How to Choose the Perfect Meeting Venue
Planning a meeting, conference or training event might not be the most exciting activity, but it is essential for many businesses and organisations to have well-organised events. With so many options available to organisers, knowing how to choose the perfect meeting venue can be difficult.
There are various things to consider, including catering, transport and facilities. In order for the meeting to be a success, everything needs to be properly thought through before any final decisions are made.
To make the whole process a little bit easier, we are sharing our top tips on how to choose the perfect meeting venue:
1. Remember the size of the delegate list
Meetings can vary from a small 1-2-1 to large conferences, and the venue you choose needs to properly reflect the number of guests attending. If you are planning a board meeting or interview space for a single person, then you won’t need too much space and an intimate meeting room will often do. If you are hosting a large staff training event or trying to impress stakeholders, then you will need a venue that can easily cater for your numbers. There is little worse than being cramped into a too small meeting room and enthusiasm will never be sparked in an uncomfortably squashed situation. When it comes to how to choose the perfect meeting venue, be sure to check with your prospective venues what the minimum and maximum numbers are for their space.
2. Location is key
The last thing you want to do is force your guests to make long and difficult journeys just to attend your meeting. When you are considering meeting venues, be sure to think about where your guests are travelling from and how easy their journey will be. Always try to choose locations with excellent transport links, and if some guests are travelling from overseas, make sure the airport is easy to reach. Also think about how many guests will need to stay in the area if they are travelling in for the meeting, and try to pick a location where people will enjoy spending some down time too.
3. Don’t forget about accommodation
Many meeting organisers get so focused on the meeting room itself and the various other aspects of the day that they forgot to consider what guests will do at night. If you know a lot of guests will need to travel and stay over for the meeting, then ensure your venue has accommodation nearby or onsite - we have St Martins Lodge.
4. Get technical
It is so important that you choose a venue for your meeting which has all the required equipment and technology for your event. Almost every meeting will need a decent WiFi connection in order to allow presenters and guests to stay connected throughout. Most meeting venues will offer WiFi but remember to ask if there is any additional charge for this feature. If you need presentations or a live stream for your meeting, then make sure your meeting venue has projectors and audio-visual technology for this.
5. Food can make a difference
No matter how amazing your meeting has been, one of the main things that attendees will remember is the food options provided. When it comes to planning a meeting, one of the most important things to think about is what and when people will eat. If you are planning on starting a meeting early, be sure to provide some breakfast snacks and coffees first thing. If you’re meeting is running over lunch, make sure you have something delicious for everyone to enjoy. The last thing you want is your delegates to go hungry. Pick a venue with in house catering, as they can ensure there is always enough food and at the correct times. Having the venue and catering provided all under one roof also gives you one less thing to organise.
6. Think about branding
When you plan a meeting for your business or organisation at an external venue, the venue you choose will be a reflection of your own brand. When it comes to how to choose a meeting venue, you need to consider both the practicalities and how it can benefit your brand image. It is important to choose a venue that is well-presented, high quality and with friendly staff members. When you are visiting potential meeting venues, try to look at them through your guests eyes and see if that is the image you want to portray for your business or organisation. With so much to consider for choosing the perfect meeting venue, it can be difficult to know where to start.
Here at St Martins House Conference Centre, we offer 5 flexible meeting spaces which can accommodate from 2 to 200 people, all of which have natural daylight and are complete with AV facilities. With an elegant mix of period features and contemporary styling, St Martins House Conference Centre stands out from the crowd giving you something truly unique.
We also offer luxury boutique accommodation at St Martins Lodge with 28 bedrooms and free on-site car parking. Add to this our location in the heart of Leicester’s Historic Quarter and your next meeting is primed for success!
Contact our team to discuss you next meeting on 0116 261 5200 or say hello@stsmartinshouse.com.
Contact
Address
St Martins House,
7 Peacock Lane,
Leicester,
LE1 5PZ,
United Kingdom
Phone
0116 261 5200
