What makes a convention venue “distinctive?”
Distinctive convention venues usually are not your conventional assembly areas; they stand out. Whereas some venues are actually one-of-kind and actually offbeat, others have one or two distinctive traits that set them aside, similar to:
A number of the most distinctive occasion venues on the earth don’t seem like conventional convention facilities from the skin. Though they appear and function like separate companies, many breweries, artwork galleries, museums, arcades, and eating places host high-quality company occasions.
Venues that look distinctive are simple to pick of a lineup. They seize consideration and draw the viewer’s curiosity. Does your venue characteristic spectacular structure, intricate inside design, or artistic landscaping?
Whether or not offering distinctive onsite eating companies, high-tech assembly rooms, or occasion staffing, distinctive convention facilities provide companies that outshine rivals. From valet parking to hybrid occasion know-how, essentially the most memorable venues present services and products that set them aside.
Internet hosting occasion after occasion at conventional convention facilities can get a bit boring. For busy planners or repeat occasion organizers, reserving extraordinary venues is a terrific strategy to combine issues and stop occasions from getting stale.
What are distinctive convention venues so interesting?
Occasion organizers hunt down unconventional venues for a lot of causes. They might have tight budgetary limitations, an unconventional private model, or a need to do issues in a different way. Distinctive convention venues entice the eye of planners who wish to combine issues up and—
- Generate occasion buzz. Reserving a novel or surprising venue is a wonderful strategy to drum up pleasure for an occasion. Planners can promote the venue’s one-of-a-kind design, distinctive companies, and different facilities to generate on-line engagement, which may increase occasion registration and attendance.
- Create extra memorable advertising and marketing. Selling a novel host venue to create occasion advertising and marketing that sticks in viewers’ minds. Create an occasion picture that differentiates your convention from competing occasions and leaves viewers with an enduring picture.
- Enhance the attendee expertise. Identical to they stand out from basic convention venues in model and companies, distinctive convention venues create an unforgettable attendee expertise that competing venues can’t recreate. They assist planners give colour or loosen up the ambiance of many varieties of company occasions.
What challenges do distinctive convention venues face
In case your venue primarily features as a non-conference enterprise (i.e., restaurant or museum), planners and potential shoppers might not learn about it or that it affords occasion companies. Moreover, distinctive convention venues might face challenges attributable to—
- Lack of title recognition
Smaller, unbiased, and distinctive venues are inclined to have much less advertising and marketing cash than their big-name company rivals. Due to this fact, they might discover it tough to get their names to stay in shoppers’ minds, particularly in crowded markets.
Relying on the kind of venue you use, shoppers might have already got preconceived notions about your corporation. For instance, should you function a bar identified for reside music or rowdy occasions, planners in all probability don’t affiliate it with enterprise luncheons or company conferences. They might hesitate to ebook giant, skilled, or high-end features.
The best way to make your occasion venue extra distinctive
Establish extra funds in your venue’s finances. Use that cash to spotlight what makes your venue distinctive and enhance your convention middle. Take into account sprucing up the inside, upgrading the outside, switching up advertising and marketing methods, and making a superior buyer expertise.
- Spotlight what makes your venue particular
Set up the kind of picture—model id—that you just wish to painting. Take into account what differentiates it from close by venues.
- What specialised onsite companies does your venue present?
- What’s going to your audience discover essentially the most interesting about it?
- Do you provide reside or hybrid occasion packages?
- How do you incorporate distant assembly instruments?
- Do you serve espresso, snacks, or full meals?
- Do you present totally catered meals or snacks and boxed lunches?
Develop distinctive promoting factors to spotlight. Showcase them in venue advertising and marketing supplies and promotional campaigns to assist unfold the phrase about your corporation.
- Companion with native distributors
Construct a community of dependable, respected native companions who can mix specialties and occasion companies. By partnering collectively, locations can present extra interesting and inclusive reserving packages. For instance, create an in a single day occasion bundle with an area lodging accomplice or domesticate a charming convention expertise with high-quality native delicacies. Collaborate with vacation spot entrepreneurs and different hospitality trade associations to entice giant companies to go to your location.
- Select a memorable theme
If you happen to’re searching for a strategy to flip your convention middle the wrong way up and provides it a breath of contemporary air, contemplate redecorating your area with a memorable theme. Do you wish to enchantment to artistic-focused occasions? In that case, create a stylish, gastro-pub ambiance for laid-back conferences. If company journey is an enormous money-maker in your market, contemplate turning into your city’s most well-connected, tech-friendly venue. Generate buzz and entice company get together planners with a speakeasy-themed occasion room or luxurious red-carpet-inspired entrance corridor.
