If the idea of organising a conference or an event through a university conference office conjures images of unprofessional staff, peeling wallpaper and soggy sandwiches think again.

In an effort to attract the best and brightest of national and international students, in what is proving to be an increasingly competitive market, many of the U.K.'s universities have, over the last 10 years, invested heavily in their facilities to provide prospective students with the latest technology, en-suite accommodation and a more pleasing environment in which to learn and study.

A prime example of such a venue is Imperial College London where it is possible to hold a meeting for as little as ?30.00 per person inclusive of room hire, catering and in-situ audio-visual.

The College operates conferences facilities from two main sites; Imperial's South Kensington campus in Central London and the College's Wye campus in Kent, which is located just 7 miles from Ashford International Train Station.

Imperial's South Kensington campus offers over 200 meeting and seminar rooms at evenings and weekends during term time as well as full range of catering rooms and options at Day Delegate Rates starting from ?31.00 per person.

Inclusive in these packages are room hire from 8.00am to 6.00 pm, three servings of tea, coffee and biscuits, all in-situ audio-visual equipment, writing materials/welcome pack for delegates, mineral water and mints, plus a working buffet lunch. Once your initial enquiry has been made an all important Conference Administrator will be appointed to you who will assist you at every stage of your planning up to and throughout the day of the event.

For residential conferences in Central London, the College offers conference accommodation at Beit Hall during the Easter and summer vacations. Located next door to The Royal Albert Hall, this Grade II listed Hall of Residence has recently undergone a major and sympathetic refurbishment and now provides 210 bedrooms with private shower and toilet facilities plus full concierge service and 24 hour reception. Accordingly Beit has recently been awarded a 3 star standard for conference accommodation by VisitBritain and is regarded as the jewel in Imperial's accommodation crown.

24 Hour rates include accommodation at this venue, Full English Breakfast and Dinner plus the same elements as provided in the College's Day Delegate packages at rates starting from ?83.50 per person per night.

For those whose budgets may be slightly more flexible and who may feel that they don't wish to offer their delegates student accommodation, Imperial offers through its Hotel Booking Service 3, 4 and 5 star Central London hotels at heavily discounted rates both for conference room hire and accommodation.

As one of the major purchasers of local hotel accommodation in Central London Imperial is able to use its buying status to negotiate savings of up to 50% on the standard rates normally offered by hotels to the public, subject to room type and season, and passes these discounts directly onto the event organiser.

In addition to this, Conference Link, Imperial's official conference office, also offers a range of services that you might not normally associate with a university conference centre. These range from car/taxi transfers to and from Central London to any airport or mainline train station in the South East; private tours with a curator around the Victorian and Albert museum as the cultural element of a residential conference; the organising of trips on an individual or group basis to many of the London's major tourist attractions including the London Eye; dinner-dance cruises along the Thames; plus West-End theatre and restaurant bookings.

If you have been tasked with organising team-building days or motivational training Imperial is able to provide this through the College's Sports and Leisure Department whether it be dining at the College's Boathouse located at the head of the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race to Corporate Sports Days hosted by Sydney Olympic Gold medallists.

Unlike South Kensington, Imperial's Wye campus is able to offer residential conferencing for groups of up to 50 individual throughout the year at the College's Withersdane conference centre.

Lying on the outskirts historic Kentish village of Wye - just 7 miles from Ashford - Withersdane offers you a haven of rural peace and tranquillity- ideal for sales training, weekend retreats or those strategy meetings which need to be held out of the office, but still remains local enough for London to be just over an hour away by car.

Day Delegate Rates start from ?30.00 per person, whilst residential conferencing is available for up to 50 guests for ?90.00 inclusive of executive en-suite accommodation, meeting-room hire, in-situ audio-visual equipment, lunch dinner and Full English Breakfast.

Withersdane itself offers 8 meeting rooms of varying capacities for up to 300 Day Delegates whilst Withersdane's three dining rooms offer a unique combination of sizes and styles ranging from the Withersdane Room, formerly the Orangery of this Victorian Hall, for up to 80 diners to the Green Room, a stylish and elegant setting for 26 diners.

For those organisers who prefer their team-building to include an element of physical exertion, the Centre's rolling lawns are the ideal venue for team-building exercises and are particularly popular with archers and clay-pigeon shooters; whilst guests are welcome, after a heavy day in the sessions, to take advantage of the Witherdane's 2 hectares of formal gardens that contain many rare specimens from Kew and the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh.

Whether you are looking for a conference centre in the heart of the capital or the heart of the countryside that offers a professional and affordable service that will make you look good in the eyes of your boss, Imperial might just provide the solution your looking for.