Switching issues up sometimes is essential, even for occasion organizers and company planners. Whether or not you’re employed in public, personal, or company occasions, altering the surroundings can depart occasion attendees feeling refreshed and impressed. So, if you happen to’re on the lookout for distinctive occasion venues that provide one thing new and thrilling, you’ve come to the best place. This information explores the great world of non-traditional occasion venues and their limitless prospects.
What makes a venue actually distinctive? The place do planners discover one-of-a-kind occasion areas? How do you’re employed with unorthodox venues? We reply these questions and extra as we discover numerous sudden locations, like stadiums and aquariums, and look at how they will function distinctive occasion venues.
Uncover why you need to contemplate distinctive occasion venues to your subsequent operate
Earlier than diving into specific places and the occasions they host, let’s take a better have a look at what makes some venues genuinely distinctive. How are they completely different from different forms of occasion venues, like resorts and convention facilities?
What makes a venue distinctive?
Many companies—a number of of which can shock you—double as distinctive occasion venues. Whereas a few of these locations primarily operate as occasion venues (that won’t look or function like customary venues), different companies on our checklist host occasions as a secondary service.
For instance, the Home of Everlasting Return in Santa Fe, New Mexico, operates as an occasion venue, however its artistry and design make it utterly distinctive. Famed creator George R.R. Martin (Recreation of Thrones) bought a vacant bowling alley and leased it to a workforce of greater than 130 inventive professionals. The artists labored collectively to design the Home of Everlasting Return, one of many world’s most original and artistically spectacular occasion areas—a venue that slips via time, area, and nature.
Different distinctive occasion venues, just like the places on our checklist, primarily function as one other enterprise, providing occasion providers on the aspect. Aquariums, artwork galleries, botanical gardens, and comedian guide retailers are just some examples of distinctive venues that present occasion area as a secondary service. Though a comic book guide retailer’s first goal is to promote comedian books, many frequently host native occasions, touring bands, and different occasions.
9 distinctive occasion venues planners ought to learn about
In case you’re inventive sufficient, you possibly can host an occasion nearly wherever. The checklist of distinctive occasion venue choices is very large, however planners are additionally restricted by their location and what’s in it. Though particular choices might differ from place to position, contemplate internet hosting your subsequent occasion at non-traditional venues you’re prone to discover close by, like—
Eating places and bars
When you might already contemplate eating places and bars the right locations to satisfy family and friends, they may also be wonderful places for conferences, enterprise lunches, personal events, and different occasions. Some eateries have separate areas, like banquet rooms, devoted to internet hosting personal occasions; others might provide a separate flooring, patio area, bar space, or your entire restaurant for bookings. With built-in décor and the kitchen shut by, internet hosting at a restaurant might help minimize prices whereas guaranteeing the meals arrives piping scorching.
Nightclubs
Are you on the lookout for someplace slightly extra titillating than a standard bar or restaurant? In that case, contemplate reserving a nightclub to your subsequent occasion. Along with dance area and loud music, nightclubs can accommodate a broad spectrum of occasions, from unique personal events and company retreats to high-energy reunions and close-knit neighborhood capabilities.
Museums
Boasting educated, skilled workers and expansive indoor areas, museums are fabulous venues for internet hosting numerous occasions, together with events, seminars, conferences, and fundraising occasions, like galas and auctions. Moreover, each museum is exclusive, holding completely different artwork or artifacts. Due to their individuality, museums provide an incomparable occasion environment.
Historic places
Impress purchasers and occasion attendees by choosing a venue with a wealthy, highly effective historical past. Historic places, like protected landmarks and century-old estates, are incredible places to host neighborhood meals, personal company capabilities, weddings, and different occasions. Show your in-depth vacation spot experience whereas offering friends with an unforgettable and impactful occasion expertise.
Artwork galleries
Artwork galleries are distinctive, trendy, and classy places to host after-work occasions, akin to networking mixers, completely satisfied hours, and much more elevated capabilities, like black-tie galas and charity auctions. For recurring occasions, search for artwork galleries with rotating displays to maintain issues contemporary and thrilling. You additionally gained’t have to fret about adorning the area!
