If you’ve been following our social media pages you are no doubt aware of our upcoming Wedding Showcase taking place on Wednesday 31st October 2018. Showcasing our newly renovated venue and the addition of our Grand Balcony, The Greek Club will present one of Brisbane’s premier wedding and events venues with a night of free-flowing champagne, exquisite canapes, and entertainment.
Selecting the perfect function space could be quite a challenge: when you are organising an event, there are many variables to take into account, and if you are not experienced in the process, you might realise that there is something you are missing and it is too late. More often than not, event organisers or host end up realising that they chose a space that wasn’t right for their particular function in the first place. Perhaps, they got really excited by how great the space looked, that they forgot to check on the features and amenities. Or worse, maybe they focused too much on technicalities, that they forgot to make the space appealing or convenient for their audience and attendees.
Keep reading to learn more about how to select the perfect function space for your event!
When selecting the best space for your function, it’s really important to make sure that you know exactly what amenities you will need for your event. For instance, if you are planning on hosting speakers or need to play music, it’s essential to make sure that the event space provides facilities such as speakers, perhaps a small stage, or any other equipment you might need. The last thing you want is to visit a venue on the day of your function, only to find out that there is an essential thing that’s missing!
The best function space for your situation should be able to facilitate any of your needs, and ultimately, help you run the event in the smoothest possible way. Are you planning on offering food, for example? Make sure that the event space has the proper facilities for you (or your staff) to prep and serve the food adequately.
Organising a function often comes with a specific budget roof, meaning that you will have some restrictions in regards to how much money you can actually spend. When selecting the right space for your function, it is critical to keep your budget in mind, and even better, draw a plan to know how much you will be spending, and for what, as accurately as possible. You could make a list and divide your expenses into categories. For instance, you could list food and refreshments, as well as entertainment and venue expenses. It’s important to cleverly manage your budget in order to make the most out of any situation, and in order to manage your budget cleverly, it is important to prioritise things.
Are you looking for the best possible space with no compromises? If that’s the case, you should probably prioritise the choice of a venue. Are you committed to hosting a speaker, or perhaps a specific type of entertainment, such as a DJ set or a band? If that’s the case, work around your needs and prioritise that aspect first, so you can tailor the choice of your venue based on your needs and vision.
In other words, some people prefer to first book their space, and then figure out what they can do with it. This approach can really help you secure a wonderful space, but the downside is that you might need to make compromises later down the line.
The second most common approach is to have all the key elements of your function ironed out and ready to go: you’d know exactly how many people will be attending, you will know what’s going to happen if there will be any food or entertainment, and so on. While being organised in every detail can be absolutely invaluable when preparing for your function, this might make it a bit harder to find a space that will suit your needs perfectly, so you might need to be flexible enough to compromise a little bit and find a solution somewhere in the middle.
At the end of the day, there is no right or wrong: only the approach that makes you feel more comfortable and confident when selecting the best space for your function.
One of the most important things about selecting a proper function space is that it has to be easy to access. In other words, even the most stunning and well-equipped space will be worthless, if your attendees can’t get there easily! Sometimes, you can actually get a fantastic deal on an amazing space if you would like to compromise on the location a little bit. On the other hand, it is important to make sure that the space is located in an area where your attendees can easily travel to. Before you settle on any particular event space, it is quite important to make sure about a few details, and ask yourself a few questions. Is the event space located near any train stations, bus stops, or other forms of public transportation? Is there parking available for people who are attending and traveling with their own transportation means?
To understand the space you will need, it is important to understand the needs of the attendees first. For instance, say you are based in a city, such as Brisbane, for instance. A lot of people use cars. If this is your audience, you should consider an event space that’s has ample parking. This is only an example of a given scenario, but of course, there are many different possibilities, and it’s completely up to your specific situation.
These are only a few of the things you will need to consider when booking a space for your function, but this article will hopefully make you aware of some pivotal pointers and stir you towards the right direction to make the most out of your function!
Whether planning for yourself, your soon-to-be not so dependent child or a close loved one, 21st birthdays are an important milestone to celebrate and the execution is crucial. Trying to plan the perfect birthday party for such a significant age can come with its difficulties. Take the stress out of the party planning process and put your 21st event in the hands of our dedicated functions team.
