How to Transform Your Formal Event Space for a Breathtaking Social Evening

Your average beige hotel conference suite is fine for a formal meeting, but you worked hard and spent money getting this group of people together and you really need to maximise your time with them. So you have decided to extend the day by adding a social event into the evening.

It has to be a memorable event. One that is good for team building, good for networking and above all, good for business.

The obvious choice is to go off site to a different location, but the costs are prohibitive, and the logistical challenges are very likely to heavily reduce the time available with your guests.

What other options do you have?

Formal conference suite ready for the days meeting

In this very typical bland conference hotel event space, we have tables set out in rounds for the daytime audience. A couple of screens, a small stage with a lectern and stools, and a compact but powerful sound system for speeches.

The days formal meeting ended around 5 pm.

Guests dispersed, and the room was turned around and decorated for the evening meal.

As the guests returned at 7 pm, there were audible gasps of delight as they wandered into a completely transformed setting.

The same room, dressed for the evening event

Wonderful organic table centrepieces, a branded colour scheme followed through with balloon arches and picked out with subtle coloured lighting.

There was a live harpist on stage, a magician doing close up tricks at each table, and of course the guests were able to enjoy a truly superb dining experience.

Cost impact

The cost impact of extending the room booking was minimal as it was a fixed rate for the two day event. There were just the additional costs of the staff to facilitate the turnaround.

The audio visuals stayed where they had been for the daytime, and after the diners had left for the hotel bar, which in reality was around 10:00 PM, the room was returned to its formal setting well before midnight.

Everything was cleared and cleaned, and tables and chairs were laid out, ready for a prompt 9 am start to the second day.

This bespoke room transformation, where the client could control both the branding experience and the costs, was in my opinion, far easier than whisking guests off site.

A word on the environment

Some of the things described above can appear to be very wasteful. One off bespoke dressing elements, like balloons, can end up going straight to landfill. Confidence Digital only work with suppliers who are passionate about reducing the environmental impact of your event. We insist that our suppliers use only biodegradable balloons, and do not use helium for balloon displays. We recommend the use of natural and organic materials, as well as full recycling of set panels and other display elements, to keep any environmental impact low.

For more information on how to transform your event space, get in touch hello@confidence-digital.com