BEYOND Want to wow your attendees with a one-of-a-kind venue? Here’s what to keep in mind—plus inspiring spaces to bring your event to life. By Rose Filice Non-traditional venues like museums, historic sites, rooftops and theatres offer ready- made ambiance, exclusivity and memorable experiences for corporate events. “Specialty venues are usually buzzworthy and a great backdrop for creative content generated from the attendees, such as exciting photo opps and videos about the new experience they’re having,” says Dionne Bishop, founder and CEO at Events by Dionne Inc. But while they enhance engagement, planners must navigate logistics, hidden costs and budget considerations. “Unique venues definitely have their pros and cons and can impact the budget in several ways,” says Bishop. Built-in decor, on-site AV equipment and existing furniture can help maximize your budget, she notes, but planners should be aware of hidden costs. “Some unique venues require us to rent everything to be brought in, for example, cutlery and wine glasses—if a planner doesn’t know that is a potential or doesn’t ask in advance, it can be a rude awakening.” Bishop notes that some non-traditional venues can also pose logistical challenges that impact rental choices and decor. Older venues, for example, while providing historic charm, can have small elevators that don’t fit larger rentals. “Some venues don’t have elevators at all, so I’ve had to walk everything up steep stairs—this impacts my team but also the AV partners with boxes and crates.” Features like tall ceilings and concrete walls can also pose acoustical issues. “This is managed by working with a professional AV partner,” she says, suggesting that planners build in enough time for sound checks and have the AV team do a site visit to assure they are well-prepared. Finally, Bishop stresses that the right venue contact can make all the difference in event execution. “If the vibe is off and that person is not knowledgeable, attentive or interested in helping you execute, then it’s going to be a long and bumpy road,” adding, “If they’re not attentive at the site and the process to contract, they probably won’t be attentive on show day either.” KEY CONSIDERATIONS Selecting the right venue is crucial to your event’s success—Bishop recommends assessing these key factors before booking: • Physical location, adequate parking and accessibility • Catering options: full kitchen vs. kitchenette • Size of doors, loading docks and elevators to ensure logistics are feasible • Temperature control—on hot summer days, venues with floor-to-ceiling windows quickly become saunas • When do we get access? What time can we arrive for no additional move-in fees? • Cancellation policies and rescheduling procedures • Review and ask about fees, e.g., landmark fees, corkage fees, garbage and cleaning fees • For outdoor venues, is there adequate indoor space to accommodate shifts in planning due to inclement weather? • Multiple bookings: is there another event happening in another part of the venue? Or the day before? CONVEN TION C UNIQUE VENUES REPORT Spring 2025 | Ignitemag.ca | 57
