The Events Team: Hospitality on Campus

• The events team is the epitome of Service Excellence – delivering a wide range of events, hospitality, dinners and weddings across the campus throughout the year.
• The team give 110% on each and every event for a range of clients – internal UoM staff, corporate clients, conferences organizers, wedding guests and deliver this across a full suite of venues across the campus, all to the same high class standards.

Campus Support & Security:

• The Campus Support & Security team provides a round-the-clock service, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our community 24 hours a day, 265 days a year. Their work often goes unseen by the majority of staff and students, yet they are always there, quietly ensuring our campus runs smoothly. From responding to emergenceis and providing assistance in times of need to maintain a secure environment for all, their dedication and professionalism are invaluable.

The Conferences and Venues Team

• The Conferences & Venues team is dedicated to providing exceptional service, from a small meeting or event to large international conferences, whilst maintaining the highest standards of integrity, quality, and sustainability, and fostering a strong culture of teamwork and professional growth.
• A commitment to service excellence is evident in every aspect of operations, ensuring seamless and outstanding experience for clients and colleagues alike.
• With commerciality at the heart of the team, they have delivered over 600 events and meetings this year worth over £3.3 million to the university.

The Conferences and Venues Team

This year, the Conferences and Venues Team won the Service Excellence Team award. The team achieved this success through the following efforts:

Customer experience: Through our adaptable approach, we create a positive and memorable experience for all stakeholders with 38% of our customers returning to us for repeat business.

Communication and Internal Collaboration: Collaboration across Hospitality & Events, Estates, and wider UoM teams is fundamental to our success in delivering exceptional events. Some key examples include:

• The Times Higher Academic World Summit.
• Graduation and Welcome Week.
• International academic conferences.
• External organisation partnerships.

Keep It On Campus Days initiative is a testament to our commitment to financial sustainability and knowledge-sharing.

Service Excellence Standards: The team operates within agreed service level agreements (SLAs), ensuring consistency and high standards across all activities.

Sustainability and Ethical Practices: Sustainability is embedded in everything we do. We actively communicate with clients about our sustainability initiatives, including sustainable travel options, Fairtrade commitments, and prioritising non-meat catering options.

Training, Team Development, and Teamwork: Investing in our team is fundamental to our continued success. We provide development opportunities such as attending industry conferences, apprenticeship courses, and engaging in away days. Our second team away day, held on 31 January, focused on service excellence and resulted in a clear action plan for continued improvement. This commitment to professional development strengthens our team, ensuring we remain at the forefront of best practices.

Arpana Verma, Head of Division & Clinical Professor of Public Health:

“I would strongly recommend the Conference and Venues for the Service Excellence team award. I have had the pleasure of working with a number of colleagues from the team for small research meetings and workshops to large international conferences. They are always polite, helpful, resourceful, meticulous and friendly. Due to last minute issues with delegates, things are always fraught and it has been a life saver knowing I can rely on the Team to sort out these issues in a professional and courteous way. At our last conference, some of our speakers had been receiving threats on social media. The team not only went above and beyond to ensure there was enough security, but also helped with allaying fears and concerns. I have no hesitation in recommending them for this award.”

Rachael Mcgraw, Head of Colleague Experience • Directorate of People and Organisational Development:

“The team worked with me to launch our new Welcome Events for colleagues joining the University, during 2023 and 2024.  The team offered amazing expertise and insight into how to organise a successful event….The attention to detail the team has means that they took all the stress out of balancing the many different aspects of event management which I really appreciated.  Having them there on the day of the events was incredibly reassuring too.”

Anne-Marie Nugnes, Creative Manchester Research Platform Manager:

“Over the past 4 years, I have worked closely with the Conferences & Venues team on several Creative Manchester Research Platform events. The Team always go above and beyond to work collaboratively and to support us with our often evolving, and sometimes complex requirements. Nothing is ever too much, irrespective of which member of the team we are working with; we receive prompt replies to enquiries and fantastic levels of communication, right the way through from initial email enquiry to 'on-the-day' support and often, a post-event check in to see how it went! We're very grateful to lean on the support, knowledge and expertise of the Team, and they're great to work with.”

