Bog Paper
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I can't see them building boxes in the East stand. There are two fundamental problems with the East stand as I see it:
1) Ground access. The corporate mob would have to traipse all the way around the other side of the ground and they wouldn't like that.
2) The fact that it's on the East side. A sunny day when you aren in an east stand is a pain in the backside. Presumably they would be the type of boxes where the punters would leave the box to watch the game in their little own private area; they'd spend the game squinting and with their hand above their eyes. When you are paying top dollar you don't want that.
In terms of the boxes themselves, it's going to depend on what they do in terms of size as to what use they might have. To give you an example, Upton Park has a load of executive boxes and during the week and weekends on non-match weekends, they are all converted into hotel rooms. I have stayed there and what they do is pretty impressive. I asked one of the management on one occasion how long it took them to change the boxes to hotel rooms and vice versa, and he told me they could do the whole lot in 2 hours. I don't know how many they have, but there are quite a few over 2 or 3 floors - they go the whole length of the pitch in one of the stands.
I hold about 4 meetings a year in Northampton and I used to use Sixfields in an effort to channel a bit more dought through the club. However, given harsh economic times, I now use either the Holiday Inn Express or Campanile at Grange Park. A) It's cheaper than Sixfields and B) of course you have conferencing facilities and the hotel rooms on site.
The most worrying thing is that after having used Sixfields for several years, no one ever contacted me to ask why I wasn't using it any longer. They need to sort out their sales and customer follow up, that's for sure.
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It has to be "B" Another big smile on my face. I always get the big decisions right.
Couldn't be happier, you can all blame me if it turns pear shaped. Up next year without a doubt and no need of the play-offs.
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wazzacobbler
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The most worrying thing is that after having used Sixfields for several years, no one ever contacted me to ask why I wasn't using it any longer. They need to sort out their sales and customer follow up, that's for sure.
Writing an email to the commercial department regarding your reasons would be out of the question of course...
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Host and Producer of the It's All Cobblers To Me podcast @CobblersToMe @charlescommins
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Trotty
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Writing an email to the commercial department regarding your reasons would be out of the question of course...
To be fair Wazza it really should be down to the club to take responsibility for getting feedback from their customers.
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cox23jam
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If you don't ask you don't get
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HOTEL END PREDICTION LEAGUE CHAMPION 2014/15, 2021/22 HOTEL END GTA CHAMPION 2021/22
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Trotty
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I’ve used the facilities at Saints and they were excellent. As well as all the businesses booking meeting rooms and conferences they have a constant stream of income from a number of businesses who rent office space there.
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guest47
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It looks like DC is holding a group audition for the role of Fat Controller in the next Thomas theTank Engine film.
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DrillingCobbler
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I thought TC lost his seat? Or is he now being used in an 'advisory' capacity?
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Bog Paper
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Writing an email to the commercial department regarding your reasons would be out of the question of course...
You obviously have no idea about how these things work. Why should I bother when I can get as good, if not better facilities elsewhere for less? I'm the customer. If the club wants my business then they need to make some effort to get it. I don't need them: there are plenty of conference facilities everywhere that want/need business. However, in the business I work in, if a customer suddenly disappeared, we would find out why and do our best to get them back. You'd have thought that this would have been a top priority for a club that supposedly needs money as it's £7m in debt, but apparently not.
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It has to be "B" Another big smile on my face. I always get the big decisions right.
Couldn't be happier, you can all blame me if it turns pear shaped. Up next year without a doubt and no need of the play-offs.
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Bog Paper
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I thought TC lost his seat? Or is he now being used in an 'advisory' capacity?
I think he still has a seat on the County council and the recent elections were only for the borough council.
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It has to be "B" Another big smile on my face. I always get the big decisions right.
Couldn't be happier, you can all blame me if it turns pear shaped. Up next year without a doubt and no need of the play-offs.
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Deepcut Cobbler
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I think he still has a seat on the County council and the recent elections were only for the borough council.
Is it his seat or is someone else sat in it?
