Barnham Broom: ‘A hidden gem’ that was the perfect choice of venue for a large food and drink conference

Hosting events is something we take an enormous amount of pride in here at Barnham Broom. Be it a small office away day or a large muti-ticketed conference – we have venue space on-site which will tick any box.

When it came to planning its first-ever food and drink all-day conference, the Broadland Food Innovation Centre knew they needed a location that would be large enough to host a range of afternoon workshops as well as seating over 120 attendees, with nearly 50 also joining virtually, for the morning key-note speakers. Thankfully, Barnham Broom could offer just that!

 

The Broadland Food Innovation Centre needed a venue fit for its all-day Nourish conference. Barnham Broom was a perfect choice. Photo: Lesley van Dijk

Broadland Food Innovation Centre

Established by the University of East Anglia, the Broadland Food Innovation Centre is a European Regional Development Funded (ERDF) project, designed to be a hub that supports food and drink SMEs within the region to grow and develop supply chains. The facility, located just off the A47 to the west of Norwich, consists of multiple food-grade units and kitchens.

 

As well as the physical space, it has created a Food and Drink Innovation Cluster which links local food supply chain organisations in Norfolk and Suffolk together via networking, support, collaborations and workshops tailored to business growth needs.

 

For its Innovation Cluster, The Broadland Food Innovation Centre decided to host ‘Nourish: Food & Drink Innovation Conference’ – a sell-out event with over 120 attendees and almost 50 virtual guests, which took place at Barnham Broom.

 

Event organiser Charlotte-Louise Beach, Marketing & Events Coordinator for the Research and Innovation Division of the UEA, at the Nourish conference at Barnham Broom. Photo: Lesley van Dijk

 

 

Charlotte-Louise Beach, Marketing & Events Coordinator for the Research and Innovation Division of the UEA, helped organise the event. She said, “We wanted to find a location within Norfolk and Suffolk, a hidden-gem, and Barnham Broom perfectly fit the bill. Having so many suites and beautifully decorated rooms, with such spectacular views, we knew it would be the perfect place to hold the Nourish Conference, which utilised all rooms for the afternoon workshops. We have Cluster members from all over East Anglia, so ensuring there was adequate parking was essential in order for all attendees to be able to access the venue and make the most of such an exciting day.”

 

The event, which was hosted at Barnham Broom, accommodated 120 delegates for talks and workshops throughout the day. Photo: Lesley van Dijk

 

 

The event’s agenda was jam-packed full of speakers and workshops for the delegates to enjoy. The day kicked off with a delicious local breakfast and coffee, with plenty of space for the attendees to congregate to register and network. After an introductory welcome, a range of project partners delivered lively talks to the large room of over 120 guests, while the technology was in place for those who couldn’t be at the event in person to dial in remotely.

 

Barnham Broom easily accommodated the huge agenda for the all-day event. Photo: Lesley van Dijk

 

 

The speakers consisted of Cassandra Stavrou MBE, founder of PROPER snacks, followed by James Averdieck who built the award winning Gü desserts brand. After a mid-morning break, catered with snacks, more talks followed from Hannah Springham, co-founder of Farmyard Frozen, and Joseph Cordy, Head of Commercial at Paddy & Scotts, who told the story of this ambitious coffee company.

 

Cassandra Stavrou, founder of PROPER snacks at the Nourish conference. Photo: Lesley van Dijk

 

James Averdieck who built the award-winning Gü desserts brand also spoke at the event. Photo: Lesley van Dijk

 

A sit-down lunch from the wonderful caterers at Barnham Broom was next, then a talk full of insights followed, from Andrew Fearne, Professor at Norwich Business School. The large group was then split into smaller break-out groups across the venue for workshops, ending with a drinks reception that allowed more time to network whilst enjoying local delicacies and the beautiful views around the venue.

 

The versatile space at Barnham Broom allowed delegates to move around on the day and to network with each other. Photo: Lesley van Dijk

 

 

The scale, length and multiple elements of this event were all easily accommodated by Barnham Broom, plus also being a member of the Innovation Cluster helped us to be even more involved. We aim to offer incredible support to the event organisers, and it was great that this was recognised at the Nourish Conference, whose organiser Charlotte added, “Nothing was too much for the team at Barnham Broom. We felt incredibly supported, from initially booking the venue with the amazing Sarah, through to organising final details with Debbie, and finally with Harry and the team having constant smiles and a can-do attitude on the day. What a team to be surrounded by!”

Hannah Springham, co-founder of Farmyard Frozen at the conference. Photo: Lesley van Dijk

 

 

The feedback from the attendees was incredibly positive. The delegates enjoyed the fact that the workshops were in separate rooms because it allowed them to move about between sessions. There were also plenty of compliments on how the food was absolutely delicious and offered a wonderful variety that catered for all dietary requirements. We take this as an incredible testimonial from a group of people with such investment in the food and drink sector!

 

The event was a roaring success and Barnham Broom was pleased to play our part in its success. With the highest of standards in food, we are thrilled the delegates enjoyed the catering we offered, whilst the versatile spaces, the location and the setting of the venue worked perfectly for the agenda of the Nourish Conference.

The attendees complimented the Barnham Broom venue on the delicious food, beautiful surroundings and stunning views of the golf course. Photo: Lesley van Dijk

 

The Broadland Food Innovation Centre remarked on how our excellent staff members are incredibly passionate about what they do. They loved the beautiful and versatile spaces, the gorgeous surroundings and the stunning choice of food that our venue offers. Event organiser Charlotte summarises: “Lots of attendees complimented the gorgeous views of the golf course and how despite the constant rain it was still stunning and green! All in all, we cannot wait to host another event at Barnham Broom.”

 

And we cannot wait to have you back for your next event!

 

For any information on how we can help you to host your event at Barnham Broom, please contact events@barnham-broom.co.uk or call us on 01603 759393.