Looking At Your Options

More often than not delegates will be attending a conference in order to learn something and/or to exchange information.

This does not mean the provision of schoolmasters and blackboards, but an environment as comfortable and distraction-free as possible. Delegates arriving after perhaps a long and testing journey need to be able to enter a calm atmosphere, and be able to relax and shut out the outside world. The venue, its location, and the demeanour of the conference and venue staff all have a large part to play in this.

Looking At Your Options

More often than not delegates will be attending a conference in order to learn something and/or to exchange information.

This does not mean the provision of schoolmasters and blackboards, but an environment as comfortable and distraction-free as possible. Delegates arriving after perhaps a long and testing journey need to be able to enter a calm atmosphere, and be able to relax and shut out the outside world. The venue, its location, and the demeanour of the conference and venue staff all have a large part to play in this.

Choosing The Venue To Suit Your Budget

Conference venues come in all shapes and sizes with varying facilities and with equally varied budgets:

• Modern, purpose-built conference centres have the latest in audio visual equipment.
• Training centres belonging to large corporations are leased out when not in use.
• Country houses offer numerous outdoor activities within their grounds.
• Hotels have the benefit of overnight accommodation and sometimes leisure facilities for delegates.

 

If you are working on a tight budget, civic centres and council-owned buildings such as sports and leisure centres can be a very economical option. In these venues the charge is often based upon room hire cost and the catering is supplied by an outside caterer who retains a contract with the council. The facilities will vary from very basic sports halls to grand Victorian council chambers.

Making Use Of Universities

Universities offer a choice of conference facilities at a reasonable cost. These can vary from basic lecture theatres with hard wooden benches and graffiti-covered desks (thankfully more of a rarity these days) to state-of-the-art, purpose-built conference suites with individual cushioned seating. A major advantage of university facilities is that during the vacation periods the student accommodation can be booked at an extremely reasonable price. Again, the standard of this accommodation can vary enormously from university to university.

Considering Somewhere Unusual

Other more unusual venues include football stadiums and race courses. Again, these often offer excellent value for money and due to the nature of their core business have superb car parking and dining facilities, and are often well signposted on roads in the surrounding area. Museums can also provide a venue with a difference. Having refreshments on a gallery overlooking a display of dinosaur skeletons can provide unexpected but much appreciated interest for the delegates, and their often tiered theatres can be of a very high standard.

Making Sense Of The Brochure

Almost every conference facility will produce a leaflet or brochure describing their facilities to would-be organisers. Remember that the purpose of providing this information is to present the venue in the best possible light, so use the information purely as a guideline on which to base your further enquiries.

Knowing What To Look For

Whether you are booking a four star hotel, a leisure centre or a university complex the brochure should give you:

• contact information
• an overview of the venue itself
• room capacity according to layout required.

 

Use the information wisely – a room capacity of 100 delegates may be fine if front projection is being used, but for back projection that number could reduce dramatically. A hall advertised as being suitable for 200 delegates may appear at first glance to look perfect, until you realise that those delegates are going to have to share two toilets during the 15-minute coffee break:

• Use your brochure to short-list the venues that appear suitable.