From ancient museums to industrial dockyards, each and every venue has its own identity and a different story to tell.

Considering the numerous elements that can affect the success of an event, the venue is certainly one of the most influential ones. Not only does it reflect on virtually all other aspects of your event, but it heavily weighs on the delegates’ experience.

How much do our surroundings affect the way we think and feel?

From the shape of a room to the light intensity, our brain draws meanings from everything we see. Event designers know this all too well and apply it in the ongoing process of creating experiences that will channel the desired behaviors among attendees. While an event’s content is designed to inform, educate, inspire or encourage action, the venue plays an equally crucial role in this.

Conventional venues: Purpose-built, but not necessarily fit for your event’s purpose.

Widely used venues such as convention centers or hotel meeting rooms have the advantage of being specifically designed for events, providing all-in-one solutions. However, while these purpose-built venues offer clear benefits in terms of logistics, this may undermine the uniqueness of an event where logistical practicality overshadows creative possibilities.

For a tradeshow, where the purpose is to inform the audience about new technologies, products or services and encourage networking, it makes sense to take place in a large convention centre. The experience lies primarily in the exhibition floor, where both space and accessibility need to facilitate interactions. A company that chooses to deliver a corporate party in a hotel ballroom, however, may run the risk of lacking authenticity and re-creating just another version of an already existing event.

Industrial venues: Embracing their creative alter-ego.

Warehouses, dockyards, or airport hangars make up these industrial spaces that are increasingly being transformed into event venues. The advantage of such locations revolves around their flexibility in the use of space, allowing for opportunities to play around with and even mix different ambiences. Where one room can easily be turned into a large colorful ball pit, another can turn into a Victorian dining room lit up by crystal chandeliers.

With more organizations wanting to provide original experiences to their audience, these venues keep growing in popularity. However, the existing room for creativity involved with such venues also implies the need for well-researched and drafted concepts. The key is to identify the message and tone you wish to convey over the course of your event and select a venue that will reinforce the concept.

Historical venues: A taste of theatrical history.

The common point that we’ll find between contemporary and historical venues is that they had a different purpose at some point in time. For that very reason, these sites are more likely to leave a lasting impression on guests due to their out-of-context use.

But while starting on a blank canvas leaves room for infinite possibilities, this is where historical venues will differ from contemporary ones. Ancient churches, museums, or libraries instantly bring forth a distinct atmosphere from the moment they are entered, transporting your delegates to a different place and time. And despite more clients becoming open to mixing elements that tell different stories; with historical venues, it can be wiser to work with their existing identity rather than re-creating one.

Picture an event taking place in an ancient 17th-century art museum; this is an excellent opportunity to fully immerse your delegates in a universe where every detail supports your concept. From the caterers’ attire to actor groups re-enacting paintings, or flower arrangements referencing artwork from this period. It’s just as wise as it is appealing to go full-on Disney style with a concept based on the venue’s identity, where no single elements contradict each other. This is also where Ovation Global DMC’s passion for our work lies, in the details. With a full package offering, the slightest elements that can boost your concept will be suggested to create a perfectly sound and memorable event.

Other limitations associated with historical venues are related to audiovisuals. Such venues are not typically suited for high sound levels the same way that clubs or live music venues are, where a certain decibel cannot be exceeded in older buildings. Depending on the type of event you plan to run, this is important to keep in mind. With the AV technology available today, however, the limitations are mainly restricted to sound levels. As a matter of fact, there are interesting ways to bring modernity into the mix by contrasting advanced audiovisuals with a classical scenery, for instance, through lightning displays.

To each his own, as long as we have a concept.

Every venue has its own identity and will stand out depending on the overall experience intended for your attendees. But no matter the size, audience, or target market objectives, know that for every event in the making, there is a venue that will tick all boxes. When it comes to venue supply, our expertise and neutrality make for limitless options. However, the key lies in making sense of an elaborated concept. From culture to theme and style, or audiovisual needs, the venue can be viewed as a salad bowl, where key facts and elements provided by clients make up the tasty ingredients towards the perfect event.

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