Best served raw:
A detail from
KARLA Conceptual
Event Experiences’
sparkling new
workshop-cum-event
venue, The Space
It’s not news that hotel ballrooms aren’t the
only venues suitable for creative events. Yet, with an increasingly
interesting choice of places available to meeting planners from
museums and zoos to ranches and high-end hair salons venturing
off-site is no longer just an option: Some call it a matter of
responsibility.
Dale Harmon, president of the Chicago-based International
Special Events Society, can gussy up a ballroom with the best of
them, but he urges planners to look beyond those walls. “When
people come to Washington, D.C., for a four-day meeting, they don’t
want to spend every meal at their hotel,” he says. “There are so
many beautiful spaces, and so many different types of venues. Any
meeting planner worth their salt would get their attendees out to
one.”
The following pages highlight four genres of unique venues,
exploring their particular advantages and challenges.
Sporty venue:
A Niketown
in-store event
Retail Shops
With most retail chains piling top dollar into a bevy of constantly
rotating (and often fabulous) displays, stores can make for fun,
hip and surprising event venues, especially when the space is well
matched to the group. Consider a boldly colored Niketown for the
athletic set (visit www.niketown.com for a list of stores that host events
in various cities), an interactive video game paradise (www.nintendoworld.com, in New York City), a fresh
gourmet market to help bring in the foodies (www.thespicehouse.com, in Chicago and Milwaukee) or
even the famous FAO Schwarz (www.fao.com).
Although some retail establishments can be wary about renting
out their space, planners who’ve wrangled their dream stores say
fostering a sense of partnership is the key. Richard Summers,
executive director of creative and production services for Launch,
a division of Orlando-based Convention Planning Services, nabbed
one major department store for a group of fashion-minded women by
giving the shop every opportunity to sell, setting up a lavish
brunch in the cosmetics area and making sure every counter was
manned by a brand representative ready to distribute advice, gift
bags and coupons. “You have to ask yourself, how can you make your
event a win-win, for the client as well as the store?” poses
Summers.
Points to watch out for: As dazzling as it might be, you likely
will need to clear out some of the retail clutter for your event
and quickly, since today’s stores often stay open until 9 p.m. so
find a space whose displays are easily moved and replaced.
Plus, retail square footage can be very valuable, so setting up
catering stations in tight spaces might require an especially
creative approach. A roomy storage area or an on-site conference
room, however, can fit the bill nicely.
Outdoor Spaces
Dale Harmon says demand for alfresco venues has skyrocketed in the
past three years. As evidence, he points to the glut of new outdoor
additions at hotels and event venues. Little wonder, too. As the
race for the biggest special event “wow” continues to mount, what
could be more welcome than a breath of fresh air?
For scenery that offers more than the typical greens, consider
gems like San Diego’s Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa (www.estancialajolla.com), whose ample, Spanish
hacienda-framed courtyards offer a character all their own. And
don’t shy away from more exotic landscapes. Just 90 miles
northeast, La Casa del Zorro Desert Resort in California’s Borrego
Hills holds off-site dinners amidst 600,000 acres of undeveloped
desert. (It’s best to go in the autumn months, when daytime
temperatures hover in the low 80s F.) Alternatively, rope off a
breezy, scenic city square or take advantage of the new calling
card of chic downtown hotels the rooftop pool for a rich and
happening sense of place.
Tents, of course, come highly recommended for an outdoor
venture, especially during rainy seasons, but Pamela M. Patsavas,
CSEP, owner and president of Oakbrook, Ill.-based Distinctive Event
Productions, says planners can forego the pricey backup measure as
long as there’s a solid Plan B. Look for outdoor/indoor combination
venues, like New York City’s Brooklyn Botanic Garden (www.bbg.org), which bases
all private events out of its 300-accommodating greenhouse, giving
curious attendees the freedom to wander outside.
With sufficient notice, many hotels will be able to provide an
emergency ballroom on-site. (Cautious planners might want to have
the backup venue decorated in advance.)
Other considerations, depending on the venue, include tent
permits, flooring, water, power generators, in-tent climate control
and rest rooms, notes Denise Adam, Manhasset, N.Y.-based regional
director for HelmsBriscoe. In hot and buggy climates, she advises,
add a counter stocked with cold, damp washcloths and a large stash
of mosquito spray. “People always forget that,” Adam says. “It’s a
life-saver.”
Residential retreat:
Bella Palazzo’s
grand Camelback Vista
Private Homes
Residential venues are perfect for a sense of well-heeled
exclusivity. Aside from privacy and prestige, dinner in a private
home means an inevitable level of comfort, and providing the home
is glamorous enough awe.
To ensure ultimate impact, hold the event in a home that
reflects the local character. Rental agency Bella Palazzo (www.bellapalazzo.net), based in Scottsdale, Ariz.,
offers a wide selection of distinctly Southwest-flavored paradises,
like the mountainside Camelback Vista. Miami Beach, Fla.-based
Locations Extraordinaire (www.locationsextraordinaire.com) offers a host of
only-in-the-Sunshine-State properties like the aptly named Miami
Vice estate.
For a touch of celebrity, consider South Beach’s Casa
Casuarina, a.k.a. the Versace mansion, which rents out its
courtyards and some interior spaces to groups high-end enough to
make it through the private club’s screening process.
When booking residences, it’s a good idea to work with
third-party rental agencies. Independent owners, say some planners,
can be unreliable, meddlesome or unaware of their own
neighborhood’s rules. Groups such as Sonoma, Calif.’s Beautiful
Places (www.beautiful-places.com) will brush up on local sound
ordinances and parking restrictions first, to keep events from
getting shut down by complaining neighbors and responsive
police.
You needn’t shut the homeowner out completely, though. To bring
a touch of the personal, some agencies will invite him or her to
the event to directly answer questions, although Bella Palazzo’s
president and owner Margie Van Zee warns planners to consider
whether they’ll feel like intruders with the deed-holder
present.
Keep in mind that, even given the largest of homes, a formal
dinner for any more than 40 people will only work well in an
outdoor setting. If staying inside, think cocktails.
Raw Spaces
“Nothing is chicer right now than warehouses,” asserts Miami
Beach’s Karla Dascal, president and founder of KARLA Conceptual
Event Experiences. From New Orleans’ gritty TwiRoPa (www.twiropa.com) to
Dascal’s own pristine, 12,000-square-foot exhibit hall/work
station, The Space (www.thespacemiami.com), these are high-ceilinged odes
to possibility.
Ambitious planners love such blank canvases for how creatively
they can decorate. Case in point: New York City-based Matthew David
Events’ product launch for Avon this year, which transformed
Manhattan’s icy Newspace into a cinnamon-warm autumn evening. “We
could never have done that if we had to fight with a ballroom
carpet,” says David.
Those looking for space at its rawest can call a local realtor
a few months out, suggests Patsavas, and ask for an ungentrified
warehouse that will be vacant and rentable for one night. Spaces
not prepped for events, however, often will entail a few extra
preparations, including fire code checks, air conditioning (if it
isn’t already installed), consideration to the ceiling’s weight
bearing limit (if lights and equipment will be hung) and ample rest
rooms. “It takes a bit more work,” says Patsavas, “but it can
really wow people.”
Most importantly, notes David, keep in mind that not all raw
spaces are alike. Planners should consider whether they would
prefer a bright, windowed space or something moodier. And how large
can a room be without having one’s attendees feel lost? “You have
to identify what your event is really about,” David says. “But
that’s what finding any venue is all about tailoring the experience
until it’s just right.”