May/June 2021

FUNCTION VENUES
GETTY IMAGES
A Rapid Evolution
A look into the future for UK wedding and events venues with Charlotte Winship
WHILST WE await the results of the recent
pilot events, the UK weddings and events
industry is gearing up for the welcome
return to full capacity and I am optimistic
that the hallowed date of 21 June will hold
firm. I am also aware that our industry has
been changed by this experience and, in the
process of making future plans, we must be
mindful that some of these changes may be
here to stay.
VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY
Before lockdown #1, I had never heard of
Zoom or Microsoft Teams. I had a familiarity
with Skype and Facetime from my years
living overseas and welcomed then, as I
do now, the opportunities they created to
maintain face-to-face contact with people
from a distance. Virtual meetings are now
the norm and, although not necessarily liked
by all, they have enabled venues to maintain
client contact and engagement throughout
lockdown. Many of us are raring to embrace
(literally!) the opportunity to meet in person
again but for many, time poor or unable
to travel easily, this opportunity to meet
face-to-face remotely will continue to be
invaluable.
Many venues have already been
capitalising on virtual tour technology
and this has been crucial in enabling sales
“MANY VENUES HAVE
ALREADY BEEN CAPITALISING
ON VIRTUAL TOUR
TECHNOLOGY AND THIS HAS
BEEN CRUCIAL IN ENABLING
SALES ACTIVITY TO CONTINUE
THROUGHOUT LOCKDOWN”
activity to continue throughout lockdown.
This will also continue to be a valuable sales
and marketing tool, enabling venues to be
accessed by customers based overseas or
further afield. Make sure your tours are upto-date
and show your venues at their very
best with crisp clear imagery.
I have also been impressed by the
technology available for creating virtual
events. Venues, production companies and
entertainment suppliers have collaborated
to create some innovative virtual event
platforms enabling all manner of events
including exhibitions, conferences and
parties to be successfully transferred into the
virtual arena. Venues have been recreated
digitally to create an immersive experience
without guests having to leave their house.
Food and drink can be couriered to your
home so that you can enjoy a live culinary
experience, guests can network with each
other remotely in chat rooms, participate in
live presentations from 1,000s of miles away
and watch live entertainment from their
sofa. Whilst it is not cheap, this technology
negates the problem of managing social
distancing and enables a much larger guest
list and participation. It also has the capacity
to be used to create hybrid events allowing
guests the choice to attend in person or
remotely but still participate fully.
Corporate event organisers will be keen
to continue to access this technology to
reach overseas customers and associates,
particularly whilst travel remains limited.
Now is the time for venues to reach out to
their technical suppliers and continue to
explore virtual event opportunities.
As we become increasingly geographically
spread out, the ability to unite people
wherever they are is very powerful. So
many couples miss the opportunity to
have overseas friends and family attend
their marriage celebrations yet now we can
livestream the day for all to see. Venues with
the technology and connectivity to enable
this will be increasingly in demand as travel
restrictions continue.
OUTDOOR SPACES
For many, the ability to get outdoors for
exercise, gardening, working or socialising
26 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM