Background

Sandwell College is the largest provider of 16-19 year old study programmes in the West Midlands. Their mission is to ensure that every young person has the opportunity to reach their full potential, achieving a successful career in their chosen field.

Aim of the project

The aim of the project was to set up a 3D Immersive Learning Lab, introducing exciting, engaging and innovative STEM-related learning projects across the colleges curriculum, using emerging technologies such as virtual reality programming.

A series of workshops will be run to inspire students to become more engaged in STEM, promoting careers through virtual reality workplace tours, connecting with those who previously might not of seen STEM careers.

What impact has it made?

The project has begun with great success, giving students a fantastic insight into 3D modelling and virtual reality activities around STEM.

The college has partnered with Cadbury College in Kings Norton to use some of their facilities to host the equipment for students.

Through the use of iPads and VR, the students have taken part in a number of exciting activities to enhance their STEM learning. These include entering new worlds and visualising scientific concepts and diagrams, such as life-sized DNA structures.

They have also tested out Augmented Reality Cubes, which combined with a VR headset allows the students to hold the cube and they visualise holographic 3D models (such as engines, the human brain and CAD drawings) in the palm of their hands. As they rotate these around they can view them from all angles.

Moving forward the college are looking to attract more students to study STEM courses, using the equipment to engage them in a fun and effective way.

Get involved with Millennium Point Trust

Our multi-award-winning charitable trust invests more than £3m each year towards furthering STEM education within the West Midlands.

Over the years we have provided funding to Scholarships, Grants, and projects that benefit the region. Find out more about our Trust and see how you can get involved here.

The Facilities team at Millennium Point is happy to announce the grand opening of the new security room. The new room expands the already strong security team in place, ready for the busy 2023 ahead.

The project was completed by AP Mitchell Group who have Divisions in the following disciplines Mechanical, Electrical, Facilities Management, Air Conditioning and Fire & Security. Also included on the project was D Stanley Associates, a project management and building services consultancy practice.

Upgrading without pausing on the safety of visitors

The project, which involved full upgrades of the control room and security equipment, was completed in 26 weeks. During this time, it was vital that there was no reduction in security. This was made achievable with keeping the original control room operational while the new one was being built. The new cameras were put online before the old ones were taken down. Alongside this, our friendly security team continuing their patrols and security was never compromised.

It was also important that the work carried out wouldn’t disrupt our customer’s events, our tenants, or visitors. The project involved lots of careful planning throughout with AP Mitchell Group being aware not to cause any inconvenience to any of the customers and staff . Regular meetings and communication were planned throughout the project duration involving David Stanley, The Project Team at AP Mitchell, and the Facilities team from Millennium Point.

Sleek and bespoke designed control room

The original control room, now 23 years old and becoming obsolete needed a refresh not just in tech but in design also. The whole new CCTV Security Control room was built including bespoke control furniture, a video wall comprising 8 x 44” LED 4K monitors, 2 x Operator control stations each workstation having 3 x 27” LED monitors each station having joystick controllers, allowing the security operators to control the system cameras.

New Video Management software system is now in place which is designed to simplify the control and management of otherwise disparate systems into a centralised graphical user interface. In addition to the streamlining system operations, the software will also increase situational awareness and accountability while reducing risks.

Camera upgrades and radio upgrades 

130 cameras were replaced both internally and externally throughout the whole building all sited in strategic locations. There are a mixture of static fixed cameras and full pan tilt zoom cameras. The cameras installed are the very latest in technology giving real time images, along with this, night vision and better-quality cameras  increase the quality of the area captured, allowing the security operators to have full CCTV coverage of the whole site. The cameras are all linked into a large network comprising of 11 individual data cabinets linked together with OM4 fibre optic cabling. Each data cabinet has individual data switches backed up with a UPS system.

New digital touch screen radios were also recommended and given to the security team. The radios are digital with better sound quality and has a transmit interrupt capability enabling a supervisor to interrupt and deliver critical communication. It also has lone worker mode which builds safety for our own team. The mode will prompt lone workers to press a button in timed intervals to let the rest of the team know everything is ok.

John Ayre Head of Fire & Security Division at AP Mitchell Group said, ‘Our company was delighted to have been awarded this most prestigious contract.

I am pleased that the installation of CCTV security cameras at Millennium Point and the building of a new state of the art security control room, is now complete, In addition to providing a measure of safety and security to the visitors and staff, the installation of the cameras will provide the Millennium Point Security team with a better and clearer coverage of the whole site. I have been honoured to represent AP Mitchell in delivering this prestigious contract on time and more importantly on budget’.

Linda Degg, Facilities Director at Millennium Point said ‘Our CCTV system and Control Room were out of date and obsolete, so we needed to upgrade both but maintain operational standards.  Undertaking such a large-scale project in a live environment has serious challenges so it was vital that we chose the right contractor.  With support from our project managers, D Stanley Associates, we selected AP Mitchell and commenced a 6-month programme of work.  The project ran smoothly and completed on time.  The onsite team worked tirelessly to accommodate our business and were flexible, agile, and extremely professional throughout.  Our team is delighted with their new Control Room and the quality of our new security systems.  I would not hesitate to recommend AP Mitchell to anyone considering a similar project and hope to be able to work with the team again in the future.’

Keep up to date with Millennium Point

Upgrading our control room is just one of the ways we continually develop Millennium Point to give the best to our guests, tenants and customers.

With a lot planned for 2023, keep up to date with the latest here.

Building on the success of last year’s SciSPORT event, which saw 1,000 visitors visit Millennium Point. We are excited to announce our next event in our SciSERIES, SciMED!

Last year we welcomed students from 28 schools across the region to participate in a range of thrilling activities, workshops, and talks delivered by organisations and personalities from the world of science and sport.

To get an idea what’s in store, watch below how the SciSPORT went –

This event is open to upper primary (years 5 & 6) and lower secondary (years 7 & 8) school students. To confirm your place, email our friendly Trust team [email protected].

SciMED – showcasing the importance of STEM in the medical industry

The SciMED event that takes place Monday 10th July, seeks to inspire the next generation of STEM students with all things ‘medical’ – from the traditional careers such as doctors, veterinary, and dentistry, through to wider STEM related sectors such as psychology, health, wellbeing, and pharmaceuticals, whilst showcasing technology and engineering advances in all associated sectors.

Students will be able to explore:

– Interactive workshops

– Sports and fitness

– Medical activities

The day also includes visits to the award winning ThinkTank Science Museum!

Sign up to book your school’s place today and discover all things STEM and Medical.

Get your company involved

There is still time to get involved with SciMED with your team. Promote your company and showcase your innovations to young people from schools across the region. With lots of exciting exhibitions already joining us, now is the time to book your place to ensure you get the chance to connect with the future of your industry.

This is just one of the ways we’re supporting STEM in the region

Our multi-award-winning charitable trust invests more than £3m each year towards furthering STEM education within the West Midlands.

Over the years we have provided funding to Scholarships, Grants and projects that benefit the region. Find out more about our Trust in our brochure here.

When you’re looking to lease a commercial property, it’s important that you ask questions to ensure there aren’t any nasty surprises after you’ve signed your contract.

Below we’ve put together 12 questions you can ask before you lease your next commercial property:

Is the property in a good location?

Location is ultimately one of the most important factors to consider when looking for a property. You want a property that’s easy for you, your staff and your clients to visit, meaning it should be as close as possible to get to and would be beneficial if it was near multiple transport links.

Does the property suit my commercial needs?

The property you’re looking at may currently or previously have been used for something entirely different to your intended purpose. If this is the case you may want to look into how much work is needed to be done in order for it to meet your requirements.

If you find yourself in this situation you may also want to ask whether you need planning permission to change the purpose of the property. Due to this, it may be beneficial to look for a property that is currently being used in the same way you plan to so that you can avoid any extra costs like planning permission and building materials.

When do I need to pay rent and how much is it?

Understanding when your rent is due allows you to pay it on time and lets you know whether you need to pay rent monthly or quarterly. You may also want to ask questions like:

Are there any restrictions on assigning or subletting the property?

