Published by Neil Thompson, 9th June 2025
To celebrate Milton Keynes as our 'Destination of the Month' for June, we caught up with a few Milton Keynes people to find out more about the services they offer for event professionals - next up is Jon Kett-Reynolds of Venue Cranfield - Jon is also the Chairman of the Association of Milton Keynes Hoteliers
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DW: Hi Jon, tell us about your role as Chairman of the Association of Milton Keynes Hoteliers.
Jon: Membership of the Association is on an entirely voluntary basis, so the hotels that join or remain members ongoing typically want to be involved and see value in what we do; my role is to generate participation and help to stimulate collaborative activities and initiatives that will be beneficial for all, often with far-reaching aims that will benefit the visitor economy or the local hospitality sector more widely.
DW: How can the Association of Milton Keynes Hoteliers assist event planners?
Jon: Despite all the hotel members technically being competitors, we do work closely together on projects and initiatives that have the potential to benefit all members wherever possible. As such we have a strong network of industry professionals within the membership that have good working relationships and excellent open communication with each other, we know each other’s properties well and can provide referrals or even collaborative offers for larger events.
DW: You are also the Centre Manager of the CMDC within Venue Cranfield, please share more about the wide selection of venues and meeting spaces on site.
Jon: The range of facilities on offer is of great benefit to our many clients; we have event spaces to suit almost any type of event and the accommodation ranges from 4-star conference style through to a significant number of superb self-catering blocks which are ideal for either short duration or longer contract use.
DW: Location is key to our members, how accessible is Venue Cranfield?
Jon: Cranfield is in such a great location – easy to get to within a few minutes of the M1, but also close to excellent rail, bus and airport connections – London Luton Airport is only a short distance away. Access is so easy and if you are driving in, we have ample free secure parking in multiple locations. Milton Keynes is superbly located for access from all over the UK, especially London & Birmingham.
DW: We would love to hear more about the history and heritage at Venue Cranfield.
Jon: Venue Cranfield is based at Cranfield University, which started in 1946 as The College of Aeronautics, at a former RAF station which had seen military service during WW2. Diversification throughout the years has seen Cranfield specialise in many niche subjects, such as manufacturing and management, aerospace, technology, water sciences, agrifood, defence & security. The rich and varied history of our wonderful site can be seen through the range and diversity of buildings throughout the campus.
You can find out more about Venue Cranfield here...
Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/venue.cranfield.conference/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/venuecranfieldevents
LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venue-cranfield/
Website: https://venuecranfield.co.uk/
Email: venuecranfield@cranfield.ac.uk
Quality, service and professionalism underpin everything we do within Venue Cranfield, accreditations in environment, sustainability and health & safety add to our appeal. Our hospitality teams are exceptional - flexible, creative and responsive, with customer service & hospitality in general consistently receiving top marks in customer survey responses. The range of facilities and services on offer is truly expansive, if you need it, we will make it happen!
