The UK event industry market is estimated to be worth £42.3billion – according to the 2018 Pulse Report – which represents an 8% rise on the previous year with business events by far the largest contributor to the sector.
The increased demand in organising professional and private events has led to an affluence of new venues arising and to an uprise of the traditional event space.
Business events – conference, seminars, networking sessions and the like – have a combined value of £19.9bn per annum.
With 65% of planners focusing on making the right choice of venue, it is safe to say that choosing a destination is a decision that can make or break the event.
The choice of venue will clearly depend on the kind of event, but there are certain variables that are always considered before a decision is made, such as; audience, accessibility, budget, facilities, food and beverages, venue reputation, and availability.
Audience
The venue has to have the capacity to host the anticipated number of participants and also to reflect guests’ tastes and expectations.
Accessibility
All events connoisseurs know that location can deep-six an amazing venue and all its benefits. The region in which the venue is situated is the biggest deciding factor of how many guests will attend. The closer the venue is to any major transportation hubs in the City – airports, train stations, bus depots – the better. At 63%, accessibility is the biggest factor in choosing an event destination.
Budget
With an open-ended budget, anyone can plan a great event, but it is more likely that planners have a fixed budget, therefore they are looking to find ways to stay within it. All inclusive venues thrive to accommodate all customer needs, ranging from entertainment, meeting room space, conference space, and food and beverage services while allowing the customer to save the cost of additional logistics and the cost of hiring external contractors.
Facilities
Depending on the size of the event and the profile of the guests, parking is one of the most requested services. Does the venue have its own audio-visual equipment, stages or microphones? Can the guests engage outside or utilise break-out rooms? It is important to see if the venue offers charging stations and Wi-Fi availability for the attendees. If not, this is an additional element which might have to be provided.
Food & Beverages
Most venues offer catering services providing regional specialities, allowing guests to experience homegrown and seasonal delights.
Reputation
A venue’s reputation for service is critical. The way a venue manages its events, facilities, staff, and clients will always be remembered and will always be associated with your event.
Availability
Are the dates of the event flexible? If not, timing is always important when selecting the venue, as good reputation destinations can see increased demand in hiring weeks in advance.
So how do we connect all the variables? We allow technology to help us in planning the event.
CEO of Evendo – the leading online marketplace for event-related services and products – Kasper Larsen, says: “Managers often provide a limited brief on what they actually want to have organised, so it’s down to the support employees to put together the event details, stay on the budget, find the right date which suits all participants, take care of logistics and, most important, book the venue for the occasion.
“The right venue will set the scene for the entire event and will help influence the attendee experience more than any other factors.
“Since the responsibility of choosing an event space not always falls on an event connoisseur, at Evendo we focus in connecting venue space-seekers with suitable event spaces – making the whole process easy, safe and efficient.”
Having launched in 2016 in Denmark and now available in London, Evendo brings together all local event-related service providers for the corporate world.
Whether it be activities, transportation, venues, food and beverage, or events rentals you can find them on evendo.com.
