march 2009 - Fitzwilliam College - University of Cambridge

George Tzolovsky
This letter was written before the ‘Credit Crunch’,
so we are keeping our fingers crossed!
The Fitzwilliam Colloquium on Russian History and Culture
made a welcome return for their fourth conference,
under the watchful eye of Professor Tony Cross. The
Colloquium was once again a great success and left
delegates happy and contented with what they had
heard, seen – and eaten – at Fitzwilliam. Professor
Cross wrote:
I write to offer my heartfelt thanks to all who contributed to
the success of the Colloquium – to you especially for your usual
helpfulness and understanding and to Jen, a capable deputy
while you were away; to Graham for overseeing the delicious
meals; to Dorothy for choosing the most delicious cheeses it has
been my privilege to taste during all my years at Fitzwilliam; to
Julie and her team for looking after us all so well and to the
porters and all the staff who contributed towards a very
successful event. I hope very much that I shall mastermind one
further colloquium before I call it a day – perhaps in three years
time to celebrate my 75th!
Whilst it is always heartening to welcome back
established customers, each year brings new
experiences and events. In the summer, Dr James
Elliott (Fellow in Materials Science) and Mrs Saori
Elliott (née Takahashi) celebrated their marriage with
a reception and party at Fitzwilliam College. By good
fortune, they chose one of the few fine-weather
weekends of the summer and 120 guests were able
to enjoy champagne on the Grove Lawn. After the
food, speeches and cake cutting, their energies were
transferred to the dance floor in the marquee – fuelled
by good spirits and by the late-opening bar. Saori, who
had arrived from Japan just six days previously, said:
Professor David Glover’s sixieth-birthday conference
It was lovely to have the marquee set up on the lawn,
so that everyone could enjoy seeing the pictures from our
wedding in Tokyo on the projector screen, and have somewhere
to talk and dance after the sun went down. But, I also loved the
interior of the Grove, and the splendid buffet prepared by the
catering staff, including some of my favourite Japanese dishes!
Everyone was so kind to us, and worked really hard to make
it a special day.
Over the last 15 months, we have undertaken two
major refurbishment projects, which will have a
significant impact on the College’s future conference
business. In summer 2007, rooms in New Court were
upgraded to create another 86 en-suite bedrooms,
bringing the en-suite total to 176. Recently the bar
has been refurbished, to provide a stylish Café Bar for
students and delegates to enjoy time to themselves,
or to sit and chat with friends and colleagues.
So if you are searching for a venue for your next
conference, meeting or special event, come to
Fitzwilliam College. We have a wide range of facilities,
and we offer excellence in service and value for money
together with flexibility and professionalism to ensure
the success of every event. There is no time like the
present to start planning; we are always prepared to
go that extra mile for our clients to ensure a stress-free
and memorable occasion. After all, Fitzwilliam College
provides the best of the old and the new.
For more information please contact Caroline Choat,
Conference Co-ordinator and her team on 01223 332040.
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