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Wednesday 7 September 2022

With London conference venues in high demand for 2023 already, is it time you looked at booking next years' kick-off conference? From speaking to a multitude of clients on a daily basis, in person conferencing is back with a bang as we've come to appreciate the value of face-to-face events. 

Here are our top tips when planning your 2023 conferences venues in London:

Think Tech

When looking at London conference venues to hire for the early months in 2023, ensure that the venue has the flexibility to offer strong wi-fi and audio-visual facilities, sufficient to be able to include live streaming for those who cannot make it or prefer to attend from home. Virtual and Hybrid events naturally required a far more robust technological offering, so it's worth finding out if this comes as standard within your package going forward or what the additional costs will be if not. Always enquire about technical support on site and do be prepared to pay an additional charge for this, as well as for any advanced technological requirements you may have, to support the smooth running of your conference or event. It's a vital element to any successful event but AV doesn't come cheap so be prepared with your budget. 

Exclusive is best

We consistently hear that delegate interaction has been greater at exclusive use venues as opposed to multi-faceted options where delegates may be tempted to wander off and squeeze in some work. We therefore recommend using boutique meeting venues for smaller events, rather than larger multi-occupancy conference venues or taking an exclusive hire of larger venues where your capacity is going to be higher. 

Re-look at venue locations

Flexible working hours and working from home has become the new norm for many. Proximity to the office is not going to be the driving force anymore, with maybe a greater focus on looking at connectivity to mainline stations. For residential conference venues, we have noticed a growing popularity of out-of-town hotels, which reduces the need for public transport for many and the use of exclusive coach transfers where required. These smaller conference hotels also offer cost-effective pricing for exclusive hire, and usually come with outside space to offer a refreshing alternative option for your team building or drinks reception. 

Content is King!

When looking at conference venues to hire in and around London, it is important to consider what secondary content you may require before selecting from the many conference venues London has to offer. We already know that a return to live events has been huge in terms of rebuilding team spirit, loyalty and morale. To fulfil these objectives, it is likely that good secondary break-out spaces (and maybe outdoor space) will be required to deliver any wellbeing, team or activity-based content. In addition, it is well-known that an after party is one of the best ways to reward teams, so early consideration of overnight accommodation is advised.

Consider sustainability

With sustainability high on the global agenda, there will no doubt be increasing pressure on organisations to bring this issue higher on their agendas when planning London conferences and events.  Obviously, delivering some ongoing communications virtually, will reduce the carbon impact of an annual event programme, but there are also a few easy ways to reduce the environmental impact of live events.  This includes asking venues about their policies on energy use and single use plastics, food waste and looking to use venues with in-built production, which reduces the travel and other impacts of bringing in third-party suppliers. 

Shop around

There's no denying that the lead time between enquiry and event date has been getting shorter and shorter this year. Yet rising catering and staffing costs are putting upward pressure on prices quotes by conference venues in London, and the later you leave booking a venue, the higher the prices will need to be in order to secure the staff and supplies to cater for your event under a time limit. These two opposing trends are creating a fast-moving and fluid marketplace for event buyers. The key here is to take time to explore all the available venue options that might match your conference brief and give yourself time! Booking far enough in advance will often give you the best flexibility to negotiate on costs, with venues keen to fill their diaries for the coming year.

And how can all of this be made easier? Use a free venue finder! At Venue Search London, we really do provide a personalised service, completely free, with our knowledge and expertise allowing us to negotiate on your behalf, saving you money and time doing the groundwork. We know the questions to ask and we take pride in being able to provide you the best solutions for your event, whether that now be virtual, hybrid or live!

If you would like any information on the venues mentioned or have an enquiry for hybrid or live events in London conference venues, please email us at hello@venuesearchlondon.com or call us on 0207 870 9305. Alternatively, please complete our short online enquiry from here.