Lime Venue Portfolio (LVP) and The Venues Collection (TVC) have announced that they are partnering to offer customers a virtual and hybrid event concept available through selected venues within their portfolios. ‘Your Virtual Events’ will aims to provide “expertise for live, hybrid and virtual events, but also those that need to transfer from live to online at a moment’s notice”.
Your Virtual Events can be used by both in-house event organisers and third-party agencies and offers a collaborative approach to event management. The partnership aims to create in-house meetings, webinars, hybrid events, virtual conference, as well as the capability to ‘flip’ live events to online ones. The businesses have also brought in online event specialists to guide organisers through the world of online event management.
Jo Austin, sales director of both Lime Venue Portfolio and The Venues Collection, said: “We’ve built up a really solid reputation for our diverse venues and our food experiences, and while we’re a ‘face-to-face-first’ business, right now our customers need us to help them facilitate virtual and hybrid experiences within our venues. This is where Your Virtual Events came from.”
The business can also integrate a range of food experiences into a digital event, including: masterclass tutorials with chefs; interactive experiences such as cocktail shake-a-longs with mixologists; and food and drink hampers distributed door-to-door. These experiences are all delivered online through the third leg of the partnership, sister brand RA Experience.
In addition to this support, Your Virtual Events offers event planners a number of services, including venue sourcing for hybrid events, event apps and websites for delegate management and registration, payment processing software, and the hosting of streaming platforms.
Austin added: “The reality is, event planners know about digital events, most of them have been doing them for some time. However, mindsets change when your whole event programme is reliant on a purely digital format. In these cases, an extra layer of expertise, both on the project and on-site at the venue, becomes crucial. It’s a big part of what we’re offering.”
