Finding the right venue for your conference can make or break your event. You want a place that suits your budget, audience, goals, and theme, but also offers a great experience, service, and facilities. How do you narrow down your options and choose the best one? Here are some tips to help you with your venue search.
Before you start looking for venues, you need to have a clear idea of what you want and need from your conference. Think about the size, format, and duration of your event, as well as the location, accessibility, and transportation options for your attendees. Consider the type of atmosphere, style, and branding you want to create, and the technical, catering, and security requirements you have. Make a list of your must-haves and nice-to-haves, and use them as a guide for your venue search.
So much of hosting an event for a large audience comes down these 4 things for me in New York City when selecting a venue: 1. Budget (I can't blow the entire production budget on venue alone. ) 2. Cleanliness (and by this, I mean the greenroom, bathroom, hallways) 3. Accessibility. As much as I would love to host something in a cheaper venue in Queens, that's not practical when I have folks coming from NJ, upstate NY, Philadelphia. I needed to pick a venue that was accessible to the main ports of entry to the city (grand central, penn station) 4. This is the most important piece: Communication levels of the staff at the venue. The rapidity with which they respond is a dealbreaker.
Consider all the event's requirements when choosing a venue: -Target no of pax -Target audience -Duration/date (Any other events happening on/before your event? Any competitors' events happening at the same venue/nearby the venue?) -Format of the event (Breakout tracks? Exhibition w booths?) -Space availability (Big stage for Opening Act? Large foyer area for booths) -Set Up (Classroom/Theatre/ Roundtable, etc) -Location (Accessible? Is it a highly congested area?) -Parking -Pricing & Payment -F&B Packages (Buffet style/Served/Bento Box?) -Service provided by the Banquet Manager (Slow to respond? Do they try to go above and beyond?) -WIFI -Complimentary anything (Do they provide free rooms? Earlier check in time/ loading time?)
Meine Kongresse werden immer auch durch eine Industrieausstellung begleitet. Die Aussteller wünschen sich natürlich eine hohe Frequentierung der Ausstellung. Ich achte deshalb immer darauf, dass die Teilnehmenden des Kongresses zum Hauptprogramm zwingend die Ausstellungsfl?che durchqueren müssen. Dieser Bedarf ist für mich bei der Locationsuche sehr bedeutsam, da die Ausstellung Einnahmen generiert. Und je zufriedener die Aussteller sind, desto mehr lassen sich für den n?chsten Kongress akquirieren, was gleichzeitig h?here Einnahmen nach sich zieht.
Once you have a general idea of what you need, you can start researching potential venues online. Look for websites, reviews, photos, videos, and testimonials that showcase the venues' features, services, and reputation. Compare the prices, availability, and capacity of different venues, and see if they match your budget and dates. You can also use online tools, such as Google Maps, to check the location, distance, and traffic of the venues. Don't rely on online information alone, though. Contact the venue managers and ask them any questions you have, and request a quote and a contract.
Ein Angebot ist zu diesem Zeitpunkt ist ok. Einen Vertrag ben?tige ich hier noch nicht. Viele Locations sind in der Vertragsgestaltung flexibel, so dass in erster Linie die richtige Location gefunden werden muss. Wenn ich diese habe, gestalte ich gemeinsam mit dem Anbieter den Vertrag. Hier k?nnen Anzahlung, Stornierung, Rabatte etc. noch oft individualisiert werden. Für die ideale Location findet sich immer eine L?sung.
The best way to evaluate a venue is to visit it in person. Schedule a site visit with the venue manager, and bring a checklist of your needs and expectations. Inspect the space, layout, equipment, furniture, lighting, sound, and amenities of the venue, and see if they fit your conference plan. Imagine how your event will look and feel in the venue, and how your attendees will interact with it. Ask the venue manager about any details, policies, or issues that might affect your conference, such as parking, Wi-Fi, catering, accessibility, security, and cancellation. Take notes, photos, and videos of your visit, and compare them with other venues.
Bring your team along. It would be great to have a peek at an event that is happening on that venue (if they permit) to see how they handle such occasions. Measure! (For backdrops, booths, stage etc). Gauge the atmosphere, lighting (how dark/ bright each space is) as these do not translate through photographs. Ask! (Possible to remove some furniture? etc). Test the quality of the sound system/ projectors.
An dieser Stelle bitte ich auch den zust?ndigen Veranstaltungstechniker sowie Verantwortliche des Caterings dazu. Denn nur selten kann der eine Veranstaltungsmanager alle Fragen im Detail beantworten. So habe ich alle Experten und Ansprechpartner zur Verfügung und kann alle meine Fragen kl?ren.
Informationen und Bilder sowie Videos der Location k?nnen im Vorfeld nützlich sein, um eine Auswahl an geeigneten Veranstaltungsorten herauszufiltern. Ein Besuch der Locations ist anschlie?end ein absolutes Muss. So kann ich mit den Verantwortlichen alle Details, offene Punkte und Frage durchzusprechen. Auch Raumgr??e, Lichtverh?ltnisse, Ton etc. k?nnen durch Bilder nicht beurteilt werden und t?uschen.
This is critical. There's no way to evaluate lighting and sound without being in the room. Ideally, visit when another conference or event is being hosted there. Bad lighting and even more so, bad sound, can absolutely ruin your participants' experience. I was at an event last week being held at a restaurant. The "stage" was set at one end. The only speakers were there. And 1/3 of the way past the stage, it was impossible to hear. So people started talking (alcohol didn't help). The people running the event kept asking people to be quiet. But they couldn't even hear that. Even worse than bad lighting, bad sound will kill audience attention and participation, every time. So go to the venue. Test the setup and sound everywhere in the room.
Another way to ensure you choose the right venue is to get feedback from others. You can ask your colleagues, partners, speakers, sponsors, or attendees for their opinions and preferences on the venues you are considering. You can also look for online reviews, ratings, or comments from previous or current clients of the venues. Getting feedback can help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of each venue, and see how they meet or exceed your expectations.
Obtain feedback from agencies / fellow marketers who have used the venue previously. Even from attendees? What was their experience like visiting the venue? What to take away from their events?
After you have done your research, visited the venues, and got feedback, you are ready to make a decision. Review your needs, goals, and budget, and weigh the pros and cons of each venue. Think about which venue offers the best value, quality, and experience for your conference. You can also rank the venues according to your criteria, or use a scoring system to rate them. Once you have chosen your venue, confirm your booking, sign the contract, and pay the deposit. Congratulations, you have found the perfect venue for your conference!