"Unique Venue" Does your country recognize this term?

Last September 2023, in a workshop attended by MICE Venue managers from meeting event venues within Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. As a foreign Speaker/Guest Lecturer, I had a chance to raise this significant question to the audiences.

What is actually the meaning of 'Unique Venue' in the Meeting Event industry?

Some parts of Asia understand it right away but what about the other part of the world? Is the 'Unique Venue' term gets its recognition worldwide?

My question was, "When you talk about 'Unique Venue' to your future foreign clients, will they be understand right away of what you mean?"

In general understanding, Unique Venue is a meeting event space that holds one of a kind (unique) structure, function, title that a common venue does not have or serve.

In an easy understanding; meeting event space aside from the formal venues of Convention Hall, Exhibition space, Hotel Ballroom might likely be categorized under the Unique Venue.

The Korea MICE organization took a very serious thing about this 'Unique Venue' category. In South Korea, a venue needs to go through inspection and evaluation to actually gets the recognition as the official South Korea Unique Venue.

In Asia Pacific; South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Australia are common countries that use the term of 'Unique Venue'. Other countries in Asia, such as Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka not (yet) commonly use the term.

I tested some of big event planners in Indonesia, asked them about the meaning of Unique Venue. And they asked me back, "What do you mean...?" Turns out in Indonesia, we just use local language such as 'tempat pesta' (Party Venue) and doesn't really care if those space is unique or not.

The challenge could be lies in the diversity of the languages occurs in each country. 'Unique Venue' is an English words. Many countries including China that barely use English, likely will use their own term (in a local language) on how to describe this unique venue. The meaning is the same, but the term is different.

In other regions (that speaks English), the terms commonly heard are; non-formal venues, unusual venue, or out of the box venue.

Would it be great if the Meeting Event industry in Asia or even the world have one standard that unite the industry terms. Why it is important? The purpose is not to generalize but to focus in supporting all these unique venues to raise their existence in the Meeting Venue industry.

Most of unique venues are small in sizes, some also limited in functions. When unique venue get recognition as well as the formal venues, not only those venues get more chances in getting businesses, the city where the venues reside get chance also to earn benefits from the visitors.

Labeling them as an official 'Unique Venue' surely will attract more businesses coming. Just like what Korea and Japan MICE organization do with unique venues in their country.

Are you people who work with MICE organization in your country? We would like to hear your side of story. Appreciate your thought on this on comments below or directly to [email protected]

#meetingbusiness #meetings #events #uniquevenue #asiavenuenetwork #partyvenue #meetingvenue #eventvenue #miceindustry #venues #futurevenuenetwork

Asia+ Venue Network is a community that vision to unite the MICE Venue industry and pioneering the standard that support venue businesses around Asia, Pacific, and Middle East.

www.asiavenue.network