Where to Hold Your Next Industry Seminar

Organizing a seminar isn’t easy. You’ve got speakers to find, an agenda to build, and lots of marketing to do. On top of all the other responsibilities that come with hosting your own seminar, you’ve also got to find affordable and accommodating meeting space for rent, compare meeting room rates, and arrange for A/V equipment and catering.

It’s a lot of work and a lot of pressure.

Allow us to take some of the weight off your shoulders. In this article, we’ll give you a simple action plan for finding just the right seminar room rental. Once you’re finished here, you’ll be able to check off one of the most daunting tasks on your checklist.

Quick Tips for Planning a Successful Seminar

Before you start looking at seminar rooms and meeting spaces for rent, make sure you nail down these key details to develop a solid understanding of what your needs are. Otherwise, you may spend a lot of extra time going back and forth with various points of contact for different rentals.

Budget

Hopefully, the first thing you did when you decided to take on this venture was plan out your budget. Before you start calling around for quotes and comparing rates for different meeting rooms for rent, set a firm maximum dollar amount that you’re willing to pay for the space. Keep in mind that in most cases, you can rent a conference room by the hour.

This number should be dependent on where the rest of your seminar budget is needed, how much you expect to make from ticket sales, and what your priorities are. For example, if you must hold your seminar in a prime location in the heart of the city, you’re going to pay more. If it’s crucial that you reserve a highly-professional space with catering, equipment, etc, you’re also going to pay more.

You can find a good range on Davinci’s pricing table for meeting room rates. On average, you can expect to pay anywhere from $45 to $105 per hour, depending on your needs.

Size

The size of your meeting room is a huge factor that needs to be determined before any real planning can occur. How many attendees are you expecting? How much space will you need for your public speakers and equipment? Do you need space for booths and other advertising initiatives?

As a general rule of thumb, your seminar space should be about 12 square feet per person. For example, if you’re expecting a total of 30 guests, speakers, and coordinators, your meeting room rental should be at least 360 square feet.

Availability

One of the most important factors to consider is the time, date, and duration of your event. You’ll want to reserve your event space far in advance so you’re not scrambling to find a venue in time. Always have a backup date or time in mind so that you can be flexible with the availability of your ideal event space. It’s also important to consider the duration of your seminar and how much time you’ll need before and after for setup and cleanup.

Choosing the Right Meeting Space

Once you’ve got those important details squared away, it’s time to find the right meeting space for your seminar. Unless you can get really creative, you have three different routes you can pursue: Ultra professional, super casual, or a fair combination of both.

Community Centers

If you’re hosting a fairly casual seminar on a limited budget, you may want to call around to different community centers in the area. Public libraries and recreational centers often rent out meeting space for small to mid-sized events. If you have access to a city center, you may want to give them a call, too, and ask if they have any meeting spaces available for an industry seminar.

Pros of Hosting Your Seminar at a Community Center:

• You have a great abundance of locations to choose from all over the country.
• Community centers are easy to find and contact with a quick Google search.
• In many cases, community centers offer very affordable pricing.

Cons of Hosting Your Seminar at a Community Center:

• You’re very limited in terms of assistance with and availability of A/V equipment.
• This super casual space isn’t always a good fit for professional industry seminars.
• There aren’t a lot of options in regard to size and capacity.

Public Venues

Public venues are a fine option for the sophisticated industry seminars that cater to a highly professional audience. They often include hotel meeting space—such as banquet halls and ballrooms—as well as convention centers and restaurants. Public venues are a great option for large-scale seminars that attract a lot of out-of-town attendees who expect a professional setting.

Pros of Hosting Your Seminar at a Public Venue:

• Public venues are often in prime locations that are easy to get to and within close proximity to hotels, restaurants, and other appealing amenities.
• Most spaces provide a very professional and authoritative backdrop to your seminar.
• A/V equipment and catering is often included in the price of your event space or conference room rental.

Cons of Hosting Your Seminar at a Public Venue:

• Public venues tend to cost quite a bit more than community centers.
• You’ll need to book your venue very far out in advance, especially if your event falls on a weekend.
• Public venues often have very strict regulations and additional fees for renting their space.

Meeting Rooms for Rent

If this were the story of Goldilocks, meeting rooms for rent would be just right. Unbeknownst to many, you can find meeting rooms for over the United States for a fair price.

Choosing to hold your next industry seminar inside a nice office building provides you with an even blend of professionalism and affordability. In fact, it’s likely that you’ll find meeting rooms for rent that charge less than your local public library.

Pros of Hosting Your Seminar in a Meeting Room Rental:

• You can choose from a wide range of sizes, from small conference room rentals to large training rooms.
• Your options are virtually limitless in regard to location.
• In some cases, A/V equipment and catering is included in the price of your meeting room rental.

Cons of Hosting Your Seminar in a Meeting Room Rental:

• Meeting room rentals aren’t ideal for large-scale seminars with thousands of attendees.
• Reservations may be limited due to the other obligations of the office building.
• Parking may be limited, depending on the surrounding location.

You can spend the next few days searching for event space for rent, calling venues, collecting quotes, and comparing prices. Or you can get it over and done with through one quick call to Davinci. Let our experts help you find the perfect meeting space for your next seminar based on your budget, desired location, number of attendees, and any additional needs you may have

Call us today to get started, or browse our meeting room locations.

About Coco Quillen

Coco is the Vice President of Operations at Davinci Meeting Rooms. She manages the strategic development and operational implementation of services for Davinci. She works closely with all teams to ensure customers are well taken care of. Google