What makes a convention venue “distinctive?”
Distinctive convention venues are usually not your conventional assembly areas; they stand out. Whereas some venues are really one-of-kind and really offbeat, others have one or two distinctive traits that set them aside, comparable to:
A number of the most distinctive occasion venues on the earth don’t appear to be 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 straightforward to select 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 providers, high-tech assembly rooms, or occasion staffing, distinctive convention facilities supply providers that outshine rivals. From valet parking to hybrid occasion know-how, essentially the most memorable venues present services that set them aside.
Internet hosting occasion after occasion at conventional convention facilities can get a bit of boring. For busy planners or repeat occasion organizers, reserving extraordinary venues is a terrific technique to combine issues and forestall 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 want to do issues in another way. Distinctive convention venues entice the eye of planners who wish to combine issues up and—
- Generate occasion buzz. Reserving a novel or sudden venue is a superb technique 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 may enhance 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 a long-lasting picture.
- Enhance the attendee expertise. Similar to they stand out from basic convention venues in model and providers, distinctive convention venues create an unforgettable attendee expertise that competing venues can’t recreate. They assist planners give shade or calm down 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 could not find out about it or that it provides occasion providers. Moreover, distinctive convention venues may face challenges because of—
- Lack of identify 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 could discover it troublesome to get their names to stay in customers’ minds, particularly in crowded markets.
Relying on the kind of venue you use, customers could have already got preconceived notions about your corporation. For instance, if you happen to function a bar recognized for stay music or rowdy occasions, planners in all probability don’t affiliate it with enterprise luncheons or company conferences. They might hesitate to ebook massive, skilled, or high-end features.
make your occasion venue extra distinctive
Determine extra funds in your venue’s funds. 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 id—that you simply 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 supply stay 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 your corporation.
- 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 package deal with an area lodging companion or domesticate a charming 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
When you’re in search of a technique to flip your convention heart the other way up and provides it a breath of contemporary air, take into account redecorating your area with a memorable theme. Do you wish to enchantment to artistic-focused occasions? If that’s the case, create a stylish, gastro-pub ambiance for laid-back conferences. If company journey is an enormous money-maker in your market, take into account changing into your city’s most well-connected, tech-friendly venue. Generate buzz and entice company occasion planners with a speakeasy-themed occasion room or luxurious red-carpet-inspired entrance corridor.
- Incorporate interactive parts
Video partitions, stay polling, touchscreen menus, digital actuality, and different interactive occasion instruments assist in-person hosts higher join with their on-line viewers and increase the attain of hybrid occasions. Along with elevating the expertise of occasion attendees, putting in interactive assembly parts can assist 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 consumers and suppliers will happen by way of digital channels. Moreover, 85% of planners who responded to Cvent’s 2023 Planner Sourcing Survey mentioned they’re extra prone to choose a convention heart, lodge, or venue if they’ll full the method solely on-line while not 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 ebook an occasion at your venue shortly.
- Revitalize your lighting technique
For repeat occasion planners and skilled enterprise vacationers, assembly areas mix as time passes. Finally, all of the venues they go to start to look alike. Nevertheless, distinctive lighting parts, like vintage wall fixtures and touchscreen management boards, may make your convention heart extra memorable.
Considerate lighting elevates any occasion area and might considerably affect your venue’s ambiance. Whereas investing in showstopping options can assist 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 road indicators, digital shows, and on-line campaigns. Directional signage will present guests 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 model.
- 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 ambiance 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 visitors getting into a extra relaxed, wellness-focused atmosphere, line the doorway with lush greenery, cool tones, and calming fragrances.
- Swap 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 strange 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 images or work from notable newcomers to assist rising artists. Contemplate putting in a sculpture backyard, reserving stay 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 must 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 offer 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 photograph sales space that advertises their property. By incorporating their brand, identify, 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
When 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 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 concept 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 neglect any essential particulars you wish to cowl, comparable 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 recognize why planners and attendees are flocking to distinctive occasion venues, you may capitalize on what units your property aside. In case your occasion venue contains in a single day guestrooms, take into account incorporating a number of artistic lodge concepts that actually work.