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When looking for an event location, it often pays off to consider not only professional conference centers. For instance, many organisations maintain their own educational facilities and also offer their services to outsiders. Also, most modern youth hostels are equipped with conference facilities. So before you book an expensive conference center, check if one of the following has a better offer:

• youth hostels,
• non-profit organisations,
• unions,
• churches, and
• universities.

In most countries web sites are available for people searching event locations, too:

• http://www.tagungsplaner.de
• http://www.meetingportal24.com

When searching for a location, we first of all have to consider the following:

[Edit]1 Date

Unless you book the location very far in advance, you will have to see which dates are available. Consider the following:

• The event should be announced at least nine months in advance (the more the better).
  • Arrangements take time.
  • Exhibitors need time to plan (budget!).
  • Attendees need to be able to plan.
• The opportunity for visitors to prolong their visit for a holiday has proven to be a major asset. So unless the region of your location is not worth spending the holiday at, make sure that the date is in a holiday-friendly time, i.e., when the probability of pleasant weather is high. May and September are probably suited best.
• Make sure not to interfere with other major OS/2 and eComStation related events like the North American Warpstock!
• Make sure that no important IT-related fairs like CeBit or Systems take place at the same time.
• Other IT-related fairs that take place in the vicinity shortly before or after Warpstock Europe could give visitors more incentive to attend since they can combine the trips.

[Edit]2 Rooms

It is a good idea to check how much space was available at previous events and if it was sufficient, too much, or too few. Consider the following:

• space for commercial exhibitors;
• space for non-commercial exhibitors (user groups, freeware and shareware developers, etc.);
• presentation rooms
  • equipped with theater-style or classroom-style seating,
  • at least one large conference room,
  • at least one medium conference room, and
  • at least one small conference room (if not two medium available).
    • if workshops take place, classroom-style seating
• seperate lockable room for the event staff;
• reception area; and
• restrictable access to the exhibition area (where required).

[Edit]3 Conference area facilities

• presentation equipment,
  • video projector,
  • full or partial dimming,
  • white board,
  • microphone and PA, and
  • internet access.
• public internet access
  • enough bandwidth (approx. 600kb upload required for video streaming), and
  • permission to establish a (restricted) WLAN (may compete with an on-site offer).

[Edit]4 Socializing

Meeting other visitors is one of the key features of Warpstock Europe. Hence, it is most desirable for the event location to support this. This could be done with:

• On-site accomodation.
• On-site bar, bistro, pub, or restaurant: If there is something where they can meet in the evening in a decent atmosphere, visitors are likely to return to the event location after dinner and socialize.

[Edit]5 Social program

Warpstock is a community event. As such it is good to emphasize the community aspect with a social program^? and also, it is desirable to provide something of interest for persons who are accompanying visitors but are not interested in IT.

Be sure to check which facilities and activities are available in the vicinity of your location, e.g.:

• Museums
• Theaters
• etc.

[Edit]6 Miscellaneous

• proximity to accomodation,
  • Not everybody is willing to stay in a youth hostel.
  • Not everybody can afford a 3 or more star hotel.
  • Youth hostel, hotels, bed and breakfast.
• Proximity to dining and travelling facilities
• Travel connections
  • Railway
  • Airport: Visitors travelling by plane should not have to spend a long time travelling from there to the event location. I.e., a major airport should not be too far away.
  • Ferry
  • Cross-country coach
• Parking space
• Accessibility
• Sights to see, cultural offerings
  • Visitors may have more incentive to attend if they combine the trip with a vacation
  • Persons accompanying the visitors might not be interested in IT
• All available on-site facilities and services and the costs for them (determine later what you want to use)
• Last, but not least: what is the price (mimimum/maximum)?

Last changed: 24.08.2010 15:01 (CID: 290) by Christian Hennecke -