Karen Doyle, Amethyst Events and PCO for the British Association of Psychopharmacology:

“I would like to compliment and commend the Conference and Venues Team for the outstanding service that we have received from them when managing our events…I would highly recommend the Conference and Venues team – and each time we return, I look forward to working with them!  Kudos to the team!”

Rob Keeling – Central Teaching Spaces Manager

• The work which Rob does to enable constructions projects and maintenance works to progress will generally go unnoticed, yet without him a lot of these would not be able to begin with let alone be completed.
• Whilse using his experience and skills he is pivotal in delivering projects and his positive attitudes is essential when you hit a stumbling block. Rob is always contactable and will offer his assistance rather than sit back watch people struggle.

Thomas Pheonix-Archer Help Desk & Stores Supervisor

• Tom oversees the helpdesk for estates and manages the stories for FMC, juggling numerous responsibilities with remarkable professionalism and customer service. His commitment to excellence and his team is truly commendable.
• Navigating daily challenges with positive attitudes, managing multiple reports and high pressure situations, Tom is an asset to the team.

Milly White

• Milly approaches every challenge with a positive attitude and a genuine smile, regardless of the situation. She knows and instils in everyone the importance of a smile, especially at pivotal times of the year. Her calm composure during high-pressure moments is exemplary, and she handles even the most demanding tasks with grace and efficiency. Whether its managing student events, coordinating equipment requests, or stepping in to alleviate operational pressure across multiple sites, Milly raises to the occasion without hesitation.

Tori Brogden

• Toris unwavering dedication, exceptional problem-solving skills and positive attitude have ensured the department operates seamlessly, even during challenging times.
• One of Toris greatest strengths is her ability to remain calm and methodical under pressure. During particularly demanding periods, she has independently manages high volumes of urgent requests, ensuring services continue to run smoothly without disruption.

Tori Brogden’s dedication to service excellence is evident in her proactive approach, problem-solving skills, and unwavering commitment to delivering the best possible experience for students, staff, and colleagues. Her contributions have significantly improved the efficiency and responsiveness of the Estates Helpdesk, making a measurable impact on overall service delivery.

Key Achievements:

• Maintaining Service Continuity Under Pressure: Her ability to prioritize and coordinate responses ensured that critical tasks were handled promptly, preventing delays and improving operational flow.
• Enhancing Communication and Customer Support: Recognizing the importance of clear and effective communication, Tori has improved how the Helpdesk interacts with customers.
• Streamlining Service Request Handling: Tori introduced improvements to how maintenance and service requests are tracked and managed, reducing helpdesk response times and increasing efficiency. Her approach has helped prevent bottlenecks and enabled the team to operate in a more structured and organized manner.
• Positive Influence on Team Collaboration: Tori’s leadership by example has fostered a more supportive and efficient working environment. Colleagues regularly turn to her for guidance, and her willingness to assist others has strengthened teamwork and improved overall service performance.

How Success Has Been Measured:

• Improved Response Times: By refining request management and prioritisation, Tori has contributed to a noticeable improvement in how quickly issues are reported, ensuring that urgent matters are resolved without unnecessary delays.
• Increased Positive Feedback: Both colleagues and customers have provided regular commendations on Tori’s ability to handle complex issues, her approachability, and her professionalism. Staff and students have expressed greater satisfaction with the Helpdesk’s responsiveness and clarity.
• Reduction in Escalations: The number of escalated service requests has decreased due to Tori’s proactive approach in addressing issues at the first point of contact. By resolving problems efficiently and effectively, she has minimized the need for further intervention from senior staff.
• Operational Efficiency Gains: Her process improvements have allowed for smoother coordination within the Helpdesk, ensuring tasks are distributed more effectively and that the team operates with a higher level of consistency and reliability.

Tori’s key achievements demonstrate a sustained commitment to service excellence, not only through her direct contributions but also in the lasting improvements she has implemented within the Estates Helpdesk. Her success is measured not just in operational efficiencies but also in the positive impact she has had on students, staff, and the wider university community.

For the full list of winners from other categories please see: Estates celebrates outstanding achievements

For further information, please contact: 

• Laura Blandy, Head of Hospitality and Events Marketing, Facilities and Estates