Spoke with Steve Reading from the Isle of Wight last week. He had some cracking insight on finding nice, local places to meet up, which are found below:
In dealing with rural businesses, we are looking for that homely, friendly feeling rather than the clean, crisp corporate image.
We want our clients to come back again and again, so it's important that they feel comfortable and easy.
I look for the friendly atmosphere of a rural pub and look for a number of things before approaching the landlord:
- The "feel" of the pub when you walk in
- The menu (including vegetarian)
- A welcoming smile
- A separate room for the meetings/presentations Do they serve real ale?
- Car parking, disabled access etc
I tend to avoid national/local chains and focus on stand alone pubs - they generally benefit more from the business you are bringing in and are often more appreciative.
By providing one meal for all (except vegetarians), it makes life easier for the chef, no time wasted at the beginning of the evening researching the menu and everyone is served at the same time which aids your timekeeping for the event.
The venue is as important as your guest speaker.
Clients who have a poor experience will not come back, no matter how good a meeting you have planned. And before your clients leave, ask them to fill in a happy sheet and request feedback on the venue.
Wise words indeed from Steve. I agree with him. So many times (even here at Enterprise Insight) I can think of really good meetings with great content that didn't work because the venue was crap.
I think the best place i've ever had a meeting was the top of the Oxo Tower, but that's probably a bit extravagant! How about everyone else?
