How do I start?
First, decide (a) what you want to achieve from the conference and (b) your budget. Then get down to the nitty gritty.
What do I look for in a venue?
Basically it’s about cultural fit, size and location. Most important is fit. If your company prides itself on its common sense, reliability and consistency, you don’t want a funky venue. The number of delegates will narrow down the choice further and geography also plays a part. If participants are scattered across the UK, then somewhere central, with good transport links, will be the best choice. If the event is an office gathering, you want to be far enough away to remove people from their familiar environment.
Purpose-built, country house, training centre, city centre?
Purpose-built venues such as the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London or BIC in Bournemouth tend to be best for large numbers. They have the advantage of being in city centres, easy to get to and surrounded by decent facilities if you have to organise leisure activities too. If the event includes a gala dinner, country house hotels, castles and stately homes are a good choice and they’ll also have grounds for activities. If you don’t want delegates to have any distractions, go for a training centre or dedicated venue where there’ll be no other leisure or business guests.
What do I look for at the venue?
First, itemise your event – formal session plus breakouts, number of coffee breaks, lunch, team building. From here you can work out the flow of the conference in the venue. If you want to start with one session, divide into four breakouts and have everyone in one place for breaks so that they can network and compare notes, all the rooms you use need to be close to the networking area. You also need to think about natural light, disabled access, car parking, standard bedroom types, etc.
What else do i need to know?
Is the venue planning any refurbishment or building work around the dates of your function? And who else will be in the building? You don’t want any of your competitors holding a bigger/more glamorous event in the room next door.
The way to a delegate’s heart is through their stomach
Not as daft as it sounds. A conference can go swimmingly, but if the meals don’t work – bad service, horrible food – that’s what participants remember. Consider smoothies or energy bars as options to tea and coffee, or even Red Bull! And try to avoid too many carbs at lunchtime, so that delegates don’t doze off in the afternoon sessions. Cooking stations add a lively touch and produce fresher food.
How do i choose a speaker?
Work out what you want: someone entertaining, to enforce brand messages, to convey next year’s objectives and motivate delegates? A good speaker doesn’t have to be well-known and you don’t want someone whose jokes delegates have heard before. Once you’ve decided, make sure your brief is clear and concise.
What can I expect to pay?
Meeting venues used to be renowned for long-winded terms and conditions (T&C). Although this is getting better, make a detailed list of what you’ll need and then ask what’s included, what the cancellation terms are, minimum numbers, etc.
How much of an event can I outsource?
It depends on your budget, but check company policy in case you have a preferred supplier. Paying for a venue finder or agent will save a lot of time and put you in professional hands – they will know places you don’t. Their expertise will also include negotiating T&C, off-site options, production and video, transfers, delegate and event management, and getting references.
How do I contain costs without compromising the event?
Set a realistic budget and stick to it. Decide which elements of the event are the most important and concentrate on those. So if motivation is crucial, pay for a first-class speaker – if delegates are engaged, they won’t notice the room. Be flexible about dates: if you can book a venue during a quiet period, you’ll get better rates. Start late enough on the first day for people to arrive on the actual day rather than you having to pay for accommodation the night before.
What do organisers tend to overlook?
Contractual T&C, including attritions, payment terms, and more. Payment options – are delegates paying or using a master account and, if the latter, do facilities need to be set up? Note all time critical dates, eg, releasing space held. IT – do you need wireless internet access and is it free? Insurance policies and crisis contingency (think Icelandic ash!). Return on investment (ROI) – how do you measure the success of your event? And, finally, organisers regularly underestimate how long it takes to organise an event. Start now!
Thanks to Jacquie Freer, business development director, Zibrant, Neil Pace, head of events, ATPI, and Darren Jordan, event manager, Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, for their help with this article.