Have a Brand Experience Agency Guide You to the Right Spot
If you’ve ever had to plan an event, you know there are a million logistics to juggle. Many times, that results in forgetting the ultimate real estate motto: Location, location, location! Finding the right venue is vital to the success of any event. As a brand experience agency, our goal is to create fully integrated solutions, including design, production, and support. And the most important component of designing an experience is figuring out where to host it.
Most companies go wrong in this first step. We see a lot of companies, for example, settle for stale arenas or halls when something more interactive could work. Consider a recent event we helped Richard Branson host at the Atlanta airport! He worked with our production team to give away Virgin Voyage Cruises to Delta travelers. Another mistake is going with venues that are too small or large for your audience size or the type of message you’re sharing.
In this blog, we’ll offer tips on picking the right venue and provide examples of events we’ve hosted in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
SEE MORE: Corporate Event Management Keeps Things Running Smoothly
How to Choose Your Venue:
Location: The location of your venue will depend on the type of attendees you expect. For example, an event hosting many travelers should be near a hotel or public transportation to make it easy for people to join. On the other hand, local events should be near the desired audience. For example, we’ve hosted various college events at the KSU Convocation Center, allowing Kennesaw State students to walk over from their dorms.
Ambiance/Interaction: Consider the kind of ambiance you want. Do you want something that feels intimate and spontaneous? Then a unique venue like the one we used for Branson makes sense. Even in a more traditional setting, it may be worth sacrificing audience size and choosing a hotel ballroom, allowing guests to sit close to the speakers and interact with them directly.
Capacity: Though intimacy is great in theory, sometimes bigger reach is more important. If there is high demand for an event, you don’t want to alienate anyone by picking a setting that is too exclusive. So, while we love working at the KSU Convocation Center, when we had a politician with a national profile hosting a speech in Atlanta, we knew their 5,000 capacity was too small for the job. That’s why we opted instead for State Farm Arena, which has a capacity of over 16,000.
AV & Lighting: Does the venue offer the necessary lighting and AV resources? This is where our brand experience agency truly shines! Though we’d recommend venues with existing infrastructure in most cases (since it allows for smoother setup), we also offer rentals for lighting, video, staging, audio, and more so you don’t have to pass up your dream venue. We’ll rent you the equipment and help set it up.
Cost: Though all of the above matters, your choice still needs to be within budget. As your event production partner, we’ll account for your budget when helping you choose a venue and even offer tips on negotiating prices and avoiding common hidden costs.
Do you have an event coming up that you need help with? Our team designs unforgettable brand experiences across a range of venues. Call or fill out our contact form to set up a consultation.