At the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel, we are proud of the relationships that we have with trade unions and work closely with the Scottish Trade Union Congress, among others, to deliver a wide range of conferences and meetings throughout the year.
We have been involved with four of STUC’s annual events this year which are each aimed at LGBT+, Youth, Disabled and Black Workers and are attended by workers from across Scotland. These conferences take place over a weekend and consist of a range of guest speakers and workshops which touch on various issues currently affecting workers as well as a gala dinner and social activities to allow delegates to come together.
Pauline Walker, Committee and Events Co-ordinator for STUC, explains what they look for in a venue and why the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel is a good fit for their Equality Conferences:
“The STUC looks for a venue which is accessible; is centrally located with good transport links and is well equipped for the Conference in terms of AV, conference and breakout rooms, good quality accommodation, including a reasonable quota of accessible rooms and a high standard of catering all offered at reasonable rates. Well trained staff are also important as well as the provision of good terms and conditions for staff and the knowledge that staff are paid the Scottish Living Wage.
The main challenges for the STUC in relation to organising events is the identification of a venue that is equipped to meet all of the various requirements and needs of our delegates and visitors and provide costs that are realistic and meet our budget.
The Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel works well for the STUC due to its location with good transport links, accessibility in terms of the Conference accommodation as well as bed and breakfast accommodation, with its staff trained to a high level to meet the needs of the STUC in terms of the Conference requirements, catering, and our delegates, as well as the provision of competitive rates.”
Our Event Planner, Emma Finlayson, has worked on the Equality Conferences since 2017 and is well-versed in STUC’s requirements and how these events are run. Emma says:
“The Equality Conferences ran by STUC are a great set of events to be involved with as the varied requirements of these bookings make good use of all areas of the venue from conference space, syndicate rooms, gala dinner space and accommodation. It is also great to be able to build up a relationship with a client such as STUC and work with them year after year to deliver a successful conference programme. We always look forward to welcoming STUC back to the Golden Jubilee each year.”
Committed to providing the best possible service to all guests to the hotel, we are delighted to have received great feedback from delegates who have attended these conferences:
“Always an excellent venue.”
“I particularly commend the staff of the hotel for their politeness and helpfulness.”
“Staff at Golden Jubilee are second to none. Food is excellent and rooms are ideal.”
“The best venue for any Conference. The staff in the hotel are great.”
As part of the NHS, the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel prides itself in being an ethical employer and also shares many of the values promoted by trade unions.
Our staff benefit from NHS pay grades which exceed Scottish living wage requirements, we also pay more for unsociable shift work at evenings or weekends and offer family friendly flexible working arrangements. We are committed to career development of our staff and offer various opportunities for training across all areas of our team. As an equal opportunities employer, we fully support equality and diversity within the workplace and hold valuing dignity and respect as one of our key values. As part of the Golden Jubilee Foundation, we are a Stonewall Top 100 employer, supporting LGBT staff and also a Disability Confident Leader.
In addition to offering good working conditions for our staff, we are also dedicated to being a sustainable and accessible venue. We hold the Gold Award for Green Tourism and were also awarded Most Accessible Venue at the Scottish Hotel of the Year Awards for 2019.
We can ensure a mix of well-rounded facilities for conferences aiming to offer both a professional setting for work and study and also a relaxing setting for delegates to unwind and socialise. Our range of conference spaces are fully equipped with AV and offer free Wi-Fi throughout, whilst our comfortable bedrooms provide a good nights’ rest. Delegates also have access to our BBar and Lounge, Centre for Health & Wellbeing with use of gym, swimming pool and spa and also conference gardens overlooking the River Clyde.
To learn more about how you can host your next trade union event at the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel, contact our Sales Team on 0141 951 6003 or at conferences@goldenjubilee.scot.nhs.uk
