Just imagine organising your event in a newly renovated venue. The fresh layer of paint still crisp, the carpets still clean, the equipment still shiny and new… Who wouldn’t want their guests to experience this level of satisfaction?
I’m well aware that hosting in a new building or in a venue that’s recently undergone major renovations can be quite stressful, but it could also provide you with some great opportunities.
There are so many advantages to hosting your event in a refurbished space. The improved infrastructure gives your attendees an improved experience. Sometimes it’s little things like an extension of the wi-fi reception, but other times it’s things that truly improve an experience. More space for your delegates to sit and relax in, for example. The venue obviously made the improvements for a valid and well-researched reason, so the likelihood that your guests will have a better experience is almost guaranteed.
Mark Benson, a Certified Meetings Professional who has worked everywhere from Mexico to the Bahamas, has this to say, “When you are using a new or newly renovated place and you do your research about the property, it can pay off in dividends.”
Benson advises to contact the project manager responsible for the renovations and asking them about their timeline. This prevents the odd, unexpected surprise of having to move venues or dates last minute. It’s important to keep in mind that some attendees may be travelling from all over the country and any major change like the venue or date could seriously inconvenience them. So if you could at least be prepared for the worst case scenario, then you can work on a contingency plan.
“During a 40-room, four-night meeting at the Sheraton Nashville we knew there was going to be major renovations, and our group was booked at the end of the renovations,” says Benson. “To minimize risk we went forward with the meeting, but with a contingency plan, something you should always try and plan for. Fortunately, the renovations were actually completed on time, a great experience was had by the group, and we had a great financial deal.”
Dealing with chain properties simplifies the process of course. The venue is often willing to offer you another venue in their chain at no extra cost. This makes it much less risky to schedule a meeting in a venue that’s under renovations at the time of your booking.
Considering the costs and implications involved, venue staff of newly built or newly re-opened venues, tend to go the extra mile for their clients. They do everything in their power to reassure the event manager that everything will be in order for the event, especially the venue itself and the support staff.
Christine Plitt, also a Certified Meetings Professional and Pragmatic Marketing’s director of event logistics advises planners to revisit venues once they’ve re-opened. “It seems like whenever there’s a property refresh, there’s also a reset among the staff, where the staff thinks hard about their priorities and levels of service.” And don’t disregard the fact that these venues might give you a much better rate than you’ll get anywhere else.
So, if ever you have the opportunity to take a new venue for a test-drive, don’t hesitate. With the right amount of precaution and planning, your event will likely turn out better and cheaper than it would’ve anywhere else and you’ll get the best support possible from their newly motivated staff…
