Tag: venue

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How To Choose The Best Venue For Your Event

There are many decisions to make when you are choosing your event venue and the location is the one decision that will have the largest impact on your event. Many things rely on the location itself such as the date of the event, the catering options, the speakers being able to attend the event and also the attendee experience. 

We would always advise to start looking for a venue as soon as you can, the earlier the better. When choosing your event venue you need to know your budget, estimated event size and space requirements. Try to book your event venue, eight months prior to the event so this gives you plenty of time to plan. 

Additional items to consider when choosing your event venue 

Parking 

A venue with a lot of parking is always a bonus but that is not always the case these days. Having parking nearby that attendees can access can help overcome this problem. Alternatively, having great access to public transport is another solution  and attendees can travel by train or bus. 

Capacity and Minimums 

Capacity of the venue is important and this will be essential when choosing your event venue. Also think about room capacity especially if you are thinking about holding breakout sessions or a number of speakers at the same time. 

Minimums refer to food and beverage because they usually set a minimum food and beverage spending amount. Remember that you can use this for negotiating other add-ons. If, for example, you estimate spending much more on food and beverage than the minimum then you can negotiate whether they can provide another service for fee, e.g. WiFi. 

Flexibility 

We would advise that you get an official contract in place for your event as you do not want to change your venue at the last minute. Flexible contracts are preferred in these current times (post-pandemic) in case your event has to be cancelled or postponed due to unforeseen factors. 

Services 

Does your venue offering in-house catering? Do they include table and chairs in the hire? Do they have AV capabilities? Do they have setup/cleaning staff? You may think that all of these items are automatically included with a venue hire but that is not the case. 

Floor Plan

It is important to get hold of a floor plan at the early stages of planning so that you can see exactly what rooms are available and how to organise the flow of traffic through your event. 

The 3A’s: Ambiance, Acoustics and Accessibility

Depending on what your event is, corporate speaking event or gala dinner, think about the ambiance of the venue. If there is minimal ambiance then you may need to spend more on decorating the venue. Acoustics is also important, think about how the sound travels in the venue, you don’t want people struggling to hear the main speaker. A low ceiling for instance will make the venue seem cozy but it will make it feel louder when it is busy. 

Accessibility is also essential for those with special needs, ensuring they can access the building and its amenities. 

For more advice on choosing your event venue and staffing your event, please get in touch. 

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Virtual Events vs. Venue Events

In our current climate, virtual events have become the new ‘normal’ however we wanted to discuss virtual events vs. venue events.

When the UK went into lockdown, many companies were looking at ways in which they could still communicate with their clients and target audiences. Virtual platforms, that were once not highly utilised, were in high demand. Now as we approach the easing of lockdown, companies are looking forward to face-to-face interactions. What will the future hold for events?

Virtual events vs. Venue Events

We have listed below the differences between the virtual and physical events:

The Cost

There are many costs associated with a physical event such as renting a venue, food and beverages, travel expenses, accommodation and speakers. Virtual events on the other hand do seem to be more cost-effective. However, we worry that the event attendee will not receive the immersive event experience that they remember from a physical event.

Flexibility

Pre-pandemic, many large corporate events welcomed attendees from across the globe to their events. However, many organisations are now working remotely and connecting with employees and clients from remote locations. In these instances, virtual events seem to work the best because they can accommodate people in different time zones and virtual events record the sessions, enabling attendees to watch the recordings if they couldn’t attend due to busy schedules.

However, when you speak to the industry, people are missing the face-to-face interaction that they experience at physical events. Meeting in person allows the attendee to build an instant relationship with another, meaning a stronger lead for the future.

Collecting data

Data can be collected both in-person and at virtual events to measure and analyse the success of the event. At a physical event data is collected at registration and throughout the event through a number of measures. Virtual events on the other hand can see how the attendee moves through the event, what they viewed, shared, clicked, downloaded etc.

Networking

Networking is definitely where the virtual events battle with physical events. People need the face-to-face interaction that they get at physical events and the virtual event platforms don’t seem to have mastered this yet. In-person meetings give more added value in building relationships when one meets someone.

We believe that when discussing virtual events vs. venue events, both will remain serving many sectors. Many businesses will opt for a mix of physical and virtual events, otherwise known as a hybrid event that combines the two formats. A hybrid event will bring the physical attendees and virtual audience in the same frame, delivering the original values to the attendees.

If you would like to discuss how we can provide assistance with your physical, virtual and hybrid event, then please get in touch today.

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Conference centres can now host events

The events industry has been waiting with baited breath for when live events can return to conference centres across the UK.

At the beginning of August, we saw the announcement that exhibition and conference centres in England could host business meetings and events for up to 30 people.

What does this mean?

Small events for up to 30 people are permitted so long as there is direct access to the smaller meeting spaces and COVID-secure guidance is adhered to. This guidance includes: social distancing must be maintained, different groups are kept separate and the venue can demonstrate it has followed the COVID-19 guidance.

To Cater or Not?

Basic catering can be provided at these small events with venues needing to follow similar guidance issued for bars, pubs and takeaways. Pre-packaged food is highly advised in these scenarios.

Receptions, award ceremonies, filming, fashion shows, product launches, and team building exercises are not allowed to take place until 1 October, on the condition that COVID-19 is deemed under control.

All events happening after 1 October will need to be risk assessed following AEO COVID-19 secure guidelines.

We have yet to be told if face masks need to be worn during business events and meetings.

We still need to ensure we are ready to create events that are as safe as possible, no matter the number of people. Organising an event will now have an extra step involved which will be incorporating the AEO guidelines to protect the wellbeing of all attendees and staff working at the event.

Things for event organisers to consider

  • Assess the risk of transmission of COVID-19 at your event and identify and manage those risks
  • Create pre-event checklists addressing the risks associated with COVID-19 at your event
  • Create safety guidelines and policies for suppliers, staff, and attendees to adhere to
  • Communicate all guidelines and policies prior to the event

As the UK Government makes more announcements over the coming weeks, we will be listening to see if any of the current restrictions are lifted further.

In the meantime, if you have any event related questions, please contact us.

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How to manage temporary staff at your event

Managing temporary staff at your event can be unnerving especially when your focus is on the event itself and the deadlines already in place. We have provided the following guidance to assist all event managers on the supervision of external staff at events.

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