Aquariums
Along with being entertaining and academic points of interest, most aquariums host particular occasions. From numerous company occasions, together with vacation events and team-building periods, to non-public capabilities, like vow renewals and birthday celebrations, aquariums are versatile and distinctive occasion venues with tons to supply.
Stadiums
If you consider attending a stadium occasion, you would possibly image a crowded soccer sport or live performance. Whereas most stadium arenas can be found for reserving—at remarkably excessive charges—they often maintain smaller, specialised occasion areas inside the stadium as effectively. Extremely various venues, a single stadium might have an auditorium, boardrooms, eating places, and different specialised occasion areas.
Amusement parks
In case you’re looking for a enjoyable place to host a retreat, household reunion, company convention, or tradeshow, look no additional than the closest amusement park. Providing meals, enjoyable, and festivities, they provide all the things you want for an epic occasion.
Public areas
Are you on the lookout for a venue that’s accessible and inexpensive? In that case, contemplate reserving a low-cost public area. Reserve public gardens for a marriage, plan an organization picnic in your native park, or rope off a number of streets in your neighborhood for neighborhood occasions. Contact your native parks division to verify availability, reserving insurance policies, and occasion restrictions.
Why ought to planners guide distinctive occasion venues?
From environment and measurement to location and price, planners guide non-traditional venues for a lot of causes. Along with having access to distinctive area and assets, selecting a non-traditional venue to your subsequent occasion may—
Saves you cash. Conference facilities, full-service resorts, and related places are go-to occasion venues for a lot of, and their pricing displays the demand. Reserving a non-traditional venue might help minimize prices, particularly if they will meet your vendor wants. For instance, reserving a restaurant for a rehearsal dinner or company convention might help save on extra prices incurred from buying outdoors catering.
Make sourcing simpler. Throughout marriage ceremony season, the vacations, and different high-demand occasion durations, it’s a lot tougher to search out an inexpensive venue with availability. By considering outdoors the field and redefining what an occasion venue could be, planners have a a lot better likelihood of discovering an obtainable, inexpensive, and unforgettable host—even throughout the busiest seasons.
Impress your purchasers. Whether or not you’re a marriage or company occasion planner, you possibly can pleasantly please purchasers by exhibiting them occasion areas they weren’t anticipating. Make a robust impression by proving your self an knowledgeable on all issues native; safe your home because the go-to individual for distinctive venue concepts, restaurant suggestions, and different hidden gems.
Create a extra memorable occasion expertise. Sitting in the identical assembly room week after week or attending month-to-month occasions on the identical all yr will get boring. Assist your occasions stand out by internet hosting them in new and distinctive places. Combine issues up and guarantee your subsequent particular occasion is additional particular by internet hosting it at an amusement park, botanical backyard, or live performance corridor.
How do planners discover distinctive occasion venues?
So, you need to discover a distinctive venue off the overwhelmed path, however the place do you begin? Discovering lesser-known occasion places isn’t at all times straightforward, however decided planners can discover what they’re on the lookout for by—
Asking round. Reap the benefits of your native hospitality community and its experience. Ask space planners which venues they recommend, or seize a venue listing that covers your locale. In case you’re not sure the place to start out, your native Chamber of Commerce or vacation spot administration group (DMO) might help.
Utilizing on-line directories. On-line venue directories are a precious useful resource for sourcing planners. Providing profiles, images, and pricing estimates for a spread of potential venues, free sourcing instruments like Cvent Provider Community present all the knowledge planners want to search out their subsequent occasion area. Whereas some directories embrace many various venue sorts to accommodate a variety of occasions, others tailor their content material to draw particular audiences, like weddings or wellness teams.
Becoming a member of on-line teams and boards. Search for native occasion teams on social media and discussion board websites, like Fb and Reddit. Seek for group names like “Roanoke occasions” or “Jacksonville hidden gems” to search out neighborhood pages you possibly can be part of. Ask for recommendation, reply questions, and interact with different members to uncover new venues and different insider data.
