Monthly Archives: September 2017

Catch Wayland Green at #LoveLocal Festival

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Granny Mouse Country House & Spa Executive Culinary Artist, Wayland Green will be cooking his way into your hearts at #LoveLocal Festival, hosted at Liberty Midlands Mall.

From 20 to 22 October 2017 catch 8 local chefs, paired up with local celebrities to showcase all things local and proudly KZN at 17h30 on Friday, 11h30, 13h30, 15h30 and 17h30 on Saturday and at 11h30, 13h30 and 15h30 on Sunday.

A highlight of the festival will be celebrity chef, food blogger, TV host of 10 part series, Girl Eat World which aired in a number of countries worldwide and most popularly known for being the winner of Masterchef South Africa 2013, Kamini Pather, who will be headlining the event this year on Saturday, 21 October at 15h30.

Catch Granny Mouse’s Wayland Green on Sunday, 22 October at 13h30 where he will be cooking up a unique dish straight off the hotels fine dining Eaves restaurant menu. He will be teamed up with a local sporting star from Maritzburg United football team. Watch these two cook up a storm and be wowed by the flavour combinations and tips and tricks thrown in, sure to make for some tasty entertainment.

Entry to the festival is free. #LoveLocal

Secrets from the Mouse House to host a successful conference

In this day and age, hosting your company conference needs to tick many boxes, as the time out of the office for your teams, combined with the costs usually associated with these events, it is paramount that key deliverables are achieved to make your conference a success.

We recently spoke to Granny Mouse Country House & Spa Banqueting Manager, Veronica Sookdin, who, during her many years in the hospitality industry, has been party to just about every conference imaginable. When asked what her top 5 considerations are when planning a successful conference, she had the following advice to offer.

  1. Define your objectives: Ensure that prior to the event, you and your team are very clear as to what you wish to achieve from the conference. This can be achieved by setting an agenda, goals or outcomes, and making sure that everyone knows what is expected.
  2. Ask the venue for their opinions: Bear in mind, banqueting divisions have arranged many a conference, and can aid you in ensuring the very best outcome for yours. They have seen what works, and what doesn’t, and so can be exceptionally helpful in assisting with new ideas.
  3. Take the time to find the right speaker: Perhaps the most important part of your event is to motivate your teams, and this can be a make-or-break situation when it comes to your guest speaker. Take your time to evaluate
  4. Let your team choose: When it comes to team building activities, ask the venue if the staff can choose from a few of the offered activities, as opposed to forcing everyone to do the same thing. Staff often respond more favourably to these activities when they feel like they have had a choice in the matter.
  5. Give the team some down time: Conferences are often packed from sun-up to sun-down, allowing very little time for the team to process the content, or be given time to generate new ideas. Allowing some downtime will increase your teams creativity and allow them to rejuvenate their minds.

When thinking of a venue for your next conference, make sure Granny Mouse Country House & Spa is on your list!