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Wyboston Lakes Resorts has welcomed a “record” six months of Meetings and Events business for the first half of 2022, while business on the books is up by 47% on 2019 with a “solid” base already in place for 2023.
The group said that while bookings remain relatively short-lead, there is a “welcome uplift” in demand for long-term bookings and a “commitment to securing multi-event deals across a diverse range of sectors”.
It said its sales strategy has been focused on specific sectors for many years and the sales team has reported a 75% increase in demand for events when compared with 2019.
At the start of the pandemic, Wyboston Lakes Resort’s management team took the decision to continue with planned refurbishments, which saw more than £3m invested into the resort’s Meetings and Events offering.
Along with an overhaul on the delegate experience, such as enhanced F&B products and alternative dining options, the uplift on average booking value has reportedly increased “substantially” since 2019.
Christine Gomez, director of Revenue, said: “This year, we have seen meeting agendas evolve and, whilst the meeting content itself is the priority, the social aspect is also very important. The fact we had products in place to cater for this has really paid off.”
Richard Smith, sales director of Wyboston Lakes Resort, added: “The resort’s commitment to the environment, to investing in the team and our physical assets will keep pushing the costs base up. Therefore, to keep offering our guests the high quality, value for money, and best in class service, our prices will need to reflect this.
“The focus now is to maintain the margin and we do this by being focused on what business is good for the resort. We know those sectors we specialise in, but we are also clear on what business we don’t take, and we have moved away from non-core sales lines, such as weddings.”
Steve Jones, managing director of Wyboston Lakes Resort, concluded: “We are delighted with the business performance so far in 2022 and the future looks extremely bright for us. We will continue to invest in our team and are extremely proud to be a Real Living Wage Employer. We will also be investing in further capital projects in the coming months.
“Our culture is at the heart of what we do and ensuring we have a robust and stable business for our team members and shareholders is fundamental and, despite the economic pressure, we will endeavour to remain strong.”
