What makes a convention venue “distinctive?”
Distinctive convention venues are usually 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, equivalent to:
A few of the most distinctive occasion venues on the earth don’t appear like conventional convention facilities from the skin. Though they give the impression of being 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 select of a lineup. They seize consideration and draw the viewer’s curiosity. Does your venue function spectacular structure, intricate inside design, or inventive landscaping?
Whether or not offering distinctive onsite eating providers, high-tech assembly rooms, or occasion staffing, distinctive convention facilities provide providers that outshine rivals. From valet parking to hybrid occasion expertise, essentially the most memorable venues present services 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 approach 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 type, or a need to do issues in another way. Distinctive convention venues appeal to the eye of planners who wish to combine issues up and—
- Generate occasion buzz. Reserving a novel or sudden venue is a wonderful approach to drum up pleasure for an occasion. Planners can promote the venue’s one-of-a-kind design, distinctive providers, and different facilities to generate on-line engagement, which might 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. Similar to they stand out from basic convention venues in type and providers, distinctive convention venues create an unforgettable attendee expertise that competing venues can’t recreate. They assist planners give coloration or loosen up the environment of many sorts of company occasions.
What challenges do distinctive convention venues face
In case your venue primarily capabilities as a non-conference enterprise (i.e., restaurant or museum), planners and potential shoppers could not find out about it or that it gives occasion providers. Moreover, distinctive convention venues may face challenges on account of—
- Lack of identify recognition
Smaller, unbiased, and distinctive venues are likely to have much less advertising and marketing cash than their big-name company rivals. Due to this fact, they might discover it troublesome to get their names to stay in shoppers’ minds, particularly in crowded markets.
Relying on the kind of venue you use, shoppers could have already got preconceived notions about what you are promoting. For instance, if you happen to function a bar identified for dwell music or rowdy occasions, planners in all probability don’t affiliate it with enterprise luncheons or company conferences. They might hesitate to e-book massive, skilled, or high-end capabilities.
The way to make your occasion venue extra distinctive
Determine extra funds in your venue’s finances. Use that cash to focus on what makes your venue distinctive and enhance your convention heart. Contemplate 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 identification—that you just wish to painting. Contemplate what differentiates it from close by venues.
- What specialised onsite providers does your venue present?
- What is going to your audience discover essentially the most interesting about it?
- Do you provide dwell or hybrid occasion packages?
- How do you incorporate distant assembly instruments?
- Do you serve espresso, snacks, or full meals?
- Do you present absolutely catered meals or snacks and boxed lunches?
Develop distinctive promoting factors to focus on. Showcase them in venue advertising and marketing supplies and promotional campaigns to assist unfold the phrase about what you are promoting.
- Companion with native distributors
Construct a community of dependable, respected native companions who can mix specialties and occasion providers. 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 fascinating convention expertise with high-quality native delicacies. Collaborate with vacation spot entrepreneurs and different hospitality business associations to entice massive companies to go to your location.
- Select a memorable theme
In the event you’re in search of a approach to flip your convention heart the other way up and provides it a breath of contemporary air, take into account redecorating your house with a memorable theme. Do you wish to attraction to artistic-focused occasions? If that’s the case, create a stylish, gastro-pub environment for laid-back conferences. If company journey is an enormous money-maker in your market, take into account turning into your city’s most well-connected, tech-friendly venue. Generate buzz and appeal to company get together planners with a speakeasy-themed occasion room or luxurious red-carpet-inspired entrance corridor.
- Incorporate interactive parts
Video partitions, dwell 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 may help your resort workers, taking over time-consuming knowledge entry processes and offering guests with extra help.
- Velocity up on-line reserving
The Gartner Way forward for Gross sales 2025 report predicts that 80% of B2B gross sales interactions between consumers and suppliers will happen through digital channels. Moreover, 85% of planners who responded to Cvent’s 2023 Planner Sourcing Survey stated they’re extra more likely to choose a convention heart, resort, or venue if they will full the method fully on-line without having a consultant’s help. Capitalize on shifting reserving preferences by investing in digital channels and directive promoting, making it simpler for occasion planners to e-book an occasion at your venue rapidly.
- 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, may make your convention heart extra memorable.
Considerate lighting elevates any occasion house and might considerably affect your venue’s environment. Whereas investing in showstopping options may help appeal to flashier, inventive 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 road indicators, digital shows, and on-line campaigns. Directional signage will present guests find out how to discover your venue and information them to important services 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 type.
- Design an unforgettable entryway
An inviting venue entrance will assist occasion attendees and conferencegoers really feel welcome after they arrive. Create an entryway that embodies your venue’s environment and lets guests know what to anticipate.
Are you going for a hip and stylish inventive vibe? If that’s the case, take into account selecting vibrant colours or patterned wallpaper. To greet friends getting 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, take into account providing extra distinctive setup choices that make your unusual house extraordinary. Function picnic-style luncheon setups or patio breakout house to draw open-minded occasion planners. The extra versatile your format choices, the extra conferences your venue can host.
- Embrace the artwork scene
Domesticate a convention environment that celebrates artwork and tradition. Enhance the halls with images or work from notable newcomers to assist rising artists. Contemplate putting in a sculpture backyard, reserving dwell native bands, or promoting handcrafted artisanal items. Renovate historic areas and embrace up to date type, like Gallery NK in Washington, DC. Initially a carriage home, the renovated 85-person occasion house now options hardwood flooring, high-end artwork, and distinctive delicacies.
- Assume outdoors of the field
Company conferences don’t must happen in stuffy boardrooms. Think about internet hosting a brainstorming session with what you are promoting’s brightest minds whereas having fun with brunch beside a butterfly backyard. Assume creatively and search for outside-of-the-box alternatives to supply personalised, 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 photograph sales space that advertises their property. By incorporating their emblem, identify, and different model identification parts, convention venues can create recognizable signage that doubles as a photograph backdrop. Create a heat, inviting place the place occasion attendees can snap photographs, and encourage them to tag your venue on social media.
Discovering distinctive convention venues close to you
In the event you’re in search of a novel convention venue however are not sure the place to begin, kick off the sourcing journey along with your superb host vacation spot. Search distinctive venues in your goal vacation spot and analysis the convention facilities that attraction to you, or contact a vacation spot advertising and marketing group to get an concept of what’s accessible. Earlier than consulting a venue director or convention supervisor, write an inventory of questions you wish to ask to make sure you don’t overlook any essential particulars you wish to cowl, equivalent to:
- Venue capability
- In-room expertise
- Setup/teardown insurance policies
- Noise restrictions
- Vendor choices
Put these distinctive convention venue concepts to intelligent use!
Now that you realize 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, take into account incorporating a number of inventive resort concepts that basically work.
