If you are responsible for event planning in a company, then a great deal of responsibility often rests on your shoulders. Especially if you don't have much experience in this area. Especially with the event location, problems can quickly arise. In order to avoid these problems effectively and always find the right location for an event, there are a few points to consider.
How to find the ideal location for your event
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RIGHT LOCATION
The venue is one of the most important factors for an event. It must be chosen optimally in order to meet all requirements. After all, you not only have to consider the well-being of the guests and visitors, but also the theme of the event, you have to take into account the number of guests and also keep the external impact of the entire event in mind. For this reason, the venue should not only be chosen with a great deal of consideration, but finding the right event location is also a top priority when planning. After all, you also have to reckon with the fact that popular or high-quality venues may already be booked up in the long term and early on. The longer your lead time in finding the right location for the event, the better.
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DIE LOCATION MUSS ZUM ANLASS, ZUR ZIELGRUPPE UND ZUR PERSONENZAHL PASSEN
Bei der Suche nach einer optimalen Veranstaltungslocation sollten Sie zunächst einmal die zu erwartende Personenzahl kennen. Eine zu kleine Location für die Veranstaltung ist ebenso wenig tragbar wie eine viel zu überdimensionierte Veranstaltungslocation. So würde sich zum Beispiel ein Kindertheater für 200 Personen in der Staatsoper verlieren. Der nächste Punkt betrifft vor allem das eigentliche Event. Denn das Thema des Events, also sein Inhalt, muss im Idealfall optimal zum Veranstaltungsort passen. Eine coole Cocktail-Lounge ist ebenso nicht der passende Ort für eine Beamerpräsentation. Abhängig von der Art der Veranstaltung, von der Zielgruppe und der gewünschten Außenwirkung sollte also der Veranstaltungsort der Wahl gefunden werden.
WRONG LOCATION - BIG EFFECT
If you choose the wrong location for your event, problems can quickly arise. A venue that is too small, for example, will cause crowding, the sanitary facilities will not be equipped for the number of guests and there will usually not be enough parking facilities either. On the other hand, if the event location is too oversized, the guests often feel lost, the content of the event moves out of focus and it becomes particularly difficult for you to ensure the organisation of the event. Unsuitable locations can also dampen the mood in the long term. While a large hall in an industrial estate may be fine for a trade fair, this is quite different for a celebration of a company anniversary. When planning, always put yourself in the guests' shoes and check whether the venue can meet their expectations.
FINDING THE RIGHT EVENT LOCATION
For most planners, Google is the first port of call. Here you can find out directly about various possibilities in the desired region and thus get an initial idea of the location of the venues and their size. The capacity utilisation of the venues can also usually be quickly ascertained. If an event location only needs to be found once, then this is usually sufficient. However, if you are regularly called upon to plan events and functions in your company, you should inform yourself more comprehensively and delve deeper into the matter. Then, ideally, you will have a location for every event up your sleeve and can quickly organise a suitable venue when needed.
PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION AS A BASIS
The term for this form of event organisation is MICE (Meetings Incentives Conventions Events). If you are looking for a good location for an event, you can quickly find what you are looking for on the relevant websites or in the trade journals on this topic. Well-known web platforms in this area can be found very easily under the search term Convention Bureau and the city you are looking for, such as Convention Bureau Villach or Carinthia. Here you have a first port of call to find and organise a location for your event.
If you prefer the printed version, you should stock up on the appropriate trade magazines and thus always stay up to date. The best-known magazines in the MICE segment in Austria include:
- ACB MAGAZIN
- Messe & Event
- a3 Gastronomie Hotellerie Tourismus
- Hotel & Touristik
- traveller
All these magazines have different focuses and are published with varying regularity. If you regularly have to look for a suitable event location, you should definitely keep an eye on these magazines. You will receive many valuable tips and hints for planning events and for good locations in the most diverse conurbations. In this way, you can create your own database with the most important information and locations, which you can refer to again and again when you are looking for a location for an event.
FAIRS & CO FOR THE PERFECT VENUE
If you are dealing comprehensively with the topic of MICE, you should also not disregard the most common trade fairs in this area. Here you can not only find valuable information and get to know new venues, but also form a network of contacts that can be useful to you in your search for an event location. In Austria there are several MICE fairs which you should not miss. These are:
- Hotelbiz-Seminarbiz-Eventbiz (April / May)
- Graz Conference Fair (March/ April)
- Vienna Convention Fair (October / November)
- Congress: Convention4u (June)
So if you can plan early and are looking for a location for an event, you should definitely visit these fairs. The high density of professionals from the MICE sector can be of benefit to you in your search for a suitable venue and make your work much easier. This way you can find a suitable venue or an optimal event location for every event faster and evaluate it with more professional know-how.
As you can see, the right location for an event is of crucial importance. If you look into the subject professionally and inform yourself comprehensively and make use of magazines, websites and trade fairs, you can do a large part of the planning with much less effort and, above all, stress.
Not only the venue plays an important role, but also the event marketing and the event programme. Read more about this in the blog post "Die 7 häufisten Fehler bei der Planung einer Veranstaltung".