There may be a number of reasons why you want to come out of your contract early. If you decide to do this then it’s usually done through an assignment (where you transfer the lease over to a new tenant) or through subletting (letting all or part of the property to a third party making them your tenant). 

Your decision to assign or sublet is usually based on how much control you still want to have over the property. For example, if you choose assignment then the tenant you transfer the lease over to will become liable for any obligations under the lease and you are likely to need to enter into an ‘Authorised Guarantee Agreement’ or ‘AGA’. The agreement basically means that if the new tenant fails to abide by the terms of the lease (including not paying rent) then the landlord may come to you for a solution. 

What’s the length of the lease?

Understanding how long the length of your lease is gives you the opportunity to discover whether the tenancy agreement suits you. For example, if you’re looking for a commercial property for a short period of time, you won’t want a long term lease. 

Is the lease protected by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954?

It may be ideal to look for a property protected by the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1954, as it gives tenants of commercial properties an automatic renewal at the end of the lease agreement, except in certain circumstances. These circumstances could include the owner wanting to sell the property or redevelop it.

In many cases landlords will exclude the security tenure provisions in legislation so that they can ensure the lease does come to an end. 

Is there a break option?

Having a break option gives you the chance to leave your premises early should any changes occur within your business. You may also want to check to see if the landlord has included a break clause where both the tenant or owner can enforce it. If a break does occur then you or your landlord are required to serve notice within a set period of time. 

What rights does the lease grant and what rights are reserved by the Landlord?

Usually standard leases include rights granted for the tenants benefit along with rights retained by the landlord. It’s important that you read the lease properly and ensure they include any extra benefits you need to use the property effectively. 

You may also want to look for things in the contract like:

Asking these sorts of questions will help you understand whether the property meets your requirements.

Do I have any obligations to fix any problems in the building?

Most leases want you to look after the property, however you want to make sure that they haven’t put responsibility on you to fix any damages or improve the property. This can help you save money through not spending on unnecessary repairs and purchases. 

What are my obligations when the lease comes to an end?

An important aspect of the contract to check is what happens when it runs out. Are you expected to remove any fixtures or alterations you’ve made or are you expected to redecorate to the landlord’s satisfaction? 

Understanding these things stops you from running into any unexpected problems as you leave.

Can I legally use the property for my business?

Leases can limit how you use the property, so you should ask the landlord what you’re allowed to use it for. It’s also your responsibility to check what planning permissions you have, as you don’t want any surprises in the future. 

Who is responsible for the buildings insurance?

When it comes to insurance, the landlord usually pays for it and they can ask the tenant to either pay the premium or a part of the insurance if there are multiple tenants in the building.

However, even though the landlord tends to pay for the buildings insurance, you as the tenant will still be required to ensure your possessions within the building.

How can Millennium Point help you?

Here at Millennium Point we have a number of commercial leases that could be perfect for you. Our spaces have:

We’re also located in Birmingham City Centre and are only a 15 minute walk away from New Street Station and Snow Hill Station, a 5 minute walk away from Moor Street Station and are  also very close to the motorway and bus routes, making it easy to commute to.

For more information on what properties we have available, visit our website.

Bader Media Entertainment CIC are back at Millennium point! Last year they premiered their latest film The Shimian in the 354-seater Auditorium. The horror film that will leave you wanting to sleep with the light on, can now be watched on Amazon Prime and other streaming services.

Now they’re back to now make Millennium Point their new home. We caught up with the team to see how they’re settling in.

About Bader Media Entertainment CIC

Bader Media Entertainment CIC are a production company with a combined passion for film making and protecting the environment. Profits made from projects go to charities and organisations that focus on combatting litter. Based in the UK, they product high-quality creative content for entertainment, community interest, and to promote their mission to protecting the planet.

Catching up and current projects

The team at Bader Media Entertainment CIC aren’t currently working on another horror film, but are working with several charities on some exciting projects.

