Guest article – Wyboston Lakes

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Wyboston Lakes Resort launches series of new ventures as event business grows

One of Bedfordshire’s leading business venues has launched a series of new business ventures that will give businesses and individuals both within the resort, and further afield, the opportunity to grow and flourish. The ventures include Landing Pad which includes, serviced offices, branded training space and co-working; Wyboston Venue Management, a new specialist service to help venue and hotel owners make the most of meetings and events business; and a major refurbishment of The Waterfront Hotel Spa & Golf.

Landing Pad

The first initiative for the 380-acre resort, which comprises two residential conference venues, a four-star hotel, spa, 18-hole golf course, restaurants, bars, and a nature reserve, is to expand its serviced office facilities. The resort has secured planning permission to add 11,000 square feet of extra space to its existing offices and is launching Landing Pad, offering serviced offices, branded space and co-working options in the hotel. The office space can be divided up into units to suit the individual tenant, available on flexible monthly terms, and in an environment that can encompass break-out areas, hot-desking, dining and social facilities, and a host of booths, pods and semi-enclosed spaces that lend themselves perfectly to a modern and flexible way of working. Branded training spaces are provided to long-term partners for bespoke training needs, with space that is clearly branded with a business’s own identity but run and managed by the resort team. Wyboston Lakes is actively looking for an additional partner to take some available space. The work to create the new co-working space will start in November as part of a refurbishment of the hotel. The coworking space is expected to be ready by March 2022. Landing Pad is designed to give companies the style of space they need, whether that is a serviced office, branded space or a coworking space, and to adapt as their needs change. Adaptability is the essence of the proposition. Steve Jones, Managing Director of Wyboston Lakes Resort, said: “The way businesses use space has changed recently, particularly since the pandemic. They want to be in control and not tied into something that may not suit their needs in 12 months’ time. Landing Pad will give them options to take less space, or more if they need it, combined with the benefits of access to the rest of the facilities available within the resort.”

Wyboston Venue Management

A second venture is Wyboston Venue Management (WVM), a new specialist service to help venue and hotel owners make the most of meetings and events business. The service is designed to suit the needs of venue owners and investors who feel they need an experienced operator to help them achieve their objectives in the meetings and events sector or those who have a venue or hotel conference facility that needs re-focusing and revitalising, or owner directors looking to step back from the business. Jones said: “We have an award-winning senior management team with superb experience both at Wyboston and in previous roles, in generating increased revenues, transforming venues to be ready for the latest generation of planners and delegates and in maximising their green credentials. The fact that last year we were chosen to host one of the governmentorganised pilot events to test Covid security measures is a strong testament to our operational standards.

Steve Jones

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“The team can now bring their expertise to a venue and replicate what they have achieved here at a fraction of the time and cost that it would take with a new team.” From assisting to operating on a full management contract, Wyboston Lakes Resort is seeking to build long-term partnerships with a handful of organisations that share its values and commitment to high standards and quality of service. A management contract will cover all aspects of the day-to-day running of the property and include monthly reviews, budget and business planning, financial, HR, sales, marketing and PR strategies, as well as repairs and maintenance and management of IT systems. While there are many companies that offer a similar outsourcing service in managing hotels, Jones says there are very few that specialise in a management service specifically for venues operating in the meetings and events sector. With the team’s expertise, Wyboston Venue Management is already generating considerable interest.

Major refurbishments

A third project is the extensive refurbishment of the 103 bedroom Waterfront Hotel, its restaurants, bars and public areas. The work is due to start in late November and to be completed early in March 2022. This will bring three new event areas to the hotel, a new bar and brasserie and great co-working space. This follows a major £5m makeover of The Willows Training Centre,The Woodlands Centre and Salix Venue recently. Investing in the resort’s meetings, training and events spaces is proving to be a wise move as demand for events at Wyboston Lakes Resort in 2022 is increasing well ahead of pre-pandemic years. To be precise, event bookings for next year are 65 per cent ahead of 2019 and previous years. For the rest of 2021, there is a significant volume of events – almost three to four times the level that is normally expected. The resort’s provisional base to year-end is well over 200 per cent more than previous years. This success can also be attributed to the fact that the Wyboston Lakes Resort team remained proactive throughout the crisis. The team introduced robust Covid protocols and secured three certificates for Covid-safety from several prestigious organisations. The venue even continued to host events, most notably a series of essential training events for the NHS. The recent refurbishment of The Willows Training Centre, The Salix and The Woodlands Centre is also paying dividends. Looking ahead, Jones concluded: “We are very excited about the future of Wyboston Lakes Resort as we launch new business initiatives while seeing a surge in event business. Our ventures have been planned for some time and now is the right time to move forward. We must continue to evolve and develop as a business – we can’t stand still. “We’ve got an outstanding team and we think our latest developments are not only right for the business but something that gives our team a positive future. We want them to feel part of a business that is always evolving, which in turn will provide opportunities for those that want to grow.” www.wybostonlakes.co.uk