Excellence on our doorstep

In today’s hectic business world it is sometimes quite easy to miss the things that are happening on your doorstep – or even to take things for granted.

Here in Lancashire and Blackpool we are blessed with vibrant communities, glorious countryside and coast as well as great heritage.

Our great variety of top-class venues for business conferences and meetings are also far from ordinary and our national profile continues to rise but what is sometimes forgotten locally is that Lancashire and Blackpool is the perfect setting for businesses actually based here to hold their events.

They will certainly get value for money, be impressed by the initiatives taking place to give them even more and they will also see Lancashire and Blackpool striving to achieve the highest standards.

Places like Mytton Fold Hotel and Golf complex in Langho go that extra mile to make people attending meetings feel special. Attention to detail is everything and they’ve even created a branded goody bag for delegates, with options ranging from local Lancashire delicacies to treats for chocoholics.

Businesses locally may also be unaware of all the development work that has been carried out to raise standards and improve our offering even further.

That work is paying off, with our conference and meeting venues excelling in a recent ‘mystery shopper’ survey carried out by independent researchers, which tested 46 venues across the area on key priorities, such as managing enquiries and customer service.

One venue scored 100 per cent across all categories and another four scored 97 per cent or above.

Twelve venues scored 100 per cent for dealing with online enquiries - the average score for effectively dealing with telephone enquiries was 95 per cent, with 31 venues scoring 100 per cent.

The work to further improve quality goes on across the county. Best Western Premier Leyland Hotel recently underwent major refurbishment costing £6 million and has been awarded the highest four-star grading from the AA.

The famous art deco Midland Hotel on Morecambe’s seafront has received a special award for restoration in the 2010 Civic Trust Awards and won the Small Hotel of The Year Award, in the 2010 Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Awards

The 19th Century Westleigh House in Lea, Preston, has been transformed into a new state-of-the-art conference centre and there’s much excitement at the building work at Bloomfield Road, as the new south stand starts to take shape adding to the corporate hospitality opportunities as Blackpool FC join the Premier League.

As Lancashire shows time and time again – local definitely does not have to mean ordinary. Our vibrant business tourism sector clearly proves that to be the case.

Tony Openshaw
Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board