The Sealed Knot

The Sealed Knot Charity commemorates UK history in several ways. They perform re-enactments in local communities based around battles, skirmishes, and sieges of the English Civil War. They are the oldest re-enactment society in the UK, a registered educational charity, and the single biggest re-enactment in Europe. Bader Media Entertainment CIC will be spending time with the Knot to create a recruitment commercial which will aim to showcase the fantastic social side of being a member of The Sealed Knot.

The Douglas Bader Foundation’s Bader’s Big Band

Bader’s Big Band is an ambitious project founded the first ever big band consisting almost entirely of musicians from the UK with a physical disability or diagnosed mental health condition. The band have performed at concerts, air shows, festivals, and private events.

James Peakman, Director of Bader Media Entertainment CIC explained how ‘there’s nothing quite like it’.

Continuing ‘Bader Media Entertainment CIC was named after Sir Douglas Bader. Therefore it is an honour for us to be working with his family and foundation on a documentary telling individual stories of the musicians and how they come together to play music with the big band’.

Memory Laners

The Memory Laners are a small charity based in Berwick Upon Tweed that run musical events and social activities at the Maltings Travis Studio for people living with dementia and their family and friends. Bader Media Entertainment CIC are producing a short promotional documentary showing all the great work that’s achieved there.

Other projects

Keep up to date with Bader Media Entertainment CIC here to see all the fantastic work they do.

Book in a visit to Millennium Point to view your future office space

We have a wide range of office spaces available in our landmark venue, right in the heart of Birmingham City Centre.

Take a look at our current spaces and get in contact with our friendly property team, we can’t wait to meet you!

Make Millennium Point your place to go this Christmas in our award-winning Birmingham city centre venue. Expect to receive first-class hospitality, hassle-free planning, and a high-quality service when you book with us. Confirm your Christmas party at Millennium Point by 31st July 2023 and we will upgrade your package to include complimentary prosecco for every 5 guests booked.

Have a night to remember this Christmas for your exclusive party

Give your guests the VIP treatment with our Exclusive Christmas Party package. The package comes with the sumptuous three course Christmas banqueting menu and is £49.95 per person (plus VAT).

Guests will be treated to an arrival drink in the stunning glass Atrium. After you have finished, take your seat for your sumptuous three-course Christmas dinner.

Tables will be dressed in stylish centre pieces with a luxury cracker and associated novelties for each guests to enjoy. Prefer a personal touch? Light up the space with brand colours, with the option to bring your own centre pieces to really make the space your own. Later, guests can party on the dancefloor with our resident DJ and take full advantage of the private fully licenced bar.

For guests that want a bigger experience, our events team are always happy to help discuss bespoke packages. Why not book our big Auditorium space as an additional extra, previously an IMAX cinema, now one of the biggest screens in Birmingham. Perfect for hosting awards, having a presentation, or treat your staff to a festive film.

The Exclusive Christmas Party package is suitable for party sizes of 100-200, enquire now.

For smaller teams, Millennium Point has you covered with our shared Christmas Party

Taking place at our award-winning Birmingham city centre venue on Saturday 9th December, this package includes a three-course dinner and a fully licenced bar. Throughout the night enjoy all the festive classics while you dance the night away on the dancefloor.

Tickets just cost £44.95 +VAT, this is a great event to attend without having to break the bank. Tickets are sold by the table (minimum of 8 tickets). Book your table now.

Whichever you choose, you can be assured that you and your guests will receive outstanding hospitality, which is big on quality without maxing the company card. Find out more about our Christmas packages here.

A menu worth talking about

Our new Christmas menu is sure to leave guests more than satisfied, with vegan, gluten free and other alternatives available, there is something for everyone this festive season.

Find out more about our delicious menus here.

Early bird gets the prosecco

Confirm your Christmas party at Millennium Point by 31st July 2023 and we will upgrade your package to include a complimentary prosecco for every 5 guests booked. Meaning you can truly bring in the Christmas cheer with your team.

Terms and conditions can be found here.

Make your event sparkle when booking with Millennium Point

If you have something in mind our friendly events team have over 40 years in events experience and are happy to help. Get in contact for any questions you may have with our team.

