Ellingham Hall has long been known as being an award-winning wedding venue, but now it has picked up a major title for its corporate hospitality
When the Hall decided to venture into corporate hospitality late last summer, the team focused on delivering the same high quality standards of customer care that it was already renowned for in the weddings industry.
That effort has paid off a lot more quickly than expected as the Hall has been given a top accolade – less than 12 months after it began work in the sector.
The palatial country house has been Highly Commended in the national Corporate and Hospitality Show Awards in the category of Best Independent Hotel/Venue.
Awards judges recognised that the Hall had really pulled out all the stops. The fact businesses and other organisations can exclusively use every one of its eight acres of stunning grounds, as well as the entire hall for their events, also helped Ellingham Hall stand out.
The Hall was the only North East venue to be shortlisted in the awards and faced competition from many large and well known venues. Corporate Sales and Marketing Manager Lynn Sanderson – who helped shape the corporate hospitality offering ahead of its launch – was thrilled when the announcement was made at a ceremony in Leeds in June.
She said: “We’ve put in real effort to stand out in corporate hospitality. The venue only launched in the corporate sector late last summer, so to be recognised in such a short space of time is a great achievement for our team. We were honoured to be recognised on such a national scale.
“Our aim was always to offer something very different to businesses so that the grand backdrop of the Hall and its grounds reflects positively on the organisations that choose it for their events. While the team at Ellingham Hall were admiring their certificate, they were given another Highly Commended award – this time in the Countryside Wedding Venue of the Year title at the National Weddings Awards.
It is the third significant award in 18 months for Ellingham, which continues to impress bridal parties across the region. Wedding Marketing and Communications Manager, Rachel Barlow, said: “We’re extremely proud to be named highly commended in this category. It’s a real achievement and a testament to the countless hours our weddings team puts into making each and every wedding experience special.
Ellingham Hall’s General Manager, Anthony Hunter, explained that to be given accolades in national competitions was a real achievement for a relatively small team.
He said: “It’s always fantastic to be recognised by our peers for our hard work. We keep on proving how good our attention to detail is when it comes to weddings, which is now extending to corporate hospitality. It’s amazing how quickly we have made an impact in that sector in less than a year.
“Unlike large venues that have separate teams, we all pull together as a family here at Ellingham Hall, and I’m convinced that is what is getting us the recognition our team deserves.