We managed to achieve an #eventprofs first for our latest event. Something so rare, I have never all my years as an event manager achieved…
One hundred percent attendance. That’s right, every single person attended and what a wonderful time we had. Kindly hosted by our second Exclusive property, Lainston House, our first FAM trip of the year was wonderful. Our group was made up of event managers from lots of different sectors including law, banking and IT and 12 of us arrived to Lainston House, via Winchester station. Just a 5 minute drive and the train taking us just under an hour from London Waterloo.
Our event started at 4.30 pm with champagne outside looking over the stunning 63-acre grounds and having a chat about the property and in general about all things events. After a few glasses of champagne we ventured out on our site visit where we not only discovered more of the stunning grounds but the meeting and event spaces.
There are 8 meeting rooms at the property all filled with lovely natural daylight and high-tech smart boards, inbuilt screens and butler boxes. The converted barn would be stunning for a gala dinner or even as your main plenary room for your meeting. Taking the estate exclusively for a group from 35 to 50 would make for a amazing conference or retreat.
After our tour of the main meeting spaces, we ventured outside to the kitchen garden which would be stunning for a drinks reception for up to 80 people. There really are so many different options for both inside and outside drinks receptions and even dinners on this property, it is really inspiring. Just next to the kitchen garden Lainston House have their very own owls and falcons (the owls you can also find on your beds) which you can incorporate into your team building activities. There is an on-site falconer and the birds are glorious albeit a little bit daunting! They are huge…
Next up on our FAM was a cooking class. Lainston House hosts Season Cooking School on their grounds where you can let your guests learn to cook a dish as part of their team building. We all learned how to fillet a Sea Bass, cook it and then make a lovely risotto from scratch. Some of our dishes we are proud to say turned out beautifully, mine… not so good and at one point we were looking for the fire extinguishers! (Joking but I did burn it a bit because I was too busy taking photos!) Part of the charm of the cooking class is that you then eat what you cook over a glass of wine. This was a lovely way to get to know a few of our first timers and gossip with everyone.
After cooking school it was back to the main house for wine and cheese in the private dining room (which sits up to 16) before cocktails until 4.00 am for some ladies I won’t mention!
Bedtime was quite the treat! The hotel has 50 individually designed rooms and suites and no two are the same. We all shared snaps of each other’s and had a tour. I was lucky enough to have my very own steam bath in mine and it was amazing. I am currently trying to convince the husband to get one for home.
We had an amazing time at Lainston House and I look forward to coming back. This property I would highly recommend to take exclusively if your group size was from 35 to 50. I would definitely incorporate the cooking school into the program as it really is great for getting to know people and, learning a new skill. The hotel’s 63-acre grounds are also perfect for team building and Lainston House have a host of ideas and options they can share with you.
FAM trips are a wonderful way for Event Managers to experience a property first hand and we are so grateful for all of the lovely venues that supports Eventprofslive.
For more information on Lainston House you can contact them here and tell em we sent you. If you want more information on working with Eventprofslive or would like to be a member, you can get in touch here.