Whether you’re planning a team-building day for in-house staff, an Annual General Meeting for shareholders or a product launch with prospective clients, a corporate event needs to be carefully managed. Choosing an appropriate venue is the key to getting your corporate event off to a good start, so it’s important to ensure you’ve considered every detail.
How many people will be attending?
The number of attendees will determine what type of venue is suitable for your corporate event. If a room is too large, it could signify low attendance which may discourage potential new clients. Conversely, if a room is too small, it can easily get overcrowded. That’s why here at Grim’s Dyke, we have several rooms available. This gives you extra flexibility when it comes to hosting a corporate event, so you can ensure you’ll have access to an appropriately sized space for your needs.
What type of event are you hosting?
An AGM may require theatre-style seating, with enough space for hundreds of guests, whilst an in-house training day may need lots of floor space and open-plan areas. Alternatively, you may require desks and equipment if you’re hosting a meeting with the Board of Directors or clients. In addition to this, you may have specific requirements, such as conference call facilities or video links.
Once you’ve finalised the itinerary, you’ll have a good idea of the type of environment you need to host your event in the best possible way. However, selecting a venue with various facilities can be advantageous. If you plan to host various speakers or split off into smaller groups, for example, having additional rooms to facilitate this will ensure you have the space you need.
Select a flexible layout
Your venue should give you flexibility in terms of how the room is organised on the day of the event. You may prefer classroom seating, U-shaped desk layouts or even a lecture space. We’ve made it super easy for you to make the right decision, by listing our room capacities in the layout different layout options. Similarly, you may want to opt for a dining layout if you’re hosting a meal for guests in the evening. When you opt for flexibility, you can modify the layout throughout the day, as needed. Simply let the venue know your requirements in advance, and ensure that’ll be able to accommodate your needs.
Do you need extra facilities?
Facilities, such as car parking, drink preparation and cloakrooms, may not be the first thing you think of when you’re planning a corporate event, but they can be very important. If you’re inviting prospective clients, for example, you’re likely to get higher levels of attendance if you choose a popular and easy-to-access venue. Similarly, venues which provide a range of facilities are likely to attract more guests, so this could boost your number of attendees.
Will you need catering?
Depending on the nature of your event, you may want to host a sit-down meal, a grazing menu or an informal buffet. If so, check whether your chosen venue will be able to provide on-site catering or whether you’ll need to arrange for external caterers to attend on the day.
When you choose Grim’s Dyke for your corporate venue, not only will you have ample parking available for your guests, there’s also a selection of menu ideas, to suit you budget. Of course, being a hotel, we also have on-site accommodation and our beautiful grounds to walk around as well – providing the perfect opportunity for your guests to unwind and relax, after your event. If you’d like to explore our corporate hire packages, you can do so here.