Autumn 2017 marks Well Met ’ s 10th birthday and the Leeds Beckett University ’ s conference team marked the occasion with a birthday party in October at the latest addition to the venue portfolio , Cloth Hall Court . The city centre venue opened in the summer after a £ 4.5m refurbishment . The listed venue is targeting the corporate market and offers flexible work spaces . The standalone conference venue boasts a capacity of 2-300 delegates and is a short walk from the railway station . The launch of Cloth Hall Court is the latest chapter in the Well Met team ’ s 10-year history : accolades include being the first University to receive the GOLD Accredited in Meetings ( AIM ) certification . The team is also holder of the ‘ Investors in People Gold ’ accreditation , putting them within the top 7 % of accredited organisations nationwide . Well Met has hosted a diverse range of conferences including the Stonewall Workplace Equality Conference and the Visual Media Conference . Now , with the addition of Cloth Hall Court , Well Met is looking to capitalise on the city centre location to welcome new customers to Leeds Conference manager Clare Vidler , says : “ In 10 years we ’ ve gone from a small extension of the University to being an independent , 12-strong team with a dedicated conference venue in the heart of the city .”

eeds Beckett University ’ s events arm , Well Met Conferencing , racked up over 30,000 bed nights across July and August , and 95 % of delegates required full catering services throughout their stay . Summer is traditionally the busiest time of year for academic venues and Well Met this year hosted summer schools for Rotherham United National Citizen Service , TWIN , Go Languages Worldwide and the largest single annual conference for Leeds – Teach First Summer Institute .

Three AA star accredited accommodation at Carnegie Village adds to the university ’ s accommodation offer , which includes sports facilities , large entertainment spaces and catering . David Parker , catering and retail operations manager at Well Met , says his team found a flexible approach to catering in order secure the return of the Teach First conference in the summer . “ This year we welcomed the newest cohort of Teach First delegates and a huge part of their requirements for the conference centred around offering a variety of menu

options , including lots of healthy dishes . We created a bespoke menu specifically for this conference to ensure that lunchtime included more healthy choices , including long-release carbohydrates and lean proteins .” Clare Vidler , conference manager at Well Met adds : “ Summer is absolutely our busiest time of year and summer schools are a key part of our business . For many of our foreign summer school delegates , this is their first experience of Leeds so we work closely with organisers to ensure that they get the most out of their stay .”