Free service? How can that be?
As an accredited IATA TIDS* venue sourcing company, we claim a commission from the venue at which we place your business. This doesn’t impact on the costs the venue will charge you (in fact we normally negotiate better rates) and as a result, we can provide you with free venue-finding, so - in short – everyone wins.
*International Air Transport Association - Travel Industry Designator Service
Sounds a bit wacky to me. Is it?
Venue-sourcing through a third party is a perfectly legitimate and well-recognised industry practice. Venues throughout the world operate on a commission basis and in some circumstances, agency business can account for up to 50% of a venue’s revenue – so venues value their relationship with us as much as they value the business you place with them.
How do I know I’m getting best value for money?
Through our knowledge of the market-place and our negotiating skills, you get the most competitive rates available – and we’re always looking at ways to get you an even better deal on top of those. For instance, subject to your needs, we might recommend a mix of day-delegate rate and room-hire-plus-catering, instead of a more straightforward but costly solution. Furthermore, we don’t accept any inducements from any venues – no loyalty points; no freebies; no gifts – which keeps us truly impartial and independent – and able to offer you the best deals.
Why don’t I just find a venue myself?
You can. But we’ve built up significant specialist expertise through dealing with venues day-to-day and our clients appreciate the added value we offer – especially since we know exactly what questions to ask; what to look for - and more importantly, the pitfalls to avoid. Venues also keep us regularly updated about deals and opportunities – often before these reach the open market - so we can pass these on to you.
Can you help with venues outside the UK?
Hoh yus! Many of our venue recommendations are based on personal experience, and we maintain comprehensive databases for all those locations we haven’t actually managed to visit yet! We specialise in UK and European venues and can provide you with detailed information including room capacities and floorplans, as well as arrange inspection visits, accompanied or unaccompanied.
What happens once I brief you?
A lot. We’ll clarify the brief so you know we’ve understood exactly what you’re after, and make sure we have all your contact details.
We’ll ask you how flexible your parameters are - then run an initial search through our database to which we’ll also apply our intelligent, dogged intuition to identify a shortlist of possible options.
We’ll contact each venue; confirm their availability and then prepare for you a venue-by-venue cost comparison (including links to the individual venue websites so you can see at a glance what you’re getting.)
We’ll also include the cost of programme options you might not already have considered.
Assuming the list contains a venue you’d be happy to go with, you simply confirm this to us; we instruct the venue who raise a Contract which is then sent to you for signature and return.
This confirms your booking and you can then proceed accordingly – with either no further involvement from us (until the next time, we hope!) or with our continued event-management support – for which we’d then negotiate a fee for our further services.
How long have you been in business?
Ashwell has been in existence for over 3 years – and was formed by our event-management parent company SLE Group Ltd, as the result of the frustrations they’ve experienced running events in inappropriate venues! (See the next question too . . .)
What else can you do for me?
We do all things event-related. Our parent company, SLE Group Ltd has over 15 years experience in creating, managing and delivering Superb Live Events throughout the UK and Europe – and some credible case-studies of helping clients to achieve their event objectives.
If you’re a venue-sourcing specialist, how come you’ve got a dog for your logo?
Good question! We considered what we offered and realised that we’re well-trained in our field; loyal and . . . well . . . dogged in our pursuit of the right venues to fulfil your objectives. We’ve also got a terrific sense of smell for them and we don’t stop running and digging until we can present you with a nice juicy venue-bone. And because we’re great at what we do, we wanted to stand out from the crowd - so we hope Ashwell does it for you too!