Whether you’re a small, medium or large sized company, meeting rooms can be key to driving successful business decisions. When people think of meeting rooms they tend to think about them being within their own office, however this doesn’t need to be the case. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted many businesses, by causing them to move toward hybrid working and downsizing their offices. Due to this, meeting room hires have become more popular as they’re convenient and more affordable than paying for an office with space you don’t regularly need. 

With Birmingham having great transport links and a fantastic business community, it’s one of the best places to hire a meeting room for your next business discussion. Due to this, our blog explores why you should hire a meeting room in Birmingham.

Benefits of hiring a meeting room

Hiring a meeting room has many benefits, such as:

It creates a professional image

Using a dedicated meeting room instead of coworking spaces or coffee shops creates more of a professional look to your meeting. It also provides a private meeting space and encourages people to speak openly and honestly as conversations can’t be overheard by others. 

Giving a professional feel to your meetings can also instil confidence in your clients, partners and staff, helping your meetings be more successful. 

They can provide state-of-the-art facilities

Many meeting rooms available to hire come with state-of-the-art facilities meaning you don’t have to spend your time and money investing in technology for meetings. 

Equipment usually provided includes:

These facilities can help presenting and video calls run smoothly and efficiently throughout the entire discussion.

They provide flexibility and scalability

A great thing about hiring a meeting room is that you can look for one that suits your specific needs, offering you flexibility and scalability within your meeting. When looking for a meeting room you can consider:

They can be cost effective

When you don’t need to use meeting rooms often it can be cost effective to hire them instead. Hiring meeting rooms removes the need to spend money setting up and maintaining a space. It also means that when you pay for a room you can expect them to be of a high quality that are sure to meet the needs and requirements of your meeting. 

It helps stimulate productivity and focus

Research suggests that a change of working environment can promote productivity and focus. This can help you get the most out of your meeting and progress efficiently. 

Other factors that promote focus and productivity include:

Why host a meeting in Birmingham

There are many benefits to hosting a meeting in Birmingham, such as

Its central location

Birmingham’s central location makes it easy for people to attend meetings due to it having various types of transport links. These include:

It has a diverse business community

Birmingham is a huge business hub for all kinds of companies giving you the opportunity to meet new clientele or potential employees all around the city. Working around an abundance of businesses can also inspire new ideas and opportunities inside and outside of your meeting.

It has fantastic entertainment opportunities

The city is known for having an amazing range of museums, exhibitions and food places to indulge in, giving you the perfect opportunity to interact with your clients or colleagues on a more personal level outside of your meeting. 

What makes a good conference room? 

When searching for a conference room there are a few things you should look out for, such as:

Why should you hire a meeting room at Millennium Point?

Here at Millennium Point we’re located in Birmingham City centre, making it easy for all meeting attendees to get here. 

We also have a range of meeting rooms available for hire such as:

Express

Express has one main room and 3 smaller boardrooms, which can be used as offices, speaker green rooms or quiet rooms, perfect for meetings or presentations.

Express also benefits from:

To learn more about Express, visit our website.

Curzon Rooms

The Curzon Rooms offer easy access and screen presentation facilities that are perfect for your next meeting.

Other benefits include:

To learn more about the Curzon Rooms, visit our website.

Curzon Suite

The Curzon Suite is a part of the Curzon Rooms, but has a few extra benefits, such as:

To learn more about our Curzon Suite, visit our website.

Auditorium 

The Auditorium previously was the first IMAX in the West Midlands and is equipped with everything you need to engage an audience. 

The Auditorium offers:

To learn more about the Auditorium, visit our website. 

Many office spaces have long-term lease agreements that last at least a year, not giving businesses a lot of freedom or wiggle room to change their mind if they outgrow the space or if it just isn’t quite working for them.

However when it comes to short-term lease agreements, you gain more flexibility to be able to move around as your business grows.

Benefit 1 – Lower cost

Usually short-term office leases are a cheaper option. If you rent a space that’s furnished you can avoid the expenses that come along with having to equip an office. This could save you money on things like:

You’re also not responsible for maintenance of the building helping you save significant amounts of money on routine maintenance costs or paying for anything that goes wrong. 

