Whilst selecting a function centre for your event, consider how it will impact on your brand. How do you want members to feel? For many conferences you may not think the venue is essential but how essential is your content for the conference & how does the venue reflect that?
What is the impression on the attendees as well as your brand. If you are trying to convey importance, change, growth etc then consider how your conference centre reflects this. What about Panache? Don’t have a conference concerning productivity in an unproductive environs. Ensure that venue choice matches this sentiment.
From the second the visitors get there, what is their first feeling? Panache, growth, partnership? This will set the conference tone. The conference surroundings can affect the work at a conference. Does the conference require gardens for instance for breaks? What about intimacy of the space vs majesty of the occasion. How are you reconciling these? Even the sounds within a conference centre will have a subtle influence on the audience. The sound of heels on parquetry conveys different feelings to say a carpeted floor.
Scents & sounds are always emotive. We draw on our own experiences. Even when the attendees are parking their cars what do they see hear & smell? Does it inspire creativity? ?Does the food say something about you as organiser? Is it top quality? Maybe you’re trying to convey the ideals of minimalism. How is the venue selection influenced by this?