On January 16th, VICI held a very special event which was all about 2 things: celebrating achievements and giving thanks. For anybody that wasn’t able to attend, I wanted to write and tell you all about it.
One of the principal reasons for holding the event was to give me the opportunity to say thank you to all out clients, past and present: some of whom have been with VICI for nearly 10 years, a testament to the strength of the relationships we have with our students.
I also really wanted to thank our wonderful staff – we have more than 30 languages coaches that regularly teach at VICI, working with students across 11 different languages. I’m lucky to be able to say that VICI employs some of the most passionate and dedicated people out there. They really make the Academy what it is.
As for the achievements: where do I start?!
First and foremost, we wanted to celebrate our wonderful new premises!
VICI enjoyed many happy years at Arcade House, but for some time we felt the moment was right for us to move and I spent a year actively looking for a new property that would be a good fit. For anyone that hasn’t moved a business before, it’s a bit like shopping for a wedding dress: while you have some ideas about your requirements you don’t have an exact image of what you’re looking for – but when you see The One you know! Coming to West Mills, everything fell into place: it was modern, compact, well-appointed and perfectly reflected our fantastic new brand identity. Not to mention it’s located amongst a great community of businesses in West Mills Yard.
But there is also a host of other achievements that deserved celebration:
VICI Language Academy started providing language services to private clients 11 years ago.
Since then we created VICI Languages Dynamics, a corporate arm offering training designed to ensure that business organisations flourish with the right language services.
We opened VICI Languages France, our French branch which is going from strength to strength.
We started working with local schools to offer mobility projects between French and English secondary students.
And most recently VICI started hosting a series of conferences aimed at language professionals who want to take their business to the next level: Pro.Languages 2020 will be taking place in London in June and we’re really excited about the event.
Our growth has been exponential and organic – from humble beginnings, we’re now an international business with an online platform meaning we have global reach. It’s worth taking a minute to recognise that we’re a small business that isn’t just lasting but evolving – a great thing in a small but vibrant town like Newbury.
That small-town aspect is very important. VICI is successful, but like any small business we still rely on word of mouth and our clients passing on our good name is an essential part of that. So, to everybody that has done so, thank you for continuing to recommend us, for sharing our social media posts and for letting friends and family know about your positive experiences.
It was a wonderful evening, full of chat, laughter and connections. Hopefully this time next year we’ll be celebrating even more, so watch this space – we have big plans for 2020!