Checking networking web sites. Websites like Eventbrite and Meetup make it straightforward to find the place networking occasions happen close to you. Even if you happen to don’t attend the occasions, you would possibly uncover a venue you didn’t know existed.
Being attentive to your environment. Is there a constructing you drive by each day that makes you suppose, “Wow, that place seems to be so cool. What’s it?” In that case, contemplate stopping by in the future to ask. They could have additional studio area, auditorium seating, or a built-in stage. In case you don’t ask, you’ll by no means know.
Getting out and exploring. Get to know your vacation spot, in and out. Be part of a strolling tour to find elements of your metropolis you’ve by no means seen earlier than. Collect a gaggle of associates and make it a day-long affair, or spend the day exploring independently.
Ideas for working with distinctive occasion venues
Whether or not reserving a nightclub, stadium, or upscale restaurant to your subsequent occasion, the method might differ from what you’re used to. Observe these tricks to navigate and streamline the method.
Decide which venues are finest suited to your occasion
Establish your important occasion wants so that you don’t waste time falling in love with a charmingly unorthodox venue that may’t accommodate it. Define the fundamentals, then start your search by on the lookout for venues that suit your imaginative and prescient.
What number of attendees do you anticipate?
How a lot area do you want?
Is it a single or multi-day occasion?
What’s your excellent occasion structure?
Will you serve meals?
Tour potential venues
If doable, go to the area in individual to see it up shut. Schedule a tour with the venue’s coordinator, who can spotlight the facilities and traits that make it so distinctive. Distant organizers and long-distance planners will profit from digital excursions, which allow you to finish immersive on-line walkthroughs in photo-realistic 3D. Search for venues that make the most of interactive planning software program, making it simpler to visualise what an occasion will actually seem like, even in an area you’ve visited.
Create a listing of inquiries to ask the venue coordinator
It’s straightforward to get distracted when touring distinctive occasion venues, so take a guidelines or checklist of questions. Write down all the things you need to cowl with the venue coordinator, akin to deposit necessities, cancellation insurance policies, setup restrictions, and so on. Right here’s a web site inspection guidelines and planner’s information that will help you keep on observe and discover the right venue to your occasion.
Preserve your occasion objectives in thoughts
Search for venues that suit your occasion objectives and goals. How formal or informal is the occasion? Are you internet hosting efficiency critiques or a vacation celebration? Is it for family and friends, residents, or your workplace? Take into consideration the timeline and included actions. Is it a participatory or seated occasion? Will attendees want room to maneuver or dance? The big open areas museums and artwork galleries present are excellent for neighborhood and networking occasions, whereas restaurant banquet rooms are perfect for extra intimate, private capabilities.
Examine and distinction potential venues
After exploring a number of venues, examine their pricing, facilities, and providers. What makes a selected venue higher suited to your occasion than others? How does it outshine the others? What particular providers does it provide? Is the worth proper?
Talk about venue restrictions
How early does the venue enable occasion organizers to arrange? Are there noise or leisure limitations? Are there any restrictions on foods and drinks outdoors? Talk about all insurance policies and rules intimately earlier than making a last resolution.
Select staging and décor that pertains to the venue
Relying on the venue’s inside design and decor, particular setups or décor selections would possibly look misplaced, so discovering a location that matches your imaginative and prescient for the occasion issues. We additionally suggest searching for places that match your occasion’s elementary themes. In case you’re internet hosting a high-energy, technology-focused occasion, a stoic, historic property is probably not the very best location to take action.
Learn on-line critiques
Many individuals are uncomfortable voicing their considerations or highlighting a problem in individual. As an alternative, many of those people flip to on-line overview websites like Yelp, Google, and TripAdvisor to explain their experiences. Learn critiques from former patrons in order for you an trustworthy, unfiltered look right into a venue’s providers.
Now you know the way to search out and guide distinctive occasion venues!
When you’ve explored among the distinctive venues in your space, you’ll have creative places to host occasions in each season. As your calendar begins to fill, keep forward of the sport by maintaining with different assembly and occasion traits impacting the business this yr.
