1. Tell us a little about your event. How many people attended, where did they come from, how many days was it, and what type of event did you host?
Ashridge House is the home of our annual BRC Leaders’ Summer School where we host around 70 delegates primarily from the Retail sector plus up to 40 different visitors and contributors across two residential dates in the Summer. The event is held in total over 7 days split between early June and late July and it is an immersive leadership development programme consisting of a number of different elements which lean into the space at Ashridge House which provides an inspiring environment for learning and networking.
2. What was the schedule of your event?
The Summer School is packed with stimulating lectures, interactive workshops and practical activities. Across the first 3 days we have live lectures and keynote addresses in Fairhaven, a ‘bridging the gap’ learning zone in Monks Barn, an interactive evening with BBQ and activities and a number of outdoor reflection sessions whereby attendees are encouraged to utilise the stunning grounds of the House. Our 2nd residential involves more interactive workshops and presentations, a drinks reception, celebration dinner and music to recognise the delegates completion of the course.
3. What were your primary goals for the event, and how did our Ashridge House help you accomplish them? How was your experience working with our events team?
Our primary goal is to inspire the next generation of leaders and equip them with the skills and knowledge required to succeed. Ashridge House’s unique blend of history, luxury and modern amenities provides the perfect location for the Summer School. Through use of the different learning spaces available we are able to create a psychologically safe environment, fostering creativity, collaboration and personal growth.
The event has a number of different aspects of room changes, staging, visitors arriving at different times and lots of moving parts! The events team are instrumental in supporting with making sure room layouts are actioned, that our busy agenda and changing break, lunch or dinner times are accommodated, being a supportive ear when things may get a bit stressful and helping us find solutions if things do not go to plan. The events team have always gone out of their way to ensure our delegates have a smooth learning experience and this comes across in our delegate testimonials, the team have always been very supportive, communicative and attentive for our events.
4. Which rooms or spaces did you use during your event, and what made them a great fit for your needs?
Because of the different intricacies of the course we use a variety of spaces and rooms across the grounds which are perfect for our diverse range of sessions and workshops. We have space in the East Wing which gives our volunteers some much needed space away to decompress from the event when needed. Fairhaven is our main space for our lectures along with the syndicate rooms for coaching sessions with the groups – both areas are a blank canvas allowing us to bring in our own audio and visual creatives to bring the room to life or decorate the smaller syndicate rooms to make them more personalised. Monks barn then gives us a completely different learning space and allows us to bring in a variety of retailers, experts and workshops to the spaces, creating a flow of activity around the two floors as well as utilising the outside grounds. As our programme promotes reflection and conscious leadership the outside areas are a huge benefit in giving delegates the opportunity to do this in nature, to truly take time to pause, think and reflect.
5. Did your attendees stay in our on-site accommodation? What feedback did you receive about their experience?
As it is an immersive residential programme we stipulate that delegates must stay on-site in order to benefit fully from the experience as the days can start early and finish late. The feedback from attendees is always positive - rooms are comfortable and accessible with modern amenities in most and the lodges are a special retreat! A key benefit of Ashridge was access to the onsite wellbeing facilities, this gives our attendees the opportunity to continue with their health and fitness routines or just take some time to go for a swim and unwind.
6. What were your favourite amenities or features of Ashridge House?
There are too many to choose from! I love that there are so many different spaces that enable us to create different learning environments and conversations depending on where we are. The combination of a location steeped in history but also with a ‘wow’ factor of the architecture and design, along with the grounds and service by the onsite teams really does add so much to the overall delegate experience.
7. How did you find Ashridge House dining options? Were there any meals or dining experiences that stood out?
The dining options at Ashridge House are excellent. The food is always delicious with all tastes being catered for, the f&b team are always on hand to help you but our stand out dining experiences would always be the BBQ night and our private dinners as the attention to detail that goes into the planning and the menus creates a memorable and special experience for all.
8. Did you add any enhancements or custom options to your event package? How did they contribute to the overall experience?
The BBQ package give delegates the opportunity to relax after a couple of days of intense content but whilst still staying in a group to build on their connections. It is a bit more informal and perfect for the early stages of forming as a group. Whereas our gala dinner evening is a chance for them to dress up, celebrate their achievements and dine in a stunning venue with a 3 course meal. The team have always been very flexible on the drinks packages and amending these dependent on the group or event.
9. Did your group have the opportunity to explore our surrounding woods or outdoor spaces? What did they enjoy about it?
We factor the outdoor spaces into our event as it would be a shame not to use these! Whether it is an outdoor energiser activity or a reflection session in the Rose Garden or by the Italian fountains it is one of the highlights for many of our attendees and has resulted in them making a pact to get outside more when they are home. The grounds are stunning and you can just keep wandering to give you a mindful break from the content, or many go for an early morning jog to set their intentions for the day. When our event is on we would often have individuals, pairs or groups of delegates dotted around the grounds working through some of the content and just taking the time to be present.
10. Would you consider hosting another event at our venue? What would you look forward to next time?
2025 will be our 4th year of hosting our BRC Leaders’ Summer School at Ashridge House and we will look to continue returning every year for as long as we can as the venue aligns with our purpose of the school, it makes you be more conscious of your surroundings, accommodates the complexity of our agenda whilst being a beautiful place to learn and grow.
To find out more about us, visit our Venuefinder page!