024.
The company’s bi-annual event provides an opportunity for the Cronofy team to gather in person, review the past six months’ business activity and determine strategy for the next six months.
Held in a different location each year, the ‘All Hands in Person’ event gathers team members together from around the world for four days of insightful presentations, refresher training, workshops and socialising.
The location
The Cronofy team was seeking a unique venue that would provide a contrast to the event’s previous locations. An all-in-one venue with accommodation, meeting rooms, catering and social activities on site was also important. Leeds Castle’s uniqueness, the historic setting of its castle and grounds, and the wide variety of meeting rooms and accommodation options within the estate fit the bill perfectly.
The spaces
The Maiden’s Tower was one of the venues used for the event. Originally a Tudor bake house, the Maiden’s Tower is now a stylish venue capable of accommodating up to 26 boardroom-style, 80 theatre-style, or 26 U-shape-style.
The Castle itself, with its elegant dining room, boardroom and drawing rooms, was also utilised, as was the venue’s 500 acres of picturesque seasonal parkland and gardens.
Leeds Castle’s dedicated events team assisted Cronofy with tailoring room layouts for meetings and evening meals, which were cabaret style for the meeting and round tables and banquet table set up for the evening meals. The Leeds Castle team assisted with arranging and distributing gift bags to team members on arrival, and were in regular correspondence with Cronofy in the lead up to, as well as throughout the event.
The activities
The four-day event provided plenty of time for an array of social and team building activities within the Leeds Castle estate, including falconry, archery, walks in the grounds and the maze and games of adventure golf. Cronofy also brought in third parties to run a large company social involving a series of physical challenges across the estate.
The food and drink
Cronofy worked closely with Leeds Castle’s catering manager to design the menu. Lots of variety was packed into the evening meals across the four days, including bowl food, Mexican food and a three course sit down meal. Lunches were buffet-style and breakfast was held in the Castle View restaurant. Dietary requirements were catered for in advance.
Emma Groundwater, business operations lead at Cronofy said: “Leeds Castle was a real hit. The communication was seamless and the team’s attention to detail was outstanding. We were very impressed by the magnificent venue and all it had to offer. It is a truly magical setting, and we were lucky to enjoy glorious sunshine with a touch of frost, adding a layer of winter sparkle.”