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“They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.” Laurence Binyon
The Hotelend Grand National Sweepstake Champion 2009
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dodger
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Knocking down a perfectly good functional stand as the west is stupidity, any development has to take place at the east stand, if we're ever going to have a proper ground.
When the plans were first mooted it was stated that a wrap around scheme would mean theat the west would not have to be demolished.
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The Real Stevie G
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Are there any business owners on this forum? Would you purchase a box/office space from the club?
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"We all know that in football if you stand still you go backwards." - Peter Reid
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SteveRiches
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When the plans were first mooted it was stated that a wrap around scheme would mean theat the west would not have to be demolished.
The detailed plans I saw one trillion years ago had most of the extra space added as a top layer, but with corporate boxes stuck near the back of the existing parts of the stand. I was told then that the work could be completed in the gap between the end of one season and the beginning of the next. I was stupid enough to believe it was about to happen!
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wazzacobbler
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You obviously have no idea about how these things work. Why should I bother when I can get as good, if not better facilities elsewhere for less? I'm the customer. If the club wants my business then they need to make some effort to get it. I don't need them: there are plenty of conference facilities everywhere that want/need business. However, in the business I work in, if a customer suddenly disappeared, we would find out why and do our best to get them back. You'd have thought that this would have been a top priority for a club that supposedly needs money as it's £7m in debt, but apparently not.
In response to yourself and Trotty, I don't disagree that a company should find out about why their customer's leave them. However, as a fan of the club as well as a customer there is nothing to stop you telling them without being asked. After all, Bog you felt it necessary to raise your concerns on an unofficial messageboard. Why not just go direct to the source? NTFC is not the same as a Marriott Hotel Group. It is a football club and people care about it's wellbeing. Do you care enough about the Marriott to be bothered if they went t*ts up? No. You'd simply start using a different conferencing company. Nothing to stop you telling the club yourself, whether they should be asking you or not.
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Host and Producer of the It's All Cobblers To Me podcast @CobblersToMe @charlescommins
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Bog Paper
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Fair points wazza, but the truth of the matter is that I can't be arsed. The problem the club has with its conferencing facilities are:
1. They are a bit grotty tbh. Rooms with no natural light source, that sort of thing. 2. They don't have the hotel facilities on site. 3. You have to pay for extras such as projectors and screens and so on.
All in all, it's not worth the hassle. But the same business rules apply to them as to anyone else and they shouldn't be allowed to get away with poor sales/customer service just because of who they are. I don't want to get into haggling them down on a price: either they are competitive or they're not. They should know, if they do their homework, what their competition is charging. I merely made the point on here because if the club does read this site, then they need to think about stuff like this. If I have taken my business somewhere else then there is every chance many others have too. If they want repeat business then they should go back through their records and see who used to book with them regularly but doesn't now. It's not rocket science.
On the upside, the catering was always very good.
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It has to be "B" Another big smile on my face. I always get the big decisions right.
Couldn't be happier, you can all blame me if it turns pear shaped. Up next year without a doubt and no need of the play-offs.
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wazzacobbler
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That's fine Bog. Please believe me when i say I don't disagree.
The club shouldn't treat themselves any differently to any other type of business.
I think sometimes it comes down to who they have employed as their head of commercial operations. I believe this changed recently, hence the news about the Fans Village and usage of the Supporters bar.
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Host and Producer of the It's All Cobblers To Me podcast @CobblersToMe @charlescommins
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Shoemaker
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I was told by a friend of mine julie who used to work in the club bar that she left because the firm who ran it went into administration. Apologies if this isn't the case
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The 12th Marquis of Sixfields
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Tim Hadland is the councillor in charge of regeneration. This can surely only be good news!
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The Hotelend Grand National Sweepstake Champion 2023
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EastNpton
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What he who runs Hadlands Chartered Surveyors... Hadland Chartered Surveyors are Commercial Property Consultants based in Northampton covering Northamptonshire and the M1 & A14 corridor Great stuff
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The 12th Marquis of Sixfields
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No. The prick that was leader of the last Tory led council 4 years ago
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The Hotelend Grand National Sweepstake Champion 2023
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