Benefit 2 – It’s more flexible

Short-term office leases give you the opportunity to move around as your business grows, meaning you won’t be stuck in one place for a prolonged period of time. It will also give you greater flexibility to adapt to challenging periods or uncertainties, for example, you could easily switch to remote working while your office space is upgraded or adapted to better suit your operational needs.

Adding on to this, the current challenging economic times due to the cost of living crisis and the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic have had significant impacts on what people and businesses can and can’t afford. Opting for a short-term lease can help you navigate changing conditions, giving you the opportunity to make the best decisions for your staff and business.

Benefit 3 – It’s a quick and easy process 

Another benefit of short-term leases is that they don’t take a lot of time to set up. If you’re looking for somewhere you can move into quickly then a short-term renting option may be perfect for you. This might also be useful if you think you may need to move offices often or if you would rather move to suit your changing needs rather than devote resources to adapt your current office space.

Benefit 4 – There’s more support for scalability 

When you opt for a short term lease it gives you the opportunity to scale your business. For example a lot of offices with short term leases tend to give you the option to use pay-per-use services. This allows you to only pay for the space you use meaning you can save money through not spending the money on rooms you don’t use.

Being able to save more money could give you the opportunity to scale up to a bigger office in the future if you’re planning on growing significantly in terms of staff expansion. 

Benefit 5 – You gain premium services 

Another benefit of short term leases is that they tend to offer premium services such as offering free food, coffee mornings, paying for features like microwaves or kettles etc. 

Long term leases tend to lack premium services as you’ve already locked in for a longer period of time. Whereas, short-term rental agreements have more opportunities to offer premium services, as they tend to have a higher turnover and want to encourage people to keep paying for new contracts.

How can Millennium Point help you find the right short-term office space for you?

Here at Millennium Point we have a variety of rooms that could be perfect for your next short-term office space.

Our office spaces come with flexible ownership options that suit you, as well as our friendly team being on site to support you with any queries you have until you move out of your office. 

Our spaces with short-term office leases include:

Engine

Engine benefits from lots of natural light and overlooks the conservatoire, where you’ll be away from the footfall of Millennium Point. 

It’s located on level 4 and offers a second office alongside an adjacent private boardroom. 

Other features include:

Station Studios

Station Studios has multiple sized rooms, making it suitable for dance groups, yoga sessions or acting rehearsals, where you can choose between mirrored or non-mirrored studios.

Key features include:

Shuttle 

Shuttle is situated on level 3 and keeps you away from the busy footfall of Millennium Point. Shuttle also has one main office and a small office that’s perfect for meetings or hosting guests. 

Key features:

Make an inquiry today to see what office space is perfect for you.

Awards ceremonies are exciting and are worth celebrating, but they can be hard to plan. Due to this we’ve put together 11 simple tips to help you plan a successful awards ceremony. 

Write a brief

Writing a brief is a great way to get all your ideas down and make sure you tick off everything you need or want to do before and on the day. When creating a brief you should consider:

Consider choosing a theme

Giving your ceremony a theme can be a simple way to make it memorable. When picking a theme you should think about:

What’s your budget?

When setting a budget, this may depend on whether you’re going to sell tickets or allow people to attend for free. 

Choose a venue

When choosing a venue there are various factors you’ll want to consider such as:

Do you want to create a floor plan?

Creating a floor plan is a great way to ensure things go smoothly on the day of your event by knowing exactly where you want people to sit and what the event will look like. It would be a good idea to place award nominees near the stage so that they can access it more easily. 

What entertainment are you going to implement?

Entertainment is crucial to a successful awards ceremony. You need to decide whether you want live music or other types of entertainment like dancers, comedians or magicians. Providing these sorts of things will help keep the audience engaged throughout the whole ceremony and will make it more interesting in between awards sections.

How are you going to present your awards?

One of the most important parts of an awards ceremony is the host. You need to decide whether you’re going to host the ceremony yourself or hire someone else to do it. 

The role and responsibilities of a ceremony host can include:

You’ll also want to decide whether you want to use multiple presenters, for example using different people to host each award like they do at the Brit Awards or just use your host to announce each section. 

