Conferences are a compelling option for a versatile range of purposes. Whether the intention is to educate, brand-build, or contemplate industry trends, a clear vision and an eye-for-detail are crucial to the pursuit of event excellence. One of the biggest decisions you’ll make, the venue you hire is a box that must be ticked in order to create a great guest experience.
The venue plays a pivotal role in creating the right tone for a conference or seminar. Aside from the atmosphere and theme, it will also need to meet the three C’s of comfort, convenience, and communication. Overlooking any of these factors will sorely limit your capacity to stage an effective showcase for your business.
If you’re on the hunt for the ideal location, there are a few fundamentals to look out for. From seating arrangements to accessibility, our five essential conference venue facilities contain all the guidance you need to plan an engaging and professional event for your company.
5 Essential Conference Venue Facilities to Look Out For
With approximately one million conferences taking place in the UK each year, impressing attendees could be more challenging than ever. However, if you can master the basics, there’s every chance that your event will distinguish itself as a highlight of the working calendar. Our five essential conference venue facilities will give you the lowdown on how best to meet high expectations:
Comfortable Seating Arrangements
Seating arrangements are an important feature of conference venue facilities, as you’ll want your attendees to feel completely at ease in well-designed surroundings. Key to this is being able to arrange chairs in such a way that communication is easy for everyone. However, much of what you can expect to achieve will depend upon the venue you’ve hired, so try to view the conference area before you book — ideally in person if possible.
Comfort might sometimes seem like an optional extra here, but it deserves your full consideration. Ask if you can view the seating when researching locations and keep an eye out for sturdy, adjustable chairs with padding and lumbar support. Ordinarily, guests will be sitting for long periods and won’t want to spend most of their time shifting their weight to stave off numbness and discomfort.
Corporate conference room design is equally important, as the way you manage the room’s layout will affect engagement and interaction. What you want is for everyone to be able to talk — and see the stage — without needing to bend, twist, or shout. Widely regarded as the best set up for clean, pure sightlines, a ‘C’ shape will ensure that everyone can take part unencumbered by blocked views or muffled voices.
Fast WiFi
In the modern age, so much of what we do takes place online. This makes the provision of speedy, stable wifi another all-important conference event facility. From an individual perspective, people now expect to have access to a good internet connection. And that’s before we touch upon how disruptive it would be for a conference to suffer the likes of stuttering monitors, broken livestreams, and choppy calls.
In a wider sense, advances in technology have led to virtual conferences — and even product launches — becoming a standard feature of the times. Where once they might have been the preserve of a small number of targeted insiders, now almost anyone can join to view the latest wave of exciting reveals. If you want to cater to this wider audience, connectivity is critical.
Finally, there’s the impact that reliable WiFi can have on your satellite workers’ ability to connect to livestreams. Many modern businesses now have multinational offices, which makes virtual and hybrid conferences a great way to engage every single employee — regardless of location. However, if remote workers are going to have the same positive experiences as in-person attendees, premium internet is, once again, non-negotiable.
Premium Audio-Visual Features
The need to be easily seen and heard places AV equipment among the most critical conference venue facilities. Even a modest event will usually require a screen and/or projector, good sound system, and effective lighting. More ambitious events might require multiple connected screens, intricate microphone arrangements, and complex lighting effects.
Aside from the equipment itself, you might also need technical assistance to get set up. Some venues will do this for you, so ask in advance to avoid having to figure out how everything connects when guests are due to arrive. Even better, use an event management company to plan your conference, as many provide on-the-day assistance that could prove invaluable in the event of any sudden technical faults.
Flexible Corporate Conference Room Design
The ability to play around with space is a major feature of premium conference venue facilities. Many of these corporate events include a combination of presentations, workshops, and discussions — with time also being set aside for breaks and lunches. All of these variables mean it’s critical that you can adapt the room to suit your plans and create a comfortable, productive environment for attendees.
Getting the room layout right will tick off every one of the three C’s we discussed earlier. The spaces you create should be designed with comfort and convenience in mind. When people feel that they can move around freely and don’t feel too spaced apart or cramped, this can lead to improved communication and better engagement with your content.
Accessibility
Even the best planned conferences could be badly undermined by an inaccessible location. The goal should always be to find a convenient spot that works for the majority of guests and has a range of good transport links. It’s also crucial that you check with venues regarding the likes of wheelchair access ramps, elevators, and blue badge parking spaces.
For many attendees, a car will be the preferred form of travel, so make sure there’s plenty of (ideally free) well-signposted parking nearby. If the venue is way off the beaten track, you might also need to investigate other forms of public transport and/or the provision of overnight accommodation. Finally, to encourage sustainable practices, speak to potential attendees about options like car sharing.
ConnectIn Events: A Leader in Corporate Event Management
Are you ready to start the search for a venue for your next tradeshow, expo, or seminar? Whatever type of conference you’ve got in mind, it’s important to work with an event manager who knows the ropes. Someone who can adapt to any industry and coordinate even the most challenging logistics with ease. For businesses across the UK, ConnectIn Events is the gateway to the essential conference venue facilities that result in quality live and corporate events.
Firmly established as a go-to for elite conference production, we can handle every aspect of your gathering. Our services include event design, production, audio visual management, and virtual streaming. With a network of locations at our fingertips, we also excel at finding the perfect spot for you, completely free of charge.
Ready to set the wheel in motion for a compelling conference? Contact our friendly team today to get started!