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The meetings and conference scene is continuously evolving and event planners, venues and caterers have an obligation to keep up with the latest event trends in order to provide the best offerings for clients. Gone are the days of delegates sitting down in neat rows and rolling through one speaker after the next until the conference is complete. Today’s conferences are all about attendee immersion and tailoring the experience to ensure each guest gets the most out of the training or seminar.
We’ve compiled our top conference trends for 2018/2019 below.
Engaging Technology
There’s no hiding the fact that your attendees will be glued to their phones throughout the entire conference, or at least have them within arm’s reach. Conference organisers are taking full advantage of our technology addiction and using it to better engage delegates. Start the conversation before the conference event begins, by encouraging attendees to submit questions via twitter for the keynote speaker to answer. During the seminar, instruct attendees to download your chosen voting app and collect survey responses throughout the session. Be sure to look for a conference venue with great audio vision equipment and free WIFI for your guests to maximise the impact of your presentation.
Health & Wellness
Not only do guests expect high quality catering options at today’s conferences, the times call for health conscious dining choices to be made available. There is a focus on organic and sustainable produce and fresh, handmade dishes. Guests are also showing their preference for grazing stations so they can eat at their leisure throughout the day, as opposed to structured meal times. Beyond catering, there is a shift towards physical and mental health sessions being incorporated into the itinerary. Try bringing in a business psychologist to discuss work life balance, or a health care professional to run a session on calculating your health age.
Breakout Sessions
As we spoke about in our recent post, Effective Breakout Sessions for your Function, switching up the pace of your conference is key to keeping your attendees focused and upbeat. You’ll be hard pressed to find a conference these days that’s a cookie cutter lecture the whole way through. Conference and event planners are embracing venues with multiple breakout function spaces for smaller and more immersive activities. These small group sessions are also popular with companies who strive to encourage employee morale and team work through their conferences. Change the pace of the presentation by sending attendees to a hands-on Greek cooking class or Zorba dancing workshop.
Tailoring the Experience
For many conference attendees, the actual presentation is only a snippet of the whole event. Many companies and professional conference organisers are tying in incentive activities and packages for attendees. Conference guests now often expect these functions to reflect their personal preferences. Simple steps such as inviting guests to pre-select their choice of incentive activity or providing restaurant recommendations so guests can maximise their downtime, can make a huge difference to attendees feeling valued and engaging with the conference. With Brisbane’s abundance of sunny outdoor activities and exceptional restaurants and bars, your corporate guests will have no shortage of options to full their time.
Theming and Drama
To create the fully immersive conferences that are all the range, conference organisers are embracing the dramatics of theming, not only for the venue but down to the collateral, catering, and lighting. Whether it’s a carnival these, rock and roll or roaring 20s, today’s conferences are often completely transformed to suit the company’s chosen theme. Even if the event doesn’t adhere to a specific theme, styling is still a given. Take a look at our recent post, 2018 Styling Trends, for some of the hottest trends we’re predicting for the year ahead.
What conference trends are you predicting for 2018 and will your chosen venue cater to your needs? Whatever you’re planning, The Greek Club would be delighted to help bring your vision to life. Arrange a private venue tour or get a quote for your corporate event today by contacting our dedicated team on 3844 1166 or via email at info@thegreekclub.com.au. Alternatively, you can submit an online enquiry HERE.
Published on westendmagazine.com on May 9, 2018
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We’ve all been there. You’re three hours into a full day conference and all of a sudden the topic you were so interested in a minute a go becomes a blur and each word from the guest speaker starts joining together. Or maybe you’re the organiser of the seminar and despite all your efforts to keep the presentation entertaining, you can see the audience’s attention begin to wane.
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Published on westendmagazine.com on May 4, 2018 in Socials
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Be the envy of all other graduating school leavers when you celebrate at The Greek Club. Graduation marks a huge achievement and milestone and deserves to have the perfect venue to fit all your needs. At The Greek Club we provide an indulgent celebration with our amazing function spaces, facilities and exceptional staff with over 40 years’ experience.
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