Finding the best Wellington conference venues for your upcoming event isn’t always easy. However, this guide makes it a whole lot easier. In many ways, it’s a process of elimination to get the perfect event. Decide what’s really important Ideally, you’ll already know what your event is all about.
Finding the best Wellington conference venues for your upcoming event isn’t always easy. However, this guide makes it a whole lot easier. In many ways, it’s a process of elimination to get the perfect event.
Decide what’s really important
Ideally, you’ll already know what your event is all about. Whether it’s a daytime seminar with guest speakers, an evening event with dinner, or even a conference that occurs over a couple of days with multiple mini-events, you’ll already have a good idea of the event plan. From that plan, you’ll be able to draw out some non-negotiables that your conference venue simply must have.
This can be different for every event. It could be catering. It might be video conferencing facilities for guest speakers. You might want space for a band if it’s an evening event. Whatever your non-negotiables are, make a clear list and this will rule out some venues straight away.
Settle on a budget for your Wellington conference venues
Secondly, you’ll need a budget for your event. In most cases, venue hire will be the most expensive part of any event, so it’s probably good to give yourself a limit. This ensures that you don’t have to compromise other parts of the event because you’ve paid too much for a venue.
There are ways to incorporate most of your costs into the venue hire though, for example by letting the venue handle catering and setup. Once you’ve got a budget in mind, you can probably rule out a few more venues that are outside of your price range.
Choose your ideal location
If you’ve started narrowing down venues, you might find that you don’t have as many options for location. However, the location is extremely important for a successful event. First of all, you want the event to be easy to get to. Depending on the scope of your event, you might have people travelling long distances to attend. As such, you want a central location that will be easy to reach from hotels.
With that in mind, if you do have long-distance attendees, ensure the location you choose has accommodation options nearby. People will have a better time and be more motivated to attend if they don’t have to worry about complex travel arrangements to and from the venue.
Consider the technology available
This may have been in your non-negotiables from step 1, but if not, you’ll need to think about the available technology at your chosen Wellington conference venues. Most popular conference venues have plenty of tech, such as audio and video equipment, so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue. However, if you need specialist equipment that not every venue has, you’ll need to ask some questions.
If the venue can’t provide what you need, are they happy for you to bring specific technology in and operate it yourself? Many events and conferences are filmed these days because the footage can become a valuable marketing tool. If the venue doesn’t provide these services, make sure they’re happy for you to organise third-party videography.
The other crucial part of this is the ability to host virtual events. Even as we come towards the end of Covid-19 restrictions, virtual events are a way of the future because you can reach attendees far and wide. So, always check the capacity for virtual or hybrid events.
Is catering available?
Again, this might have been a non-negotiable, but catering is an important part of any event. Most conference venues have catering and service staff who can handle all of this for you, but the difference is often in their menu options. You might have a specific idea of what types of food and drinks should be available, so always speak to the venue about catering options before making a final choice.
Contact Urban Hub – your conference specialists
If you’re looking for a conveniently located conference venue with catering, outdoor breakout areas, all the AV facilities you need and with flexible pricing options, look no further than Urban Hub. Most importantly, we can cater to events of all different sizes, and we can work with a range of layouts to suit your needs. Our dedicated Events Coordinator gives you one single point of contact, and can even offer you a tour of the premises at a time that suits you. We also offer a virtual tour so that you can see the venue even if you’re not in the area.
Contact our team today and ask us about how we can make your next event a huge hit.
