Event Guide: Top 5 Trendsetting Venue Ideas

Trends come and go all the time in the event industry. And, event professionals are always searching for the next best theme or design to impress their clients with. The same can be said for event venue owners! Rental spaces and locations are constantly changing to appeal to their clientele year after year.

Do you know what types of venues people are searching for this year? Well the results are in and we’ve got the answers!

Indoor and Outdoor Space

People are often willing to take on the weather, but not without a security shelter. Venues that win over the clients at a higher rate are those that offer both an indoor and outdoor space.

People are interested in switching scenes and locations within an event to provide a different visual appeal. These two spaces can help separate the activities and create a sense of multiple styles, rather than just one. Two separate (indoor/outdoor) spaces also helps to reassure your client that no matter the weather, the show will go on at your venue.

Style

Every client is different, so why does your venue remain the same? Offering a space that clients are free to decorate and add their own personal style to is important. Create areas in your venue that can be used for a variety of events and ceremonies. These style-free spaces give your clients the opportunity to create their dreams anywhere. People want a space that is unique to them.  

Technology Friendly

Technology plays an important role in our lives on a daily basis. Where does your venue stand on the technology spectrum? Provide your clients with Wi-Fi accessibility—it might be the best investment you make. Wi-Fi accessibility is the easiest way to bring attention to your business and venue space. Here’s how to do it:

Add your Wi-Fi password to your business’s social media page. A well-known music venue in Charlotte, NC provides people with Wi-Fi access by having them LIKE their business page on Facebook. Smart move! It increases the number of likes the business receives, allowing them to greatly increase their reach and client base.

So get techy and get your venue noticed!

Repurpose Buildings

Is there an old barn or warehouse located on your space? It’s perfect for a wedding, reunion, birthday party, etc. People love to blend and combine the old with the new. That’s why keeping and preserving old buildings at your venue site is such a great idea. A repurposed building provides a space big enough for people to gather, and also provides character and charm to the environment.

Fire Pits

I know this one idea might seem outlandish, but fire pits are the next big trend. Events are starting to be held later and later in the evening, and people enjoy relaxing around the fire after an eventful day. Venue owners are noticing this trend, and are providing areas for people to relax, roast marshmallows, and share stories. It creates a friendly and close environment that people want for their event. So get started on a do-it-yourself (DIY) project to add more warmth to your venue space.

It doesn’t take much to be a trendsetting venue! Let us know in the comment section below what trendsetting designs your venue offers.

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Using Technology in the Event Industry

If there is one thing that professionals in the event industry have finally accepted, it was the impending descent of Event Technology. We couldn't avoid it and why would we want to? Now that it's 2015, it's been recognized that event technology spans from the ability to gain great sponsorship opportunities, the ease of gathering speaker and exhibitor materials, instant connection to attendees, and the seemingly effortless ability to manage your entire event business.

All of your business information— leads, events, services, products, pricing, invoices, payroll, contracts, and more— it's all got to go somewhere. Wouldn't it be great to have a system that gathers all of this data and allows you to utilize it so that you can completely manage and grow your event business in one program?

Well, we’re here to say there is.

Let’s take a step back and look at all of the programs you’re using right now to run your company— Quickbooks? Mailchimp? CRM? Salesforce? Spreadsheets? Pen and paper? Now, ask yourself why you are using so many different programs during such a technological revolution in the event industry. While this type of industry can be fun and thrilling, it definitely isn’t always easy. It’s stressful enough just trying to plan a single event, but running an entire business that plans several events a week, wouldn’t it make sense to use something that makes your workload lighter and simpler? 

The days of using upward of five to seven different programs to power your business is over. As Liz King of Techsy Talk says, “Forcing yourself to test out new technology trends is the most effective way to get the experience you need to make technology a driving force in your life and your events.” So, put down the pen and paper and take a look at what we have to offer.

Inspherio is a great addition to the world of event technology as it can administer the most important aspects of your event business. From generating contracts and sending them for e-signatures to scheduling events and keeping track of leads, Inspherio is specifically designed to make sure everything for your business is in its right place and easily accessed at all times.

“The silos of services will start to break down, streamlining the planning process by creating more comprehensive technology products and solutions. Planners want simpler solutions and want to work with fewer vendors,” says Jessica Levin, president of Seven Degrees Communications. We find it to be very important to have a program in which you can rely, to make the planning process easier and more effective, and that’s why Inspherio was created.

We’ve listed just a few solutions below that may give you some insight on how Inspherio’s technology can help you and your business:

Accounts
Keeping an eye on the finances of your business is rather crucial, especially when you have money coming in and going out. Inspherio knows the importance of keeping your business’s account detailed and organized. With this program you have the ability to:

>Create and send invoices to your clients and in turn they have the ability to pay instantly in their private Client Portal.
>Track your income, all of your expenses, reimbursements, vendor and employee pay. 
>Run Reports that show the details of your company’s Profit and Loss.

Contracts
Time is precious, so filling out paperwork can often times be a bit of a pain, especially when your time may be more valuable elsewhere. With easy-to-fill out templates and the Client Portal, you can create and send a contract to a client easily and quickly, all with the ability to sign electronically.

Professionals
This features allows you to input all of your employees and their information. From there you can assign them to different events, appointments, or tasks, and keep track of their payroll. If you staff a large number of employees, no problem. Simply import the data using a CSV file into our system and voila, everyone’s there and ready to be put to work.

Marketing
This is huge for any business, and we get it. Inspherio features Email Marketing, which allows you to create your own email template or use system generated templates. Simply create what you like— adding your own images, links, and other flare, and schedule and send to the Contact Groups of your choice.

When it’s all said and done, it is important that both you and your clients are provided with the best experience possible. “Getting savvy with tech is more about aligning with and accelerating desired business results. Just think more about benefits,” says Jeff Hurt of Velvet Chainsaw. 

So take the next step in the technological revolution and get your company and its workflow in control. By integrating event technology like Inspherio into your next event, your opportunities are endless. Why on earth would you want to pass that up?

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