08 Aug How to Choose a Perfect Location for Your Conference in London
Finding a venue in London can be a difficult task – without the necessary experience, choosing a location that fits your requirements and is under budget can seem almost impossible.
However, London is a world business hub for a reason, and it does have a terrific range of venues to host even the most prestige conferences.
And if you follow a few steps, choosing a venue for any type of conference can become much easier and it won’t even have to be a very stressful experience.
Ready to find out how? Then read on below.
Set a Clear Budget
London can be very expensive, and even the best venue finding service can have a hard time finding a suitable location without realistic expectations and a clearly defined budget.
That’s why setting a budget is so important – it can help you start the search with realistic expectations and figure out where you can make compromises to make your conference work.
Consider how you might be able to get a better venue price – if you utilize the services of experienced conference organisers, you might be able to get a better deal than you would if negotiating on your own.
What’s more, sometimes venue owners are willing to reduce the price of the venue if you buy other services such as catering or accommodation from them as well.
The most important thing to remember is that when looking for the right venue, you shouldn’t spend too much on the location itself – there are many expenses that go into organising a conference in London, and you should have clear estimates of what they might be before committing to a particular venue.
Consider the Location
Location of the venue is an essential part of the selection process – London is a huge city that spans over a large area, so you need to select a district that will be convenient for you and your guests.
Look for venues that have convenient accommodation or at least ones that have accommodation options nearby, because commuting to and from a conference in a busy city can be hectic.
The location should be easily accessible and also have nearby suppliers who can put everything together – it’s best to pick an event agency that has sufficient experience with conference and incentive travel so that they can provide the know-how of which London areas to look at.
Think of Your Needs
The location of the venue is very important, but you also need to make sure that it has all the necessary amenities that you need, or else the location won’t even matter.
The first thing to figure out is what size venue do you require – if you don’t yet know the exact number of attendees, it’s best to go with an estimate that’s as accurate as possible and then leave yourself some wiggle room in case you need more space.
You should also think of your requirements regarding equipment, staffing, food, or activities. Once you have a preliminary plan for your conference, make a list of all the amenities and equipment that will be required and cross-match it with your potential venues to see which ones fit the bill.
Finally, you need to think of how your brand will be portrayed when choosing the specific venue – sometimes, even if a venue ticks off all the right boxes, it might not be a good fit if the style or design don’t fit in with what your company positions itself to be.