The autumn event season is well and truly underway, as our members host numerous receptions, dinners, product launches and live experiences taking place across the capital. In spite of this activity, we receive new enquiries daily to pass on to the membership from intimate dinners to large conferences. Here are three essential venue-finding tips to help you choose the perfect space for your event.
Later this month, we will be exhibiting at IMEX America in Las Vegas, one of the MICE calendar’s biggest expos, giving us a chance to reach out to the growing appetite for London venues from across the pond. At the exhibition, we will be seeking to demonstrate why our membership (now at an all-time high of 86) is so special, but also giving an indication of the potential and possibilities available to the modern event organiser. Crucially, we will help to direct them to a venue which both meets and surpasses their requirements.
Our continuing aim is to unlock some of the capital’s most precious event spaces, many of them world-famous treasures and others, hidden gems. Ahead of our trip to the USA, here are our top three tips to consider when choosing your perfect venue:
Define your aims, objectives and goals: It’s important to be clear about what you want to achieve from your event, and how the venue fits in with your grand plan? If you’re looking to host a tech-heavy, multi-stream conference, consider a contemporary blank canvas space which can be tailored to suit your needs. On the other hand, if you are looking to host an intimate dinner with a dash of period grandeur, then perhaps one of our historic palaces or regency residence members is the option for you. Ensuring that you approach the venue finding process with a developed concept, will help you gain a better understanding of how best to remain consistent with your overall theme.
Do your initial research: Once you have chosen your ‘shortlist’ of venues some initial research can often prove invaluable. Perhaps there’s an ambitious production element to the event which will need to be built into a chosen space or an immersive catering option you would like to offer guests. The fantastic events teams at our member venues know the sites from top to bottom and can often make suggestions that only an expert would be aware of, helping you to achieve your ambitions. When developing these concepts, consider making an initial call and talking through ideas with the venue’s events team so that they can clarify terms and ensure you vision is seamlessly realised.
Unlock the potential: Our membership abounds with opportunities, often the only limit is the imagination. A question often asked is how a venue can add more to offer a return on experience in addition to the all-important return on investment. From backstage tours at a renowned performance venue to a private viewing of an art collection, there’s a huge amount which can be added to events to make them truly stand out. Once again, it’s all down to discussing with the venue team at an early stage in the planning process. With over 1000 years of combined experience in hospitality, our membership are fully equipped to ensure your event is a special occasion to remember.
Attending IMEX America? Visit us on Visit England’s Booth Number 2816 with Spencer House or click here to find out more.