Hybrid Meetings approved by The Ambition Institute

Over the last two years, organisations have been adapting their programmes and events to ensure they meet the needs of delegates. No more is this true than in the learning and development (L&D) industry, with many programmes being shifted towards either online or hybrid environments. Ambition Institute is one of the many training providers that has had to meet new demands. To support one of its teacher training programmes, the organisation elected to utilise Warwick Conferences’ new hybrid meeting space to allow participants to join either virtually or in person, resulting in an engaging and well-attended programme.

The future of meetings

One of the biggest trends of 2021 was the move towards hybrid events. Warwick Conferences was early to adopt hybrid services, partnering with its technical team to launch a series of new packages.

Among the first companies to experience the new hybrid meeting technology was Ambition Institute. A long-standing client of Warwick Conferences, Ambition Institute required a flexible service to conduct its head teacher training course. Rebecca Eastwood, Events Senior Associate for Ambition Institute said: “During the lockdown period, we continued our courses online, but we missed the face-to-face experience.

“We’ve hosted our courses at Warwick Conferences for over 10 years and were informed of the new hybrid meeting facilities when restrictions were lifted. As people were travelling from all over the country, a hybrid option was ideal. After understanding more about the technology, we made a late decision to conduct the training through the hybrid option, giving our delegates the autonomy to choose where they conducted the course without it impacting their learning. Upon entering Warwick Conferences, we instantly knew we had made the right decision.”

A new hybrid setting

The hybrid meeting combined Warwick Conferences’ virtual meeting service with a socially distanced meeting space, allowing guests to experience the training session with the same quality regardless of their location. For Ambition Institute’s training course, 26 people attending the facility in person, while 60 members joined online.  

Ambition Institute was one of the first clients to utilise this new meeting option and according to Rebecca, it allowed their delegates to fully immerse themselves into the course. She explains: “This was one of the first times since the ease of restrictions that we conducted a training course with an in-person option, and overall, the experience was a positive one for all.

“From our arrival to conducting the training, it was immensely clear that Warwick Conferences had put a lot of time and effort into balancing the safety implications with the practicality of performing events like ours without limiting experiences. I was personally impressed with the technical support we received during our initial set up and during the event. The tech team were on hand to show us how the system worked, and they ensured they were nearby in case of any difficulties throughout the duration of the course. It's just one aspect of the support we received when working with Warwick Conferences.”

New aspects of Warwick Conferences

The combination of Warwick Conferences’ award-winning meeting spaces with the virtual conference software allows clients to give their teams the option to dial in or join events in person. The virtual conference software, which is capable of supporting an unlimited number of participants, allows clients to hold global or whole-company events without the worry of social restrictions.

Given the appetite to bring back face-to-face meetings – particularly given the proven benefits of training in an in-person setting shown in the L&D Barometer – the hybrid option proved to be a winning formula for AI.

Rebecca commented: “It was delightful to be able to return to Warwick Conferences and conduct a hybrid course with our clients. Even with some of them calling in virtually, it was lovely to be able to conduct a course as similarly as we would have in 2019. We will be looking at utilising Warwick Conferences’ hybrid facilities for future courses so we can continue to give our clients an option that tailors to their individual needs.”

Warwick Conferences’ hybrid and virtual meetings are just two of the new services being offered to clients. For more information, please visit www.warwickconferences.com/welcometowarwick or CLICK HERE to enquiry.