Bad food can tarnish a meeting. Lackluster entertainment can damper the mood of a conference. But, if you choose the wrong venue for your event, the mistake can prevent you from accomplishing the goals of your client. What’s more, the wrong choice can hamper further planning efforts. For example, if you’re organizing a product launch and select a site with a low ceiling, that severely limits your choices of entertainment. Other mistakes can lead to lodging or transportation issues, space limitations, and low attendance. Below, I’ll share 4 event planning tips that you should consider when selecting your next venue.
Tip #1 – Explore Multiple Cities
Chances are, you already realize that high-traffic cities (for example, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, etc.) have peak times during certain parts of the year. Venue rental rates rise, traffic becomes congested, and lodging becomes cost-prohibitive. Depending upon the type of event you’re planning, there will likely be several alternative sites in nearby cities that will suit your needs perfectly.
Tip #2 – Understand Your Value
Convention halls, hotels, and other places value your event highly. Every time a large conference is organized in their facility, it results in more revenue for them. Attendees rent hotel rooms, eat in the restaurants, and spend money in the gift shops. If you’ve been a professional planner for years, you’ll be able to make a reasonable estimate regarding the number of people who will attend. The more people that you can bring, the more value you represent to the facility operator. And that value should be represented in the rate you negotiate.
Tip #3 – Adjust The Schedule
In a lot of the highest-profile cities (such as Las Vegas), conferences, trade shows, and other productions are centered around a couple of weeks during the year. As a result of the increased foot traffic, rates skyrocket. However, when the conventions and conferences leave town, the rates plummet again. If possible, try to adjust the dates of your events to take advantage of the lower pricing. Facility operators will be happy to share with you when the peak and off-peak times are. Remember, they’re interested in boosting their revenue during the times when most of their business dries up.
Tip #4 – Outline Your Needs
Often, taking advantage of the best pricing requires making a decision as quickly as possible. When you submit your RFP, be thorough regarding what you’ll need for your event. If you don’t provide the facility staff with adequate details, the manager won’t be able to quickly respond with a bid. That delays negotiations. Instead, give the manager as much information as possible about the equipment you’ll need, the room size, access to food and beverages, and other requirements. That way, you can avoid wasting valuable time.
Making The Right Selection
A lot of planners, including experienced professionals, often make poor choices when selecting the venue for their events. Sometimes, they don’t prepare well and choose a site that either fails to meet their needs or is cost-prohibitive to registrants. Other times, they fail to provide their requirements to the facility manager and are disappointed when they visit the site. These types of mistakes can lead to reduced attendance, lower satisfaction among attendees, and operational problems during conferences.
Invest the time to review and apply the 4 tips I’ve described. When the time comes to negotiate rates for your next conference or seminar, you’ll be prepared to take advantage of better pricing while providing your attendees with a stimulating conference or seminar experience.