- Incorporate interactive parts
Video partitions, reside polling, touchscreen menus, digital actuality, and different interactive occasion instruments assist in-person hosts higher join with their on-line viewers and develop the attain of hybrid occasions. Along with elevating the expertise of occasion attendees, putting in interactive assembly parts will help your lodge employees, taking over time-consuming knowledge entry processes and offering guests with further help.
- Pace up on-line reserving
The Gartner Way forward for Gross sales 2025 report predicts that 80% of B2B gross sales interactions between patrons and suppliers will happen through digital channels. Moreover, 85% of planners who responded to Cvent’s 2023 Planner Sourcing Survey mentioned they’re extra more likely to choose a convention middle, lodge, or venue if they’ll full the method totally on-line with no need a consultant’s help. Capitalize on shifting reserving preferences by investing in digital channels and directive promoting, making it simpler for occasion planners to ebook an occasion at your venue shortly.
- Revitalize your lighting technique
For repeat occasion planners and skilled enterprise vacationers, assembly places mix as time passes. Finally, all of the venues they go to start to look alike. Nonetheless, distinctive lighting parts, like vintage wall fixtures and touchscreen management boards, might make your convention middle extra memorable.
Considerate lighting elevates any occasion area and may considerably impression your venue’s ambiance. Whereas investing in showstopping options will help entice flashier, artistic conferences, putting in dimmers or spotlights can enhance venue flexibility and allow you to host a broader vary of company occasions.
- Create customized signage
Set up customized venue signage that captures your model picture and imaginative and prescient. Create an attention grabbing design for avenue indicators, digital shows, and on-line campaigns. Directional signage will present guests find out how to discover your venue and information them to important amenities as soon as they arrive. Vibrant roadside signage will make recognizing your venue simpler for passersby and touring occasion attendees. Discover distinctive occasion indicators that match the venue’s non-traditional model.
- Design an unforgettable entryway
An inviting venue entrance will assist occasion attendees and conferencegoers really feel welcome once they arrive. Create an entryway that embodies your venue’s ambiance and lets guests know what to anticipate.
Are you going for a hip and classy creative vibe? In that case, contemplate selecting vibrant colours or patterned wallpaper. To greet friends coming into a extra relaxed, wellness-focused setting, line the doorway with lush greenery, cool tones, and calming fragrances.
- Change up seating preparations
Along with conventional assembly room layouts, together with boardroom, u-shape, and theater-style occasions, contemplate providing extra distinctive setup choices that make your unusual area extraordinary. Characteristic picnic-style luncheon setups or patio breakout area to draw open-minded occasion planners. The extra versatile your structure choices, the extra conferences your venue can host.
- Embrace the artwork scene
Domesticate a convention ambiance that celebrates artwork and tradition. Enhance the halls with pictures or work from notable newcomers to assist rising artists. Take into account putting in a sculpture backyard, reserving reside native bands, or promoting handcrafted artisanal items. Renovate historic areas and embrace up to date model, like Gallery NK in Washington, DC. Initially a carriage home, the renovated 85-person occasion area now options hardwood flooring, high-end artwork, and distinctive delicacies.
- Assume outdoors of the field
Company conferences don’t should happen in stuffy boardrooms. Think about internet hosting a brainstorming session with your corporation’s brightest minds whereas having fun with brunch beside a butterfly backyard. Assume creatively and search for outside-of-the-box alternatives to supply customized, memorable occasion experiences.
How do convention venues create photo-ops for attendees?
With a dangling signal, standing show, or flashy digital signage, venues can construct a sexy picture sales space that advertises their property. By incorporating their emblem, title, and different model id parts, convention venues can create recognizable signage that doubles as a photograph backdrop. Create a heat, inviting place the place occasion attendees can snap pictures, and encourage them to tag your venue on social media.
Discovering distinctive convention venues close to you
If you happen to’re searching for a novel convention venue however are uncertain the place to start out, kick off the sourcing journey together with your splendid host vacation spot. Search distinctive venues in your goal vacation spot and analysis the convention facilities that enchantment to you, or contact a vacation spot advertising and marketing group to get an thought of what’s accessible. Earlier than consulting a venue director or convention supervisor, write a listing of questions you wish to ask to make sure you don’t overlook any essential particulars you wish to cowl, similar to:
- Venue capability
- In-room know-how
- Setup/teardown insurance policies
- Noise restrictions
- Vendor choices
Put these distinctive convention venue concepts to intelligent use!
Now that you understand why planners and attendees are flocking to distinctive occasion venues, you possibly can capitalize on what units your property aside. In case your occasion venue consists of in a single day guestrooms, contemplate incorporating a couple of artistic lodge concepts that actually work.
