Choosing the right venue can make or break your conference. Here are factors you should take into account.
1. Size:
is the venue big enough for your group? Will you be the only ones in the venue? Or will you have to share with a wedding party? Worth checking beforehand.
2. Accessibility:
A venue located near a motorway, airport, or train station is a lot easier to access than one in the middle of nowhere. If people are coming from all parts of the country, try to choose a venue which is central. Put yourself in the delegate's shoes.
3. Appropriateness:
Your event might require a welcome breakfast lunch and dinner. It might even be an overnight conference in which case you need to think about accommodation. Most conference venues do have catering and accommodation facilities on site and you can sometimes get a really good package deal. However, work out if the package is cheaper or not. If you let the venue know about your budget, they will often work round it.
4. Special features:
Are there enough meeting rooms for the different tutorials, an auditorium for speakers, good break-out rooms? And what type of activities and facilities does the venue offer? Remember delegates will appreciate fun activities to break up the day. Things like in-house spas and gyms are great. Big activities like white-water rafting, clay pigeon shooting are appreciated, as well as tam-building activities. Come up with your set of ideas and then see what the venue has to offer.
Here is our selection of 3 Top Conference Venues:
Top 3 Conference Venues
Principal Hayley Cranage Hall, Cheshire
Located 5 minutes drive away from the M6 and 20 minutes away from Manchester City Airport, Cranage Hall is easily accessible. This Grade II listed building has exceptional conference facilities. The main meeting room seats 300 and there are 27 other rooms for meetings and tutorials. After a busy day, delegates will appreciate the indoor swimming pool, sauna, spa pool, fully-equipped gym, tennis courts and acres of grounds at Cranage Hall.
Conference planners and delegate packages are both available on request and they will respond to your event proposal in 2 hours!
Apex International Hotel, Edinburgh
This 4 star hotel is located in the heart of the city. Its conference centre has flexible meeting space for up to 250 delegates in stylish surroundings ideal for meetings, conferences, receptions or private dining. Delegates can enjoy using the ozone swimming pool, tropicarium and gym at the end of a hard day.
The impressive ‘Heights' dining or meeting room, located on the top floor offers panoramic views of Edinburgh Castle.
The main meeting room, known as the Apex Suite, seats 250 delegates. The smaller rooms are all charming and fully equipped and have charming names like Rome, Amsterdam and Sydney. Apex do offer a Day Delegate Package and as well as Team Building Packages such as murder mysteries or James Bond themed nights. So your conference will go off with a bang!
Royal Garden Hotel, London
This 5 star hotel is right next to Kensington Gardens and boasts 4 meeting suites and several Executive boardrooms, which can accommodate up to 550 delegates. The Royal Garden Hotel has a fantastic Meet and Wheel deal which involves going on a bike tour of Kensington and Hyde Park after the daily meetings! It also is home to one of the best holistic spas in the UK so delegates can relax with a massage after a hard day. The Royal Garden Hotel is beautiful, luxurious and in close proximity to Notting Hill, the West End and Oxford Street. It offers a Day and 24hour Delegate Package and staff will assure your conference runs smoothly.