1. Value
for money – this is the number
one influencing factor when booking a conference according to the British Meetings and Events Industry Survey (BMEIS). Conference
business is valuable but incremental revenue to universities – as the cost of the conference facilities is
supported by a number of services often already employed to deliver a service
to students, the cost is competitive when passed on to organisers.
2. Flexibility – being flexible is key for an academic venue
which is why universities offer very flexible space with equally flexible
furniture to accommodate a number of different room layouts.
3. Availability – with many universities having dedicated
conference facilities at their finger tips their portfolio of venues tends to
increase massively out of term time giving greater chance of availability for
conferences, meetings and events.
4. Networking – universities are built with large numbers of
people in mind with specific areas designed for congregating groups. These
provide great networking/breakout spaces which is a key requirement for many organisers
and according to the BMEIS, the ‘most important aspect of meetings’.
5. AV –AV is often built into the room and the overall
cost, making it far more competitive in universities than in hotels/conference
venues and free Wi-Fi often comes as standard. This can be cheaper, quicker and
more practical and technicians are always on site to help out. Average DDR in
an academic venue is £34* in comparison to the national venue average DDR of
£42.50**.
6. Customer
service – universities offer
good employee benefits which results in a lower turnover of dedicated staff.
For the client this means: continuity of service, attention to detail (as staff
remember clients from previous bookings), friendliness and a more personal
service.
7. Choice – there is so much space to choose from including
sports halls to great halls, lecture theatres to meeting rooms, exhibition spaces
to large open outdoor areas. At Leeds
Met, even the exteriors of buildings are in demand for TV and film companies.
8. Unique
experiences – universities
offer something different from your standard hotel or conference room. You
could be having your meeting in the most amazing historical building or the
latest architectural masterpiece with fantastic views.
9. Corporate
social responsibility (CSR) –from
reducing waste, pollution and carbon emissions to working with local suppliers (who
also have strong sustainable credentials), universities tend to be leaders in the CSR field.
Sustainability
is
also a key part of a universities wider policy on CSR where they closely
examine their impact on resources, environment and the local
community.
10. Ask
the experts – on-site specialists – from medical, computing and engineering, to
design, marketing and sport can come in really useful for a range of different
conferences. At Leeds Met, we also run a successful Ambassador Programme where
individuals from the university attract new business from their specialist
field.
*Venuemasters
**BMEIS
Any comments? Email conferencenews@mashmedia.net
