Making your venue stand out in 2024 is possible with a little bit of creativity, innovation, and an understanding of current trends and customer preferences. From understanding your audience to offering promotions and packages to engaging in event venue marketing, there are a number of things you can do to make your venue stand out. It doesn’t matter the time of year – you could be hoping to increase Christmas bookings at your venue or fill quiet evenings – you want your venue to be the one people choose. Whether you have a corporate event venue or are looking to promote your pub space to a new audience, we’ve provided some tips that can help you.
Understand Your Audience
Before you do anything, you need to identify your target clientele. Are you looking to host corporate events? Is your venue set up well for weddings? Would you prefer to host smaller events like birthday parties? Once you know your audience, you’ll be able to focus your event venue marketing to the right people.
Highlight Unique Features
Your venue is unique, so make sure you show people. If you have a customisable venue space, let people know. If you’re able to change up spaces to better suit different event types, this can be really valuable. Make sure you have this information somewhere that’s easily accessible so people can really understand your venue before even reaching out.
Your venue will stand out if you can showcase the things that make it special. Whether it’s a rooftop garden, the cool vintage decor or exposed bricks, or high tech meeting rooms, the more you shout about these features, the more bookings you’ll probably get.
Offer Customisable Spaces
There’s a massive need for flexible spaces that can be tailored to fit different event requirements. For many companies, event customisation is key, especially for larger events. Corporate event venues should offer the option to brand conference spaces with lighting and logos. They should also be able to move furniture around into different setups and show examples of this. There are lots of great customisable venue spaces that are great for both conferences and big parties – you just need to provide photos so people can see the spaces transformed.
Invest in High-Quality Amenities
One of the most important things to do to make your venue stand out is to provide state-of-the-art amenities. These can range from providing screens and projectors in meeting rooms to video conference capabilities in corporate event venues. Pubs and bars that have state-of-the-art sound systems often do better than ones that don’t. Other amenities to offer are gourmet catering options, parking, VIP seating areas, and more. It’s also really important to share whether or not your space is accessible.
Promote Client Testimonials and Past Events
The best way to build trust with potential clients is to showcase positive feedback. If someone loved hosting their event with you, ask them for a review. You can incorporate these testimonials into your event venue marketing and share them on your website and social media. It’s also important to share photos and videos from previous events so people can see the space in action. If you can provide images with people in them, enjoying themselves, even better.
Engage in Digital Marketing
Both venue branding and venue promotion is key to standing out. You want people to recognise your venue when they hear the name. You also want people to be able to understand what your venue is all about. Pick some primary and secondary keywords to use across your website, online reviews, and social media platforms to reach a wider audience.
Offer Promotions and Packages
Venues that offer special promotions and packages for group bookings generally fill their spaces more often than those who don’t. This can be anything from food and drinks packages to Daily Delegate Rates (DDR) for conferences and meetings. Creating these packages will make your venue more desirable as these can save people money and save time during the enquiry process. Make sure you list any packages you may offer on your website or link to a relevant PDF.
Network with Event Planners
Another great way to make your venue stand out is by working with event planners, agencies, and marketplaces, like VenueScanner. You’ll end up reaching new audiences this way and create new business opportunities.
Remember that it’s important for you, as a venue owner or manager, to continuously innovate and adapt based on market trends and client feedback. Make sure to be aware of what’s going on in the event industry so you can tailor your packages and offers accordingly and you’ll be sure to make your venue stand out in 2024.