Choosing a venue for an event is a complex and painstaking process when the main guidelines are knowledge and experience. Often, the venues allocated for different events vary, as do the requirements of customers for equipment, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Therefore, every conference room-furnishing project is unique. Here are the primary factors to consider when choosing a company event venues, as well as important points and non-obvious details.
Venue capacity and accommodation of participants
Before looking for a suitable venue, you must have a clear idea of the total number of participants that will be invited to the event. Keep in mind that it should accommodate a little more people than the number of people you are counting on. There are many options for participants and spectators at events, but all of them are specific cases of five main options: class, theater, round table, negotiations, and T-shaped accommodation. Armed with the knowledge of seating options for participants and listeners, you can draw the first conclusions about the type of hall that will suit you. Mixed styles also have a place to be.
Furnishings and equipment
Furnishing a conference room with equipment requires careful planning. You should divide the venue selection project into stages within which certain works will be carried out. This includes booths for simultaneous interpreters and other translation equipment that maintain high concentration and perform high-quality interpretation at an event without extraneous noise.
After the approval of the list of equipment and the scheme of its installation, familiarize yourself with the specifications for the interfaces used. This will give you an idea of how long the cables can be used and how to place them correctly. Some interfaces can work through special extension cords, while others can only work through special cables. Based on this, it is possible to optimally distribute and prepare places for laying cables during construction work.
Camcorders
The arrangement of participants and furniture in the room will give an idea of where to place the cameras and how many cameras you will need to get the best image at the event.
In large conference rooms, one camera takes a long shot, and the rest – are close-ups of the speakers. If you show a little imagination and ingenuity, one PTZ camera will be enough. The crucial thing when choosing an installation location is to review all camera positions and make certain that no objects are blocking the view and light sources that can illuminate the shot.
As for placing TVs, video walls, or interactive panels, everything is much simpler: it should be convenient for conference participants to read information from the display. If one display is not enough because of the dimensions, duplicate displays or video walls of a larger diagonal are installed. When installing, do not forget that even thin modern displays have a lot of weight, so you should think about reliable ways to mount them.
Soundproofing
The sound at the event is the primary carrier of information, and it is imperative to ensure its accurate and clear transmission. Noise is present in every room. They are familiar and invisible to humans, but conventional acoustic equipment amplifies them on a par with the voice and is even louder. In addition, you should eliminate many acoustic phenomena – the echo effect, and different speaker distances from the microphone. You can eliminate all these problems by using special equipment. Devices developed for events have mechanisms for suppressing all possible interference, noise, and low audibility.
The time required to prepare for the event
According to our interlocutors, the event is usually prepared in 3-4 weeks, although in exceptional cases you can do it in a week, or even in less time. However, this is already an exception to the rule. In addition, the preparation time also depends on the season. For example, Christmas events need to be planned and coordinated during the fall. It is challenging to arrange a big holiday on Christmas Eve without planning it a couple of months in advance.
The article lists only the basic principles, about factors that should be paid attention to. But besides this, there are many “pitfalls” – for example, device compatibility. It is quite possible to independently choose and equip a venue with the things if you study the nuances of the devices, order the equipment and install it. However, this approach does not guarantee an acceptable result and entails a lot of time. It might be better to contact the experts.