Transforming Unique Venues into Event Experiences

Since the inception of experiential marketing, brands are under increasing pressure to provide their guests with an engaging and innovative experience with every new event they host. With the growing demand for compelling events, what can companies do to make their function stand out in a unique and stimulating way that builds a connection with their attendees? One simple way for event planners to capture the attention of their guests is choose a nontraditional venue as the stage for their next event.

According to Julius Solaris, editor of Event Manager Blog, “Events are increasingly more about creating wow factors. The same people in the same room won’t cut it for modern audiences. Unique venues stimulate curiosity and engagement with the experience…[These] venues are often incredibly creative spaces that challenge attendees to break traditions and evaluate the event on the basis of what they see, rather than on their expectations.”

Whether it is a company-wide corporate event or a product launch, nontraditional venues allow businesses to cultivate their creativity and give their guests an experience that’s entertaining and unforgettable. Depending on your corporate culture or the character of your brand, unique venues can be utilized to create an atmosphere that perfectly fits your company’s personality and that speaks to your target demographic on a personal level. Let’s explore some of the unique venues available to event planners today and how to transform the space to meet your company’s needs:

Open Warehouses

One unique venue that is rising in popularity amongst event planners are refurbished, open warehouses. An open warehouse gives marketers the freedom to get creative as well as repurposes industrial spaces no longer being used. With an open-floor plan, ample space, and bare walls, marketers are essentially given a blank slate with which to craft their event according to their vision. Factory settings not only give marketers a space with lots of potential, but it lacks the grandiosity and formality that’s present in a ballroom or convention center.

A free reign of creativity is what attracted Ryan Lasure, the strategic account executive at Salesforce, to select an open warehouse as the ideal location for a “Trailhead” corporate event featuring the theme of glamping (glamorous camping). Lasure says, “We were eager to engage our creative teams to help us transform the space. We conducted walk-throughs, floor plan mapping, and a vision board to begin our creative process.”

While spacious warehouses also require a greater amount of planning and attention to detail, innovation provides better opportunities to properly personalize the event for your attendees. Whether your event’s goal is to catch the interest of consumers or to build a bond with current employees, better personalization will increase the likelihood of your message successfully reaching your target audience.

Farmhouses, Vineyards, and Villas

It’s time to take your guests out of the banquet halls and into the fresh air. Instead of settling for a traditional venue, marketers and event planners should consider selecting farmhouses, vineyards, or villas as their event locale of choice. With a cozy and rustic atmosphere, these types of venues will breakdown a guests’ reservations and supply them with a comfortable experience that feels more like a social outing with friends than a corporate function.

According to Julia Bendall, the manager of concierge services at Peerspace, “Farmhouse events are en vogue right now, especially for pop-up dinner events. To transform a raw space into your farmhouse dream, incorporate lots of direct light such as uncovered chandeliers or glass lanterns. Be sure to have long tables to foster community and create a warm atmosphere. Think about incorporating wild flower center pieces to bring the outdoors inside.” With a venue of this kind, attendees will be immersed in an atmosphere that transports them to the Italian countryside and offers them a sense of escapism from the humdrum of everyday life.

Curated Homes

With event planners and marketers on the lookout for new and unexpected venues, owner’s of upscale homes are taking advantage of the market by renting out their homes for events. Unlike traditional venues, which can be stale and reserved, a curated home will provide guests with a sense of luxury and comfort simultaneously.

The music festival Another Love Story takes this approach by hosting their annual event in Killyon Manor, a family owned country house located in eastern Ireland. Emmet Condon, the creative director and event producer for Another Love Story, believes that holding the music festival inside an actual family home establishes a level of trust with their guests. According to Condon, “It creates a more immediate connection— a connection that wouldn’t normally be there in a traditional venue.” Opposed to the concept of escapism, an event held in a curated home provides attendees with an ambience grounded in familiarity and realism, which creates an instant bond between brands and their guests.

Art Galleries or Schools

Depending on the atmosphere that best fits your brand, art galleries or schools are also a creative space companies should consider for their next activation. Art galleries are the optimal location for an event that wishes to make an impression on their guests in a tasteful and original way. Not only will the art serve as an excellent icebreaker for your guests, but the decor comes already curated, giving event planners a layout to work with, less space to fill, and lower costs.

For brands that are looking for more pizzazz, an art school could serve as a better venue for your event. Unlike art galleries, where the art tends to be fixed and unchanging, the artwork in art schools showcase new and fresh ideas that are currently in development. The event’s main takeaways can be presented on canvasses and designed in a way that keeps your guests walking from one concept to another. To keep the event active and engaging, some of the art students could be creating art pieces on the spot that match your event’s message. In an event like this, your brand can ensure guests receive your message clearly while creating an authentic experience no other brand can offer.

[Originally produced for an event management company associated with Marketing Insider Group in June 2019]