About Conventions
While there are many types of conventions, ranging from corporate-oriented conventions to ones centered toward fandoms and everything in between, one thing remains the same: every one that shows up to a convention shares a common interest in the topic of the event. The key to drawing in more people to show up to your convention lies in choosing the ideal venue in which you host the convention.
Conventions are massively popular thanks to their focus on a common interest. To ensure that everyone attending has a fun and enjoyable time, choosing an event space that has some synergy with your theme is important.
It helps make the convention more memorable and allows guests to enjoy the various stalls and sections within your convention venue. Ensure that you get everything from enthusiasts to potential sponsors from larger corporations by utilizing a convention space that stands out from the rest.
When choosing a convention venue, thinking about who would attend as well as who would participate in the convention can help influence your decision. Everything from easy access to simple setup would help those setting up stalls and those attending the event to enjoy the venue and the convention much more.
The Best Convention Venues
Venues come in all shapes and sizes; the key is knowing which venue works well with what theme you have going on. With so many options to consider, starting off with some suggested venues may be just what you need to spark the creative process.
- Indoor Sports Venues
These indoor venues are great for medium to larger-sized conventions due to their size and customizability. Most of these facilities are bare due to the nature of their common use and this allows you to decorate the convention venue freely to suit the needs of your upcoming event. Look towards the Northridge Futsal Indoor Soccer & Basketball Venue as inspiration for your upcoming convention.
- Warehouses
Ideal for larger conventions and gatherings, warehouses are venues that are friendly to novice event planners due to the flexibility and the many ways in which you can modify the area to fit your needs. Many modern warehouses don’t have central support columns which allow you as a planner to collaborate with vendors to fit larger equipment and décor into the venue.
- Outdoor Venues
Great for conventions that are centered on nature or have an aspect of environmentalism in their theme, outdoor venues can make for a memorable convention space. Many of these venues are flat and have open space which allows you to designate sections that are focused on different topics and themes. With so much space, the only thing you need to consider when booking these locations is your proximity to electrical sources and outlets. For inspiration, look towards the various ranches and farms that are open to all types of events.
- Event Spaces
Whilst these venues are variable and can cater to a wide range of events, it's wise to look towards larger event spaces if your convention is sure to have a large turn-up. Many event spaces have different features and amenities so considering those whilst deciding on a convention site is important as it can help contribute to the success of your upcoming event.
- Great Halls/ Banquet Halls
Great halls are a great venue for a wide range of events, particularly conventions as there are many ways to organize the space to allow for both larger and smaller crowds. These venues generally have access to multiple outlets which means that you generally won’t have any problems utilizing electronic equipment whilst renting out a great hall for your upcoming event.
What to Look for in Convention Venues
Whilst looking for a venue is important, looking for features that contribute to your upcoming convention should also be considered. Having extra features and amenities already on-site means that there’s less for you to do, allowing you to enjoy the event more.
- Security
Depending on the nature of your convention, there may be expensive equipment located on the premises. Ensuring that everyone is safe and secure can make the event more enjoyable for those who attend. Consider venues that allow additional security services as well as venues that have designated entrances to ensure that nobody can sneak anything away through other accessways.
- Size
Generally, it is better to have booked a larger venue for your event than one that is too small. Having the right-sized venue is ideal but many venues are often larger than your convention. This seems like a problem but thanks to decorative partitions, the space problem can be solved to accommodate a smaller audience.
- Location
Having a location that can be reached by everyone taking part is vital. Choosing a location that allows everyone to reach it through any means, walking, public transportation, or private vehicles, is important as it can mean that a larger turn up for your event is guaranteed.
- Features
Having extra features on-site can make your convention flow much smoother. Features like Wi-Fi and many parking spaces are small features that, all together, add up to create a much more successful convention.
- Themes
Each venue has an overall theme that can either help or be detrimental to your convention. Ensuring that you have a theme that fits well with your upcoming convention can make it easier for you to plan and execute the event successfully.
Convention Inspirations
Finding the right convention space should not be too difficult. It mainly depends on the type of convention, how many people, and the theme. Here are a few good examples for inspiration.
- Manufacturing Convention at a Warehouse
What better way to utilize an industrial theme than by using a warehouse as your venue? These places are perfect for all sorts of industrial equipment, and it allows participants in the convention to bring larger equipment that would usually not be able to fit in smaller venues.
- Comic Conventions at an Indoor Sports Facility
Bright lights and open spaces, what more could you ask for? These venues usually have some sort of network available at the site, like Wi-Fi, which allows for more publicity as well as advertisement of the venue, which is always beneficial.
- Hacker Convention at a Sectioned Event Space
Allowing various teams to compete with each other as well as showing off various pieces of new technology, and sectioned event spaces can make a hacker convention much more successful.
- Religious Convention at a Great Hall
With many ways to utilize a hall, using it for religious purposes is not off the table. These venues have great lighting and have many conveniently placed outlets which allow for ideal speaker placement to let everyone attending hear the message clearly.