Another thing to consider is whether the host will make a speech at the beginning and end of the ceremony and how long the award winner can speak for when they make their speech. 

Do you want to create a programme?

Creating a programme for the ceremony will allow both your staff and guests to know how the event is going to run on the day. Printing these out and giving them to guests can also act as a souvenir, making your ceremony even more memorable and can be a great way to get attendees to post about your event on social media.. 

When creating a programme you should consider factors like:

How are you going to promote the awards ceremony?

Promoting your ceremony is important as you don’t want all your hard work planning the ceremony to go to waste if no one knows it’s happening. When it comes to promoting your ceremony you’ll want to think about:

How are you going to invite your guests?

When it comes to inviting your guests you should consider how you’re going to invite them. You should also think about who you’re inviting and they’re preferred form of contact. For example you could send invitations through the post, by email or text or phone them up to invite them personally.

Why choose Millennium Point for your next awards ceremony? 

Here at Millennium Point we have multiple rooms that could be perfect for your next awards ceremony. We’re also close to bus, train and airport transport routes, as well as parking areas, making it easy for you and your guests to get to your event. 

Rooms that could be great for your next event include our Auditorium (Birmingham’s biggest screen), the Platform (perfect for dinner awards) and Atrium. 

Get in touch with us today to see how we can help you find the perfect room for your next awards ceremony. 

When it comes to your business, providing training for your staff is so important, as it helps them and your business grow and develop. However, we know that looking for a training venue can be quite stressful. 

Due to this we’ve put together a few tips to help you choose the right venue for your next training session.

Consider where you want your venue to be located

When looking for a venue you’ll want to choose a location that’s easy to find and has good transport links. It would be ideal to choose somewhere close to a train station, bus stops and the motorway. It’s also a good idea to choose somewhere that’s close to the staff’s usual commute so that it doesn’t take too long to travel.

How much are you willing to pay? 

When looking for somewhere to hold your training session you need to consider your budget and how much money the venue will take out of your budget.  When creating your budget you’ll need to think about:

What facilities are included in the venue?

When looking for a training venue, it’s a good idea to write down what features you need to make the event run smoothly. This checklist could include:

What size venue do you need?

When figuring out what size venue you need, you will want to consider how many people are attending and how big of a room you need or if you need more than one room.

It’s important to consider these as well as required facilities so that you find the perfect building for you to help everything run smoothly and efficiently.

Will you need to provide catering?

If your event is going to take place all day you’ll probably want to consider catering options. You can provide things like sandwiches, salads, cakes, teas and biscuits etc. A buffet style lunch is ideal as it will give a variety of options for people to pick and choose from allowing you to easily cater for dietary requirements. It will also help people focus on the training session if it is taking place for several hours. 

Should you use an event organiser?

A great way to reduce the pressure of hosting a training event is to use an event organiser as they will help you plan your event properly. This will help everything run smoothly and help your staff get the most out of the training as possible.

Does the venue come with parking?

This is obvious, however not all venues come with parking. Picking a venue with parking, or even better free parking, will make it more easily accessible for staff, making it more likely for you to get a better turnout for your training session. 

Have you considered accessibility? 

Accessibility is massively important as it gives everyone the opportunity to access training, including providing access for those with disabilities. When looking for accessible buildings you should see if they provide things like ramps for wheelchair access as well as providing accessible seating. 

Do you want to provide breakout spaces? 

Breakout spaces are a great idea, especially if your training event lasts all day. This gives staff the opportunity to take breaks and move into different spaces so they can differentiate between where they’re learning and where they’re not. This will help people make the most out of your training session and increase the likelihood of them retaining information from the session.

Why choose Millennium Point to host your next training event? 

Here at Millennium Point we have multiple new rooms perfect for your next training event. Our Curzon rooms 1-5 are great for smaller training sessions (can cater for up to 60 people) and our Curzon Suite is ideal for larger events. We also offer catering options for your events.

If you’re looking for an even larger room then our Express room can fit up to 100 delegates and features 3 small boardrooms that can be used as offices, speaker green rooms or quiet spaces. 

Get in touch with us today to see how we can help you find the right room for your next training session.