If you are looking for a conference venue, you want to get the right one. But what makes a particular venue right or wrong. If you stay with us for 3 minutes, let us provide you with some help in choosing a great conference venue.
Venue Location
If you want to fill your conference, the venue needs to be easy to get to, as people will think twice if it is in the middle of nowhere. Public transport links are vital, particularly for a London venue.
You should also consider what is around the venue. Presuming you will be providing lunch for a full-day conference, some of your guests may think about the time before or after. Can they find a coffee before your doors open, or can they get dinner/drinks afterwards?
Facilities
Every conference venue will have toilets and cloakrooms, but personal experience has shown the quality of some leaves a lot to be desired. Clean, tidy and lots of space are definite prerequisites.
Sitting in one place all day is not going to excite a conference delegate. A great conference venue will have breakout rooms available to you, enabling you to break up the conference with workshops, networking and relaxation.
Audio-visual
Nobody wants to just listen to someone talking loudly so they are heard at the back. Whether you’re hosting a small conference for 100 people, or a much bigger one, you want your presenters to be confident and your delegates comfortable. Being able to present effectively means high quality audio-visual facilities. With many people still unsure about physically attending events, the ability to deliver hybrid events should be available from a good conference venue.
Range of spaces
You don’t want to cram people into a small space, or have them rattling around in a huge space. If the venue hasn’t got a space that is right for your conference, it isn’t right for you. Have they got the additional space to serve drinks and lunch away from the main presentation space? Your presenters won’t want people distracted by the wonderful aromas, coming from the lunch or the coffee.
Management experience
Last, but definitely not least, you need to be confident that the venue team can deliver your conference effectively, helping you impress your delegates. If something goes wrong (Law of Sod and all that), are you confident they can quickly help you fix things.
Delivering a great conference is key for you an that starts with a great conference venue. We hope this guide helps you to choose the right one for you.