How to find the perfect venue for your conference

Conference season is coming up, so chances are you and your team are starting to plan out the perfect conference for your business. A lot of businesses and their dedicated employees have had to wait almost 3 years to finally think about in-person conferences again, and now that the time has come, we wanted to put together the ultimate guide to the most crucial part of the process; finding the right venue.

Venue finding can seem like a never ending task; after all, there’s so many great venues out there that it’s hard to filter through them all. Before getting overwhelmed though, try and start out by focusing on the variables that are truly important to the success of your event (that’s how we do it here at Make Events!). Yes, there might be lots of variables that contribute to the success of an event – everything down to the weather on the day – but let’s focus on the ones that matter the most when it comes to nailing down the right venue….

1. Capacity & Guest List

Yes,we know it might sound obvious. But the first step should be to work out exactly what kind of capacity venue you’ll need. We help businesses of all shapes and sizes host conferences each year, and each one of them have a different number of delegates attending. By figuring out your guestlist and attendees ahead of time, you automatically narrow down your search and filter out all the venues that will either be too big or too small for your conference event.

2. Location, Location, Location

The pandemic may have changed the way we think about event locations and their importance (a lot of businesses are opting for virtual or hybrid conferences permanently) but location still rules when it comes to in-person events, especially conferences. For example, if your business is located in the North West (as is most of your team) then looking to hold your annual conference in London might not be the right move.

3. Let the brand shine through

A conference event of any kind is quite the event, and therefore is going to etch itself in the minds and memories of those who attend it. If the conference is being hosted by your business, then remember that the venue you end up settling for is going to be a representation of your brand itself to everyone who attends. Therefore, when you’re whittling down your final shortlist and are visiting venues to make your final decision, try to look at it through the eyes of your guest or delegate… What impression is this giving of your brand? Does it feel right? Does it complement your brands’ key features?

4. Dont be afraid to look for help!

Event planning, venue finding, conference organising. These are things that might seem easy to do on the surface, but believe us – there’s always more work to do than you might think!

That’s why it’s important to get some expert advice on things like conference planning and venue finding; it’s often going to be what makes or breaks your event. Here at Make Events, we’ve worked on conferences for over a decade now, and are always looking for the next brand we can help make their conference dreams come true. Why not start by checking out some of our case studies, or contact us right away.