Another legacy of the pandemic, many planners indicate they are prioritising venues with access to outdoor spaces more than previously. Outdoor spaces such as terraces, gardens or open walls are in high demand, as are venues located in, or well connected to, nature. Indoors, respondents indicate they are seeking “airy”, well-ventilated spaces with natural lighting.
The need for greater flexibility was another top post-pandemic priority. This speaks to flexibility not only in terms of contracts and changes to events, but also flexibility of the spaces themselves. To be able to offer the creativity and experiences that are of greater importance post-pandemic, venues that allow greater flexibility in how their spaces are used and can be transformed offer more value for planners. Planners point to the “need to have more flow and be less rigid in their setup” or the “ability to convert social spacing if necessary”. Examples given of such flexibility include providing a “flex working space”, “options for (attendees) to move between spaces instead of sitting in the same room all day”, or “using a general space to hold breakout sessions.” Chateauform’ who operate over 60 exclusive meeting and conference hotels across Europe, recently installed an outdoor floating space at their venue, where they have held meetings literally in the air.
Our IACC venues are absolutely seeing more requests for flexible space, including outdoor space and terraces and the ability to transform traditional ballroom space into flexible seating or networking spaces. Our teams are not just conference specialists, they have pivoted to become “architects” of the meeting experience and can provide the best value to our clients when they proactively recommend a way for attendees to connect to the local destination and be truly collaborative”. —Susan Liston, SVP Aramark Destinations
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